Hi, new member in Dorset

[JohnH20]

I am a current Lotus Elise owner having owned 2 over a 10 year period. I have been active on track days with both Elises and other cars but in my advancing years it is a case of ' been there done that'. I am now looking forward to fulfilling a teenage dream of owning an original Elan. Having built my own track car I am reasonably ok with spanners, sheet metal work and fibreglass ( not so great with electrics ! ) so I think I can handle 50 year old car. I have got the restoration book but to be honest that might be step too far at my age so I am starting to look for something to tinker with and improve rather than a major restoration. No fixed ideas yet on Elan or Plus 2 both have their attractions so I will be following topics on here to help me decide.

[The Veg]

Welcome John!

[Andy8421]

John,

Unless you have a burning desire to restore a car, buying a drivable example makes a lot of sense. The challenge is finding something that actually is drivable, and isn't in desperate need of renovation.

There was a period in history when the Elans didn't get the attention they deserved, or where hacked about by home DIYers, and many a drivable example is a horror show under the surface. The mechanicals usually survived OK, but the wiring can be an ongoing problem. The wiring was substandard from new, and there are many threads on this forum of owners trying to unpick bodges done by previous owners.

Having said that, the prices of used cars seem to have softened, and the cost of restoration gets higher and higher, so from an economic perspective, paying up for a good driveable example can be a good decision.

Good luck.