The Lotus Elise is a $35,000 Budget Exotic Dream Car | Why You Should Buy an Elise or Exige Now!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- 5 Reasons why the Lotus Elise and Exige is the best choice for your very first dream car. It's $35,000 price tag for second hand models in the USA make it an entry-level, attainable sportscar with supercar looks, handling and overall driving experience.
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I have a 2006 Elise SC. There's really no reason to get a more expensive car - this car is more than enough.
Totally!
Very well said! I bought mine 10+ years ago after a kind soul let me sit in his during Monterey Car Week. That was when I made up my mind and I grew to love the car and the brand even more as I educated myself about the history. Oh and I spotted myself in your video a couple times -- green t-shirt & sunglasses at the 2:02 mark.
Awesome and good to see you again! Thank you so much for watching!
As an owner of a 2002 Elise with a K20 swap - your video is the closest thing out there to what it means to have one. Thank you!
Wow, thanks!
Hey. What an awesome talk. Love it, man.
Thank you so much!
Should be buying mine this week, I think this was a sign
Totally!
You wont regret it, where are you going to be buying it from?
I have enjoyed every day of ownership. Original owner of an '06.
Yess!!! I love Elise! And it’s definitely my favorite exotic.
Thank you!
Very good analysis of the Lotus car life, I have not had a Lotus in many years, mid 70’s Europa when I was in the military, drove a very good friends Espri v8 insane car loved it , I enjoy your productions on Auto Sugar , I’m a retired man, but will be buying a Lotus as soon as I sell a piece of property, hoping to obtain an Exige , but probably will have to settle for an Evora, I live in Canada and the safety regs are appalling, we have some awesome driving roads here in southern BC. Keep up the great work your producing love them. 🏎👍
Thank you so much for watching!
I own a 2007 Elise Tour/Sport. When you get in, it automatically reminds you why you bought it. The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary" is its soul's theme.
Yes!!
I definitely get the Lotus Elise. As a fan of the Formula 1 Racing Team Lotus the Colin Chapman influence on their car designs comes thru. Lightweight super handling cars in the Exotic world are becoming rarer. I daily drive a 2016 MX-5 Club aka Miata ... so the feelings of driving one of these cars is being etched in my DNA right now only without the real exotic pluses or minuses. Really thinking of what another 2 years will bring to me as retirement approaches. I do fuss over this MX-5 though. It rewards drivers & that is how I feel owning a Lotus would be.
It will absolutely reward you if you choose to take the plunge!
Fully agree. My first sports car is an Elise and I adore her. Pure driving dream car. My 2005 111R gets out every week if its not raining.
Awesome!
Great video makes me want to go do some auto crossing again.
Me too!
Thank you.
I went from MX5 to Elise. Both great cars. I suspect a v6 Exige is next for me. The Elise is great, but fastest lap time of the day needs power and the Elise gets monstered outside of the corners.
V6 Exige would be AWESOME!
Hi there from New Zealand, I am thinking about getting into an Elise (we drive on the “wrong” side of the road, like the Brits) and just discovered your channel. Thanks for all the videos which have been super helpful but I see you stopped making them about 2 years ago, why was that? And what did your father think about the Elise as an ex-Ferrari owner? Thanks
I used to have a mk ll Honda CRX and i really regret selling that. It has its similarities to a Lotus Elise like the go-kart feeling, high revving engine, handling etc. I drove a lotus Elise at a track experience and fell in love, wanted one ever since!
My mort-gage (death-grip) finishes in 2 years, so maybe then ( if I'm still able to get in and out of it by then)😮
The thing about an Elise or an Exige is that no matter how good you are at describing the experience of driving a lotus, unless you own one and drive it enough to allow your senses to settle enough to take it all in, you will never fully understand how good the Elise is. It is amazing!! I will never sell mine. I might buy a Porsche, or even the Emira, but that wouldn’t be to replace my Elise. She stays regardless of what else I have. She is just perfect! I have a Honda K20 in the garage and some new Dan Webster engine mounts to fit it.. one day I’ll get round to doing that. Maybe.
I absolutely agree!
Great vid! I agree with the difference between the purpose of buying an Elise instead of a "real" supercar like a Lambo. Also the owners of Lotus cars are 10/10 petrolheads, while supercar owners most of the time just wants to show off there money :) ps. I own an Elise S1 with Honda K20 engineswap, love it!
Thanks so much for watching Bennie! S1 w/K20 is such an awesome combination! What color is yours?
@@AutoSugar yes, I love it! Mine is Azure blue, there are some vids on my channel :)
Good insights on the Elise. Four time Miata owner here - and I love my MX-5 - but I was an Elise fan from the day they were introduced. Maybe some day…
MX-5 is a great car, no doubt about it - which version of the Miata do you have now?
AutoSugar LoL, after a 13 year Mazda RX-8 hiatus, I bought a happy Racing Orange 30AE ND in August! (It’s an RF - more Elise-like.) Great to be back. But I love the Elise and hope to own one at some point. Thanks for promoting it so nicely and helping to keep it - and, frankly, all pure little 2-seat sports cars - alive.🍻
@@Saboda53 Thanks Richard - the Orange 30th anniversary Miata is a stunner - by far the best Miata ever - especially in RF trim - well done! I'd love to have one at some point - I need more garage space!
AutoSugar Ha! Hey, if you ever make it to the east coast, hit me up; we can trade cars and motor up to Bear Mountain, a twisty, scenic 40 minutes from NYC. 😉
@@Saboda53 Once things get a bit more normal - I'd love to get your car on camera. I'm based in Boston, MA so not far from you at all! A great deal of this video was filmed in CA last year during the 2019 West Coast Lotus Meet and this winter when I drove the Tail of the Dragon down South, but I'm based here on the east coast.
I have a 2009 Lotus Elise SC and I love it but only as a second car. Good video.
Very much agree that it’s best as a 2nd car!
What color is your sc?
AutoSugar Starlight black, although I really wanted blue. Not sure about the USA but Elise’s are quite rare here in England and hold their values incredibly well, hence why I got black.
They are indeed, very rare here in the USA - only about 5000-6000 Elise/Exiges made it here so you don't see them very often! Likewise they hold their values here very well as well. Starlight black is a great color!
I'm working my way towards owning a 2005 Exige. Someone took me for a spin in one and I waa sold. The sound, handling and looks are next level.
That would be awesome!
After owning a 2005 Elise, I am now eyeing up an S3 Exige. It's just another level of performance. Price needs to come down a bit but don't see that happening soon.
Exige S2's are crazy expensive now, you better go for a new or nearly new elise imo.
Thanks for this refreshing video. I totally agree that the Elise should be your first dream car, but for other reasons. For me the best reason/argument is that the Elise taught me how impractical dream cars could be. The Elise is an entry-level car to the dream-car/exotic club. Made me realize that it's very challenging to daily drive it (way too low on city roads and can't be seen by other drivers, potential issues with parallel parking, too basic with not even a Bluetooth phone connection, etc). Fun car but IMO not practical enough. Roof sometimes leaks, so not for rainy days (I ended up selling my 2007 NA Elise few months ago and bought a more practical, less 'crazy' used manual Aston Martin Vantage GT. Personally for me, the fun factor is much higher with the Vantage as I drive it much more than the Lotus). Cheers.
Totally understand and great points all around! Aston Martin Vantage GT is one heck of a car - what color did you get it in?!
Thanks! The metallic alloro green and yellow version (2015)
Oh very nice!
Looking to buy one this week! Can't wait to get a real car. Gonna look like im a rocket ship where I live
Awesome! What year/color/spec are you getting?
@@AutoSugar its a black 2006 touring with 27k miles with a hard top and the inner lights deleted on the front.. kinda iffy on the light delete, but still a beautiful car at the end of the day..
I just bought a lotus. Its at sector111 rn. I'm supposed to drive it across country back home. Your videos definitely helped me make my decision. So this is, really, your fault.
Fantastic! How far is your drive back home? Please say hello to Shinoo for me at Sector 111 - Great guy! Met him a couple of years ago at the 2019 WCLM! Congratulations!
@@AutoSugar Lol CA to DC, but I'm gonna do it in May. Trying to hang in CA while the weather is going like this. Yoo I wish I got this earlier. I just picked up the car today and spent the whole day with Shinoo - what an awesome dude. I'll definitely let him know next time though!
What about speed bumps, steep entrances and construction areas with raised castings?
The Lotus Elise is an exceptional automobile for a person under 1.8288 meters in height.
Already have the Elise as my dream car, and I'd have it over a Ferrari, Lambo, Mclaren, etc. every day of the week. I'm pretty much fresh out of uni and into the work force, so it's a while away, but once I've got my life long term sorted, I'll be saving HARD. Crossing fingers I can buy one within the next ten years, but that's kinda optimistic at this point lol. Whether it happens in 1 year or 30 though, I'm definitely going to own an Elise.
Good plan! Just don't wait too long! Poor financial decisions are the key to Lotus ownership!
@@AutoSugar Crap, better stop taking my parents' financial advice then. XD
@@wardog0086 Indeed!
You can't drive a bank statement!
@@AutoSugar Very true lol. I've got Gran Turismo in the mean time at least. XD
Original owner . Love mine!
Awesome!
How many Elise’s were imported into America total? I’ve seen many conflicting numbers, but it seems to be somewhere between 4,8xx and 4,9xx
I’m looking to buy one at the moment should I go about buying one if it’s far away. Love the videos.
Thanks so much! With the Elise, it's very likely that you may need to buy a car that is not in your local area, because there are just so few of theses cars for sale at a given time. Feel free to e-mail me at info@autosugar.com and I'll do my best to help with suggestions throughout your buyer's journey.
Thanks will email you hope to join the family
Thanks - and I made a mistake (just setup the new account) - please e-mail me at info@autosugar.com
Wish they were still $35,000. Seems like most are $50k+ now but maybe that’s the crazy car market
Absolutely - it's definitely time for me to do some update videos!
Interested in purchasing one. Question though, I am not mechanically inclined would it be ill advised to purchase one if there isn’t a Lotus dealership in the area? Live in West Texas and the closest one to me is almost 500 miles. I currently own an 07 997.1 and take it to my local dealership.
My apologies for just getting back to you now - right now is a very strange time in the used car market, and Lotus Elises have been on the rise - I'd just keep looking for cars close enough that you can potentially test drive.
Agreed
Thank you Kalle!
Looking now. If I get one with Sc, I plan to install a kit. I'm picky and want one clean and non tracked if possible. To bad they can't get by the US safety crap. I support safety, but its getting out of hand. This is not a family car, it's a sports car! Heck many kit cars have less safety within them on the roads.
True!
Lotus
KILLS 💣
Really don't know what you mean.
That Miata looks damn good too hehe how does it compare?
I am sure the Miata is a fine little car. The Lotus is about pure driving experience.
@@patrickvanrinsvelt4466 that's the moto of the miatas too hehe
lol!
why is the warranty voided when you take it into an automatic car wash (sorry, doing my research on the Elise)
I don't know why, specifically.
No reason to buy a Lotus except to drive it!
Indeed!
The thing that stops me from getting the Elise is for the same (or similar) money you can get a C7 Corvette, a 911, or an Aston Martin.
Biff Bifford c7 is still in the 40s right now and unfortunately will depreciate with ownership unlike the Elise, 997 911 is becoming a good buy these days but for the price you’ll have to go base, Aston Martin cost of ownership will be extreme and not exactly in the same performance bracket as the other cars. The Elise is a more special car than the corvette or even the 911, but it is beat in terms of raw power.
If we only picked cars based on numbers the corvette would always be the answer.. I’d say go drive them all and your decision will be made more easily.
For me the steering of the Elise was like no other car I had experienced and I had to have one.
It all depends on what you are looking for. Raw power? C7 for sure. More luxury and expensive maintenance: Aston Martin, Best all-arounder, 911 (probably a 997 base in this price range), but if you want the most special and exciting car on that list, I'd say you've got to go Elise. As Andre mentioned, driving them is your best bet and then see which one speaks to you. I haven't driven the 997, but I have driven a 991.1 GTS, and it was awesome - but still not as exciting as the Elise. I have not driven the C7 or Aston yet, but I hope to at the very least, experience a C7 at some point soon - hopefully a C8 as well.
AutoSugar The C7 has it all. Technology, value, and almost spaceship-like performance with comfort and amazing looks. Tough to beat, but they are not rare. 911s are nice as well, but a remanufactured engine is $15k.
I’ve owned older 911s and Corvettes (& other 2 seaters) but never drove an Elise.
I suppose I would need the Coronavirus impaired economy to turn around to consider any vehicle at this point.
@@biffbifford402 Understandable - but I definitely encourage you to try an Elise in the future when things start to clear up! Be well and stay safe!
Biff Bifford I’d be careful with C7 “value” since there is a very clear depreciation with mileage and just take a look at c5’s value to see what happens when new generations are introduced on a consistent basis. Still a great car but you are guaranteed to lose money. Which can be fine if you are okay with that.
The value in terms of performance per dollar (initial investment) can’t be beat though.
How tall r u? Do u think a 5’9 , 250 pounds guy fits in that car?
I'll bet you can fit - I'm 5'10" about 185 pounds - but I still have room, I think it depends on how you carry the weight - but there's only one way for sure to find out - you've got to try one!
AutoSugar definitely will! There are only a few here in Puerto Rico (less than 10 Elises and Evoras combined I could guess) but I will own one for sure! Working hard on that! ❤️
I'm 5'9" or 5'10" and 235 lbs. I fit perfectly in my 2006 Elise, even with roof on (ok that's rare).
My weight is in my stomach area.
People who don't know cars call the Elise a Ferrari anyways, it's funny.
True!
I have already experienced this myself, just this summer a group of kids walked by and one was like "Hey look, what is this, is this a Ferrari?"
Im 6"4 . Was to small for me.
Sorry to hear that! 6'4" is on the upper limit I think - depends on how you are proportioned but I'm sorry to hear you were not able to fit!
Im 6'4" and fit fine. I even have room for a helmet during track days. Mine has carbon fiber seats though so I think that gives a few inches.
I’m 6’3” and I don’t even keep the seat all the way back. Helmet is an issue but I just take the top off when tracking.
I’m also 6.4” and 245Ibs... I fit perfectly well in my Exige S.
Can’t get over the, in my opinion, disgusting front end on the series 2 Elise. How many of the series 3 Elises made it to the US before they had to stop selling them here?
The S3 was only sold in the US for one year - and very very few S3s were ever sold here, I believe the number is under 100 cars... but sorry the S2 front end is anything but disgusting, if these are the kind of comments you plan to leave I can just go ahead and block you now.
AutoSugar it’s just an opinion smh, why get offended over a bumper dude
AutoSugar did you think that was a personal attack on you? The car?
@@Matthew-np9fk Thanks for writing back, it takes a lot to produce for this channel while also running a business in a pandemic, and I was a bit stressed yesterday and I responded more severely than I should have. That said, I do try to curate (as you will see in the comment section of any/all of this channel's videos) a certain level of discourse, and respect for others on this channel, I'm not personally bothered at all by anyone having different opinions, but if the first thing one says when they walk in the door for the first time is "I can't get over the disgusting front end" (even though you qualified your statement somewhat) it doesn't send me a great signal that this is someone I am interested in having as part of my channel's community. That said, I acknowledge that I may have read too much into it, I appreciate you writing back and I hope that if you enjoy the content or have Lotus Elise questions for me that you will continue to post them on this channel.
AutoSugar AutoSugar its all good man it happens to all of us. It never occurred to me that this may be YOUR Elise either, which was pretty stupid on my part tbh. That said, I do like the content and wish you the best.
Did you just sell me a lotus?
lol, I do hope this video encourages folks to buy a Lotus, but no, I do not have one for sale nor do I sell them
Awesome video brother.👍
Thank you!
Ahh yes, questionable reliability. My favorite aspect!
Indeed!
@@AutoSugar Would that apply more to the Lotus designed electrical system. The engine being a Toyota should have parts available if anything like that has a problem.
Toyota engine and gear box. Bullet proof really. Is you read the forums these cars have the other little bits that have issues.