Went to view one of those Elan cars today.

[Hector2021]

Hi all, Recently joined but i have been in and out of the forum for around 2 years now with the constant yes/no thought of buying an Elan. Inbetween work stuff i have been looking through the classifieds to see what is out there and went to view one today. As i have mentioned in my introduction post i have never even sat in one let alone driven one so i had no benchmark whatsoever.
The car looked great in the photos as they usually do, and to be honest it still did from a few feet away. Bodywork and paint all looks good. Took it out for a drive and finally ticked that missing life episode off as now done! First impressions were that i really, really liked it. A lot actually, but there are always downsides:
There are a couple of issues that im doubting over.
1. First off when running there is a constant whine from under the bonnet. I lifted said bonnet (amazed at how light it was) and it sounds like its coming from the rear of the engine around the alternator. I do know though that it can be tricky to actually locate the source of some noises. The vendor said it was the power steering pump and it has made this noise for several years. It did change in tone when the steering was turned so this sounds probable. New pumps are difficult to source i believe so is this a really bad thing? or is refurbishment a possibility?
2. Pretty much all of the window rubbers and the B post seals were shot. Surprisingly the roof seals where the top of the window meets the roof looked very good.
3. Lots of issues with the interior in terms of general shabbiness and broken trim pieces. Some might be fixable, some might be replaceable by new. Not sure on this one. The dashboard edge didnt fit particularly well with the switch gear panel and the gap between the two along the top of the binnacle and down the left hand edge was uneven. Door release plastic inserts were damaged, carpet was a bit tatty behind the driver seat, windows struggled to do what they should do under their own power etc.
4. Rear wishbone lowers were recently painted over to conceal/preserve current condition. The paint didnt appear to be done terribly well though and the ends connected to the chassis hadnt been painted. I suspect the upper links were bare and possibly worse. The last MOT did state 'corrosion but not severe enough to become structural'. Its always tricky to assess these on viewing a car so do i go with the last MOT description? (March 22)
5 The roof didnt close evenly along the top of the windscreen. it was fine and flush on the passenger side, but towards the driver side it was raised by about 15mm even with both clamps locked. Do the header frames twist or bend, or does this indicate something else?
6.Brakes were standard and pretty bad, but i believe this to be a "They all do that sir"

Car is showing 68K with a vague service history. Last cambelt change was 2014 but only a few thousand miles ago. I know there will nearly always be a multitude of jobs to do when buying one of these cars (depending on purchase budget of course), and to be fair thats part of what i'll enjoy. Problem is this is the first one i have viewed and i probably wont get another one at this price (we agreed on £6k)
I know its impossible to say whether or not i should go for it, but advice would be good!

[MPx]

I'm sure one of the better qualified will be along soon, but my take on your points:

1. Another of the "they all do that" things. The power steering pump system is very vocal. I'd say more a Ssssshhhhhhhhhh, than a whine or hum if that gives any comfort or concern.
2. Seals are a big issue. Some are available new, many are not. Others, particularly Jamie the seal, have documented some excellent and apparantly effective alternatives.
3. Shabby interior is a turn off for me as suggests the car was unloved.
4. Dont know about this - S2s are galvanised and they look bad enough.
5. Another red flag for me. There's no way the roof should flex away from the screen rail by 15mm or more unless its been in some kind of accident (tho hard to know what sort of accident would twist the roof frame).
6. Std brakes need regular attention to keep them sweet (read adequate!). If the car's been neglected a bit then they will struggle. Bits to fettle or upgrade/replace the brakes are all easily available tho so not a real issue.

Obviously they are all 30 years old now so very few will be pristine - although there are some - so likely to have to compromise in some areas. This one sounds like a rolling restoration to me with lots of work to do. Is that what you want ? Glad you've been blooded anyway - you're off on the learning curve.

[Hector2021]

Thanks for your reply Mike.
I'm pretty happy that this first one is not for me. Although it is the first choice in colour that i would go for. I have actually lined up a viewing of a Norfolk Mustard. Odd to think that years ago the girlfriend always wanted a yellow car and i laughed at her for her poor choice in colour preference. Strangely though i think the Elan works rather well in that colour, and i'm coming round to it. Its quite becoming of a 'supercar' (read Ferrari, Lamborghini etc). This one is a good bit more expensive, seems to have good paper history and the (fairly hi-res) photos look to show it as close to immaculate as i could expect for the age its at. Is it normal for the A-post and B-post seals to become badly shaped and have a melted kind of look? I have looked closely at photos of a few cars now and these lumps of rubber do seem to be dis-figured. They look spot on on this yellow one though.
I was trying to do a search on the number of cars that left the factory in this colour but didnt get any results..... Scratch that. I have just found the poll post, very surprised to see yellow as the highest poll in part one

[Saltire]

Is it normal for the A-post and B-post seals to become badly shaped and have a melted kind of look? I have looked closely at photos of a few cars now and these lumps of rubber do seem to be dis-figured. They look spot on on this yellow one though.

In short, yes. It’s a long story, but the material from which the seals are made is neither resilient nor particularly well-sealing. Many folds carry a towel to help in rainy conditions. Jamie the Seal has a number of posts elsewhere on the forum describing how to fabricate better seals, but it’s a labour-intensive process and he doesn’t produce them commercially. If it’s not too bad, you can often effect an improvement with a flexible glue like Sugru.

I was trying to do a search on the number of cars that left the factory in this colour but didnt get any results..... Scratch that. I have just found the poll post, very surprised to see yellow as the highest poll in part one

Andy Graham, the Lotus factory archivist, has this information and it will be on your car’s Certificate of Provenance if you ask for one (there’s a cost involved).

Just to say also that, if you haven’t found it, there’s a buyers guide on the forum here.

[Hector2021]

Thanks for that buyer guide link Jonathan. I'll be going through it later. I have picked up on quite a lot of points to study when viewing, aside from the normal checks with just about any used car. If this one looks good....And i can summon the nerve to part with enough cash to cover my utility bill for the next two and a half years. I'll be an owner soon!

[Jamie N]

Don't worry about the seals Hector, I'm sure I can help you out if needed. The latest ones will tidy things up.

[Hector2021]

Very neat. So are you manufacturing these yourself?
The windscreen header rail seal looks even neater than the original!

[Gerry1957]

Don't worry about the seals Hector, I'm sure I can help you out if needed. The latest ones will tidy things up.

Hiya Jamie,
Regarding our chat on that other well known AUC site, I would be really grateful if you can help me out.
My personal email is gerard dot buda57 at gmail dot com.
Many thanks,
Gerry

[Jamie N]

Yep made in Scotland Hector, not en masse but as and when someone is in desperate need. My second name isn't 'The Seal' by the way.