—-
For $29,999, Could This Orange And Black 2005 Lotus Elise Have You Ready For 

This is 12 year old car! Twelve is a great age for Scotch and Elises alike, but will this one’s price prove timeless as well?

If you’ve seen any of Volvo’s latest products—the XC90, S90 and V90—you’ll realize that the company is, in many instances, bringing back the box. I don’t just mean paying lip service to rectilinear style either as each of their latest models eschew the heavy hips and tight greenhouse designs of their immediate predecessors.

We know that we like brown wagons, but what about orange sports cars? Orange is not just a hue without rhyme, it’s also a color that… well, doesn’t look good on every car. However, I think it’s the feline’s nightwear on this 2005 Lotus Elise. Florida’s finest as a base coat, accented with black stripes scoops and trim may connote images of pumpkin lattes and Halloween shenanigans, but I don’t think that’s this Lotus’ most notable aspect.

No, what I think is amazing is that this car is 12 years old. Holy tweens, Batman! Have a gander at this clean as a bean machine. Check out its styling and almost as-new condition, and then realize that when it was built, George W. Bush was president, Million Dollar Baby was the best picture, and the iPhone was just a Apple fanboi’s fever dream.

Almost as remarkable as its age is the fact that this 52,000 mile Elise comes with a clear title. That may not seem that big a deal for a 12-year old car but owing to a number of factors it seems like half the Elises out there today are sporting salvage titles. You know what, we don’t like salvage titles.

I think we’d like this Elise however. The car is described as being a “Show Car!” owing to its custom orange and black interior. That all seems to be in serviceable shape, with just some stretching on the driver’s seat bolster to show its age. Those seats, by the way, are super thin and do not offer much in the way of comfort should you have anything more than a super model-thin ass. Don’t sweat it though since driving an Elise more than makes up for the compromises required to do so.

Behind that pumpkin riot cabin lies a Toyota 2ZZ-GE 1.8-liter 16V four. That’s good for 190 horsepower. Along with that comes a Toyota six-speed operated through a short-throw shifter topped with a knob that you don’t want to leave out in the direct sun. Ouch!

Now, you may scoff at the thought of just 190 ponies, but realize that they have less than a ton to push around. That means you’ll get pure chewing satisfaction from each and every horse.

Adding to the base Elise bonafides, this car comes with an upgraded exhaust, a clear bra (why this idea hasn’t taken the bikini industry by storm is beyond me), and a stereo that, well let’s be honest, you’ll never even want to turn on.

The seller says the car has been “well maintained” and “garage kept.” He also says it has been driven by a “mature adult driver”—sadly, not a description I can use for any of my cars. The asking price is $29,999 and before you post about all the Miatas you could get for that amount—perhaps literally ALL the Miatas—let’s just agree that the Elise is on a different plane from Mazda’s little slice of sports car heaven.

With all that in mind, what’s your take on this clean title, crazy orange “show car” Elise and that $29,999 price? Does that have you thinking it’s the great pumpkin Charlie Brown? Or, does that seem like too much green for so much orange?

You decide!
—-