ALL CARS ON EBAY.

[Rambo]

Something about this car has been nagging (no pun intended) away at my brain cells since I first saw the advert. It was the registration at first – E14 NPP – done up to look like ELAN PP. And then when Jamie posted about seeing the car in a driveway in Fife the jigsaw pieces suddenly started to fall in place

This car was formerly owned by an LEC owner a few years ago – Bolsom (Colin) who lost his id back in 2013 when LEC threw a wobbly. Colin had in fact been a member since 2003 and I used to see him and his car regularly at local Scottish car shows. When he had the car, about 3 or 4 years ago, it was in very good nick. I remember the big, black wheels too. Colin also had an Exige and was restoring a baby Elan and he came to the conclusion he had to sell his blue M100 to fund the restoration

Fast forward a bit and I was at the Moffat car show in 2015 when I bumped into Colin again. He came over to chat as he had seen me drive in in Rambo and said his old car was there at the show.

I spoke to the then/current owner of E14 NPP, who was officiating and marshalling at the show, and he was saying that when he bought the car he had got it very, very cheaply off EBay. It was looking quite tatty at the show and he was trying to sell it on at the show to a guy from Glasgow but I guess this fell through ??

So Colin owned the car for many years, probably flogged it to someone who lived in Fife who neglected the car over a few years. It then got EBayed cheaply to the guy in Moffat and he eventually sold it late last year to a guy who drove it to his home in Grimsby. Interestingly Moffat to Grimsby is 227 miles by road which might tie up nicely with the current advert stating it had “just done a 220 mile trip from Scotland”

[chipp]

thIDQBNM3W.jpg

[GeoffSmith]

Columaffro.jpg

[Jamie N]

Mark, the car was in Fife and on that driveway for most of last year (2015), the only time i saw it move was when it got taken up and parked on the main road with for sale signs on it, thats when i had a good up close and personal look around it, to me it was a rough one but everyone will have their own opinions on a cars condition and what constitutes "rough", It was very obvious it had just been resprayed, the seals were all in the usual rotted condition, the windscreen trim had been replaced with black sealant and looked a mess, the interior was very tired, etc etc, It could make a reasonable car with TLC from a keen and dedicated new owner I suppose, the price it was advertised at when I looked at it was very optimistic though.

I remember someone on the forum from Glasgow i think (Gee 21?) posting they were looking for an Elan and I pointed this one out, whoever it was definitely went and had a look at it as I remember them saying it needed too much done, whether that was on here or Pers. comm. I dont recall.

Also, it only dissapeared from that driveway in Fife in the last 2 or 3 weeks for absolute certain.

[Artaban]

I don't often reply to what said about cars for sale but here goes. I find it amazing that people on here can comment on a cars condition when they haven't even viewed it. Yes it could be a lemon but you shouldn't pass judgement unless you have seen it. Also, many of you seem to think everyone is 'dodgy' in some way. Again, you don't know so stop with the stupid comments.

I think those that have implied it’s a lemon have seen it. The forum is here to help current and prospective owners so we are merely pointing out what to be aware of. Lack of use, MOT history, limited paperwork, wrong wheels, no pic of engine bay, rubbish description, seller not answering my questions that I’ve asked him about it.

"Everyone dodgy" Not sure how you picked that up. Sweeping generalisation if ever i saw one.

The bidding pattern on ebay crap made me laugh. What do you know about peoples bidding habits?
Quite a lot actually. I suggest you educate yourself on the psychology of auctions. Start with “social proof” and the bidding habits of those who bid irrationally when something is seen to be popular. There are enough studies been made on it.

"Mileage discrepancy, MOT typo error"....Obviously its something as simple as that. I think you missed the point, its called “humour”.

Its not my car and I have no interest in buying it by the way. I don't like the look of it either with the non standard wheels, ripped drivers seat and rubbish advert. At the same time, I'm not going to start writing rubbish about it or the seller as I don't know the full facts! It doesn't happen on other forums.
So its rubbish to write about what is staring us all plainly in the face and who has said anything about the seller? You can’t belong to many other forums because informative observation and humour also happens on Meridian Unplugged, Pistonheads, and the Mercedes forums that I belong to.

Now Apollo can you actually add anything to this discussion which a prospective buyer might find helpful?

[apollo996]

I really can't be bothered to be honest. If all the comments I have seen made about this car and others are from people who have seen the cars then fine. I don't have a problem with that at all. Neither have I a problem with factual comment based on what can be seen on the advert.

Sometimes people are running down not only this car but others for sale not always with good reason. Its not always with statements either but what is implied. If that's 'humour' I missed it. These are old cars now and won't be perfect unless you pay a premium. If you are looking at a cheaper Elan its likely it won't tick all the boxes. For this reason, my advice for any perspective buyer is don't compare a £4k Elan with a £10k one. There are 6000 reasons why it won't be as good! Be realistic.

[clemo]

As with everything for sale .
Buyer beware .

[clemo]

SE with S2 wheels .

Looks like an Ex LEC car ..
plenty of group buy extras on it .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lotus-elan-m1 ... SwvUlWrKml

[tb10]

It's back..........................clicky

Quote "HPI checked and available." - so it's on the 'Hit List'

[dapinky]

Hmmmm......

...... price has gone up a bit, and still no decent pictures of it.

My (new) concern is that he's stating "No tax or MOT" in the advert - obviously, these days VEL is non transferable anyway - but DVLA is showing it as having a valid MOT until 23rd April 2016.

Something doesn't sit right with the whole thing, and as the Dragons would say, ......"I'm out!"

It appears that there is too much 'Smoke & mirrors' with the seller and advert(s) - my genuine hope (and I hate to say it) is that it gets snapped up by DVB and broken down to tiny bits, never to see the road again.

[Artaban]

Back to E14 NPP now up to £4,000+ http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321993111050? ... EBIDX%3AIT

I had a reply from the seller and the cambelt was last done in 2006! Apparently the performance upgrade is showing just as "performance upgrade" on the paperwork and was done by Lotus at a cost of £350; nothing more specific.

I did advise him not to drive it until the cambelt was done. I suspect he will leave that to the new owner. I hope whoever buys it has sufficient surplus funds.

Andy

[andys2cars]

Hello everyone, I do agree in debates and chit chat but...................... you guys seem to put down EVERY Elan that comes up for sale. I bought one of the "Dogs" you all dissed 1 year ago, since then I have cherished and loved it! but it is still a cat d. I think with all this negativity you are inadvertently driving the prices down. Lets have more smiley faces and welcome any elan that is saved and cherished, I can hear you now muttering "what an arsehole", but that is MY opinion, have a good evening

[Tuga2112]

Hello everyone, I do agree in debates and chit chat but...................... you guys seem to put down EVERY Elan that comes up for sale. I bought one of the "Dogs" you all dissed 1 year ago, since then I have cherished and loved it! but it is still a cat d. I think with all this negativity you are inadvertently driving the prices down. Lets have more smiley faces and welcome any elan that is saved and cherished, I can hear you now muttering "what an arsehole", but that is MY opinion, have a good evening

dont worry about what they say.
they put down every elan on sale but when it comes to help an owner to repare/restore they are all willing to help with whatever knowledge there is.
the only sad thing is that for a visitor on the forum reading this, he/e would think all Elans out there are crap. mostly because the people in the forum dont know them and are always expecting the worse.

im sure if i asked this bunch about tips on buying mine i would sill be looking. as mine was a "dog" without paint, and the exhaust was blowing.
now a year and half later i have a reliable (yes the irony) Lotus that i use everytime the weather is good or my other car needs work.
I used the elan on a daily basis for a month in december because the othe car reached the mileage limit on the insurance.
and again for 2 weeks in the end of january because the caliper piston was stiff and eating the pads.

also another point to make is that my total expence in the car including the purchase of the car itself. is currently rated at less than 4k so, those trackday dogs. to me sound like an appealing project..... if i had the money and garage....

at the end of the day. i know if i bought that "dog" i could put it back to a reasonable reliable shape with help from these same guys in about 6 months. and a minimal investment.

I suppose most of this is hoping a visitor will read it and understand the elan is a much better car than you would expect from the comments. sadly not as reliable as the mx5. but the amout of fun it provides, easily makes up for it.

[andys2cars]

Thanks Tuga, nice to know. I am going to sell my/our Elan in the next few months and dread to read the comments!
ps Walsall are doing quite well at the moment

[Dave Eds]

..... if i had the money and garage....

I've got neither

The money is in the cars........

[Artaban]

Yes of course all the cars for sale are absolutely bloody wonderful; not a single dog amongst them. Everything is perfect and you'll be able to restore it with a tenner with enough left over for pie and chips. Lots of smiles all round.

The hope of everyone who "disses" a car on here is that the new potential owner reads it, calculates the cost, and goes in with their eyes wide open if they are still interested. I hope when you come to sell your car you give the good and the bad as everyone appreciates honesty. What LEC dislikes is obvious dishonesty amongst SOME of the current sellers. It doesn't do the Lotus marque any favours to have dodgy geezers shifting motors with naff and uninformative sales pitches. We only really comment on the dodgy ones or ones that look like a good buy as they are known to members here.

Andy

P.S. I like the start of your sales pitch "I bought ones of the dogs you all dissed 1 year ago" Best of luck with the sale.

[Tuga2112]

P.S. I like the start of your sales pitch "I bought ones of the dogs you all dissed 1 year ago" Best of luck with the sale.

not gonna sell it.
too much fun for that.

[dapinky]

My own opinion is that Andy is right in his comments above - and we all have an opinion on everything, but at the end of the day, only mine is of any great concern to me.

Any comments I may make are usually based on the accuracy or otherwise of any advertisments, either as I see them, or as I ascertain through various (legitimate) means. They are intended only to advise any prospective purchaser of what they are letting themselves in for.

Any reference to 'dog' is subjective - and at least if you buy a 'dog' at the right price and are prepared to spend enough time and/or money on it, you can end up with a really good car (even if there is nowt much left of the original when you've finished).

I would always buy a project over a 'completed' car - as we all know, they're never going to be really finished anyway, so I'd rather do it my way, at my own pace, in the order that matters to me.

Unfortunately, there are some cars which are so badly presented that they will never really amount to an effective elan, and some are downright dangerous and shouldn't be advertised as 'just needs a little TLC' - these are the ones I will comment on, if only to stop someone from making a big financial mistake....

....anyone who goes ahead and then buys it, does so without any recourse - but I'd rather that than they buy one we have all said is good (or said nowt about) when it is far from the case.

I don't really care about 'value' in monetary terms, to me the value is in owning, driving & working on the cars - and meeting up with fellow minds when the oportunity exists.

As such, I don't care if the prices go up or down - I'm not an investor (well, not in elans!) and anyone who buys one hoping to make money (whilst that is a nice bonus) is really missing the whole point of ownership.

[andys2cars]

Hi, by the way Albran oops sorry Altaban it was not a sales pitch it was being honest, it was a dog, but now I am proud of what we have done and spent, there are still a couple of things that need to be addressed though - hood is ok, but would like a new one and there is a lazy tappit that rattles a little until oil reaches top of engine,

[Artaban]

My final point on this matter is that I hope everyone will be merciless in their honesty over a car that has obviously been bodged to the point where a prospective purchaser would be unaware of how dangerous it is. Both PNM and Revline have had cars in with filler/fibreglass in the lower rear wishbones that have then been painted over to hide their true condition. The M100 does not have a wheezing Citroen Saxo engine with a 0-60 time of "eventually". It has a tiny but powerful beast of a block that can launch a car at high speed into walls and trees if something breaks that shouldn't.

So a plea to all, don't hesitate to "diss" a car where the seller is obviously trying to make a fast buck at the expense of someone else's safety; even if that seller is a mate.

Andy

P.S. andy2cars - Like the albran comment Keep the wit coming. I don't take offence.