New Member - Hello to all

[GavT]

I've just joined and I am willing to own upto a very stupid thing.

Earlier this year I made an inpulse purchase and have been kicking myself eversince. I've alway wanted 2 cars, a Lotus & a TVR. I unfortunately went for the latter and am now the owner of a 1986 TVR 280i. Having driven the car for just 357 miles I know I made a mistake. For one reason and another I am just not happy with the car. As a word of advise NEVER NEVER BUY A CAR UNSEEN, unless you can 100% trust the seller or the dealer has a solid reputation. So having seen the light and willing to change the error of my ways. I have joined the forum, looking to soak up the wealth of knowledge that can be found amongst it's pages, while I start my search for an Elan. I will take my time this time & not rush. Living here in the U.S. I know the selection of Elans is somewhat limited and I fear I maybe in for a longish wait.

So...HELLO TO ALL

Looking forward to making new friends.

Regards

Gavin

PS. If anyone knows of a good Elan please let me know.

[ailwyn]

Gavin,

Welcome to LEC, sorry to hear of your TVR woes, but you've now come round to the right way of thinking.

You may wish to avoid the wrath of the administrators and post further topics in the General area (about half way down the main forum page) if they don't fit into a specific category.

Shame we don't have a Newbie/Introduction forum, eh Sy?

Have you tried the US For Sale section of the site? http://www.lotuselancentral.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6

Hope you find your Elan soon!

Ailwyn

[Sy V]

I tell you what Ailwyn.

If you'd like to take on forum-wide moderator duties, you could make one.
Failing that if you stick a broom up my arse I'll sweep the floors as I'm going about my daily duties.

[Specky]

TTFN

[GavT]

ailwyn

Thanks for the welcome......

I have a problem, the wife likes the esprit!!!!....I'm more concerned about the repair bills and the availability of parts. What to do.

An Elan on ebay right now....watching with interest.

Regards

Gavin

[rip]

I have a problem, the wife likes the esprit!!!!....I'm more concerned about the repair bills and the availability of parts. What to do.

Get her to sit in both. From what I have heard, the Esprit is awkward to get in & out of. Passengers do not have the driving experience to look forward to so will not put up with it as easily.
The Elan has no such troubles and has a roof for those sunny days.
I never 'got it' about convertibles until I got the Elan.
You will probably find many wannabe Esprit-ers on this site. I am one of them. I would NOT swap my Elan for one though.

[GeoffSmith]

Shame we don't have a Newbie/Introduction forum, eh Sy?

Go to it Ailwyn! Do you want Sy's broom now?

Deep joy. Ailwyn is Welsh AND a mod. Twice as much to poke fun at!

[Sy V]

It's Ok Ailwyn...allow me.

Eat shite ye' goon-faced Geordie gibbon!

[tigerdog]

Welcome, Gavin! I joined the fold only recently myself after looking for my "ideal Elan". Surprisingly, my wife loves our Elan. It's much easier to enter and exit than most exotics (have your wife try to get into an Elise...)

There are several fine Elans for sale around the country right now. I'd check the forums here before I checked out cars on Ebay. The people on the list seem to be very keen about keeping their cars in fine fettle. If I hadn't found my current BRG, I'd be very tempted to check out the silver car in Florida. Beautiful, very rare color here in the US.

If you find any cars in Southern California that interest you, I'll be happy to take a semi-critical eye (and a digital camera) to them on your behalf. If one looks good, I'd suggest paying Harry at Viking Motorsports in Costa Mesa, CA to go over it - a couple of hundred bucks spent up front could avoid buyers remorse and/or provide solid grounds for bargaining on price.

As to your question on parts: lotus parts are comparatively rare in the US. Because the Elan uses an Isuzu drive train and has lots of period GM components, I believe it's much easier to source parts for than an Esprit. This forum has a very helpful parts cross-reference section.

From my own experience, I had desire to own something fun and exotic but much trepidation about parts and service. The group of people here at LEC and the support they offer are the primary reason I purchased an Elan... well, that plus just how much FUN the car is.

Good luck in your search!

[tigerdog]

...An Elan on ebay right now....watching with interest.

If you're watching the BRG Elan in Canada - be very careful! Despite what the ad says, it's not a Fed-spec Elan and you'll play heck sneaking it into the country. Click here for discussion on this car.