Thinking of selling my Plus 2

[jono]

I never thought I would be even contemplating this post but after a 12 year journey of restoration, development, improvement, an obsessive search for perfection, tweaking and driving I'm now seriously considering selling my beloved Plus 2.

Oddly this tipping point was reached yesterday when I had her set up after 3.5 hour rolling road session - the final bit of the jigsaw. The engine now runs as good as it ever can on carbs and I had a fantastic 190 mile journey home through the north pennines and realised the car is now as good as I will ever get her to be.

It feels very odd, a bit like a bereavement, but I guess what must have been behind it all along is a journey with a beginning and an end. I think I've just had it with all the spannering work but have this nagging doubt that if I do sell her I will always regret it.

Also, I'm getting older and my son is about to leave home for University - he and I spent hours with the car building it and doing road trips and the purpose now seems to have gone

That said I'm set on a used Evora that I can simply jump in and drive so my love affair with Lotus has not ended it's just moving on. Also, my wife approves of an Evora and we can use it to go away while we are still young enough to enjoy it

..has anyone else reached this stage and did you follow it through and did you regret it - interested in views as I'm finding this very strange, and sudden, conclusion hard to come to terms with?

[JonB]

A question, if I may.. What does your son think of you selling it? As he has some spannering time invested in the car as well.

Like you, I've considered selling mine, as I know it is never going to be perfect. I went through that quest with a Spitfire I owned and it cost me a small fortune. I got 1/10th the money I'd spent back when I sold it and the car was still not "perfect". Nowhere near.

Fortunately my Plus 2 wasn't too expensive so I'd probably get most of my money back, should I decide to part with it. I think that is important as there appears to be a ceiling to what these cars will fetch on the open market (no matter what we enthusiasts think they are worth). Your post implies a lot of money has gone into the car but would you recoup it? That, then, is the first reason why you might keep it.

Secondly, there is the cost to run. It's tax and MOT exempt and the insurance is a pittance. An Evora is going to be much more expensive, and it needs to be maintained. As a modern car it's unlikely you'll have all the tools necessary to do this (besides, you said you wanted to give up spannering), so you'll have the cost of servicing, and it will depreciate.

Third, your post mentioned a "fantastic 190 mile drive through the Pennines" - lucky fellow - with the car being spot on. I suggest that, as you have probably done everything to your Plus 2, further major works are not going to be necessary for a long time. You've done the work so why not enjoy it?

Those are some of the reasons to hold onto it. As to the emotional reasons... well, the heart wants what the heart wants. If you really want an Evora then I say do it.

[jono]

My son has no say I'm afraid - I've bought him off with a classic Mini anyway! He'd be sad but completely understanding and we would still have the memories of working away in the garage on the resto and all of the magical bonding that went with it

The Evora is a side show really, something I've wanted since they were launched and the Plus 2 could stay but I know I would simply stop driving it when there's a 'jump in and go' option alongside it and would prefer it to go to someone who could continue to enjoy the car rather than it gather dust.

I just feel that I've come to the end of a journery/phase in life and I'm ready for a different experience. Wifey and I were always going to go to Italy in the Plus 2 but even driving it yesterday in the current UK heat told me that's just never going to happen

[john.p.clegg]

My advice , get yourself a 4 door , 2.0 Zetec Morris Minor...

John

[Elanintheforest]

I decided quite a while ago Jon that classics are for restoring and playing with, but for driving any distance, quickly, in comfort, it has to be a modern fun car!

Many folks feel the same according to insurance companies, with most classics covering less than 1000 miles a year, and many just a couple of hundred miles.

What persuaded me was a dilemma I had about 15 years back. My fun modern get-in-and-drive car was a Griffith 500, which was fast, comfy and totally reliable. I was restoring an E Type, and that wasn?t getting done as I was out enjoying the TVR. What did I do? I sold the TVR and finished restoring the E Type. Big mistake! The E type was cramped, rattley, uncomfortable, slow (compared to the Griff), hot and temperamental. It looked stunning, and it was great fun to restore but I didn?t want to drive it, and the car that I had enjoyed driving hugely I had sold!

The E type went, and I have a couple of modern fun cars instead. I still enjoy the classics, and am doing a complete restoration on a car currently, and fettling the others in spare time. The Elan S4 is going to be restored next, and the S3 is all up and running properly again.

Project plus modern fun car is the way to go for me!

[Gordon Sauer]

Coming up on 70 years and I too think about this quite a bit. One thing that holds me back is reading some of these open auction websites where they seem to pick the cars to death and I realize my car isn?t spot on, so one thing is, if your car is spot on it might be the best time to move it on. Once it does start sitting more then things become more of a problem. For me there?s a social element that would go away with getting rid of the car too. Went to a great show in Illinois the other weekend with my wife and before that one, one in Pennsylvania, with my son, all trailering from Texas. It?s great to see everybody and it?s pretty much a ticket to do those kinds of things and that?s a big part of not wanting to give up the +2 that I?ve had since 1989 and didn?t get back on the road until nine years ago. So it is much more than giving up the car, and go to Italy with your roadside assistance and the right weather. Gordon Sauer

[JonB]

Hi Gordon - you'd be talking about BAT, I presume. Not such a problem for jono as he's in England. Incidentally, BAT annoys me with its descriptions. Phrases like "said to have been" / "said to be" and "reportedly" do not instill confidence and I find the descriptions rather mealy mouthed and waffly, to be honest. I also do not understand why there is a public forum under each listing, it's asking for all sorts of trouble. Rant over!

It's true the Plus 2 is an oven in the Summer. Must be due to the raked screens giving lots of sunshine in the cockpit. Mine's Oatmeal so you'd think it would be relatively cool. Not so! The car is like a greenhouse and I can't see any reason why it should be like that. I have a silver flake roof, highly reflective, but no Sundym glass. Maybe an aftermarket film applied to the glass would help.

There's a proper remedy, though - A/C, which Chrispy fitted to his Plus 2 but it was costly and looked difficult.

I agree with Gordon and Elanintheforest - and bearing in mind my comments about how cheap it is to run - could you not just keep it and get the Evora as well? Or would you fund the Evora purchase with proceeds from selling the Plus 2?

[Donels]

I think what you have discovered is that there are two separate hobbies. One is rebuilding an old car and the other is driving old cars. I?ve rebuilt several and then they sit in the garage and you feel guilty about not using them. The only one I?ve kept is an Elise which gets rarely driven but is brilliant when you do. The most disappointing was a classic Porsche 911.
However, I agree with you about an Evora. A friend runs a Lotus service/restoration business and customers love them. The only drawback is a clutch change which requires half the car to be disassembled. They are great drivers cars and many get used as everyday cars. It?s on my list!

[MarkDa]

If you feel that the Evora will take you and your wife to Italy and that you would probably not drive the Elan then sell it.
But you must do the trip that you both promised yourselves - be quick and do it before end of October!
If you do miss the +2 start again from scratch - it'll be a breeze now you know what to do!

[Citromike]

I?ve had an S4 and an M100 each for 25 years now, and I?m coming to one of those birthdays ... my health isn?t what it used to be and I can?t slide under or bend over ... and as you all have said ?it?s not the car for long journeys?.

Of course the M100 is much more of a car but it?s 28 years old and there were what? 300 or so sold in the States? Even the franchise dealer mechanics don?t know what it is!

So I?m afraid my two children are hoping for a new foster family (or two).

Whereas I just came back from sitting in the 2020 Vette. Smitten, I?m afraid, it reminded of my first Lotus, an Europe Twin Cam back in the late Seventies. The advert said,

?If you like Hondas and Toyotas DON?T call me, you will hate this car!?

So I called, and so the 40-year Lotus Journey began.

[theelanman]

Jono
sorry to see your thinking of selling the +2...........but the Evora.......wow
I moved to an Evora
what a piece of kit.........you wont regret it........
check out TLF ( thelotusforums.com ).....if you need any info or help in finding one......
it just does everything and for me I can get the kids in too.........and the shopping.....
I do love having a family outing to the supermarket.........and parking in the parent and child spot......
(my kids are 4 and 3 years old)..........I have been berated a couple of times but watch their face change when I get the kids out of the back...........
servicing is standard prices at the dealer and is around ?400....but its a fixed price........
rear tyres are the only crux for me as I have stayed with the original spec Pirellis which are like butter and do about 8k....(they are a Mercedes spec and my mate had said Merc......any they faired worse on the Merc as he was replacing at about 6k miles)....others have changed to different brands.........all info of which is available on TLF
cheers
G

[miked]

Jon,
You can always do a nutter Zetec little Elan in the future.
I think you can peak with restoration and need a break. Then see if the passion builds again for more tinkering. I am not sentimental about time to move on. I have let a few go but happy that they kept me sane while working and thoroughly enjoyed doing them. New fresh challenge always float my boat.
My motorcycle restoration fiddling seems to be well satisfy my tinkering itch. Bit less rolling around on the floor.
Mike

[theelanman]

Mike
I like bike tinkering......
how about a bantam cafe racer?




sorry off topic.......

[miked]

Hi Gareth,

Respect man. I like it. Have you had some action with it. I was watching some yourube video of them during winter. Looks like good fun.
Love my two strokes.
Cheers Mike

[Geoffers71]

I understand your dilemma as I have the same issue. I really enjoyed restoring my '65 S2 Elan, but now it's finished I don't know what to do. Nearing 77 I find it more and more difficult to use, although it's an absolute delight to drive I just can't use it as I should. Only did 350 miles between MoTs last year. I know I'll miss it if I do decide to sell, but time is passing at a frightening rate and I need to scratch other itches. I thought I might go for a M100 if I could find a really nice one with all the issues they have resolved. Decisions, decisions