Doc talked a little about Lotus when he had his Elise, said that once Toyota was on board with the powertrain they were very reliable, before that not so much. I thought the Elise was a great little car, but I can see not liking the power as there really isn't a lot. Not sure what I'd suggest, that's why I have a powerful Camaro and a great handling Miata. You have to spend more then I have in both cars to get the same levels of performance of both.