zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
When Will The Lotus Elise Finally Get Really Cheap?
When Will The Lotus Elise Finally Get Really Cheap?-October 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:47

I have a bone to pick with the . Despite not having been sold in the United States for years now, and despite not having changed much since going on sale in the early 2000s, they have held their value here pretty consistently for the past few years. This is bullshit. Bring on the cheap used Elises, already.

As a quick recap: you, an American, have not been able to buy an Elise since 2011, when Lotus decided it wasn’t worth it to make this ultra-light, ultra-nimble mid-engine sports car compliant with then-new crash safety standards for . Thankfully, there’s always the used market.

But because it’s one of those cars that never got a true replacement—think the Honda S2000—and remains pretty unique on said used market, every time I check the prices on one the answer’s always the same: about $25,000 on the low end and $50,000 or more on the high end. It’s been like that for years now. Even shows that price curve has stayed flat for some time.

Here’s the last one we featured on Nice Price or Crack Pipe, two years ago. It was a .

The seller of today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Lotus says NOT to buy it if you’re married and weak…

Now, the Elise is good. We all know that. Weighing in at just about 2,000 with around 200 horsepower (depending on your model) and offering glorious mid-engine balance, it’s a near-perfect track toy or tossable small daily driver. But, man, is it really worth 25 grand—as much as a new Mazda Miata—when it’s got 63,000 miles and is 11 years old? I don’t know!

Take a look at what’s for sale on . I’m no math genius, but the average price for these still seems to be around $35,000, and there appears to be 20 for sale currently listed here nationwide. Again, you get why they’ve held value—never truly replaced (I suppose the came closest), with a great reputation, and truly unlike most sporty cars for sale out there. Plus, these are all Toyota-powered. I have to imagine that with the right care they can last a hell of a lot longer than your average British sports car.

Granted, $25,000 to even $50,000 isn’t that expensive, as cars go. We live in a world where Boxsters and Caymans regularly come with $100,000-plus price tags, where million-dollar hypercars are on offer to the most elite of the elite.

But I’m waiting for the day when these things get really cheap. Fifteen grand or less, cheap. Twenty-four Hours of Lemons, cheap. Bad Craigslist decision, cheap. Good tax return cheap. Dirt cheap. The way NB Miatas are now, cheap. Just absurdly, almost irresponsibly, cheap.

I don’t know when that will happen. It may take more than a decade, perhaps two. I hope gasoline will still exist when it does. But when it comes, it will truly be a magical day for us all.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
Which One Of You Suckers Is Going To Pay Over $32,000 For A 25-Year-Old Toyota 4Runner
The (and Tacoma) have a death grip on used values. It’s been this way for years. Go ahead, go try and buy any TRD trim that’s a couple of years old; it’ll cost you as much as a new one — not that you could buy a new one...
Oct 23, 2024
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
At $5,900, Is This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 A Solid Deal?
According to its seller, today’s Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price. Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still...
Oct 23, 2024
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Someone Willingly Paid $16,000 For A Maserati Ghibli On Cars & Bids. Don’t Make The Same Mistake
Let’s cut right to the chase: buying a is not a good idea unless you have deep enough pockets for the upkeep. For those not in the know, they’re sirens. They draw you in with their premium Italian image and sweet songs of and then go in for the...
Oct 23, 2024
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
At $950, Would You Go All-In On This 1984 Plymouth Colt GTS Turbo Project?
One of the calling cards of today’s Plymouth Colt is its “Twin Stick” overdrive gear change, which gives the car eight speeds going forward and two in reverse. Let’s see if this project car has anything else to offer. Just as Goldilocks discovered when appropriating Papa Bear’s lifestyle and...
Oct 23, 2024
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
At $8,600, Would You Go Topless In This 1994 Cadillac Eldorado?
The seller of today’s Caddy claims they should be selling it at auction but says who’s got time for that? Let’s see if we have the time for this custom convertible at its non-auction price. Many of you agreed that the $950 asked for yesterday’s was “chump change.” Even...
Oct 23, 2024
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
At $18,500, Would You Lean Toward Buying This 2022 Ford Mustang?
Today’s Mustang is being sold by a towing yard, which means it’s probably a lien sale. Let’s see if this clean title convertible is priced to put a new buyer on the hook. The general consensus on last Friday’s was that it would be the perfect car for someone...
Oct 23, 2024
Copyright 2023-2024 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved