Originally Posted by i_heart_my_DB8

Also, while the 987 is a nice car, I feel like the 981 pretty much trumps it in every way and that would bug me at least a little bit.

Originally Posted by Da New Yawka

Neither. Pick up a 2000 to 2002 Mr2 Spyder with a blown motor and then go pick up a 1.8 Celica Gts motor and swap it... U can' have a "Poor Mans Elise" for $10k....

2195 lbs stock...Rear engine....Just think about having close to 200 hp flywheel horse power (bolt ons) and 2100lbs ( light diet).

They can look real nice with a nice drop, Lotus Elise wheels, spoiler and the TRD lip kit... Check Spyderchat.com

Saw a nice 2000 Mr2 Spyder in WHITE on Craigslist for $2600 obo, blown head gasket. The ad was gone the second day it was posted. I doubt it sold that fast, they probably changed their mind..

Let me know what you think.

Originally Posted by robhoy

OP, you write that this is purely a TOY car, so why would "practicality" even come into the picture?
Everything you wrote attests to the fact that you really want the Elise - it's very clear. I say go for it!

About the issue of getting in and out... my buddy (6', 215 lbs) owns an Elise, drives it regularly, and has no issues with this. The only thing he doesn't like about it is it gets uncomfortably confining on long trips (say over a 2-3 hours' drive), but as you're much smaller that shouldn't be a problem for you.

I love the Elise, personally. To me it takes what's good about the Miatas/S2000's of the world to their logical extreme, and is about the "purest" affordable sports car out there.

Originally Posted by RC 94

I think one of the things EG was trying to get across is that he doesn't have time for a project car. His turbo miata is probably just as fast, if not faster than the Elise. EG wants something that is as fun, but without all the hassle.

Personally, I think the Elise is a no brainer if it's a toy car. They have bottomed out in terms of depreciation, they are a lot of fun, and they will be less work than your miata is.

Originally Posted by Syn

I'm in a somewhat similar position, and I go back and forth on several cars. I'll add two thoughts based on my own wandering mind and its findings lately:

- You mention the Z06, but what about an LS3 C6? You give up the widebody look and a bit of power, but 430+ horsepower is more than enough to put you above the capabilities of all but the top 1/10th of 1% of cars you'll ever actually see driving on the road. The LS3 cars in my area have begun dipping into the very high 20s although low-mid 30s is more typical.

- As I was considering the Cayman S, I was not a fan of the IMS failures on the early cars and then you start getting well into the mid-upper 30s for the 09+ cars. Recently I've been looking at 370Zs with the sport package and if you're comparing numbers only, the 370Z is a very strong contender. Obviously it's a Nissan instead of a Porsche, but if you are ok with the looks it's basically the same car from a performance perspective for a fraction of the cost. You can even get new ones for 30-32k with sport package, or around 28k for a base model. Nissan chunked the price by $5k recently.

Originally Posted by RMurphy

And I have to say, it does sound like you've mostly made your decision already.

If you are looking at the Elise for canyon driving and track, then yeah, that's your ride. If you expect the Elise to do ANYTHING else well, I don't suggest it. I own one.

Your concern re needing the door fully open to get in and out is well-founded. Ingress and egress is not as difficult if you google the youtube video on how to get in and out and do it that way. It's not a "comfortable" car for a long journey. If the roads you drive are not smooth, you will be taking a beating. If you think this might be a fun car to take for a trip to wine country or a weekend get away with your significant other, think twice unless your significant other is VERY used to packing very light. Miata travel is good training for traveling in an Elise. If you line the inside of the boot (*highly* recommended so as to protect the inside of the body work) with either a Sector 111 product or other organizer, then you will have more limited cargo capacity. I can make this Miata to Elise comparison because I drove NA Miatas for nearly 15 years. Your comment that the Elise felt a lot like the Miata resonated with me quite a bit.

Basically, even a tiny little Miata is a better car to *travel* in than this thing because the seats adjust, the heater and air conditioning work well, the car can be serviced easily anywhere in a pinch, you can carry a spare tire, and you never have to think twice about someone messing with your Miata. The Cayman would be a better traveler than the Elise would any day, although you will still have the problem of no one knowing how to work on it and you might have to be concerned with people messing with it.

I've been asked to compare the S2000 to the Elise before. I think the easiest way to answer it that is with this: The S2000 is more of a street car that you can take on the track; the Elise is more of a track car that you can take on the street. The Elise is a wonderful play car so long as you recognize what it's good at and don't ask it to do what it's not good at. I daily drove mine for a few weeks during the height of a hot spell last September when my regular daily was totaled and I was shopping for a replacement. I quickly learned to hate a lot of things about the Elise. BUT once I took it back up to the canyons again, I remembered why I bought it.

All that stated, it really sounds like you have your heart set on the Elise and that being the case, I think you should get it. If you don't, you will always wonder about it. You will probably regret not getting it. After you get it, you *might* later regret getting it, but at least then you can say you KNOW for sure. The good news is if you get one that's well cared for, it will likely retain value. Right now, they are doing okay and not depreciating much until you start getting into higher mileage. Mileage has a HUGE impact on the book value of these cars, so -- as a very general statement -- look for something under 40k miles.

Originally Posted by jeffbrig

Sure, my car has the TPC Racing turbo. It's a 5-6 psi setup with intercooler. As part of the installation, you send off your ECU to TPC and they reflash it. I have ZERO complaints with the setup, it's a very well developed package. The car's manners are impeccable. It idles smoothly at 650-700rpm in all weather conditions. It doesn't overheat. It's never thrown a CEL either. Mine is making about 460hp/400lb-ft at the crank. It's an absolute blast to drive, and in reality, a bit more than you can safely enjoy on the street. Then, when you activate Sport mode, watch out. With the increased throttle sensitivity, the car just wants to go.

Two minor quibbles - I have some minor rattling/buzzing somewhere in the exhaust plumbing or heat shields. Not always there, but annoying when I hear it. And, the kit uses oversized injectors, but the car's trip computer does not know this or adjust for it. So, all MPG data and remaining range are off by a factor of 2.

I like to think of it this way. Clear your head for a minute - clean sheet of paper. Imagine we're going to design a car. It's a mid-engine layout, 2-seater. We'll keep the weight at about 3000lbs, and turbocharge it to 460hp (that's 6.5lbs/hp). It's got huge brakes and 4-piston Brembo calipers, and an active suspension. And German road feel and build quality. You can own this car (it's used, but a garage queen) for about the same price as an IS250 Sport at the Lexus dealer down the street. Seriously, where do I sign up? Please, take my money. Oh wait, I already did.

Originally Posted by Mr.E.G.

I think this may be the most expensive text I've ever read. I think I will have to get the Cayman and then boost it. Much appreciated.