Esprit Market Watch

[silverfrost]

A proper colour change is everything out, and i mean everything litterally down to a bare shell,screen out and no trim remaining. 

[Barrykearley]

That's what's happening anyway with the red one........hmmm imperial green

[johnpwalsh]

9 hours ago, silverfrost said:

Just sheer greed with Johns Car and also an unrealistic price,  Metallics always go for more money imo,  I would change the colour of yours Barry but that is me.   Essex blue is a nice colour.  Lot of extra work envolved for a full colour change though.

Supposedly sold, deposit taken last week. I was asked to track down the original handbook and stamped service book which I did at a cost. Emailed the guy and told him what I paid for the items which included the original handbook stamped with original dealers stamp etc. I was told the car was sold pending full payment and that he would ask the buyer if he wanted the book's. So now I have paid out for them but not required. Shame as it would have been nice for it to have gone with the car. Service manual with the first 6 stamps on it as well.

 

[TAR]

that dealer sound like a right twat!

 

[Dan E]

John I would think there is a good chance the new owner will end up on here so you hopefully will get your money back

Dan 

[Mark Blanchard]

2 hours ago, johnpwalsh said:

Supposedly sold, deposit taken last week. I was asked to track down the original handbook and stamped service book which I did at a cost. Emailed the guy and told him what I paid for the items which included the original handbook stamped with original dealers stamp etc. I was told the car was sold pending full payment and that he would ask the buyer if he wanted the book's. So now I have paid out for them but not required. Shame as it would have been nice for it to have gone with the car. Service manual with the first 6 stamps on it as well.

 

What bell end would buy an Esprit without service history?  Let's hope the new Owner finds this place and you can charge him say £9,000 for the history and you can make up the difference.

[silverfrost]

John, Have a lot of respect for you doing something like that given the circumstances,  fair play, I personally would not of given that trader the time of day for telling porkys in the first place.  But as others say hopefully the new owner will end up been a member on here.   Regarding the out of pocket bit for the service book   My post would contain to many words crossed out to bother writing.  

Lovely car but suprized it made that much, scary to think an s3 has sold for nearly 25k 

[Barrykearley]

2 hours ago, silverfrost said:

Lovely car but suprized it made that much, scary to think an s3 has sold for nearly 25k 

I'm loving the value increases. My garage is full, every month or two here's an article about upward value predicting and the missus hasn't moaned about the contents of the garage for weeks. 

[johnpwalsh]

Hi Mark there was loads of service history went with the car from new.It was the dealer service book with the stamps, which I think is more important. Obviously the guy I bought it off knew it had value for the car so wanted something for it. It wasn't a great deal of money, and in all honesty I would normally just have said here you go. but hey ho. you live and learn.

 

John.

[LOTUSMAN33]

I am with Barry, I have spent decades buying, tinkering and moving on to the next project making and losing along the way but enjoying every minute. These days I am quite happy to have my 3 classics just sit about having slow improvements knowing the slower I work the greater the reward at the end!. 

As for Lotus prices....why not increase when modern cars all look the same, every time I see a classic especially a Lotus my head flips around to check it out, there is nothing like a gleaming wedge of Eclat to Esprit approaching you on the opposite side of the road.....simple stunning! 

Dave  

[silverfrost]

Yes always good to be rewarded with a price rise when working on them , sadly the draw back is the bits you are fitting back onto are also going up 

[Daniel]

2 hours ago, Barrykearley said:

I'm loving the value increases. My garage is full, every month or two here's an article about upward value predicting and the missus hasn't moaned about the contents of the garage for weeks. 

My wife is the same...... although she has mentioned in passing (read as told me directly) that the contents of my garage would adequately pay for a substantial deposit on a property abroad to retire to.

Tried knocking her about...... got leathered

[silverfrost]

Just keep telling her it is to unsafe to retire abroad Daniel 

[johnpwalsh]

Just seen this one for sale in the States, auction estimate $1,500. Needs loads of work but could well be a bargain. 

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/esprit/1912748.html

[LOTUSMAN33]

That looks like a great project as although tired it is original rather than messed with, got to be worth a bid?

Good find John and easy enough to import with low import duties due to age and originality so 5%. ??

Dave  

[silverfrost]

Good find John,  No way in my mind it will go for 1500 bucks though imo,  Even if it was broken in parts it would still reap loads more, I think well over 5 k 

[Barrykearley]

3 hours ago, Daniel said:

My wife is the same...... although she has mentioned in passing (read as told me directly) that the contents of my garage would adequately pay for a substantial deposit on a property abroad to retire to.

Tried knocking her about...... got leathered

It's not safe abroad - not anywhere

and if anywhere was safe - you would need the lotus anyway

[franjipane]

@johnpwalsh oof that is massively tempting, i've been looking for a s2 project for a while but not sure i want to deal with getting the car shipped over.  Anyone had experience with that?

[silverfrost]

Leave it to the shipping company, Works out just less than 3000 bucks to the UK, but you still need to get the thing to the local port,  So add Final auction purchase cost, low loader from auction to port, 3000 dollars, plus a charge for normally pushing it into the shipping container,  Lands in UK.  as John says 5 percent upwards on import tax,  Then hope that US or UK customs has not ripped the thing to bits looking for drugs etc,  I have seen some interiors trashed from this in the past.  Add cost of low loader from UK docks,  Sort car registration with dvla,  and convert to LHD whilst doing a full restoration .   All probably without even looking at the car first in question.   

Very risky but can pay off in the long run,  connections is the key to keeping costs down.  After all the above i would rather find a project on UK soil and leave the imports to traders who have the overheads to cover losses as they do happen when what arrives is not what you expect.  Just my 2 pence 

[franjipane]

Trouble is, none of the projects in the UK are ever sensibly priced!  The ones i seem to see anyway....

[johnpwalsh]

1 hour ago, franjipane said:

@johnpwalsh oof that is massively tempting, i've been looking for a s2 project for a while but not sure i want to deal with getting the car shipped over.  Anyone had experience with that?

I am currently having 2 S1's shipped from the states just now, both coming via Seakargo and delivered to Folkston.

 

3 hours ago, silverfrost said:

Good find John,  No way in my mind it will go for 1500 bucks though imo,  Even if it was broken in parts it would still reap loads more, I think well over 5 k 

I recon at 7k plus shipping etc it will be costing roughly 11.5 on the beach UK side which should still make it viable.

[silverfrost]

If you could land that baby for 11.5 dollars you would be a happy man   I know i would be, never mind landing on the beach i would be dancing on the beach with joy     But still just over 9k sterling though with a big risk factor sadly attached.

[Mark Blanchard]

A word of caution, those S2's didn't have galvanised chassis's so there could be a load of rot under that lovely grp body.

[Paul Foster]

2 hours ago, Mark Blanchard said:

A word of caution, those S2's didn't have galvanised chassis's so there could be a load of rot under that lovely grp body.

That always worried me when looking for a JPS, you never know what's lurking beneath !!.

PF 

Edited January 28, 2017 by Paul Foster

[silverfrost]

On 2017/1/27 at 20:23, johnpwalsh said:

Just seen this one for sale in the States, auction estimate $1,500. Needs loads of work but could well be a bargain. 

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/lotus/esprit/1912748.html

6600 USD   Still will 5 hours to go   This will stop stateside imo