2006 Lotus Elise

Growing up, I was no different from most little kids whose bedroom wall was filled with posters of exotic Italian sports cars. As I grew older and become more knowledgeable on all of the costs of owning a car I quickly realized that the sticker shock is just the beginning of owning an exotic. My practical dream car has always been a Lotus Elise or Exige. In my opinion, these cars check off everyone of the requirements for a proper sports car.

• Lightweight
• Rear-wheel Drive
• Manual gearbox
• Removable top

After a year long search, I found this beautiful 2006 Chili Red Lotus Elise offered for sale by Chequered Flag, a dealership located in Marina Del-Ray, California, who specializes in exotics and classic cars.

In addition to shipping a vehicle, this was the first time I've ever purchased an out of state car. Naturally, my car was located at nearly the furthest distance away from the east coast - beautiful Marina Del-Ray, California.

FAQ

Since owning the Lotus, I've received many different questions about the size of the car, driving experience, maintenance costs, etc.

Just how small is the Lotus?

Very small. The vehicle itself is shorter and wider than a Mazda Miata. Inside is a different story. You've got two bucket seats, which hold myself (5"9) and my wife (5"2) perfectly, and thats it.

• If you're larger than a 36" waist you may find the seats slightly uncomfortable
• Neither of the seats recline; both seats are fixed-back bucket seats
• The passenger seat is completely fixed - it doesn't move at all!

What type of maintenance is required?

My experience so far has been nothing above ordinary for a car of this type. The Toyota engine is very easy to perform standard operations on, such as a oil changes and spark plugs.