Hello from new member

PostPost by: runkthepunk » Mon Sep 05, 2016 4:20 pm

*this should probably be in the Introduce Yourself section if a mod can move it*

Hi everyone

I?ve been hovering around the site for while now and just wanted to say hello and introduce myself before asking a couple of questions.

Obviously this being Lotuselan.net I?m here because I really like Lotus Elans specifically the Elan Plus 2

I live in Bournemouth but work in London and am originally from Macclesfield in the north West. I currently drive a Smart Roadster Coupe Brabus and have owned several Old Minis and a GTM Coupe so I am used to driving small cars and ?older? type cars.

Which leads me on to my first question:

Ideally I would love to buy a Plus 2 130/5 and run it fairly regularly. My reason for the 130/5 is I do have to drive long distances quite often and the extra gear seems to make sense.

I have been following sales on here, via ebay and various classic car sites so have a slight idea of what to expect really but wanted to ask those who have been around the car for years for their opinion.

I have seen this car for sale on eBay and the sellers own website for ?13995

Image

http://www.justinbanks.com/#/1970LotusElanPlus2/

The seller has some very very nice cars for sale so obviously know their stuff.

I know it?s not a 130/5 and honestly I prefer a car without a webasto type roof but I love the colour and don?t mind that it?s a little ?scruffy? in places.

Is the price representative of MOT'd entry level Plus 2 cars? or can they be picked up cheaper in a private sale for example? I realise this sort of question gets asked a lot as I have read various threads on the forum but still wanted to ask :)

I am going to go to a local-ish classic car show next weekend (not Goodwood) in the hope I might see a car and be able to chat with the owner a little. Unless anyone is in the Bournemouth area and fanices a drink and a chat?

Anyway it's a great site you have with lots of good info and any help/advice is appreciated

Thanks

Rob
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PostPost by: elanfan1 » Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:00 pm

Hi Rob,

Welcome to the madhouse. I was hoping one of the Plus 2 guys would have replied to you by now, but didn't want you to think you're being ignored. I'm not too up on Plus 2 info so I'll leave that to those who know better. I'm sure they'll be along soon.

I do like that colour too but pretty sure it's non standard.
Steve

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PostPost by: runkthepunk » Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:16 pm

Thanks for the reply!

Maybe people are just annoyed at my posting in the wrong section :oops:

I have been reading up and trying to boost my knowledge (not too hard to do that to be honest) so you definitely know more than me :)

Thanks for the warm welcome
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PostPost by: KevJ+2 » Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:53 pm

Hi Rob and welcome.
The car you're interested in looks to be the same colour as mine - glacier blue. It was an option for a short time on Plus Twos. I've become quite an expert on the colour lately as my car is currently in the paint shop being resprayed and finding the right shade and type of paint has been a pain :roll:
The car you ask about seems quite tidy from the photos and the price seems sort of right if things like the engine, chassis and paintwork are okay. The driver's door seems to be scratched or damaged and I'm told that matching this particular colour is problematic.
Hopefully, someone here will help you look it over or maybe know about it.
Good luck.
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PostPost by: Elanintheforest » Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:47 pm

Hi Rob
An 'MOT' standard car would generally be run as a weekend / hobby car, and would undoubtedly need work quite often to keep it up and running. Any Plus 2 car is nearly 50 years old now, and really, any component that hasn't been overhauled / refurbished in the past 10 years or so is likely to fail.

There are good 'driver' cars around that may be in need of a little cosmetic attention (the expensive bit!) and you can check those out at least by looking at the annual mileage / old MOT history. If it's not done a couple of thousand miles a year for the past few years, then maybe it's a good reliable car. If it's a bit tatty round the edges, and has done 50 miles a year for the past few years, then expect to do a lot of work to keep it going.

There are also cars that have had a full restoration, but the owner stopped using it after a couple of years, and it needs re-commissioning. The age profile of the average Elan owner is pretty high, and sometimes the old classic doesn't live up to expectations, so they sit in the garage for many years. Re-commissioning a car that's been properly restored a few years ago is pretty straghtforward, and for my money would be the way to go. Otherwise you may have to spend ?30k plus on a freshly restored car, or every weekend working on a tired runner that really needs properly overhauling.

Good luck with the hunt!
Mark
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PostPost by: Spyder fan » Tue Sep 06, 2016 8:08 am

Welcome Rob,
Justin Banks is literally 5 minutes walk from my house, if he has the car in the showroom I will have a look and report back. If I can see the registration number I will check the old MOT's to see how it's been used as Mark suggests.

Looking at the photo's it seems quite original and complete with all the brightwork present and correct including the under nose moustache. Under bonnet looks very original with the airbox and trunking present as well as the correct servo and Kenlowe fan control, the cam cover is correct but in the wrong finish and the engine is painted the wrong colour which may actually be a good sign that it's been reconditioned or refreshed at some stage. The interior once again looks to be all present and correct, and I note that the ambient temperature gauge is working, which is always a good sign.

The downside will be the paint and bodywork condition and maybe mechanical issues.
Kindest regards

Alan Thomas
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PostPost by: runkthepunk » Tue Sep 06, 2016 8:13 am

Hi Guys

Thanks for the replies nice to hear some positive things as well as some sound advice.

I totally understand what you mean about a car thats MOT'd but has been used regularly VS a car thats MOT'd but hasn't really been driven. I think I'd always go for the often driven but slightly scruffier example as I've had cars before that haven't done a lot of running and look immaculate but things start to fail once they are put under sustained pressure on long drives etc.

I doubt I'd want the car to be a daily driver of the traditional 30-40 miles a day type (I'm freelance so don't work everyday anyway) but that said it would need to complete a few daily runs of 200 miles every now and then :?

The usage is another reason why I wouldn't want an immacualte car as I actually like to drive them in all weathers without fear of scratching pristine paintwork etc. I know classic cars are not really the perfect mode of transportation nowadays but I like owning them and driving them often so can live with the problems that are thrown up quite regularly.

Hopefully I'll manage to get one and if anything it will force me to clear out my garage!
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PostPost by: The Veg » Tue Sep 06, 2016 2:25 pm

Hi Rob and welcome from USA!

Being over here I can't answer your questions about value, but being a fellow Plus 2 guy I'll be interested to see what develops. Sending best wishes for you to find the right car!
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PostPost by: runkthepunk » Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:06 pm

Spyder fan wrote:Welcome Rob,
Justin Banks is literally 5 minutes walk from my house, if he has the car in the showroom I will have a look and report back. If I can see the registration number I will check the old MOT's to see how it's been used as Mark suggests.


That would be really great if you could!

I first saw the car on ebay but its a good three hour drive from here to the garage so finding the time to get over was a problem. I'm not working til next tuesday but have lots of other bits to be doing at the moment.

@ The Veg
Thanks for the welcome. I have seen a few Elans for sale in the USA I was actually surprised there seem to be so many :)
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