Hi!! Whats the best lotus Elan to buy?

[giles.holland]

Hi there!

Im on the brink of buying my all time favourite car the Lotus Elan SE Turbo.

But what should i be looking for? and what model is the best ive noticed there are a few types.

Cheers guys!

[tigerdog]

Hi Giles! The best Elan to buy is the one in your price range that has the most complete, documented service history, a series of obsessive owners and brings with it no project you feel unequipped to handle. That said, the wikiLEC buyers guide is a great place to learn about what to check when inspecting a potential purchase. Read LEC. Everything, front to back, top to bottom. It's amazing how much you can learn through obsession! There are some very smart people here. From there, find a colour you like and enjoy the drive!

[HJ2]

Welcome aboard Gilles.
Is Holland your last name, or your whereabouts? If it is the latter, PM me and give me a call and i'll talk you trough some Elan Basics!

Regards
Henk-Jan

[Rambo]

And if you live in Holland, Michael has his yellow one for sale

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18986

[HJ2]

And that would be a truly excellent start in Elanning!

[rip]

Where are you? If you could add your location to your profile, it will save anyone from having to ask you that again.

Only the SE was made available in the USA.
In the UK, a small quantity of standard (ie non-Turbo) Elans were made alongside the SEs. On here, we refer to them as NAs.
A while after production of the SE ceased, 800 S2s were made. These had several updates including a catalytic converter which reduced power by 10bhp.

I would usually advise that buying cheap will be offset with higher initiai maintenance costs, but there are exceptions. A really low mileage one will not have been used regularly & this can be problematic too.

[giles.holland]

Ah so low mileage isnt always a good thing for these cars?

Holland is my second name and so alas i cannt buy the yellow elan, although a yellow one is on par with red

Im from Brighton and will update my profile asap.

There arnt alot of SE 2's around to buy, ie autotrader.

Are there any tail tail signs that i should know about and steer clear of?

cheers guys for all your help!

[Rice crispy]

Welcome aboard, as the guys above have said buy the best you can afford, when i got mine 2 years ago i looked at some tha seemed to be bargains £1500 less than i finally paid for one but I'm sure its saved me lots in the long run well its meant I've been able to do upgrades rather than fix things. Think Dapinky's got a red one for sale that has lots of improvements
David

[rip]

Welcome aboard, as the guys above have said buy the best you can afford, when i got mine 2 years ago i looked at some tha seemed to be bargains £1500 less than i finally paid for one but I'm sure its saved me lots in the long run well its meant I've been able to do upgrades rather than fix things. Think Dapinky's got a red one for sale that has lots of improvements
David

Pinky's red one is well worth a look.
Please be aware that red SEs fade to pink. S2's use a different paint so don't suffer fading anywhere near as badly.

[Rambo]

Please be aware that red SEs fade to pink.

Never ever had a problem with mine. 20 years old, 100k miles and just as red as when it came out of Hethel

[hatters]

Hi Giles and welcome
Make sure you have a good look underneath the car you are thinking of buying and examine the front track control arms thoroughly also the rear wish bones require a good looking at ,Both are quite prone to corrosion and can be expensive to replace .I have recently had my car M O T d and the nearside track control arm had quite a large hole in it . I tried to buy two new ones but the dealers I approached said they were obsolete.In the end I did manage to find two which were priced at nearly £300. each so I decided to have the corroded one removed and get it repaired and refit it with new bushes at the same time fitting bushes to the off side one. So you need to examine these carefully .However dont let me put you off buying one, you will definately be rewarded when you take it out for a spin especially if you have the roof down . I have owned lots of cars including PORSCHE and ELISE and there is not another car that puts a smile on my face as much as my Elan .This is the second one I have owned and its Calypso red with HI SPEC front brakes .It would be good if you could find one with the brake upgrade as this makes a huge difference to driving the car
Also have a good look at the roof and the roof seals these can be be expensive if they need replacing .Dont worry to much about slight water ingress via the roof seals because 90% of Elans leak mainly from where the roof meats the A post.
I hope you find a good one and ejoy it as much as I enjoy mine

Roan

[giles.holland]

So close to buying one now!! getting all the paper work together for a LOVELY Re-Mortgage lol

Seen a really nice S2 for £5990. Cant afford the insurance, didnt know that compared to a 1991 SE turbo, the S2 is about £900 more expensive on insurance!!! :O

So honestly guys, how much should i keep to one side for the dreaded MOT every year? I've heard its a real bank buster!!

And any idea how much a respray is? cos i want a red one and not a pink one lol

cheers for all your help!!

[maz_r]

S2 insurance is £900 more??? Sounds unlikely Appreciate the are many variables involved, but my SE insurance in around the £200 mark for limited milage, but including business use. Are you using a specialist classic insurance broker?

I've enquired about resprays and been quoted anywhere between £1800 to £unlimited!! I think £3000 is an average figure (anyone?)

Now the scarey bit....

First year MOT cost me about £750, because I needed to address the brakes, so upgraded them to HiSpec on the front.
Second year cost me £2000, because the rear wishbones were shot, so replaced them and the rear shocks/springs at the same time.
At least I know I won't have to look at those for quite a while.....

However, there are others here who's cars pass the MOT almost without issue year on year. There's always some fettling to do as they are 20 year old hand build cars

Good luck in your search

[P@ulW]

My 1995 S2 insurance is about £200 a year with Saga, based on 6,000 miles a year, with the car kept off the road. And straight through the MOT this month without any advisories. I did spend a couple of thousand on it when I bought it though, 18 months ago. I wish I'd had the money for a brake upgrade; the stock brakes have been reconditioned and they're OK but not as good as I'd like.

[rip]

MOT a bank buster? Not necessarily.
If the only inspection your car gets is the MOT, then this could well be the case. What's the alternative, pay out a monthly loan repayment for a newer car? I can't think of 1 car designed this century which I like, so I know what my choice would be.

Elans are 15-22 years old now so many components will have corroded & worn to the point where they need replacing.
There are many upgrades available for bits & pieces (brakes, suspension, exhaust). IMO, replacing components with upgrades somehow seems a lot more worthwhile than repairs using OEM bits.

[giles.holland]

All amazing suggestions!!

Im so glad ive found a bunch a guys who are very helpful! (ive been on some motoring forums who arnt this helpful!)

Ive heard that because its carbon fibre panels its relatively cheaper than a normal car respray.

Was told because the S2 is a limited edition it makes it more desirable therefore more expensive;
http://www.gilescooperautomotive.co.uk/ ... re-1641467
that one would cost me £1200 a year on insurance and the best ive found is a S1 1990 SE turbo at £450.

Whats the UK Road Tax on an Elan? i hope its good on emissions as thats how they grade it now!

[dapinky]

Whats the UK Road Tax on an Elan? i hope its good on emissions as thats how they grade it now!

Due to the age of the elan, it's decided on engine capacity, not emmissions - therefore whichever one you get it'll be in the £215 bracket (£118.25 for 6 months) as it is over 1549cc.

Have you tried Peter James for your insurance? They give a good discount for Club Lotus membership - mine costs £180 for one car, or £245 for 2!)

[Rice crispy]

Could also try 2gether as well, mine was £135 for 3000 miles this year with a claim on my daily driver notified.

[Rambo]

Seen a really nice S2 for £5990. Cant afford the insurance, didnt know that compared to a 1991 SE turbo, the S2 is about £900 more expensive on insurance!!! :O

Is this a typo ?? Are you sure you don't mean £90 ??

[giles.holland]

Seen a really nice S2 for £5990. Cant afford the insurance, didnt know that compared to a 1991 SE turbo, the S2 is about £900 more expensive on insurance!!! :O

Is this a typo ?? Are you sure you don't mean £90 ??

It really is £900, according to Confused.com. my usual insurers wanted £500 for an S1 and wouldnt insure me on an S2! NUTS!