Thanks Sam. Great info again. Obviously I haven’t owned an Elise but when I drove an Elise FE after driving the Exige FE I thought it was too much of a toy car as against the more hairy chested one. I like that it seems docile and comfortable to drive around normally (liveable) and that it’s well built. These were two of my concerns coming from that other marque which does those two things well. How long is the run in period? (Sorry but I’m going to have to live vicariously thru you for a few months).

So.... Short version, is the car is amazing. There are limited things I can compare it to though. Long version: I've squeezed the accelerator down a little and let the revs go slightly above 4,500rpm and the thing absolutely howls! It is the most crazy, ferocious sounding thing I've ever been in. I've just done that for a split second at a time. I can't wait to experience it foot flat and all the way to the red line. It is much more immediately responsive to throttle than my Elise so, so far it feels like it's in another league in terms of grunt (It should do I think). But I haven't gone WOT so I don't know its true performance yet. I'm being a good boy with the running in But the more I have put my foot down, the more it seems like it might not be a huge difference in straight line grunt, but we'll have to wait and see. The Elise is around 277bhp/tonne with me and half a tank of fuel on board, the Exige should be around 357bhp/tonne, so it should be a big difference. It's great, but a little nerve wracking driving around in a brand new car and it obviously gets a lot of attention. The thing i didn't expect is that it is so much easier and more relaxing to drive than the Elise at normal traffic speeds. It's quieter, rides better, steers with slightly less effort and has air con! 😂 I imagine driving long distances would be nowhere near as wearing. It's much better built than my '06 Elise also, which is nice, if not that important. It's just a lovely thing. But, something I have noticed is that the steering isn't as feelsome as my Elise. And the seat of pants feel, at first I thought it was perfect, I'd describe it as "you feel everything, but nothing bangs, crashes, or unsettles it" but now I think it is like the steering: Superb, but not quite as the same level of feedback as the Elise, which is a little disappointing but I'm hoping that it will come alive more when I can push it, or by tweaking the suspension, or the geo. I currently have no idea what the factory settings are supposed to be (i don't see them in the owners manual anywhere) or how close it is to them. I need to get it run in and then open it up and lean on it in some corners to see what it's really like, but driving home I thought "The Elise is going to be sold...." but now I'm not so sure. It possible that it doesn't match the Elise for feel and feedback, and if that is the case it's going to be very, very hard to part with the Elise. Maybe I'll end up keeping both after all... 😂

So what’s the verdict after a few days Sam? I’m keen to hear how it’s all going.

Well put Sam. Today is the day!! Enjoy! I want all the details!

Watch out for RMS issues and bore scoring and engines catching fire on the Lotus...oh wait. No that's Porsches 😂😋(sorry below the belt!). There is a surprising amount of anti Porsche sentiment on this forum which is a shame. I love Porsches. They are generally a far more advanced and capable product that a Lotus (or most anything else) but they just have this frustrating habit of burying the driving experience under layers of polish so you have to dig deep to uncover it, and with modern cars capability's being so high compared to the un-evolving roads we drive them on, it's usually just not possible to push that hard on the road safely or legally. However, a 996.1 GT3, 993 GT2, 2.7RS would all be in my dream garage.

Thanks Bibs. Was a pretty stunning car and a really nice ownership experience. It was relentlessly reliable if you nibbled away at the preventative maintenance, and spares were easy to obtain, and there was a good on-line international community. The 964 model is incredibly modifiable (like Lotus?) but I kept finding myself trying to shed kilos and ultimately, the 964 Turbo is more GT than track car, and I'm ready for a new, different, more nimble experience. I am a big fan of the Porsche brand but it annoys me that their cars are just getting bigger and heavier in the quest for faster lap times when their heritage is in lightweight cars. Even their little sports car the GT4 is 1340kgs. I am bracing myself for less than German build quality but have really enjoyed my test drives to date. Thanks for such a warm welcome into the community.

I've just checked and we have about 5,000 people each year from NZ visit TLF. A few more posts in here may well encourage some out of the woodwork to join in themselves I'm not a Porsche fan but that 964 does look amazing!

Yeah 3.3 but a fairly rare factory X33 so has the power of the 3.6, classic old school turbo lag. Had only done 64k kms. Chris thinks they all come with speakers (which seems odd given the attention to weight). Will do some more research on PPF and lip guards… I have time! Might take me a little while before I have the courage to cut holes in my new car!

3.3, Correct? Love the RUF wheels. That looks fantastic. Must have been hard to see it go. I think the Exige 380 CUP press shots were an Essex blue car. Google those, look stunning to my eyes. I like blue cars though and tail lights always look best on a blue car! (My Elise is Nightfall blue). Yes I have thought about a stereo, and would probably do the same, a headless BT unit behind the dash. Although I'm basing that on someone in the forum saying that they specced a blanking plate for the head unit and their car still came with speakers wired up. I think I'd be too lazy if I had to fit speakers also, but we'll see. I did get full ppf done by Protect in Akl, (covering the entire car) they do a lot of work for Giltraps apparently, (they recommanded them) and i've seen an Elise that they did and it was great. I will let you know what my car is like. I'm paranoid about stone chips etc so the money spent on that will hopefully be better for my mental health in the long run! 😂 I haven't heard of a spray on product? I wanted full ppf and that was that basically. Actually the paint of Lotus's is usually very soft and they're low so they stone chip very very easily. Something to bear in mind. The 430 cup comes with a cool looking rubber lip for the spoiler, which loses you ground clearance, but looks cool to my eyes, and looks like it would protect the underside of the splitter too. But some of the 430 guys rip them off because they end up drooping and coming away but I'm sure that is fixable. Yes I'll definitely get a soft top at some point, not sure if they're available to order yet (they were out of stock due to covid for a while) and on the Exige there is a minor modification required of cutting into the bodywork for two small holes for the roof spars but plenty of people have done it.

Thanks for the encouragement. Really can’t wait, already can’t sleep and I have months to go. I wasted quite a bit of time on the configurator and thought Daytona blue would be sweet. But beggars can’t choose so I’m grateful for a pretty reasonable spec. I understand this car was one of the original orders but will have to check with Chris. He’s offered me the black 390 for a take home drive if it hangs about as a demo. It’s pretty sweet too. Have you thought about a stereo or is that considered obscene? I might just get a headless BT unit so the extinguisher can stay. Also, did you get any paint protection done? I’m thinking of doing that spray on film that Chris recommended. In the spirit of getting way ahead of myself I’m also thinking of a soft top for contingencies, and also some splitter protection. Are you looking at these? Unfortunately I won’t be able to tag along on a Lotus run. Sold my 964 a week ago. Can’t complain though as I made a ton in appreciation and had a ball. Just time for a new experience…

Hi Jason, Unfortunately the club guys use Facebook, so our regional forum is usually dead. I'm the outlier that doesn't use FB...😅 Congrats on your first Lotus! It's sad to hear something as fantastic as a 964 Turbo had to go to make room but I'm in a similar boat. I've been a lifelong Lotus fan and also spent years (like 10-15) searching TM for cars and was never in the right place at the right time, but 5 years ago I was able to import my ideal spec Elise, a 2006 Sports Racer that is now supercharged. It was (is) my dream car and although I don't think I can justify having two such similar cars I have refused to look at selling it until the Exige is here and the Elise starts to not get used. Your 420 sounds amazing too. If I had been able to spec one myself my colour preference would have probably been red, then blue, then white. Probably! (actually when I was looking at a selection of UK cars I just couldn't decide on colour!). Essex blue looks great and really suits the car. You also have a fully loaded spec by the sounds of it. I'm also wary of the extinguisher taking up passenger leg room and perhaps it will get removed one day but initially I'm going to be selfish and enjoy the hardcore appeal of a road car (I won't be tracking mine initially) with kill switches and a plumbed in extinguisher! So how did Chris manage to get hold of the car? I understood there were no remaining build slots and all dealer stock was allocated. Good to know the 430 sold also. The modern cars have come a long way in reliability, and it's a toyota drivetrain and the rest of the car is so basic, there is little to go wrong. There can be niggles though: The central locking on my Elise packed up (they all did apparently). The part to fix was on never ending back order so I just forgot about it. Now I have to (shock horror) lock the doors with the key...Lol. But the pay off is that there are just no other modern cars that indulge a driver as much as a lotus. I had test driven 3 Elise's of varying types over the years and was impressed with the 111R for how much it felt 'like a real car', solid, reliable etc, yet still felt like a Lotus. When I got my own fresher, newer, tighter car, over time I did notice things that still made it feel a bit kit car-ish. But they really are inconsequential and nothing I've owned (DC2R, Evo 9, boxster) or driven is anything like it for fun and feedback. You've timed it right to dip your toe in, because with the Elise, Exige, Evora ceasing production this year, it is the end of proper lightweight, largely hand built (for better or worse) Lotus's for many years to come. And the last ICE cars ever. The club are a great bunch, very much Auckland Centric, but there are enough of use spread out across the country too. Check out their FB page for the low down. We are actually hoping to have the annual central (i.e. national) meet mid November. Lockdown allowing the guys will drive down and we're doing the Forgotten World Highway to new Plymouth and will then hang out and drive around for the weekend. If you wanted to join in I'm sure they'd be open to it and it would be great to have the Turbo among us!

Hi again Sam. This is probably a quieter part of TLF for Kiwis to communicate in. Keen to hear your first impressions once you get a drive. Jason

Hi dont have face book account..

I placed an order last year from him. A great sounding Evora 3rd Cat delete. Can I suggest (if you haven't already) posting on either the club lotus facebook page or the 'nz lotus community' facebook page.

Hi All im placing an order to Jim Valentine at 2bular is there any one else about to place an order and wants to share shipping costs?

Hi All, does any one have a spare harness for an elise ?

Hi, Does anyone know or have a Series 1 Elise for sale in New Zealand. I'm in Christchurch but willing to travel. Body and engine condition isn't too important but must not be a crashed/repaired car and still road legal. Chris 021 366767

I didn't realise that! Maybe we should communicate this in one of the emailings, to get some more activity on here? Perhaps the club emailers could have a register message and link in their signature for club emails or something? Just an idea.

Hi Alex, Congrats on the car! Sounds like a nice one too! The radiator is a 'known issue' and I would say we all end up replacing them at some point. I had mine done representatively when fixing something else that involved removing the front clam. I went with this one from Elise parts https://www.eliseparts.com/shop/engine-br-gearbox/cooling/aluminium-upgraded-radiator/ check it fits your car first (the site shows model compatibility). But there is a cheaper aluminium one on there which will probably do the job perfectly also. The upgraded one runs my car 1-2 degrees cooler but more importantly the temp is more consistent now also. It gives me peach of mind. Don't be tempted by the triple pass one because they're not designed for sitting in traffic (unless its a heavy duty track car i guess). Cost: you're looking at the part, shipping, and then 2-3hours labour clam removal, not sure how much for the job specifically sorry, because i had other things done. But at that point its probably a standard rad replacement. The only other thing to be aware of is does your car have the optional twin oil coolers? they need to be removed when removing the clam and they are often seized oil meaning the fixings break and you need to replace them at the same time.

Hi All, I did end up finding one! Unfortunately It's got a small minor leak in the radiator so will need to get that sorted.... What did you replace your's with? what was the approx. cost of the entire replacement? Thank-you! Its a 2011 lotus Elise with carbon fiber interior panels and an additional rear wing. Only 5k on the clock!

I concur. Good question, @AlexM. Things to watch for: original tyres will no longer be satisfactory, because of age, not tread wear. original radiator has plastic side tanks that can split at an inopportune moment (ask me how I know). They are a great choice. Did you find one? warmly, David

Hi Mark, Sorry for the delay in responding. Depending on where you are based, you may want to give Hyperdrive a go. I got my R888's for my Elise from them and they did a very good deal at the time, although that was probably over 4 years ago.

Hi Alex, Only just noticed your question, so very sorry for the delay! It's a fairly difficult one to answer without a little more info on the specific model, spec, extras, etc. Personally I would have thought in high $40k's to low $50k's as a best guess. @David in NZ Do you have a better idea on prices?

As a general rule of thumb, What should the value be for a 2010-2012 lotus Elise base model in good condition? Thanks