Asking the hive to tear this car apart.

So, uh, now that I'm in the market, I'm looking for a Lotus Elise. I'm not near Wirewheel, though it is a contender. I'd like to get traction control, since I'm new to winter driving.

Anyway, I'm looking at this car, and it checks the boxes, except...

Does that not quite look right? Yeah, well, same here.

The carfax shows time in Canada. The interior is described as custom, but that doesn't mean anything in a car ad.

It's in budget and right down the road.

Please tell me how this is a stupid idea, and that I should just grab a flight from MDW to FLL and go for a winter drive in a car from Wirewheel.

Edit: I cannot believe I failed to include a link: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=527462644

Original owner of an Elise, I say do it 

In reply to jazzop :

I've been in one, but haven't driven it  I'm 6'3". It's the getting in and the getting out without putting my hands on the ground that is in question. 

You're going to winter drive an Elise?

I'm just over 6' and can wear one. I don't think I'd wanna do a long drive in one and I spect my definition of "long drive" would get drastically truncated were I to have one of these...still, much want.

It is hard enough to be seen on the road in a tiny car like my red 90 Miata. I think being on the road in a car who's color is closer to concrete/asphalt color would be dangerous. 

The colorful wheels will help from the side view but I'd feel better if the wheels were red.  I'd also like it if there were something like a red windshield banner  or bonnet stripe to make you more noticeable and maybe keep people from pulling out in front of you. 

John Welsh said:

You're going to winter drive an Elise?

This.

You can drive in the winter. The rest of the boobs around Chicago probably can't. Simply bumps have been known to total Elises.

The cars Carfax report included in the ad is somewhat diverse.  Without digging through every line and state transfer, I do see one interesting nuance.  

The car started with a sale in Canada.  Is it a km speedometer?  All the Canuck entries reference kms.  All the US entries reference miles. 

Is this a US market car that was bought by a Canadian? Is this a Canadian market car that came to the US?  Was there a speedo/odo swap?

Notoriously,  so many Elise wear rebuilt titles, and often from some relatively minor damage, that i am trying to be critical.  With all the states this has been Carfaxed in, I'm wondering of title washing to shake off the salvage/rebuilt history.   

I agree that something is wrong with the front of the car.  Compare to the one below (also an '07 Elise).  The clamshell and bumper cover have been modified to remove the smaller set of lights.  Why do that?  I'm going to guess a collision that damaged the clamshell.   I suppose the owner could have done this repair himself so that the insurance company didn't get involved and total the car.  But I think it's more likely the car was totaled and the title washed.  I see pictures of the car on the internet in Georgia, etc. so it has really been around.  I would pass.

It's beautiful but I cannot imagine daily driving one in Chicago winters. Is this to be an only car?

The missing set of inner lights is interesting. I like the way it looks but worry about what it means for the cars history. 

Maybe the inner lights were removed for aesthetic reasons.  It looks better to me.

The only issue I see driving it in winter is the front clip is hard to find and very expensive to replace  if it gets damaged. If you've got the green, go for it.

Could the different front end be a difference between the Canadian spec not requiring the smaller lights and the US spec does?

-Rob

rob_lewis said:

Could the different front end be a difference between the Canadian spec not requiring the smaller lights and the US spec does?

-Rob

Maybe this? If it's custom, it looks EXTREMELY well done. 

I’m 6’2” around 220.  230 @ Christmas.  That’s not that much above average in the US these days.  I can’t do an Elise.  I literally cannot get in and out of the thing.  A coworker had one and I finally got behind the wheel but could not have comfortably driven it.  Getting out was even more challenging.  

I agree with other comments about winter driving an Elise. I'm sure it would be fine with proper tires, but given how easily these cars are damaged, it would be all of the other drivers out there that I would be concerned about. 

I also share concerns about a rebuilt car getting title-washed crossing from Canada to the US.  The speedometer does indicated KMH.

Appleseed said:

John Welsh said:

You're going to winter drive an Elise?

This.

You can drive in the winter. The rest of the boobs around Chicago probably can't. Simply bumps have been known to total Elises.

My driving habits have changed since moving earlier this year. I drive about ten miles a week, down from... (checks calculator) about five hundred.

That said,  I can't imagine I'd 100% leave it parked between November and August.

In this old Georgia listing you can see this tag that says this is a Canada Market Car, as written in English and French as required by Canadian law.  

The ad does not show speedo/odo better than this photo.  Hard to read the numbers but it looks like the 3 digit numbers come on early which would lead me to believe this is a km speedo.  

This image from the Chicago Dealer.  Yeah, I think km. 

It looks a lot better without those inner lights.

I'd look at it harder.  Could be very innocent, like Canadian spec.

How does the rep of Nuccio Auto Group compare with that of the guys in Florida , who somewhat specialize in Elises. Wirewheel, that is. I believe one of their rebuilds would have greater resale. I know I have more confidence in their name.

In reply to John Welsh :

Definitely KMH.  Pic 47/57:

For what it’s worth, the Canadian market cars are the only Elises that can be registered in Canada for the road.  US versions are on an exclusion list.  

I don’t see anything wrong in the pictures.  I owned a Canadian one for a few years.   I wouldn’t buy another one, especially if I wanted it to be my only car.  

Thats a beautiful car.

wheelsmithy said:

How does the rep of Nuccio Auto Group compare with that of the guys in Florida , who somewhat specialize in Elises. Wirewheel, that is. I believe one of their rebuilds would have greater resale. I know I have more confidence in their name.

From watching listings locally for a while, it looks like they favor Lotus in their inventory, but they're not the kind of Elise-intensive restoration and repair operation Wirewheel is.

In reply to Mike :

I'd like to get traction control, since I'm new to winter driving.

If you plan to winter drive this in the Chicago area you gonna need special seats. Granted, it WILL be fun for a while.