This is actually a really good LPT.

Two years ago I went to test drive a used Lotus Elise. In the US these have been banned from importing since 2011 so all of them are going to have some years on them. And as with any sports car, there's bound to be some abuse along the way.

I read the write-up closely, examined each picture a hundred times, asked for more pictures, read the maintenance history, and all was looking great.

I meet the guy after talking to the owner and convincing him I'm not just there to 'kick the tires', he asks if I want to take it for a spin. My first reaction was to grab the keys and go for it, but I hesitated. Instead, I asked him to show me the car.

The guy was the second owner and had it for seven years. You'd never have guessed this. First clue, he slammed the door. This isn't a sign of damage but a sign of someone who doesn't know their car. And it just got worse from. Every shift came with a grind. Every pothole was hit. And Holy Hell did he love that red line! It was as if he stole it. Mind you, these are small, fun cars but this was just someone who didn't care about his car, at all.

Immediately I went from 'Hell yeah!' good feels to red flags. These aren't expensive cars and they are relatively cheap to work on, but still, I'd rather be driving than fixing.

Fast forward a few moths and I see a new guy advertising in the owners forum that he just bought a Lotus Elise and was excited to join the club. I followed him for almost as he listed the things he was fixing. Poor guy would take it out on Sunday for a drive and into the shop on Monday. Lords of the things he listed shouldn't have needed replacing for a car with only 23k miles. Clutch, brakes, head gasket, front end fix, bent strut, bent arm, ... Just on and on. The guy was heartbroken.

I learned a lot after that.

(Lotus fans: yes, I've learned that you can download a lot of info from the on-board computer. Yes, I know it's a Toyota...)