[RaceCarRiot]

i was at the mastro meet on satudray, and i found myself being pulled toward the dark side...in this case the dark side was a WR blue WRX wagon riding on 18" anthracite P1's...mmmm... :drool:

then the salesmen tried to move in for the kill...when i informed them that i would only purchase it if they financed it for $99/mo, they backed away...

and even then...i dunno...i've been having these weird thoughts lately about jumping ship to another marque when finances allow...maybe not even a subaru! gasp! help!

i will say though that i was proud of my little old car's ability to keep pace with all the WRX's on the way there and back...hmmm, and they have more than twice as much power from the factory...

 

[HondaH8er]

I've had the same thoughts, but they all go away when I drive my RS! I wouldn't mind parking a WRX (love the wagon) next to my WRX, or maybe even a Lancer EvoVII, but nothing will replace the RS! Went down to the Subaru dealership once for a local club meeting, and the salesman was trying to get me to swithch. He even said he could get me the same payments! But I resisted, and he fianlly left me alone when I told him I didn't have a job.

 

[rosss]

I'm definitely not switching for a WRX.

If the Lotus Elise comes over in 2003/2004 like the rumour mill is saying (with a 195hp Toyota motor no less), then I'll seriously consider switching to that (assuming I can afford it, of course). I've been jonesing for a modern 2-seater, and that's the ultimate in my eyes.

Other than that, the RS is staying in my driveway! I need to finish my 280Z project car to get my 2-seater fix anyway.

Sean
www.subrew.com

 

[RaceCarRiot]

i keep saying how much i would rather have something else, until i get in my car and wring that mighty 1.8 out for all it's worth. yes it's not fast, but it's certainly quick, and i can beat on it all day without worry.

and everytime i drive under a bridge near the red side of the tach, i get the world's biggest grin on my face...blow off valves and turbo whine are cool and all, but they don't hold a candle to the ridge racer-esque roar of my car at redline...i don't think i could give that up...or the complete sleeper-factor of my car. i guess that's why blowing doors off in a wagon appeals to me so much.

we'll see...i think i'll be having much more fun again once my suspension is fixed. if that fails, i'll just save my pennies, buy an RS, swap over all the aftermarket bits, and then have a nicely upgraded L to sell...

 

[Evan]

Elise with a Toyota motor? Which one? I thought they were putting B18C5s in there (Integra Type-R)? Crazyness. That car would be awesome.
Evan

 

[Dirt Man]

I too have been tempted. When I was at the Mastro meet, I kinda fell for the tinted Black wagon. But it looks like I'm still gonna go with the 2002 RS.

 

[MagicMT]

Maybe I'd consider a GDA if it got a major facelift. :run: One things for sure though, I'm keeping my GC8 forever! :biggest:

 

[rosss]

Elise with a Toyota motor? Which one? I thought they were putting B18C5s in there (Integra Type-R)? Crazyness. That car would be awesome.
Evan

That's just the rumor I've heard. I heard they had to ditch the standard Rover (it is rover, right?) motor to bring the car to the states because of emissions, and the Toyota was their choice (don't know the model of Toy motor, just that the rumor was "195hp"). I knew that people have put the B18 in there instead of the rover, but I don't know if that was a factory thing or not.

Still all just rumors, but it would certainly be sweet if it's true. Of course, if it is, I'll have to figure out how to come up with $35k+ for a car, so maybe I really shouldn't hope for it to come over here

Sean
www.subrew.com

 

[DanzBorin]

Probably the Celica GTS engine... That would kick arse in a car that weighs as little as the Elise. I have seen quite a few in Texas and they are all LHD. They are dern fine lookin'!

 

[rosss]

They are gorgeous cars. I really like the overall design idea -- small, light, with moderate power but an incredible power-to-weight ratio. It just makes so much more sense to me than a 3500lb+ car with a huge engine (see the new 350Z as an example of *that* thinking). The Lotus is faster, gets better gas mileage, better braking, better handling, all a pure win.

I'm just dreaming though. My RS is damn near paid off, so I think I'll just have to keep it and buy a bigger house with a nice shop so that I can buy more project cars and work on them and work on making the RS an incredible little machine

Sean
www.subrew.com

 

[Siper2]

Nah, the Type-R engine is way better than the Celica GT-S one, and that's the engine that's in the US-imported old-body Elise cars, now. I agree, a very sweet car.

If you want to see a really cool roadster, look up the Delfino (maybe "Delphino" ...). I forget the URL. It's a no-top roadster designed after a car that should look a wee bit familiar..... if you look closely.


Me, I'm jonesin' for an STi, but then again... a trip to Cobb with a few big bucks would beat an STi, especially considering the 2.5's better low torque. Though I want a roadster too... And even though Lotus is more hardcore, my dream car's an S2000. I've been a Moderator at s2000online.com since before they were even released, so I've had a lot of exposure to the cars and all the past couple years' events. Plus, with so many cool interior/exterior parts and bits that are available for it now.... I could have mine totally customized within a week.

*sigh*

Now I just need to hit the Lottery. :biggest:

-S2-

 

[RaceCarRiot]

i dunno...combine the new subaru's ugliness, with it's new found fan base, and as of late, crap-tacular dealer (with exceptions like mastro, of course) and corporate practices, i'm really inclined to consider another make for my next car.

Siper--i got to drive an S2K unsupervised no less (don't ask how i managed that!), and i must say, that it's quite a car, lack of torque be damned! just drive like you're angry, and pretty soon that frown turns upside down...and the gearbox feel is AMAZING.

hey...imagine the s2000 engine in the elise... :biggest: :drool: (not enough smileys in the world to convey that emotion)

 

[Evan]

Maybe I'm biased because I love Hondas so much but I'd love to see an Elise with the ITR engine in it.
Evan

 

[SlimChance]

Went to the Denver Auto Show last month. 350 ZX was nice!!!

I currently have a 91 Nissan Pathfinder with over 200,000 miles, so I'm also a loyal Nissan fan. And the new Z is sweeet! And from what the dealer was saying, it's going to be priced to move. (upper 20's to lower 30's). Brochure is on my desk, right next to my Burns/Reid 2000 Impreza WRC Rally model.

Still can't afford it, but it's soooo tempting....

Slim

 

[Siper2]

SlimChance,

I went to the Chicago show. Those things are fun, eh? Too bad none of my film came out. I wanted to have one of my pics of the Porsche GT2 framed. *sigh*

Evan,

The (non-brand new) Elise DOES have the ITR engine in it. It's the only (I think) Elise that was imported to the USA. The Elise body with an ITR engine. Grey-market, maybe. Used to have the URL, don't think I do anymore.

RaceCarRiot,

You are one unusually lucky son of a ......! Sitting in dealerships is enough to let a person know how good those gearboxes are--I don't need to drive it to see that. But doing so would indeed be nice. I did get to take a new 6-sp. Miata out last week, though... that was kinda fun. But it's no S2000.

I keep waiting to see if an S2000 Type-R will pop into existence. Likely? No. Possible? God, I hope so. I WOULD sell my RS to make a down payment. I'd drive a crap heap the rest of the year, you damned right! :sunny:

-S2-

 

[rosss]

SlimChance -- don't get me wrong, I love Z-cars. I have a '78 280Z that I need to get back on the road.

I just wish they'd have taken a different approach with the 350. Seems awful heavy, and I don't like the idea of a V6. Real Zs have an inline 6 (the Skyline motor would do just fine, thank you They have done a great job with the option packages and the pricing though -- Nissan is definitely on a path back to the top, the new Sentras, the new Altima, and the 350Z are all great performance bargains. That's what put them on the map in the first place.

Regardless, I'm dreamin' to think I'll get anything new. I kept my last Subaru 9 years ('90 Loyale wagon) -- I'll probably keep this one just as long or longer. It's fun to dream though.

Sean
www.subrew.com

 

[blitzkrg-RS]

Don't sell out! GC8 forever!

 

[Siper2]

That....that....that is one of the most beautiful RS' I have ever seen. :yikes:

My compliments, my friend. And it's a turbo, no less!!! Which turbo? How many horses?

And...and!!!... painted underskirts! I'm deciding between black and painted, leaning toward painted....


OOOO! And! ... A coupe spoiler on a sedan. That's what I want for my sedan too (mine's Aspen White)...

And nice seats and.... and.....


*restrains himself*

 

[MagicMT]

Hey Cal! I guess it's done huh? Looks good! :happynow: I want a ride!!!

 

[Porter]

From my understanding of the Elise marketing plan, there was a company who was importing Elise bodies and putting Honda motors in them as a kit car. This has NOTHING to do with Lotus UK.

The Elise that is due out next year or the year after will have a traditional Rover K engine. They are quite emissions friendly actually, the reason it couldn't be sold here is because it didn't comply with OBD2. The new version uses a Bosch MPFI system that's OBD2 compliant, so all they have to do is crash test it and it's in.

It's the reason why we don't get most smaller European marques... the Big 3 twisted the OBD requirements in the late 80s to force out smaller European competition. What Ralph Nader conceived as a boon to consumers was ultimately twisted to the will of dark corporate interests. Competitors were forced to spend millions (sometimes billions) to completely redesign their engine management philosophies or pull out of the US market. Many saw the attack for what it was and chose not to do business in a country that was trying to destroy them at the government level.

OBD2 is probably the most unethical, protectionist requirement the US government has ever instituted on behalf of a domestic company. It's quite sinister really. Why do you think we can't buy a new MG or Fiat or Peugeot here in the States? It's certainly not output emissions. It's red tape invented for the very purpose of keeping them out.