Soon to be Elise owner

[super seven]

Hi Group,
I will be buying an Elise in the very near future, and unlike past car purchases ( ie my CTS/V) , I have decided to join some DGs prior to purchacing. So I will not be surprised by any inherent design flaws. There is a lot of helpful information on this car here, and around the net.
I am usually a READY,,,,FIRE,,,,,AIM kinda guy. I get the bug for something and if i can nag and cajole and whine and manipulate my wife enough I can get it. She claims when she says " FINE , DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT JUST QUIT BUGGING ME" is not to be taken literally, but I call that a legal loophole.. This time i am practicing due diligence and researching BEFORE I buy.
I am a complete and total gear head. The only reason i have a job is to pay for car related stuff, and She Who Must be Obeyed actually shares my passion ( obsession. psychosis..) ,albeit to a lesser degree. She actually attended a Skip Barber 2 day course because I built a kit car with too much engine and she wanted to take it on a track day and spank it.
I have never owned a real Lotus but I did build a kit Seven replica from Birkin with a modified Zetec powerplant and stayed at a Holiday Inn so i think I am ready for the big leauges of Lotus ownership. I am not new to British car ownership and in the past have owned and restored Morgan,Triumph TR3,and
Berkely ( Don't ask ). I grew tired of carrying tools and parts when I drove around so I purchased a 1992 Miata ( Don't laugh)for trouble free top down motoring. I considered just badging it as an Elan and saving a bunch of money but that would be cheating... like say badging my Bikin as a Lotus with a Cosworth badge on the rear fender and one epoxied to the valve cover to get them guessing at the local show and shine.... but i would NEVER do that. . I got tired of getting smoked by Priuses driven by dreadlocked barristas so I actually supercharged the Miata ended up putting more into the car than the value of the car with suspension bushing coil overs brakes etc. A recurring theme in my automotive world. As an aside I was supercharging the Mitata the weekend LOG was here in St Louis and untill my WIFE phoned to tell me of all the Loti in forest park I had forgotten about it and rushed over in greasy overalls with my faux Seven in time to watch most people leaving.

So before the moderators kick me off for wasting any more bandwidth a few questions.

1 Should I Always ask for an ECU dump/download prior to purchase?

2 Any big advantages over buying an 06 over and 05? I was considering the former for the increased warranty length.

3 Is it possible to get BOTH the performance ( track?)package AND the comfort ( touring?) packages on the same car?

4. If I buy my Lotus say on eBay or this site is my local lotus dealer legally obligated to do warranty work?

5 Is there a comprehensive service manual around for this car?

6 Is this thing really as trouble free as it appears here and on most other sites? besides things like malfuctioning Cd players, Im getting the impression no one is grenading rear ends or snapping half shafts.

7 Has anyone made a list of common parts and interchangability with other cars such as ball joints, CV joints etc. 'Cause im pretty sure Lotus Elise is not in the computer at Advance Auto et al.

8 Does anyone think that waiting till the dead of winter to buy might save some money as a dealer might want to move some inventory? or is this an urban legend?

OK thats it and thanks in advance for any information.

Oh one more thing.We are taking a LONG plane ride in February and to break it up I routed us through Hawaii as i have never been there. I made reservation at the Parc Waikiki .... and i am not making this up.... a Lotus elise comes with the room. has anyone done this before? And how can this NOT be a good thing?

Thanks
Bill
Peoples Republic of University City
Missouri

[Robert@LotusofGreenwich]

1 Should I always ask for an ECU dump/download prior to purchase?
Typically, especially on private deals, not a bad idea.

2 Any big advantages over buying a 06 over and 05? I was considering the former for the increased warranty length.
Throttle-by-wire is an improvement and the pedal placement is much better. You are correct that warranty is an advantage as well. There were also color and equipment changes for 2006.

3 Is it possible to get BOTH the performance ( track?)package AND the comfort ( touring?) packages on the same car?
Let me clarify something. There is a Sport Pack (AKA LSS) which has wider wheels and tires upfront, AO48 tires, 10% stiffer shocks and twin oil coolers. The Track Package has adjustable shocks front and rear, rear track brace, adjustable front anti-sway bar and harness bar. You need to order the sport pack to order a track pack. Yes, you can get a sport or sport/track equipped car with touring.

4. If I buy my Lotus say on eBay or this site is my local lotus dealer legally obligated to do warranty work?
Yes.

5 Is there a comprehensive service manual around for this car?
Well yes, sort of. It's written by the Lotus engineers and makes some assumptions as to your knowledge and ability to understand Her Majesty’s English.

6 Is this thing really as trouble free as it appears here and on most other sites? besides things like malfunctioning Cd players, Im getting the impression
no one is grenading rear ends or snapping half shafts.

No major problems. There have been small groups of cars with problems that have been later covered by "campaigns" but these problems have been for the most part related to the hand-built nature of the car and not engineering issues. With the Toyota powertrain, these cars are nearly bullet proof.

7 Has anyone made a list of common parts and interchangability with other cars such as ball joints, CV joints etc. 'Cause im pretty sure Lotus Elise is not in the computer at Advance Auto et al.

Other forums have such lists. Do a search.

8 Does anyone think that waiting till the dead of winter to buy might save some money as a dealer might want to move some inventory? or is this an urban legend?

Depends. On a used car? No. If a dealer still has a left over in the late winter, you may get a deal. That said, deals can be had now if you go to the right places.

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[jcmatoso]

Hi all

My name is João Matoso, I am from Portugal and an old :-( Lotus fanatic, both on account of its genious founder and of Jim Clark, whom I first saw racing at Brands Hatch in ... 1966.

I do not really intend to buy an Elise as it's far beyond my finantial possibilities. Instead, having re-started building some "4 wheeled machinery" a few years ago (Locost Seven's after having built FVee's and FFord's in the 70ies), I intend to build a "Locost 7-111" ie, a Home-built road & sports roadster using "normal cars" as donors for the mechanical parts, a steel tube spaceframe and a very simple GRP spider bodywork. Inpiration concept from the Lotus 23 and the Elise.

Hope I can share valuable info and thoughts with all of you.

Cheers