Just joined the club

[Hughnon]

Having decided some time ago that I wanted either an Elise or a VX220T, I've finally gone for it. I must have gone through every thread on here and elsewhere discussing their relative merits, then drove both and liked both. Eventually, my other half said, "If you buy the Vauxhall, will you regret not buying the Elise? Or the other way around?" That sorted it.

So I bought the Elise. A Titanium Storm 111R which I collect at the end of the month...by which time it will have the Lotus supercharger and the Stage 3 exhaust fitted to it as well. As I'm moving up from an MGF VVC (the key reason I didn't fancy another K-series), the difference will be substantial. I'm grinning like an idiot already.

Before deciding which Elise to buy, I wanted to judge the options, so I wanted to say: Thanks for all the informed debate in here. I've gone back over most of the threads covering the same question and known issues (didn't see the point in starting a new thread to ask the same thing) and it was all very helpful, so cheers!

[Thorburn]

Sounds very nice.

Are you planning on tracking it? If so you might want to look at some of the other exhaust options out there as I seem to remember the Stage 3 exhaust is VERY loud and you might struggle with noise limits at UK tracks.

[4340BB]

Welcome mate. And good choice to go for the Elise rather than the house brick!!!!

[limpsfield]

Congratulations - I doubt very much you will regret it.

I have a 2005 R with a stage 2 exhaust - I never even knew there was a stage 3. It's great fun but apparently 105db so makes it ineligible for most tracks and a little tiresome on motorways.

Enjoy your Elise - they are fantastic.

[Hughnon]

Thanks guys. I'm not planning on tracking it just yet - more keen on getting to grips with it first. The 'stage 3', I'm told, is the same one fitted to the Elise SC; a single oval exhaust beneath the rear diffuser. Not as loud as the stage 2, but still pretty loud.

May not be suitable for the track, but almost certainly good for convincing the BiB that I'm going faster than I actually am...yet another reason to be careful with it...