Agree, it's like driving a street legal Gokart, very raw and animalistic. Definitely not for daily use but very fun for weekend fun drives and/or track.

You can't compare the built quality of both. Definitely, Porsche has a superior built quality. The interior of the Elise or Exige is very plain. The Lotus parts cost a lot less and easy to replace. I bought the Elise for one simple reason, to connect to the road and have lots of fun without braking the bank. Additionally, since they are so rare to see, people are usually fascinated when spotted on the streets.

Hallo777, thanks for the complements. The car currently has KW V2 coilovers. I may go Penske if I ever decide to go serious on the track.

I will suggest you buying a normally aspirated one and adding a supercharger of your choice if you desire more power. An NA version is more that plenty fun for most people. You will save lots of money and you will have more purchase option since NA versions are more common, still rare more a little more availability.

i killed 3 transmissions and an engine in my Elise. The transmissions were over $17k a piece and the engine was about $25k. All covered under warranty.

Are you serious? The 2ZZ engines are dirt cheap and super reliable. You can get a nicely built one for less than $5k from Monkey Wrench Racing.

Not in 2007 through 2009. Have no clue today. 2nd gear synchros went out in all three. Two were used heavily on the track. The third was not. Engine let go on highway. Rod knocked huge hole in block after piston collided with lifter or something very close to the redline.

Just because it is same or similar engine and transmission as Celics GTS, does not mean it will necessary be interchangeable. Lotus balked a couple of times on my transmissions before my dealer and I put pressure on them and they covered them. At the time, I looked into options and there were none except a $17k + transmission. I was told the generic Toyato would not fit or mate with the engine.

A lot of other guys had also looked back then because 2ng gear synchros were failing left and right on these things. The engine let go on highway while accelerating and there was never any concern articulated about warranty coverage, but I saw final bill. Seem like I scanned net and made a few just in case calls and there were no options back then. I did do a search a couple of years ago for replacement engines and transmissions and saw some used for reasonable prices on eBay

My woes are well chronicled on Lotus Talk. I thought they were going to deny last transmission so I went public about how big of a a POS those cars were. David I believe his name was from Atlanta called me and said they would cover if I took that last post down, but I think most of it is still up. That was around March or April 2009. I think I am Doug H on there as well.

That must have been issues that occurred years ago. You hardly see anybody today talking about engine failure or issues. You can also find a used drivetrain for less than $5k. Also, I hear drivetrain parts are all available from a Toyota dealership.