The 2005 Lotus Elise is the Poor Man's McLaren F1 - Owner's Review

[@SquiggyWigginz]

Loved the video! I have the 2005 Lotus Elise ForceFed Turbo featured in the 2005 Autoweek. Had it about 5 years and love it so much wife bought a 2013 Evora 2 years ago. BTW, the power windows are actually a lighter option jfyi.

[@CrestAutoGroupKC]

Great Job Breck!!!! Thats the video we needed for an Elise walk around!

[@CarDaddy24]

I 100% agree with your statement about the F1. The Philosophy is the same as the F1 in regards to driver engagement and enjoyment. I actually sat in a Mclaren F1 and it felt remarkably similar to the Elise. The Carrera GT comparison also rings true. The Elise/Exige is most definitely the 4 cylinder version of and F1 or CGT. Its also lighter then them so i bet you get better driver feedback and sensations. Great review of our special cars, I have an orange 2005 Elise.

[@the_chooches]

Thank you! I imagine sitting in an F1 was a great experience.

[@ratcat7668]

My '04 S2 has power windows maybe because its the Queens award for excellence edition. I'm 64. Bought my first Elise at 55 (you were 10). Dont EVER sell it, you WILL regret it forever!

[@scuffhouse]

nice review man i cant help but imagine you as doug demuros younger brother

[@retopfister2512]

I'm not sure about the crank windows, I am pretty sure, the electric ones are less weight

[@bladelee193]

I had one with my TVR Chimaera 5.0 at the same time and absolutely loved it. Best handling car of them all.

[@the_chooches]

I can only imagine all of the strange things the Chimaera had!

[@Time-Driven]

Great video and beautiful car! I have an ardent red 05 Elise. Be careful when you lift your rear hatch up. When you lift it that high, it rubs against the rear window surround body piece. I’ve made that mistake a couple times! Cheers

[@the_chooches]

Thank you & that is good to know. Ardent Red is great as well; Lotus sure did make some great colors on the Elise!

[@Time-Driven]

@@the_chooches definitely! I’ve always wanted a Laser Blue Elise/Exige. One of these days!

[@c-los4630]

Great video, I bought my S2 in 2017. Been enjoying it since.

[@paulhoff8580]

Thanks for the great analysis and good video. I've always admired the Lotus brand. If you want a comparably fun car with more comfort at the same cost, try a Cayman S or Boxster S. Would enjoy seeing you do a video on a used Porsche.

[@the_chooches]

Thank you! Those are both great cars. Before I had the Lotus I had a 986 Boxster manual (“just” a base) & it was a fantastic car. I am hoping to do some Porsche content at some point!

[@syvee45]

Apparently the power windows weigh less than the manual set up..weird I know but iv heard this mentioned a few times..great video 👍

[@kzheng67]

Fantastic video. However, I'd like to point out that Lotus did officially import a batch of series 3 cars into the US in 2011. Only about 120 of them made it. I know because I have one :)

[@the_chooches]

If you ever want us to review it please reach out 😄

[@chrissalimi8708]

This ain't cheap either... Next episode: "Mini Cooper S, a poor man's Lotus Elise" 😂

[@aceytoja]

Nah, that'd be the MR2

[@the_chooches]

The whole point is it’s all relative. There are a lot of cars that cost WAY more than the Elise- this is a great deal relative to how much you would have to spend to get a similar driving experience

[@chrissalimi8708]

​@@aceytojasadly, we didn't get MR2 in Canada :(

[@ianedmonds9191]

@@aceytoja The Mk2 which looked most like an Elise was way too heavy and had less power. Still a great car. I ran one for many years but it was not an elise. The mid engined experience is hard to fault though. The car feels crazy pointy and accelerates out of a corner so well. Great GT tho. Luv and Peace.

[@joby602]

In the UK going back just a few years, most cars didn't need the clutch in to start. Handy if the engine won't start at a junction, as you just leave it in first gear and turn the key to crawl the car along using the starter motor.

[@the_chooches]

Interesting… I wonder why that’s more popular in the UK? I can’t think of many modern US manual cars that you start without pressing the clutch

[@joby602]

@@the_chooches it's not a choice, it's just the way the cars were made. I guess the clutch switch thing was a US safety feature first.

[@track86]

That clutch switch was the only repair covered by warranty on my Elise. The dealership basically fixed it by removing it so my car doesn’t have one now. I think it is a known weak point for the car

[@tomsewell2462]

Back in my backpacking & mountain climbing days we would, like, cut our toothbrushes down to save weight in our packs! As a road cyclist I remember drilling out various pieces on our Italian 10 speeds.

[@mikeholt7881]

The brakes are top spec, btw. AP Racing front/ Brembo rear....

[@mikeholt7881]

I believe that the electric window option actually weighed LESS. Could be wrong...

[@Docinaplane]

Great fun car! Best of times to you! Other auto makers used the Ellise as a model for their cars including the original Tesla Roadster.

[@goenglishcy]

You could also argue that its blood sibling, the VX220 Turbo (Lotus Type 116) is the poor man's Ferrari F40 😅😊

[@KERBROES]

How much you selling the elise for?

[@the_chooches]

I sold it a few months ago. I do miss it a bit but it’s always fun to try something new

[@superjervis]

great review

[@the_chooches]

Thank you!

[@iamspyvspy3077]

Decent video. All Lotus stereos are after-market units. Not even close to a poor man's F1 - that car was cost no object bespoke, the Elise is built to a price with parts from various manufacturers.

[@the_chooches]

The lack of bespoke parts is part of what makes it the poor man’s F1 😏

[@noah2k163]

When's the next video dropping?

[@the_chooches]

Hopefully Friday!

[@jacksonb6057]

Good video

[@the_chooches]

Thank you!

[@robnorth-1372]

Electric windows are lighter than the cranks ... love my S1 Exige ......

[@the_chooches]

The power windows were only available on the touring pack which added weight.

[@mikekeyloh]

The king of inpracticality

[@the_chooches]

Electrical stuff wasn’t great but the powertrain was flawless

[@jonathantatler]

Wow 😞

[@shokizm1]

There's something really annoying about watching a teenage kid with this level of money . You didn't work to buy this car - your dad did.

[@the_chooches]

My dad taught me the value of hard work, but I guess yours just taught you how to make false assumptions. 😄

[@shokizm1]

you don't live at your parents then?@@the_chooches

[@the_chooches]

Happy to say I pay my own mortgage on my own home.

[@shokizm1]

i thought you had to be 21 to get a mortgage? @@the_chooches

[@the_chooches]

I am older than 21 & you can get one at 18 if you could get approved