Okay, so I decided to be responsible and not go with the Lotus. I got a pretty sweet bonus at work I wasn't expecting from bringing in a big client (my biggest to date I think), and it was burning a hole in my pocket. In the end, I should probably just put in the old savings account. A few months closer to retirement!
It was a good price, but too many little things I didn't want to deal with to get it going and/or resell. I'm also terrified of damage. Honestly, if it wasn't so easy to total the damn thing, I'd buy it. The whole point of this car was to buy a car that I'm not scared to run hard. I'd be more scared of totaling the Elise than the GS. But damn it would be cool to have a home garage of an Elise, Grand Sport (and a 4runner I guess) with a Miata at the track.
Anyway! I'm back to FRS. Can I run this thing on a 70 degree day without an aux engine oil cooler? I'll run straight water and water wetter if it helps. How bad is this engine oil cooling problem? I'm doing a track day right after (I hope to) buy it. After that day, I'll probably dedicate a weekend to installing the header, the engine oil cooler and big brake package (and maybe cutting some holes in my hood).