Sprint question

[NickWilmshurst]

I haven't got a sprint (I have a series 3) but I have a question...what is a "type G" as in this auction?

https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/ ... =blueshift

thanks
Nick

[RichardS]

Type G is the code for a UK registered DHC
Full explanation on Tim’s website https://www.lotuselansprint.com/index.asp?pageid=41826
Richard

[NickWilmshurst]

Ah! Thanks.

[512BB]

The sale of the car in question in an online auction is a prime example of why you should NEVER buy any car,
let alone a Lotus, sight unseen, let alone 2, at auction.

Just a few points as I do not have the time Firstly, the author of the ad needs to go over it and correct the spelling mistakes. For a so called prof. outfit, dreadful.

Lastly, the seller states that the car wants for nothing. Clearly the seller suffers from seller blindness, sadly a debilitating disease that afflics many sellers when they are trying to sell a car.

It should be noted that this car won the dodgy stripes award in 2018, on here.

Leslie

[elan66]

Denograting cars for sale seems to have become a bit of an obsession for some on this site, the OP had a query about the relevance of the letter G in the cars identification, nothing else, I never new there were so many perfect elans
Sure the car has its faults but with due diligence, (expect you could view it) you could still get a good buy as long as its priced accordingly,
And no, I have no skin the game, and if I made any grammatical errors, ...whatever

[JonB]

I suppose it all depends on the final price (note, there is a reserve so I doubt it will go cheap). But as Leslie says, the seller can’t even see the body cracks in his own photos. Even claims “there are no cracks”, blaming them on spider’s webs or dust. He does show the VIN though, so we might ask Tim TRW99 what his records say about the car, it’s 7102910484G.

[Edited to add: engine number is N25916 according to the V5. The VIN is recorded incorrectly, it’s showing as 71090484G. Missing the 2 at position 4 and 1 at position 6. Likely an error at first registration as the unit number 0484G is intact.]

I’m not denigrating the car, I’m illustrating the point Leslie is making, which is “Caveat Emptor”. I think that’s pertinent to a thread where a potential buyer is asking about a car for sale.

[Andy8421]

Elan66, I take a different view.

Many of us on here have many years of experience with Elans, and if we can help a prospective buyer by pointing out problems then the buyer may be able to achieve a better price, or alternatively avoid a car that needs too much work or is purporting to be something it isn't. The car in the advertisement clearly has a few issues.

If I was considering purchasing an Elan and didn't have much experience with the marque, I would be very glad of feedback from a forum such as this. I don't think the aim of the feedback is to denigrate cars for sale. Very few of us have perfect Elans.

[Andy8421]

I suppose it all depends on the final price (note, there is a reserve so I doubt it will go cheap). But as Leslie says, the seller can’t even see the body cracks in his own photos. Even claims “there are no cracks”, blaming them on spider’s webs or dust. He does show the VIN though, so we might ask Tim TRW99 what his records say about the car, it’s 7102910484G.

[Edited to add: engine number is N25916 according to the V5. The VIN is recorded incorrectly, it’s showing as 71090484G. Missing the 2 at position 4 and 1 at position 6. Likely an error at first registration as the unit number 0484G is intact.]

I’m not denigrating the car, I’m illustrating the point Leslie is making, which is “Caveat Emptor”. I think that’s pertinent to a thread where a potential buyer is asking about a car for sale.

My Sprint is 7110xxxxxxx and has a 'K' plate. 71091xxxxxx implies a build date of September 1971, but an L reg didn't come in until Aug 1972 - a year later. I know Elans weren't selling well, but it does raise a question or two.

Andy.

[trw99]

I do have some limited history of this car. It was for sale with Barry Ely in 2003 and at Bonhams auction in 2019, when it went unsold with an estimate of £28-34K; mileage then was 63,780.

As it happens I was contacted before Christmas by an interested party, seeking my advice. This is what I wrote to him:

"I would be a little suspicious of this car and advise that you do not bid unless you have physically viewed the car. It appears the current owner is flipping it, given the condition it was in at Bonhams (see photos in listing: https://cars.bonhams.com/auction/25454/ ... -see-text/ ) and the very low milage done between the auction date and currently (64,059 ie 279 miles in five years). Yes, the gold decals have been applied very poorly, but that is easily rectified with a new set. Personally, the condition of the original looking paintwork would not bother me. It seems that the Cirrus White has been resprayed. I also suspect that the entire engine will be due a re-build in the next few thousand miles. The dashboard does not look like it has been replaced particularly well. Whilst the car is drivable now, it does not have a current MOT (why on earth not, I wonder?), which I would want carried out before purchase. There is clearly work to be carried out refining this car, which should be factored in when considering how high to bid."

In the event my correspondent decide to put in a low bid, just in case, but it went unsold, again. He viewed it as a project, should he have won it.

With regard to the 11 months between it coming off the production line and it being first registered, this is not as unusual with Elans as you may think. Often there is a one to three month difference between the production month and the invoice month, sometimes longer. Thereafter, given that almost all UK Elans were sold in component form, it could take a hapless new owner several months to complete the build, despite it being relatively simple. In this case, if that is what happened, that new owner may have felt like waiting for the new car registrations to kick in on 1 August before he obtained his registration mark, thus driving around in an apparently brand new car!

Tim

[mark030358]

I suppose it all depends on the final price (note, there is a reserve so I doubt it will go cheap). But as Leslie says, the seller can’t even see the body cracks in his own photos. Even claims “there are no cracks”, blaming them on spider’s webs or dust. He does show the VIN though, so we might ask Tim TRW99 what his records say about the car, it’s 7102910484G.

[Edited to add: engine number is N25916 according to the V5. The VIN is recorded incorrectly, it’s showing as 71090484G. Missing the 2 at position 4 and 1 at position 6. Likely an error at first registration as the unit number 0484G is intact.]

I’m not denigrating the car, I’m illustrating the point Leslie is making, which is “Caveat Emptor”. I think that’s pertinent to a thread where a potential buyer is asking about a car for sale.

My Sprint is 7110xxxxxxx and has a 'K' plate. 71091xxxxxx implies a build date of September 1971, but an L reg didn't come in until Aug 1972 - a year later. I know Elans weren't selling well, but it does raise a question or two.

Andy.

The above is bang on the money. Something hooky here. Plus it has the earlier cut outs behind the rear wheel too...

If it were me i would give this one a swerve.

cheers
Mark