Went out of town visiting family this weekend and one of the car rental companies had a Lotus Elise so I returned what I'd just rented and got the Lotus. I'll start by saying that all the opions are based on a RENTAL CAR, and I can't imagine how much this car had been beaten to hell in the 4500 miles it had been driven.

What a car. I'm sure it's been said, but the first words that come to mind in description would be 'street-legal go cart'.

Some observations by way of camparison to my 993...

The handling of the Elise was amazing. As you might expect, the ride was pretty harsh, harsher than my 993. Harsher enough that I would expect the handling quality to be just as markedly improved. But it wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it felt very tight and the handling was impressive, but not to the extent that it blew my 993 away. In fact, they felt VERY VERY close. Interesting considering the weight difference and how much of a truer track-type car the Elise is supposed to be. Again, I'm not at all saying that I'm not impressed with the Elise. I AM! Just that the driving this impressive vehicle underscored the handling quality of my 993 as well.

I liked the gear ratios better than my 993. Sixth was actually a usable gear unlike my 993 generally. Makes me really think about a re-gearing for my 993.

At limit, the Elise gives you a little more warning when you could be getting into trouble. I suppose the mid-engine placement has a lot to do with it, but even when I did push it and break the wheels loose and begin a slide, it was relatively easy to correct quickly. It is the same way with my 993, but generally not if you're new to driving it.

Creature comforts in the Elise were non-existent. Getting in for me was difficult, and I am not a big guy. The frame side supports helping to keep the car stiff make the door sill comes up pretty high, like getting into a track car w/ roll cage side bars for side impact protection. Watching my er, generally larger family members get in and out of the car was priceless. But they mostly all made the effort for a ride. Of course I didn't mind so much about the creature comforts because driving the car was so much fun. As a daily driver this car would get old, IMO. +10 for my 993. Funny how, for creature comforts, the Elise makes my 993 look a loaded Mercedes. Cargo space was a joke. I travelled light this weekend and had a soft-side briefcase and a small gym bag size carry-on. I could fit both (crammed) into the storage space in the rear behind the engine, but my wife had to sit her roll-aboard on her lap to the airport this morning. Not even a SHORT road trip car. Again, comparatively, +10 for my 993.

Looks... hmmm. Well, I still think my 993 is sexier. That said, in the part of the country where my family live, there aren't many p-cars around, but you would still never get the LOOKS I got driving the the Elise. You just don't see these around much. My friends and I went to a local bar, the same one we always go into when I go back for a visit. I went in for a few minutes and came out to take a phone call and there was a crowd gathering around the Elise. Funny. I think people thought there was a rap star inside the bar or something.

Build quality. I was very impressed with the Elise, but it was a little rickety and things rattled a bit which suggested poor quality, even if that wasn't the case. I was reminded of this whenever I closed the door. Driving it made me forget this. Again, though, +1 for my 993.

If you were to buy a dedicated track car without need for any modifications, this would be it, except for a GT3 perhaps, but at 2.5 times the price. As a non-people-hauling fun car, however, there are just too many deficits for me to be able to justify owning one. In ADDITION to my 993, yes. To REPLACE it, no way.

Just my thoughts. I welcome other perspectives.

 

My brother-in-law in Tulsa has one and he loves it, at least the last time I talked to him. He uses it as both a grocery getter and as a track car. Of course he's about 5'10" (I'm 6'3"). He took me for a ride in it and even though he didn't let me drive it the car seemed to be a real blast, he took some very sharp turns a lot faster than I would have and the car seemed to be on rails. One thing you have to worry about w/ these cars is putting it on the lift for tire replacement, there have been a few reports of these cars falling of the lift when wheels were removed. My B-in-L was aware of this issue.

 

I spent about 5 hours Saturday driving some nice back roads in NorCal. One Elise, one 928S, and 7 993. The Elise and I elected not to push it, so we stayed at the back and had fun anyway. It could have been the gearing, but the Elise held its own with me on acceleration out of the turns. Almost.

 

It's like a modern day 914 with a lot less room!

 

My wife got an Elise this spring. I agree with most of dotcomhusker's comments. Here's my take on Elise vs. 993:

Factor / Advantage To
------- / -----------------
Price / Neither (approx same price)
Build quality / 993
Practicality / 993
Fun to drive / Elise
Wow factor / Elise
Ride quality / 993

My wife's has sport suspension, which is beyond horrible. I'm amazed they sell such an awful package and that so many people buy it. Makes my PSS9-equipped 993 feel like a cadillac! Hopefully she'll install adjustable shocks, which should fix that.

Also, the seats are horrible, which is doubly lousy considering the harsh suspension. Although it doesn't sound like I'm a fan, I do love driving the Elise. But overall I'm not trading my 993.

 

We are a 993 and Elise household. I have quite a few miles behind the wheel of the Elise. I can echo about everything you said about it...I have a very similar perspective on it. It performs great on the track, makes a race car driver out of a mere mortal, but it's practicality and overall feel is far diminished when compared to the 993.

I'm not a fan of the car myself, although my boyfriend (it's his) absolutely loves it. He loves it because it is purpose built and did not stray from that purpose. I don't like it because the designers threw out all the other reasons that a person drives a car.

It's meant for someone 5'10" or so, and not much beyond that range. The Elise is a garage queen for us, and the few times I have driven it a succession of days it's been really frustrating due to the cramped space, lack of any storage space, and HUGE blind spots.

My 993 is the grocery getter, dog hauler, long trip-mobile. You can't take the Elise on a weekend trip for two, as there is not enough space for luggage. When we go to the track, I stow all the track stuff for both our cars in the 993. We couldn't both go to the track and drive the Elise unless we towed.

Anyway, to each his own. You said it well as a street-legal go-kart.

 

Thanks for an entertaining thread dotcomhusker. I've always wondered what an Elise would be like.

 

I had one for 2 years that I tracked. The car is a lot of fun on the track but the fun stops there IMHO. Of course if you buy a car simply to have the women gaze at you then the Elise certainly fits the bill. I sold my Elise and bought a 993. I've owned 4 other Porsches and I like the 993 the best. It is a wonderful car to drive in town, on a country road, or on the track. And it has that intoxicating whirl that you can never get tired of hearing.