Lotus Elise as a DD (long commute)
 

Hey gang!

I drive a 2002 996 C2 100 miles everyday (highway miles) to and from work.
Love it. The car has now 118,000 miles and is for sale but I'm considering a Lotus Elise. I know the car is raw, race inspired and far less amenities than the Porsche, but I need to know.... Can I pull that off? are the seats ok for long commutes? is the AC good for SOFLA weather?
Thanks in advance!

this is a pic of my current ride:

https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117...9b2f3877_o.jpg

https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3033...2975f2ea_o.jpg

https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3571...aa640efa_o.jpg

https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293...58d011a2_o.jpg

joel

keep the 911

I'm in Orlando and have an Exige, and it will be rough, and loud, and fun. The AC will probably freeze over, a lot. I suggest keeping the 911, and having a lotus for short trip or track days. I love my Exige as a DD, but I have a 3 mile commute.

Hi Joel,

Man do I sometimes miss my SY 996, you're one look's great :)
I purchased an Exige in May this year as a weekend car and I'd have to say that if I were to have purchased it as a dd then I'd have made the worst decision of my life.

Now take into consideration that this Exige is heavily modded (including no AC) compared to stock and imo even a stock Elise or Exige would be a challenge to drive everyday.

Out of curiosity why are you thinking of making the switch?

Mick

Thanks for the honest answers... pretty much, I have the money difference between what I can get for my car + cash for a 2005+ 997 or I can find a low miles Elise for $25-28K.
But it looks like I scratched that idea in 10 seconds! LOL!

why not keep the 911, and pick up a used lotus, and enjoy both.

i have an e46 m3 and was looking to get into an 07 Exige S or an 08 Exige S. I did a crap load of research and there were certain points that most Lotus owners have

-fear of damaging their clamshell
-why they didn't get the car sooner in life!

The owners did complain that the car becomes a sauna in Texas summers - I am assuming florida summers are WAY more humid. At that point drop the top. I am not sure how effective the AC systems are...i think AC is kept on as an option more than a standard accessory - since these are usually people's 3-4th cars (so said the Lotus dealer here in N.NJ)

Any car is DD. Its how much you love the car and the fact that you UNDERSTAND the kind of car you are getting into. Lotus makes these cars for the track, but they are street legal as well. its not gonna be like riding in a benz, but it won't be like riding in an open wheel car. Its going to be a nice car to drive, and you won't be worried too much about the DD'ability.

stick with the porsche.. i daily drove my boxster for a year and moved on to a mercedes SL55 and it wasnt so bad cruising roadsters.. so i figured it wouldnt be much of a difference driving the lotus.. man.. i was wrong! i drive the lotus maybe twice a week with only a 2 mile commute.. its not so practical.. im 24 years old and even i cant handle driving it as a DD. overall its fun at first and gets a lot of attention but after awhile even that gets old and reality kicks in and you realize how much of a pain it is to DD a go kart.. just be prepared to buy another car after 3-6 months as a DD even if its a beater cause you'll get tired of DD the lotus..

interesting opinion...

is your lotus exclusively a dd, or do you ever track it?

I think you can live with it once you see how exciting it is to drive on a track

i never tracked it yet but i am looking forward to it.. i just recently got the car about 3 months ago and im located in seattle so the weathers been pretty ugly.. i personally do a lot of quick stops and go so it gets kinda annoying climbing in and out of the car. im only 5'3 and weigh 125lb so its a breeze for someone my size to get in and out but it still sucks.. lol.. dont get me wrong.. its a wonderful car and i love the thing and im happy i got one.. i just wouldnt recommend DD driving one.. the car is a champ for tracking but your not gonna be trying to take every hard corner on the regular roads so your not gonna need the full potential of the car as a DD.. as far as a DD it gets annoying cause roads can be rouch and you can feel every bump on the road so it feels like a HONDA on cheap springs for DD lol..

the S2 Lotus will break your back, over heat you and also make you deaf, as a track car/ weekend fun car, the S2 lotus is GREAT, as a daily, stay porsche.

yeah, you'll need to buy some cushions for your back. i keep test driving the thing over the past 5 years and didn't buy it...

I think you should keep your 911 as your DD... wait 6 months, then pick up the lotus or something else as a fun car.

This topic has been covered many times on lotustalk.com but from my personal experience, I initially purchased my Exige as a track/weekend car. Eventually I wanted to drive it to work on some days and then it just turned into a DD for me. I didnt not want to drive it on a daily basis. It was just too much fun. Again it isnt as comfortable as a 911,etc. but if you purchase one knowing that, I think you should be fine.

I had one and can compare to the porsche...

If you are commuting, def. stick with something outside the Elise. It's a great car for fun...not so much if you have to spend all your driving time in it.

In terms of the AC, the unit on the car is pretty crappy as most owners will state...even in NJ, it got pretty hot with the AC on full blast...