Out with the Elise, in with the Spyder
Discussion
Sold my 2007 Elise R that I've owned for 6 years for a 2021 718 Spyder.
Summary of my Elise:
- Beautifully simple car in all regards
- Very low running costs
- Performance was good up to around 80mph; it's a B-road car but no more
- Using it for longer journeys wasn't really suitable though because 1) very limited storage for adventures 2) noisy/tiring
- Getting in and out loses it's comedic value quite quickly
Other cars I considered (and why I didn't):
- McLaren 570GT (~£6k per year running costs was an order of magnitude over the Elise - too much for a toy)
- 911 GT3 (991.1) (£90k for a 10 year old car was just too hard to swallow, when it was £120k new)
- Aston Vantage (AMG) (Still really like them, but maybe I'm too young in my mid 30s)
- Lotus Emira (Reviews very tepid; can't take the roof off; storage space significantly less than the 718)
So, Porsche 718 Spyder was my perfect car. It is:
- Practical (big boot space)
- Looks the business
- Feels special; rare
- More than fast enough
- A much more balanced car for faster roads but without being silly
I owned an E92 M3 before my Elise and I loved that car dearly but was using it every day and felt I was ruining it. This Spyder is the same power and similar engine characteristics but almost 200kg lighter. So it's a rapid car. The tall gearing takes some getting used to, but you need to think of it differently than most cars. First gear is actually a useable gear. You can shift up to second at 40mph. Town driving is 30mph in 2nd gear. It would be more fun if the gearset was set for slower speeds but this is a 180mph car with a large rev range and only 6 gears. It's just physics.
Next steps:
- I'm from central Scotland originally so will be taking it up at Easter to see parents and friends....and a cheeky bit of the North West
- My partner is from Madrid, so the primary consideration for buying any car was "Could it do an enjoyable road-trip there"....let's find out!
Summary of my Elise:
- Beautifully simple car in all regards
- Very low running costs
- Performance was good up to around 80mph; it's a B-road car but no more
- Using it for longer journeys wasn't really suitable though because 1) very limited storage for adventures 2) noisy/tiring
- Getting in and out loses it's comedic value quite quickly
Other cars I considered (and why I didn't):
- McLaren 570GT (~£6k per year running costs was an order of magnitude over the Elise - too much for a toy)
- 911 GT3 (991.1) (£90k for a 10 year old car was just too hard to swallow, when it was £120k new)
- Aston Vantage (AMG) (Still really like them, but maybe I'm too young in my mid 30s)
- Lotus Emira (Reviews very tepid; can't take the roof off; storage space significantly less than the 718)
So, Porsche 718 Spyder was my perfect car. It is:
- Practical (big boot space)
- Looks the business
- Feels special; rare
- More than fast enough
- A much more balanced car for faster roads but without being silly
I owned an E92 M3 before my Elise and I loved that car dearly but was using it every day and felt I was ruining it. This Spyder is the same power and similar engine characteristics but almost 200kg lighter. So it's a rapid car. The tall gearing takes some getting used to, but you need to think of it differently than most cars. First gear is actually a useable gear. You can shift up to second at 40mph. Town driving is 30mph in 2nd gear. It would be more fun if the gearset was set for slower speeds but this is a 180mph car with a large rev range and only 6 gears. It's just physics.
Next steps:
- I'm from central Scotland originally so will be taking it up at Easter to see parents and friends....and a cheeky bit of the North West
- My partner is from Madrid, so the primary consideration for buying any car was "Could it do an enjoyable road-trip there"....let's find out!
TheDoggingFather said:
Very tidy, how does the tent compare with the tent on the Lotus?
Did you consider a GT4 Cayman?
Much better. Got the hang of it now, and it's 20 secs up or down. And it's fine in either state. Did you consider a GT4 Cayman?
The GT4 I didn't get around to driving but they look a little try hard, and heard the NVH is worse on them. So long journeys not as good (I've heard conflicting tbh so maybe not). It was down to, for similar money getting roof off motoring and those looks.
Nice. The 718s do look good... supercar-ish.
Interesting re your thoughts on your next car. I've been doing similar, thinking about replacing my old 996 Turbo (although I could quite happily sit with it for another couple of years - just want to try different toys).
My head's doing mental gymnastics with the roof. Is that a manual roof?
Interesting re your thoughts on your next car. I've been doing similar, thinking about replacing my old 996 Turbo (although I could quite happily sit with it for another couple of years - just want to try different toys).
My head's doing mental gymnastics with the roof. Is that a manual roof?
Hoofy said:
Nice. The 718s do look good... supercar-ish.
Interesting re your thoughts on your next car. I've been doing similar, thinking about replacing my old 996 Turbo (although I could quite happily sit with it for another couple of years - just want to try different toys).
My head's doing mental gymnastics with the roof. Is that a manual roof?
See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7NUE_iZ_WQInteresting re your thoughts on your next car. I've been doing similar, thinking about replacing my old 996 Turbo (although I could quite happily sit with it for another couple of years - just want to try different toys).
My head's doing mental gymnastics with the roof. Is that a manual roof?
I can do it fairly quickly now after a few tries. Yes, it's more work than an auto roof but I'll take it for the looks
GroundEffect said:
Hoofy said:
Nice. The 718s do look good... supercar-ish.
Interesting re your thoughts on your next car. I've been doing similar, thinking about replacing my old 996 Turbo (although I could quite happily sit with it for another couple of years - just want to try different toys).
My head's doing mental gymnastics with the roof. Is that a manual roof?
See here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7NUE_iZ_WQInteresting re your thoughts on your next car. I've been doing similar, thinking about replacing my old 996 Turbo (although I could quite happily sit with it for another couple of years - just want to try different toys).
My head's doing mental gymnastics with the roof. Is that a manual roof?
I can do it fairly quickly now after a few tries. Yes, it's more work than an auto roof but I'll take it for the looks
What I picked up that the video doesn't show is that you can use the key as a shortcut. Holding the unlock button will do the same as the "open roof" button does from inside. So you can be already standing outside the car and it'll unlock the roof, lower the windows and pop the boot. And the reverse is true as well; when you unlock it, open the boot and go to reassemble everything, you then hold the lock button and it pulls the roof taught and closes the windows. Saves a good amount of time. And looks cool too.
GroundEffect said:
What I picked up that the video doesn't show is that you can use the key as a shortcut. Holding the unlock button will do the same as the "open roof" button does from inside. So you can be already standing outside the car and it'll unlock the roof, lower the windows and pop the boot. And the reverse is true as well; when you unlock it, open the boot and go to reassemble everything, you then hold the lock button and it pulls the roof taught and closes the windows. Saves a good amount of time. And looks cool too.
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