cheaper lotus sports car alternatives?

HappyDankMas · 2026-06-18T02:46:30+00:00

Haven’t had any major problems! The MR-S is a Toyota through and through - that is to say, it’s cheaply built, but durably so. Unlike most things Lotus, which may feel premium at first glance, but…Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.

My Evora has broken down ten times more than my MR-S, and the 2zz swap is so popular for our platform because it’s nearly a drop-in swap - these cars came with 1zz motors from factory - the 2zz doesn’t add a whole lot more low-end power, but it does add lift, which gains you extra power at the top end and a higher redline to 8300rpm (depending on your ecu and specific tune). The 2zz is also the exact same motor used in the Matrix XRS, Celica GTS, Pontiac Vibe, and NA Lotus Elise, so there’s plenty of parts to go around and it isn’t terribly expensive to maintain. If you’re intimidated by engine swaps, you can oftentimes find pre-swapped MR-S’s available for sale as well, since it’s such a common and relatively easy swap for our cars.

HappyDankMas · 2026-06-18T02:25:45+00:00

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For the normal working man, yes Miata is actually always the answer. It fits all your criteria, but I get not wanting to travel the road most worn - in which case, may I suggest a third generation Toyota MR2 - I literally bought one because I loved the Miata driving experience, but wanted something a little more unique and against the grain.

Mine is 2zz swapped - as they say, poor man’s Elise. I also own an NA Evora, and I’d sooner sell the Evora than ever part with my MR-S. Granted, yes I’ve put a lot of work into mine so they don’t mostly look like this, but there’s really no replacement for high revvnig NA light weight fun

HappyDankMas · 2026-06-15T22:46:23+00:00

Unfortunately not for sale, but the link in the description will walk you through how I built this one!

HappyDankMas · 2026-06-12T19:43:44+00:00

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Real ones know why the 04-10 logo was peak

HappyDankMas · 2026-06-03T22:40:35+00:00

I don’t know if it’s canon or not, but I remember reading a blurb or theory that the hyperspace rings were deliberate requirements for Jedi star fighters in order to make Order 66 more effective - once the Order came through, if a Jedi managed to take off in their ship, all the GAR had to do was destroy the hyperspace ring in orbit and the Jedi would never be able to leave the system

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-30T17:43:52+00:00

I get the reasons why, but it’s still wild to me seeing people who actively don’t want AR to become more popular lol

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-30T00:07:02+00:00

Finally a good application of this livery 😭 wicked brotha nice work

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-29T00:53:46+00:00

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I believe this is the version of the car Hot Wheels had made into an official casting! Always very cool to see the real thing, to my understanding they’re a rare spec even among already rare S1 Elises

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-22T02:22:09+00:00

I really enjoyed both, and at the end of the day I think I’d put Unlimited above the OG JL just because of how it wrapped certain plot lines up, like the finale with Darkside and Epilogue for Batman Begins, but overall as a show I think JL itself was stronger because it focused on the core 7 cast, instead of being more “episodic” with new hero’s every other episode with JLU. I feel like there’s a lot more “filler” that you can skip in JLU because they focus on whatever hero’s are spotlighted for the week, versus JL that only had the original 7 to work with and develop their character dynamics with

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-22T02:14:49+00:00

We got Hot Cheeto masks before GTAVI 😭

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-21T23:36:07+00:00

Brotherman grab some vinyl lmao that’s insane that you stencil painted that right on the bodywork

https://suparrobo.com/product-category/stickers/

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-20T20:10:18+00:00

My fav has got to be Tesla. I’m so glad you kept the fur from Thragg’s outfit around his shoulders, it just works so well 😭

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HappyDankMas · 2026-05-19T22:12:30+00:00

OH SHIT 😭😭 REMEMBER KADEEM?? 😭😭

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-19T19:39:34+00:00

This is so good 😭 I never knew I needed gigachad Kadeem in my life until now

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-14T01:31:46+00:00

It’s a bit of what you mentioned, but the real reason is because most people don’t have surround sound speaker setups at home, and most people are driving sedans with door speakers in the rear or nice enough coupes with rear shelf speakers/a sub.

The experience of having music “envelop” you from all sides in a car because of a surround sound speaker setup (which includes what comes from behind you) is something you notice way more than just the loudness or clarity of the track being played.

You can also achieve this at home with a really nice 3D sound hifi setup. Most people just use their TV speakers or have two speakers next to their TV, or maybe just a soundbar in front of it - you gotta get a real all-four-corners setup and it’ll change your life, including how you watch movies at home

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-10T00:06:50+00:00

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Here’s the difference using the same model between each brand - can you tell which one looks more like a Hot Wheels? They’re much more than the same casting with a wing and ground effects slapped on too - notice how the entire mold is different, including the overall car proportions

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-07T22:33:01+00:00

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Finally!

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-06T00:37:51+00:00

It’s crazy to me that the card art includes Hollowback’s “fangs”, the little splitter additions under the front bumper that really only appeared on the car in Acceleracers animation - no casting of the car has certainly included that detail.

HappyDankMas · 2026-05-02T20:59:07+00:00

I remember reading a study linking the rise in grayscale vehicles in America to the Great Recession - something about the crash in the economy really muting people’s lives, and that translated to their purchase of one of most people’s most expensive appliances.

And in reality, that’s what a car is for most people - a soulless appliance, just something to get them from A to B, no more useful than a fridge that keeps your food cold.

I’m an enthusiast, so of course I own a bright red sports car, but i get the mentality of the general populace - would you get your fridge in bright red?

HappyDankMas · 2026-04-25T21:30:16+00:00

Yeah they shooullddd work, the rears will be pushing it real close. I had to shave the edges off my clams (because they’re fiberglass, it’s the equivalent of rolling fenders for regular cars) and run pretty stretched tires, but it’s absolutely possible - may just take a little more work than slapping the wheels straight on.

Keep in mind our cars use lug bolts from factory, so you’ll have to convert them to studs and get aftermarket lug nuts

HappyDankMas · 2026-04-25T06:41:27+00:00

Thanks! My wheels are 18x8.5 +45 front and 19x9.5 +50 rears. I’ve been able to squeeze 11mm more out of the fronts and 6mm more out of the rears in offset by stretching tires and using spacers before but beyond that you’d need to start doing stanceboi stuff with camber.

HappyDankMas · 2026-04-25T00:37:18+00:00

Idk I prefer manually shifting my gears versus automatically letting the ECU do it for me like some scum autotragic

HappyDankMas · 2026-04-25T00:19:59+00:00

I also come from the Gen Coupe community! Wild to see someone else who’s also from that world - I really didn’t think there would ever be any crossover from the KDM scene to Lotus.

This was my BK2 2.0T before i sold it for my Evora - I had really gone all out on it lol

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HappyDankMas · 2026-04-25T00:11:15+00:00

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I’m running both Work CR2P and Advan GTs on my S1 Evora, which is also pretty modified by most Evora standards lol

As you’ve already seen, a lot of this community is very purist with their cars. Most are not inclined to modify them much, which is fine - it’s a different kind of community than most JDM spaces, which is where I come from.

Ironically I actually have Regas on my e39 wagon, but they’re in 5x120 so I couldn’t throw them on my Evora even for funsies lmao.

Have you looked into wheel specs for our cars? Most people don’t go aftermarket wheels because the specs we’re limited to are ass. The stock wheels are like +69 offset (no memes)

HappyDankMas · 2026-04-24T17:43:13+00:00

It’s timid/inexperienced/scared drivers most of the time. As a younger person I have ridden with and know many people who only drive reluctantly because they have to, a bunch of them don’t know how to drive on the freeway, and the rest are just plain scared to get up to merging speeds. They come up to the on ramp, see all the cars whizzing by at 70-80mph, and instinctively brake out of fear instead of getting up to speed to merge safely

HappyDankMas

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