Poll. First time Lotus owner V returning Customer

[Ali tuck 143]

When I first answered the survey I was on my first lotus- but now I’m on my second so the poll is now incorrect!

[Spinney 709]

5 hours ago, Kimbers said:

Non car people don't understand what they are feeling with the Elise/Exige. It is a pure drivers car and the feedback/driving experience is second to none. However after reading a review a while back from a lady who sold her Elise and bought a Boxer and then gave the Elise 1 star and Boxer 5 I realised some people just don't understand cars, handling and pure driving experience and just want a nice comfy car and can boast about the badge on it.... "I drive a Porsche, I drive and Audi, I drive a BMW" are the normal ones I find. (sorry if you own any of these but its true).

How very true that is. Sadly, my wife is one of those who just don’t get it but I long ago gave up trying to educate her about drivers cars. The only Lotus of mine she has driven was the Elise and only then because I nagged her to before a European trip, in case she needed to take over at any time. She drove it for about 20 minutes and pronounced it an unpleasant experience.
She drives a Mercedes SLK which, in her eyes, is better in every way.

I drive it occasionally and am always disappointed with it. The steering feels dead, the brakes are no more than ok and the handling, safe enough at low speeds, definitely doesn’t inspire you with confidence as the speed rises. It may look like a sports car but to me it will never be described that way. But she loves it. Each to their own I guess.

I’ve never driven a Boxster but imagine it would have a very similar feel to an SLK. 

When my wife got the car, I joined an online SLK forum so I could get a feel for any known problems and how best to sort them. It is an American site and I was intrigued by just how many on there considered the SLK to be their ultimate ‘Sports car’. They raved about its handling and steering and how it could beat most other cars on the road. After an hour of reading such tosh one day, I decided to have a bit of fun and wind up some of the more extreme posters by telling them what my own experiences were and how the car was quite dreadful in most respects. They went ballistic and I ended up getting banned from the site! I wasn’t being rude to anyone, nor using bad language but they just didn’t like that I was being truthful and giving my honest opinion. 

Not unusual behaviour for some car forums out there though. Sometimes the truth hurts.

[Kimbers 1,766]

But at least if you own a Merc mate, you can look down on commoners, drive 2 inches away from anyone rear bumper and pull out on people then totally ignore the carnage behind you!

[Mark030358 593]

On 11/11/2020 at 16:34, Kimbers said:

But at least if you own a Merc mate, you can look down on commoners, drive 2 inches away from anyone rear bumper and pull out on people then totally ignore the carnage behind you!

That be a beema......

[Mattmahope 224]

Does a VX220 count as a Lotus??

[au-yt 482]

Badge engineering!

[jep 845]

It would possibly have counted as a Lotus until Vauxhall did this.

Justin

 

[Bravo73 1,288]

9 hours ago, Mattmahope said:

Does a VX220 count as a Lotus??

Are you trying to wind someone up? 

[Barrykearley 6,834]

10 hours ago, Mattmahope said:

Does a VX220 count as a Lotus??

Yes of course - as is the Kia 

[Mattmahope 224]

I’m on my second Lotus if you do count the VX220, otherwise the Exige is my first!

My dad now has an S1 Elise so we have two in the family now, which is nice.

[C8RKH 6,220]

11 hours ago, Mattmahope said:

Does a VX220 count as a Lotus??

In my eyes yes as it has a Lotus designed Engine, and Chassis and was built at Hethel.

However, for some reason a lot of people try to hide it behind a skip despite how capable it is on road or track and despite it allowing the Elise S2 etc to be built.

It's a shame it does not get the recognition it deserves but much lesser "lotus" models like the Carlton get loads of love despite it having nothing really in common with any other Lotus and it weighing the same as a weeks worth of proper Lotus car production.  I'll get battered for this, but good as the Carlton is, it ain't no Lotus to me.

[Neal H 873]

Designed and built in Hethel, so I think it counts. Tellingly though, Lotus obviously don’t as it wasn’t invited to the 70th, despite there being lots of Cortina’s, Carlton’s and Sunbeam’s. I guess if it doesn’t wear the badge, it doesn’t count....

[Kimbers 1,766]

Anything with a Vauxhall badge shouldn't be seen in daylight........... Just saying.

[Bibs 11,103]

21 minutes ago, Neal H said:

I guess if it doesn’t wear the badge, it doesn’t count

That was Lotus' reasoning at the 70th for not having the wonderful vx220.org gang along. A real shame IMO, proper bunch of enthusiasts. 

[C8RKH 6,220]

4 hours ago, Kimbers said:

Anything with a Vauxhall badge shouldn't be seen in daylight........... Just saying.

Even if it did keep the company going.  Just strikes me as being a bit "petty" to be honest although the fact that it actually ended up being a better handling track car than the Elise of the time probably pissed a few of the purists off.

It may have a Vauxhall badge on it, but mine is now almost 20 years old and just a couple of weeks ago it handled a thousand mile round trip and 3 full track days in 5 days without missing a beat. Bloody good job then I got a Vauxhall and not a troublesome Lotus! 

 

 

[Kimbers 1,766]

Pffft, you're just saying that cause you are embarrassed. You'll be praising the Corsa next and get one with a big tin can for an exhaust and wheels that are too big for the arches! 

[C8RKH 6,220]

Not at all @kimbers. I'm very proud of my little VX220. With the Supercharger she's an absolute scream (literally)!

I really don't get the negativity towards the car. It is everything Lotus stands for - well built, safe, agile, lightweight, a dream to drive.  Compare that with the love for the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton which is basically a big huge heavy barge with a Lotus roundel on the front and quite literally nothing, apart maybe from some indicator or light switches in common with other Lotus cars.

However, the badge snobbery keeps the VX220 alive with most owners driving their cars rather than polishing them and many of them now well over 100k miles and still going strong.  If you want the Lotus DNA you can get it at half the price of an Elise. Sadly though for some the "badge" is more important and they'll buy the Elise to go with their Audi or Beemer.

 

[LotusLeftLotusRight 1,226]

The Lotus Carlton shares no components with any other Hethel product as far as I can tell. It still has Vauxhall indicator stalks. Having said that a significant proportion of the car is bespoke and the result of Lotus heads and hands, rather than Vauxhall/Opel.

[Kimbers 1,766]

17 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Not at all @kimbers. I'm very proud of my little VX220. With the Supercharger she's an absolute scream (literally)!

I really don't get the negativity towards the car. It is everything Lotus stands for - well built, safe, agile, lightweight, a dream to drive.  Compare that with the love for the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton which is basically a big huge heavy barge with a Lotus roundel on the front and quite literally nothing, apart maybe from some indicator or light switches in common with other Lotus cars.

However, the badge snobbery keeps the VX220 alive with most owners driving their cars rather than polishing them and many of them now well over 100k miles and still going strong.  If you want the Lotus DNA you can get it at half the price of an Elise. Sadly though for some the "badge" is more important and they'll buy the Elise to go with their Audi or Beemer.

 

I am only joshing you

[C8RKH 6,220]

2 hours ago, Kimbers said:

I am only joshing you

I know as you would not be seen dead in a beemer, Merc or Audi!   Keep joshing away!

 

[Kimbers 1,766]

2 hours ago, C8RKH said:

I know as you would not be seen dead in a beemer, Merc or Audi!   Keep joshing away!

 

Yup! Nor in a Vauxhall just at this moment. However many of the new ones are now all just rebodied Peugeots which is absolutely fine for me!

[C8RKH 6,220]

1 hour ago, Kimbers said:

Yup! Nor in a Vauxhall just at this moment. However many of the new ones are now all just rebodied Peugeots which is absolutely fine for me!

I've had two Peugeot's. One was great. The other was the biggest crock of shit piece of trash I've ever owned lol. 

[Kimbers 1,766]

You sir are announced as "Excommunicado!"

[Barrykearley 6,834]

On 16/11/2020 at 16:46, LotusLeftLotusRight said:

The Lotus Carlton shares no components with any other Hethel product as far as I can tell. It still has Vauxhall indicator stalks. Having said that a significant proportion of the car is bespoke and the result of Lotus heads and hands, rather than Vauxhall/Opel.

It has the badge and the name

sadly modern vauxhalls - especially the vans - seem to be shite

[Spinney 709]

Interestingly, the fella from Vauxhall who was responsible for the existence of the VX220, and whom I know well, has a fairly extensive car collection so you’d imagine he would have an example of the VX220. Instead he has an S1 Elise!

Just sayin’