Doc1647545523

Thanks for the compliment, Buck. Well, it only looked like that until I moved-in. Three days of driving across it with muddy truckloads of junk changed the appearance somewhat. The product that was used is a garage floor ureythane paint from Sherwin Williams. If you want, I'll look up the exact paint number. I'm not so sure I'd recommend it. I found that the drag radials picked up the paint when the cars sat, even though the paint had cured 4 days. That's why I was doing some touch up today, and am now using plastic between the tires and the floor. I didn't have much choice with the surface, as my landlord was providing the labor force and paint .... the place was really dirty and the floor was torn-up, so I felt it was a very nice gesture on his part. If I were going to do it myself, I'd much rather use this stuff: http://www.armorcladepoxy.com/ very durable, not expensive, easy to use, and the final product is beautiful.

The forecast for today is windy/rainy .... not such a nice day to work on cars. I'm going to be washing a couple cars and doing some garage floor touch-up painting. Since I'll be around the garage all day, I thought that if any CR members needed some well-lit, heated space for interior detailing or minor wrenching, they are welcome to come over today. I'm not going to be near my computer, so if you need directions, phone me: 740-405-5565 My garage is south of Delaware, near US 42. Even with my junk inside, there's plenty of room. I have basic tools, floor jack/stands, creeper, extra lighting. -Doc http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/new%20playhouse/viewfromeastwall.jpg

You're welcome. You're also welcome to drive my Elise anytime you'd like. I think you'd find it an improved car over the non-chip one. I suspect that the rental had had a pretty rough 31,000 miles, and handling/performance might very well have suffered as a result. The factory supercharger is small and only adds around 20-30 hp, depending on the year of Elise. Aftermarket turbocharging packages can make this car scream. It's a dream in the twisties, but a slow, agonizing torture on the freeway. You're so right about the light switch foolishness. I suspect it has something to do with running light/headlight-always-on type of legislation in some countries where they sell these cars. It ends up just being weird in the U.S. version. Certainly a poor all-around sportscar for the money, but a great special-purpose vehicle. In that respect, very much like owning a motorcyle .... Hope to see you at a meet soon.

Thanks for the thread, Joe. I was anxious to see what your impressions were and whether or not discussing the Elise would polarize people. I'm glad you had the chance to at least head out to Red Rock for a bit. It sucks that you had bad weather during most of the time you had the car. Almost every contributor to this thread has some valid points. IMHO the Elise is a very good, very bad car -- a bargain and also a waste of money -- the real deal and also at the same time a poseur. I bought a new 2007 Elise Type 72D in April 2008 at MAG. I've put 9000 miles on it in the last 10 months; I consider that a lot of miles since it is seldom driven in rain or snow and has only had two trips out of Ohio. I love it. People who have a lot more driving experience than I do have said it is as close to a Formula 1 experience as you can get in a mainstream production street car. Yes, it seems as though you are driving faster than you are, perhaps because you're quite low. The Carrera 4 Cabriolet I bought new and traded after 5 months seemed to float and bob like an ocean liner compared to my Elise. The Elise seems to defy the laws of physics in cornering, frequently frightening passengers and onlookers. A number of CR members can attest to this. It sounds as though your rental had worn/non-recommended tires on it and often wet surfaces, so it doesn't surprise me that you didn't have a very impressive handling experience. There's not a lot of horsepower in a stock Elise. I wanted to remedy that and yet keep the factory warranty, at least for a few more years. So MAG installed the performance chip and competition exhaust. The chip changed the timing and fueling maps, which dramatically improved torque below 6000 rpm and improved the everyday performance of the car. Supercharge or turbocharge it and it becomes a supercar. You're quite right about difficult ingress and egress and lack of comfort. A number of posters tried to point that out to you in your thread before you left for LV, but you were rather determined that it would not be a problem. http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?p=874989#post874989 I am far from being athletic, limber or svelte; in fact I am obese and have three herniated lumbar discs and arthritis. And yet I manage to drive mine a lot without assistance. As you pointed out, the wide door sills are part of the problem, but were necessitated by safety standards (the early Elises didn't have them). It's hard to argue aesthetics-- we like what we like. The interior appeared cheap to you and not worthy of a car of this price. I guess I see the car as having the expense and effort put into other areas (suspension, aerodynamics). They did change the instrument cluster pod for 2009, but it's far from being Lexus-like. On my Elise, the interior remains somewhat Spartan but has nicely-stitched alcantara and beautifully embroidered headrests .... no one has complained that it looked cheap, whereas my Maranello often drew attention to its poor fit and finish in the interior. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/July%20cars/Lotusinterior.jpg http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/July%20cars/Lotusseats.jpg The car is a rattle-trap. It's made of extruded aluminum that's bonded (glued) together. Squeaks, groans and rattles are a given. I haven't found poor fit or craftsmanship in my car. Lotus doesn't put radios and car alarms in their Elises. These are added by the U.S. importer. The Elise dash is made to accept aftermarket head units and speakers, but that's their concesssion. For a long time Lotus claimed they would NEVER put air conditioning in their cars. The A/C and heating units are marginal. It sounds as though your car alarm was the Cobra unit, which disarms when you push the button, but has a passive partial/re-arm if the car is not started within just a few seconds. It also rearms the boot alarm. The procedure is not intuitive, but once you get used to it, doesn't make for a problem. A couple of things that make a Lotus even worse than you indicated: 1) The hard top actually decreases headroom by another 1.5 inches. The hard top does not store onboard. 2) Lotus instructs that you not drive the car in rain! The soft top is designed to only protect during a brief shower, and the engine louvers and boot will not keep water out if the car sits in the rain. 3) There is not even enough room in the boot for a full-face helmet. It's either worn or in the passenger's lap. Good points? Well, I think there are many: 1) a very low purchase price for an exotic 2) mileage regularly in the 28-32 mpg range even with aggressive driving 3) Toyota engine/drivetrain reliability and part availability 4) the lowest depreciation of any production exotic I know of 5) handling that is nearly telepathic 6) low insurance costs 7) you'll make a little kid's whole week if you let them sit in it 8) beautiful women you don't know will introduce themselves and ask if, please , you'll take them for a ride I suppose I wrote way too much in your thread, but I hope the information is of help/interest to some members. Many here have ridden in/or driven my Elise, and most seem quite pleased. I often repeat what I once read, that the Elise is the world's least practical production car, but the most practical motorcycle. I've never regretted buying mine.

QFT + rep

Great cars. Glad to see another Delaware resident joining.

You're clearly confused. This isn't a fantasy club for imaginary car races. Members here actually race real cars on real race tracks. And we're incredible racers. What makes us so great? We talk about it on the internet. And that's something that no amount of your reading, wrenching, and driving can ever replicate. I'm done wasting my superior powers of reasoning trying to explain to you why no one here cares about what you think or about your lame POS vehicles. I'd put you on ignore, but from your rep it's obvious you won't make it on here another night anyway. :gtfo: Can some moderator just lock this thread? The newb has gone psychotic from all the pressure. My work here is done.

You reported ME? Where do we get these idiot newbs from? Did someone put a CR link on http://www.shitforbrains.com ? You got no idea who you're screwing with, newbie. I'll 40 roll my American iron against any of your vehicles, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. But I know you're just a keyboard warrior and you wouldn't have the guts to line up against my Buick. FYI it happens to be the fastest 1997 LeSabre 3800 Series II Vin K stock bottom end on the north side of Delaware. And so that you don't claim that I suckered you in, I'll tell you right now, it's not just any LeSabre, it's a LeSabre Custom So either show up with some scrilla, riceboy, or STFU. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/mula.jpg

Nope, didn't know that. The last time I was on it there were sections that were pretty rough, and of course, the requisite loose gravel on the curves.

It's a great idea. Depending on weather, I'd like to go. I ride HH regularly and try to do the triple nickel at least once a year. Thanks for including CR in this.

Hondas are all total shit. You're such a loser. Anyone stupid enough to buy another SUV after already having one is also stupid enough to think he could join a board such as this. You need to drive one into a lake, swim back to shore, drive the second one into the lake and drown. We'll leave your Honda out of this so that your boyfriend will have something to drive to the bars so he can find another loser like you. People like you are the reason we should close this board to membership beginning ..... say, the day after I joined. This one's ready for the Banhammer. P.S. Beware the lettuce!

You've certainly got a valid point, but I'm not sure it is any comfort to the two victims currently hospitalized from two separate incidents in a week that .... "There is still an average of 1.2 fatalities a year over about the past 50 years -- " According to the article, there had been no reported attacks in this harbor for 10 years, and now two serious attacks in a week. It could just be coincidence, but it sounds to me like a shark problem. I base my considerable expertise on having watched all of the Jaws movies, some even twice. And the idea of holding a swimming event in the harbor anyway reminds me of the scene in the original movie of the flotilla of fisherman going out to "hunt" the shark.

Maybe a coincidence, but perhaps a pattern? http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jIIYioymk7QfMfM8Y5r5E31H5Zvg My favorite quotation from the article: "An ocean swimming race will also go ahead this weekend, organisers said, with competitors well protected by a fleet of accompanying water craft." http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/ALeqM5j9QR8O5KLUB0XisfSzp9FiMbhSqg.jpg

From the banter, it looks as though you'll fit right in here. +rep

WTF You didn't do this voluntarily, right? You lost a bet .... tell me you did it because you lost a bet .......

I would have to agree with this comment. Although it is possible, in theory, for someone your height to drive an Elise with the top off, I don't think this would make for an enjoyable experience for you on a long drive. Consider also that there is virtually no storage in an Elise, it will likely be too cold for you and wife to be comfortable with the top off on the open road, and the trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon is not exactly prime curvy driving. For example, you'll be on highways to Boulder City, then the twisties to the Dam are mostly pretty slow because of the traffic. I just drove it a few weeks ago. Note in the photo that the twisties have a good deal of traffic, and it's mostly moving 25-35 mph. These are about the only twisties you'll have on the trip to Hoover. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/PICT0048.jpg The Grand Canyon will have more opportunity for curves at select points, but the vast majority of your driving will be pretty straight unless you map out special trips. If you want to test fit a new Lotus, contact me before you leave and come up to Delaware to sit in one to see if it will work for you. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/July%20cars/Lotusrightfront.jpg If you find yourself spending more time having fun in the city and have less time to go driving, another consideration is heading west to Red Rock Canyon. I consider it a much more fun drive and so much more fun taking photos and climbing around. Only about 40 minutes from the Strip. Note the cars at the base of the mountains.... you can get out and climb on these rocks, although parts require scaling: http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/RedRockRidge.jpg Valley of Fire is also about 90 minutes from the strip and has some good driving and a very dramatic landscape. I've done the Grand Canyon helicopter flight and it was great. I'd much rather fly the Canyon than drive it. Just my 2 cents' worth. I bet you'll have a blast in Vegas regardless what you decide to rent.

Your service bay is ready, sir.

I think we used either Goof Off or 3M Adhesive remover on the 337, along with a razor blade. I don't know whether heating the surface with a hairdryer is of any help--we didn't try it since the razor blade got it all off.

Sharp car and great photos!

It's an interesting thought -- buying a Mini S to save miles on the Mustang -- but these car decisions are more a matter of the heart than a matter of the intellect to most of us. I had the SL600 out today on brine-covered streets because I didn't want to get the '97 Buick sloppy. Anyways, I agree with most of what the other posters have said about reliability. Two friends have the S model and both drive them hard; nothing broken yet. Huge difference in the performance between the S and the regular Cooper, but for some people the suspension on the S is a bit harsh to be a DD. The minis have held their value quite well, so it won't be easy to pick one up cheaply. The MAG ad in the car section of today's Dispatch will give you an idea of what the dealer thinks a used Mini is worth. My two cents' worth. Hope it helps.

Lots of fun toys ..... welcome. +rep even though you're a friend of AJ's

Ah, to reflect upon the formative influences on a young mind ....... Although I recall toy cars, models, Matchbox cars, and the like, something which stands out in my memory was what had to be the best Christmas present ever: The Playmobile. As I look back, my parents must have made a number of sacrifices to be able to buy me one and keep batteries in it. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/RetroDeluxPlaymobile-1.jpg It had it all: working windshield wipers, horn, turn signals, ignition with motor sound. The speedo, gauges, clock, visors, rearview mirror, radio and heater controls all moved. This was all ubertrick for the late 1950's. I remember driving it for what must have been the equivalent of 100,000 play-miles. http://i355.photobucket.com/albums/r445/martyr65/bWplaymobile-1.jpg I suppose every car I've driven since has to, at some level, live up to the standard set by that thing. So you see, this car obsession, it really is my parents' fault .....

I remember that glacier. We thought it was never gonna leave. A bunch of us young bucks would pee on it every chance we'd get ......

Going fast around corners? Shifting? Sometimes turning left, then turning right? Sounds terribly dangerous and WAY beyond my abilities. IN :grin2: