Purchasing a Lotus

[escotric]

Summers coming out and am in dire need of a convertible to enjoy the weather. A co working of mine is selling a red 1991 Lotus Elan for 5k. 125k miles

Very tempting, since I always wanted an MR2, Miata and Boxter.

Example pic:







What yall think? This car is rare and i've only seen it once outside of a nightclub in downtown of my city.

[matthewai]

whats your city?

[why?]

so sexy. Just make sure it is in good mechanical working order and that it doesn't take any special oils or anything else that would make repairs extremely expensive.

Def buy it.

[JumpmanYaris]

Oh my god I wants it!!

[cali yaris]

Nice car. Do a compression test.

[Thirty-Nine]

Ah, the Lotus Elan.

For those that don't know:

Front-drive
Made in England
Powered by Isuzu
Sold as a Kia in Korea

I just saw one of these in Portland last week or so. Always interested in these. Neat ride.

[escotric]

Originally Posted by matthewai

whats your city?

SF.

I'm gonna low ball my co worker to 4500 flat since he owes me $$ already. There are some dings on the fender and the seats are ripped. Sort of contemplating whether if this will be a smart buy. No leaks, no wierd sounds and tires are brand new.

We'll see.

[TLyttle]

Lots of luck there. If the electrix are Lucas (Prince of Darkness), expect trouble.

If the car is built like many Lotii I have driven or dealt with, build quality is marginal, but they handle like no other. When Mazda designed the Miata, they mimicked the Lotus; old story, but you only need to drive one of each to see how that worked.

Personally, I suggest that a used Miata will be far better investment, with less shop time, and be just as much fun...

[escotric]

Originally Posted by TLyttle

Lots of luck there. If the electrix are Lucas (Prince of Darkness), expect trouble.

If the car is built like many Lotii I have driven or dealt with, build quality is marginal, but they handle like no other. When Mazda designed the Miata, they mimicked the Lotus; old story, but you only need to drive one of each to see how that worked.

Personally, I suggest that a used Miata will be far better investment, with less shop time, and be just as much fun...

Took some time into thought. Gonna hold up and save my funds for a 2002 sc430. Right now they sell for under 12 and possibly next year they will depreciate in value. Thanks for the feedback yall.

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by escotric

Took some time into thought. Gonna hold up and save my funds for a 2002 sc430. Right now they sell for under 12 and possibly next year they will depreciate in value. Thanks for the feedback yall.

Probably a smart move on sticking with the Toyota family. Last fall I was shopping for a under $5K convertible and even though there is quite a bit out there in that price range, there are a lot of money traps.

I ended up buying a 92 Toyota Celica GT convertible and even though it needed a little bit of mechanical work (leaky steering rack and leaky oil pump from sitting for too long) the parts for it were unbelievably inexpensive and working on it is very easy.

[kimona]

Nice looking car with an exotic feel about it. But, a used Miata would probably be a far wiser choice.

[why?]

lotus put their name on a fwd car? The horror!

[matthewai]

seat covers

[Spidermandud]

Had a Toyota engine in it did it not? Like most of Lotus' other vehicles post ...90's? That alone makes it worth having for 5k. That car's sweet man. Lotus rocks. :D

[Hamster]

I'm not sure if I've seen a Lotus before, but I drool everytime I see a Boxter. But hey, if you can afford the maintenance costs, then why not?

[escotric]

Thank you for all the responses. My eyes are set on an sc430 02-04. Coworkers lotus, wipers don't work and right side lock is broken and also theres a weird creak sound whenever turning left. Totaling an estimate of 6k of repairs. F that. Sc430 looks mean and i've been window shopping for one since last year. My job pays well but it takes patience to actually earn a whole sum to purchase one. Of course, still keeping the yar.

http://youtu.be/hXDBZQRXo68

[Hamster]

I don't understand how people who own something so nice can "let it go" like that. The mechanical problems in this Lotus that were never taken care of, dings, ripped seats, etc. Even if it wasn't your coworker who did that, someone in the past allowed that to happen and didn't care. That makes me so sad. But anyway, I watched that video, and a Lexus like that looks like it'd be a blast to own. If you're interested in that type of car, I'd go for it.

[tooter]

Originally Posted by Hamster

I don't understand how people who own something so nice can "let it go" like that.

I believe that has to do with people not appreciating what they own. Even not letting something go that is not so nice can have its rewards. My wife bought a used '93 Hyundai for $3,500 and drove it for 14 years. We sold it ourselves in just one day for $1,700 when we bought a new Yaris.