Looking for clean yellow/green/red M100

[plannerphil]

Hi all,

I'm in Southern California and looking for an M100. I've got alerts set on Autotrader, CarGurus, Bring a Trailer, Cars and Bids, and eBay, but I'd appreciate any tips from the community about Elans listed elsewhere or not listed anywhere.

I want a clean, well-maintained yellow, green, or red car with stock wheels and less than 100,000 miles.

For a car in California that needs nothing at all my budget is $17k, and a car in another US State that needs nothing $16k. I'd pay an additional $1k for a car that already has the shift cable upgrade. I'm willing to have some reconditioning done, but the costs would need to come out of the budget.

Thanks!
Phil

[esprit888]

A little further than you would probably like but its a straight 10 hour run down the I5 from Blaine, WA, and i''ve done it both ways many times in an M100. I know people who know the car and its in very presentable shape with a few minor maintenance items required. As it was originally a U.S. car (Hawaii) there should not be any duties payable on importation, i believe there is good room for negotiation on the price (make an offer) If you would like someone knowledgeable to have a look at the car contact the Lotus club of British Columbia as they are a very helpful bunch.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275286394452?h ... SwOXJiSMS-

or..........
a little more out there is this one (and silver!), which is on the Island i live on so i could take a look for you, its never boring driving a RHD car in North America Keep in mind that's in CDN $'s so minus 20% for U.S.

https://www.usedvictoria.com/all/39254551

[plannerphil]

A little further than you would probably like but its a straight 10 hour run down the I5 from Blaine, WA, and i''ve done it both ways many times in an M100. I know people who know the car and its in very presentable shape with a few minor maintenance items required. As it was originally a U.S. car (Hawaii) there should not be any duties payable on importation, i believe there is good room for negotiation on the price (make an offer) If you would like someone knowledgeable to have a look at the car contact the Lotus club of British Columbia as they are a very helpful bunch.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275286394452?h ... SwOXJiSMS-

or..........
a little more out there is this one (and silver!), which is on the Island i live on so i could take a look for you, its never boring driving a RHD car in North America Keep in mind that's in CDN $'s so minus 20% for U.S.

https://www.usedvictoria.com/all/39254551

I think the drive from BC to Long Beach would be too far for me, but I'm not ruling it out. I sent out a few inquiries to Canada-US car transport companies. It sounds like the car needs the A/C, middle vents, and horn repaired, an oil leak fixed, and window/top seals replaced. Assuming transport isn't too expensive it seems doable.

[FunElan]

That yellow one seems to be the best option right now, assuming there's no CA reg issues. The seals look fine, as we're in California, no need to worry about it really leaking because the rain we see here is so much less intense than anywhere else. The A/C could just need a recharge.

The silver RHD one is really cool, but will likely never be legally registered in California. Could do a Vermont/Montana loophole though.

[esprit888]

That yellow one seems to be the best option right now, assuming there's no CA reg issues. The seals look fine, as we're in California, no need to worry about it really leaking because the rain we see here is so much less intense than anywhere else. The A/C could just need a recharge.

The silver RHD one is really cool, but will likely never be legally registered in California. Could do a Vermont/Montana loophole though.

Isn’t any car over 25 years old admissible now? Seen lots of RHD cars in CA

[esprit888]

A little further than you would probably like but its a straight 10 hour run down the I5 from Blaine, WA, and i''ve done it both ways many times in an M100. I know people who know the car and its in very presentable shape with a few minor maintenance items required. As it was originally a U.S. car (Hawaii) there should not be any duties payable on importation, i believe there is good room for negotiation on the price (make an offer) If you would like someone knowledgeable to have a look at the car contact the Lotus club of British Columbia as they are a very helpful bunch.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/275286394452?h ... SwOXJiSMS-

or..........
a little more out there is this one (and silver!), which is on the Island i live on so i could take a look for you, its never boring driving a RHD car in North America Keep in mind that's in CDN $'s so minus 20% for U.S.

https://www.usedvictoria.com/all/39254551

I think the drive from BC to Long Beach would be too far for me, but I'm not ruling it out. I sent out a few inquiries to Canada-US car transport companies. It sounds like the car needs the A/C, middle vents, and horn repaired, an oil leak fixed, and window/top seals replaced. Assuming transport isn't too expensive it seems doable.

I happen to have a full timing belt kit and water pump in the garage, which would be a must for that drive unless there is documentation showing it was changed in the past few years, plus a bunch of CAS O rings (Likely source of oil leak) then drive it down (for a fee really pays to hire a broker to get it across the border ($200 Recommend A&A in Blaine, they did my Esprit which I sold and delivered to a guy in Seattle) there are multiple car haulers doing that run on a regular basis too. I have no interest in the yellow car and don’t know the owner but believe it could be bought for a good number.

[FunElan]

That yellow one seems to be the best option right now, assuming there's no CA reg issues. The seals look fine, as we're in California, no need to worry about it really leaking because the rain we see here is so much less intense than anywhere else. The A/C could just need a recharge.

The silver RHD one is really cool, but will likely never be legally registered in California. Could do a Vermont/Montana loophole though.

Isn’t any car over 25 years old admissible now? Seen lots of RHD cars in CA

They're allowed into the US, but typically they won't have CA tags on them. There are plenty of RHD cars that snuck through before it became more difficult to register them here, but as of now, there's no easy way to register an imported vehicle in CA unless it's pre 1967, I believe. Anything 1976 and after has to pass an emissions test, which is 4x more strict than a UK MOT (certain metrics, only tailpipe emissions).

[esprit888]

That yellow one seems to be the best option right now, assuming there's no CA reg issues. The seals look fine, as we're in California, no need to worry about it really leaking because the rain we see here is so much less intense than anywhere else. The A/C could just need a recharge.

The silver RHD one is really cool, but will likely never be legally registered in California. Could do a Vermont/Montana loophole though.

Isn’t any car over 25 years old admissible now? Seen lots of RHD cars in CA

They're allowed into the US, but typically they won't have CA tags on them. There are plenty of RHD cars that snuck through before it became more difficult to register them here, but as of now, there's no easy way to register an imported vehicle in CA unless it's pre 1967, I believe. Anything 1976 and after has to pass an emissions test, which is 4x more strict than a UK MOT (certain metrics, only tailpipe emissions).

Makes sense, everything car related is more difficult in CA, though the U.K M100 uses open loop and has an adjustable CO pot just for the annual test The EPA certification requirement is waived over 25 years, but knowing California they probably have a veto over that!

[TorqueHorse]

Glad to hear you aren't deterred from what your first search results yielded . Patience is your friend, and hopefully posts like this will help connect you with that person who's been on the fence about passing on stewardship of their baby.
Also to add to your list of resources, I've seen a lot of honest (looking) elans show up on Facebook marketplace recently. Fyi, there are a few examples showing up on the east coast right now that might not be exactly in your parameters, but still with room in your budget to address shortcomings.
Also, in general, high mileage isn't as big of a strike against these cars as it might seem. Age related wear can be just as costly, so having a survivor that has been run and maintained regularly provides its own kind of insurance about surprise deferred maintenance costs popping up right after purchase.
Good luck on finding your next four wheeled friend!

[mrsemolina]

Still have an interest?

[plannerphil]

Still have an interest?

I actually found BRG Elan in May. You can follow along with my journey reconditioning her here: http://forum.lotuselancentral.com/viewtopic.php?t=29171.