in a tough pickle
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On The Tree
Joined: May 2007
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From: Lockport Illinois
in a tough pickle i leave for kuwait in a few days and im deciding what car to buy when i come back, ill have around 50K to spend. i dwindled it down to 2 cars. c5 vette or a lotus elise.
i guess it boils down to HP vs handling. i plan on test driving both tomorrow or the next day. all in all the vette does 0-60 in 4.8(am i wrong) and the elise does 0-60 in 4.4 with a 1.8L I4!!!
i guess it boils down to HP vs handling. i plan on test driving both tomorrow or the next day. all in all the vette does 0-60 in 4.8(am i wrong) and the elise does 0-60 in 4.4 with a 1.8L I4!!!
If we still have it when you get back, we have a 1,000 RWHP Z06 twin turbo just about finished that can be bought for not alot more than that. It is a $75,000 up-grade package & the whole car can be bought less than that. The power is at 19 lbs boost, but can run as high as 21 with race fuel. 
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From: boostville
that is a tough pickle but also a good position to be in.
If all you plan do with this car is autox and road course then get the elise. its a very well balanced package and you will have alot of fun with it doing those things. The only problem is that the engine in there is already pretty strung out to begin with so there isn't much you can do to make it a straight line performer or highway killer. If you're looking for a 4 banger with great handeling and alot of mod potential my recommendation is to get an EVO.
The vette is a much better all around car IMO. It handels very well on a road course and autox but there is also the potential to make a TON more power if you desire.
What ever you decide to do I would wait until you get back from your tour, who knows what will be out there by then. Good luck and be safe.
If all you plan do with this car is autox and road course then get the elise. its a very well balanced package and you will have alot of fun with it doing those things. The only problem is that the engine in there is already pretty strung out to begin with so there isn't much you can do to make it a straight line performer or highway killer. If you're looking for a 4 banger with great handeling and alot of mod potential my recommendation is to get an EVO.
The vette is a much better all around car IMO. It handels very well on a road course and autox but there is also the potential to make a TON more power if you desire.
What ever you decide to do I would wait until you get back from your tour, who knows what will be out there by then. Good luck and be safe.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: May 2007
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From: Lockport Illinois
yeah my biggest pet peeve is owning a car that has had everything done to it, i could buy a camaro for 5K and mod it with 30K, but big whoop who hasnt made a camaro into a monster, at least vettes still have some status that is positive and not a yank tank(haha go ahead and use it) i really have to test drive this elise and see what this handling is all about, on their forum they argue over vette vs elise too haha
If you got 50k to spend why are you looking at a C5? Step up to at least an '08 C6 with the LS3 and 436 hp. You've got a year so there will be a few in the used market by then if you don't want to pick up a new '09.
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On The Tree
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From: Kemah TX
If handeling is what your after then you might want to look at the Ariel Atom!
If I had it to do over again I might have gotten one of them instead of the C5.
I have never actualy seen one , but from what i have read and seen on tv and the internet they are awsome cars. The started out with a supercharged honda engine, but the American will come with the Ecotec out of the Cobalt. 300 hp on a car that weighs around 1200#s aint bad. Take a look at them, oyu might be supprised.
If I had it to do over again I might have gotten one of them instead of the C5.
I have never actualy seen one , but from what i have read and seen on tv and the internet they are awsome cars. The started out with a supercharged honda engine, but the American will come with the Ecotec out of the Cobalt. 300 hp on a car that weighs around 1200#s aint bad. Take a look at them, oyu might be supprised.
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Originally Posted by lionelc-5
If handeling is what your after then you might want to look at the Ariel Atom!
If I had it to do over again I might have gotten one of them instead of the C5.
I have never actualy seen one , but from what i have read and seen on tv and the internet they are awsome cars. The started out with a supercharged honda engine, but the American will come with the Ecotec out of the Cobalt. 300 hp on a car that weighs around 1200#s aint bad. Take a look at them, oyu might be supprised.
If I had it to do over again I might have gotten one of them instead of the C5.
I have never actualy seen one , but from what i have read and seen on tv and the internet they are awsome cars. The started out with a supercharged honda engine, but the American will come with the Ecotec out of the Cobalt. 300 hp on a car that weighs around 1200#s aint bad. Take a look at them, oyu might be supprised.
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Joined: Aug 2006
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From: SE, CT
My cousin when selling his Vette went looking for a replacement car and test drove an Elise. He told me he was not that impressed comparison wise to his C5. It has no ***** at all. After driving it he immediately took it off his possibilities list. He sod the C5 and still has not found a good replacement. I tell him just wait till next year and buy the new Vette at a lower price lol.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: May 2007
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From: Lockport Illinois
i dont really want a c6 due to the fact they are still up there in price, plus there are many c5's around the chicagoland area that are around 20K with 6spd of course. with the c5 i plan on gutting the ls1 and making it solid so i can twin turbo and make around 1000HP my only concern is MPG on something like that, haha i know i dont think anything will get too good of gasmileage at 1000HP.
anyways thanks for everyones input, i think im gonna go vette due to the reason that i hear there is alot of things wrong with the elise, oh and elise's drive train is cheap to work on(same motor as the celica) but the body is a bitch since its all aluminum
anyways thanks for everyones input, i think im gonna go vette due to the reason that i hear there is alot of things wrong with the elise, oh and elise's drive train is cheap to work on(same motor as the celica) but the body is a bitch since its all aluminum
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Lincolnton, NC
The Lotus is a fabulous track car and thats about it IMO. Its worse than a Viper to get in and out of with no room to put anything. Therefore as a regular everyday car, no way. If all you want is a track car then this things are awesome. They eat me up in the corners because they weigh so little but I will pass and pull going onto the straights because I have a lot more power. Then the gap closes in the corners and we do it again. One thing to ask is how long it takes to get parts from a small manufacturer in Britain and the $$ for them? It will shock you. The drive train is very dependable since it is all Toyota. For a car that will be driven to the store, to work and whatever you will probably regret getting the Lotus.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: May 2007
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From: Lockport Illinois
good point, i do want it as a daily driver...i think some vette people will cringe when they hear a vette as a daily driver though.
i guess my last question is how much HP/TQ can the vettes trans and rear end take be4 beefing them up?(i assume the ls1 can handle very high hp when the internals are modified)
i guess my last question is how much HP/TQ can the vettes trans and rear end take be4 beefing them up?(i assume the ls1 can handle very high hp when the internals are modified)
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Lincolnton, NC
First, pick the style you want first, conv/frc/coupe/z06 then look for the latest model you can find. For a FRC its only '99 and '00. As for the HP/TQ question you need to decide how much you want and the method you choose to use to get there. However, before you make that decision be honest with yourself and decide how you plan to use the car first. I recommend that the first thing you do is go to driving school. The car has more potential than you in stock form. I guarantee you that it will take you about 500mi of lapping before you start figuring the car out and start going faster. Besides, its a lot more fun to drive a slower car faster than driving a faster car slower. In other words getting the most out of what you have. Good luck.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 113
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From: Lockport Illinois
thats true, i like it.... well id get a hard top because converts just look awful IMO as far as hatchback or whatever option there is, it doesnt matter at all. i own a 79TA with a 461 in it and it only has 350tq in the wheels and it sounds meaner and drivers faster than my friends cobra mustang, we could never explain it, must be the big bore and stroke. i guess 1000HP would be pretty high to some1 who doesnt know how to use it perfectly, schools are like 2K right? thanks for the info. and im sure my choice of car will change many times through out the year. and as always ill ask question to write it off or make it a potential buy. thank u again!
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Joined: Nov 2002
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From: Lincolnton, NC
Oh no, schools are under $1k for one day classes. The one I took at Pacific Raceways was $450 and my instructor for the day was a Trans Am series Corvette driver. He was awesome! Be sure to go to a school that has instructors knowledgeable in Corvettes. A BMW or Porsche driver does not know how to teach you in a Vette. Yeah, they know they basics but they are SLOW. I have even overheard one comment that they did not know how to use the torque that the vette had. Be sure to learn in your car or one like it too.