Looking for a mint M-100

[tweetdriver63]

There's one on autotrader with 10K miles on it. Might fit your bill, but it'll cost you twice as much as a well cared for one with 30-40K miles. One of our members here (hhisiii) is desperate to sell his, and he's asking less than half what that one on autotrader is listed for. It won't be perfect, with 35K miles, but well cared for and you could do a lot with the $14-15K you'd save on the purchase price. Re-spray and re-trim (although it's interior looks nice), even engine rebuild could easily be done for less than that.

[CalElan]

I think the 'problem' is that the Elan is such an easy to car to live with and hence drive frequently. It's easy to get in and out of and comfortable once you're there. It's also got reasonable luggage space and room in the cab to store stuff. They do also seem to respond better to being used frequently.
Hope you find what you're looking for...

[tb10]

Possibly your best option:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271968783892?fo ... &viewitem=

Regards


John

[theelanman]

where are you in the world?

Im guessing the USA based on the pic of the Esprit....but confirmation would help us help you
thanks

[epipete]

I think the 'problem' is that the Elan is such an easy to car to live with and hence drive frequently. It's easy to get in and out of and comfortable once you're there. It's also got reasonable luggage space and room in the cab to store stuff. They do also seem to respond better to being used frequently.
Hope you find what you're looking for...

And in addition, with a mere 3500 car production run now 25yrs ago of a car that is so under valued/priced almost anyone can afford the initial outlay, the idea of there being a car, outside of a museum, as you require is a concept too far.

No doubt there are some owners who have maintained or returned there cars to a very high standard, but having done so what is the incentive for them to part with them for 'a fair market price'.

I think, with your criteria, your search will be fruitless. Why not buy the best you can and either have it restored or do it yourself, probably the only way!

[Fredjohn]

where are you in the world?

Im guessing the USA based on the pic of the Esprit....but confirmation would help us help you
thanks

Gareth, the clue is in the topic thread...... Cars wanted North America

[theelanman]

I sort of got that bit....but its still a chuffin big place.......

[Rambo]

I have heard of a mint one in the UK but it is red

I am busy trying to track it down

[HJ2]

I can understand Why you would want a finished car!
Sorry I cannot help you, because I am at the right side of the pond, but i do have a minter, be it for double the price of the one from eBay, and that is without shipping

Good luck with the hunt. If you have time, you'll find what you want!

[lotos]

How many "mint" Elans do we know of in the states? No more than a few that I've come across online in the last 15 years. I think I've seen pretty much every car advertised since the mid to late nineties and when I was looking for my "mint" Elan, every single car had major problems until I found my car. Some were quoted as "mint" and needed a new transmission, the engine was clacking, the exhaust had a leak, and the interior was trashed. Not a one I ever came across wasn't a project car - they all had myriad issues that the new owner would want to address.

I know you're experienced with Lotus, and I think that's fantastic! But the Esprit's history and volume in the US just dwarfs the Elan. We had around 500 cars here in one model year only. The Esprit sold 10,000+ over nearly 30 years. It's a difference you should take into consideration because a mint Elan is a unicorn indeed.

I know of a car that has virtually no miles and has been in conditioned storage since new basically. But it's literally never driven so I'd presume the car might actually need a lot of work to be roadworthy as sitting can be really detrimental and this has been sitting for 25 years basically. So even a mint car isn't a project-free car in this case. I wouldn't be surprised to see this car need drivetrain work, suspension work, etc. Every seal is going to be toast.

Finding a mint car that isn't a project and isn't asking high dollar ... I don't think that's going to happen. I've yet to see it. Maybe in red (sorry red owners, but that color is cheaper), but then you will possibly need a repaint as that color didn't hold up as well.

Good luck to you, please feel free to keep chatting us up, everyone here loves talking about these cars and will help you find your car. Every one that's seen, whether it be Craigslist or some obscure website, gets posted here by someone. Good luck! Please stick around!

[HJ2]

might i add that my red is still looking ... euh... red!
But yes, it is a needle in a haystack you are looking for. If you have time, that really helps! (but you already said so yourself )

[Rambo]

How much $$$/£££'do you have to spend on this "mint condition" M100 ?? I will keep a look out here if I know your budget

[Rambo]

OK, fine, but as Lotos has mentioned through his much experience .....................

How many "mint" Elans do we know of in the states? No more than a few that I've come across online in the last 15 years. I think I've seen pretty much every car advertised since the mid to late nineties and when I was looking for my "mint" Elan, every single car had major problems until I found my car. Some were quoted as "mint" and needed a new transmission, the engine was clacking, the exhaust had a leak, and the interior was trashed. Not a one I ever came across wasn't a project car - they all had myriad issues that the new owner would want to address.

I know you're experienced with Lotus, and I think that's fantastic! But the Esprit's history and volume in the US just dwarfs the Elan. We had around 500 cars here in one model year only. The Esprit sold 10,000+ over nearly 30 years. It's a difference you should take into consideration because a mint Elan is a unicorn indeed.

I know of a car that has virtually no miles and has been in conditioned storage since new basically. But it's literally never driven so I'd presume the car might actually need a lot of work to be roadworthy as sitting can be really detrimental and this has been sitting for 25 years basically. So even a mint car isn't a project-free car in this case. I wouldn't be surprised to see this car need drivetrain work, suspension work, etc. Every seal is going to be toast.

Finding a mint car that isn't a project and isn't asking high dollar ... I don't think that's going to happen. I've yet to see it. Maybe in red (sorry red owners, but that color is cheaper), but then you will possibly need a repaint as that color didn't hold up as well.

Good luck to you, please feel free to keep chatting us up, everyone here loves talking about these cars and will help you find your car. Every one that's seen, whether it be Craigslist or some obscure website, gets posted here by someone. Good luck! Please stick around!

Good luck

[lotos]

Was looking online for our car's values, and it looks like the online price guides are actually reasonable.

NADA says $26,600 for a mint car, and Hagerty says $24k for a mint car. That's in line for what I've seen over the last decade. Of course you'll always see cars for less, but for a great car, $23-28k is where it's at, and where it's likely to stay (or go up) as this isn't a price spike, it's been consistent for 10+ years.

And, it's reasonable. You can buy a decent car for $17k, but you might need new tires ($1-2k), new wheels ($1-3k), a new top ($1-3k), new paint ($3-5k), new transmission or engine work ($$$), etc. I'm not saying that someone can't work on our cars, they certainly can and have! But it's always a very long process, and the dollars add up. If you want a great car that's not a project, I'd expect to pay around $25k.

That said, I went for a ride today and can't believe how much stuff I've bought that I haven't installed. Like, I'd take a picture but I don't have a wide enough lens, haha!

[Brit-Car-Nut]

The NADA price guide is only useful for sellers hoping to sell their cars way above true retail price and State Tax departments that tax the car based on those prices. Hemmings is almost just as bad. North Carolina taxed my M100 at $27,000.00 when I registered it to get a title in my name. A friend just registered a beat up '77 MGB and was taxed at $15,000.00, not the $700.00 the car was really worth.

Blue Book, Black Book and such wholesale guides are only useful for dealers who want a stupid price guide to show customers their trade-in car is worth much less than the average resale price.

It might be worth listing ANY car for a lot of money as you can only go down once you list it - but - It is only worth what someone will actually pay for it. If you watch the listings across a span of time and see which cars are actually selling, you can see that those listed for high prices rarely disappear from the sales lists. Seeing which ones drop off the lists first gives a better indication of the "real" selling price of the cars.

[tweetdriver63]

This one has just shown up on Autotrader at a BMW dealer in New Jersey. It looks like new in the pictures. Not much in the description, but that's not unusual for a dealer sale. Only 11,100 miles, and a rare white one. $20,995 asking price, but if it's as good as it looks, it's worth it.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... 1539&Log=0

[lotos]

http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/1998/Lotus/Esprit/V8-2-Door-Coupe/Values

LOL!

The NADA high retail on the Esprit is almost twice the real market value (I constantly watch the Esprit market), so that means your Elan is worth closer to $14K, not $28K, if you're saying those price guides are accurate.

It's not a shocker. The price guides are useless on low volume cars in general.

You've clearly got a number in mind for yourself. But I also said:

That's in line for what I've seen over the last decade. Of course you'll always see cars for less, but for a great car, $23-28k is where it's at, and where it's likely to stay (or go up) as this isn't a price spike, it's been consistent for 10+ years.

So don't expect to pay $14k for a mint Elan. $23k+ is what you will pay for a mint Elan. Especially if it's not red.

anyway, good luck on the hunt! I don't mean to sound curt, but it sounds like you want something that doesn't exist (i.e. a cheap mint Elan)

[lotos]

I'm not asking you to buy my car, I told you that in August. I'm only trying to be helpful, as so many have been for me when I assumed incorrect things or was mistaken about this or that. Isn't the rust belt the south and east US? I have a California car. Anyway, when you find a prospective car, you may want to post here and ask the hive mind what they think about it and what might be involved with it. It's a great community that only wants to help every owner and soon-to-be-owner. Just relax, smile, and assume I'm coming from a place of love.

[Brit-Car-Nut]

The "Rust Belt" is the North East and North Central US where they have heavy winters and use huge amounts of salt to keep the roads from freezing up. A lot of the South East is like California and Arizona with cars with little rust or rusted parts. Mountain areas are an exception as they use large amounts of salt too.

[HJ2]

Ah, then you'd might add the Netherlands to the Rustbelt as well! (... not because of the mountains though )
I never heard the expression before, but it was immediately clear what was meant