Thinking of buying an Elite

[Mark Shelley]

 

I retired a couple of years ago and have recently  relocated to my home County of Norfolk. We owned an MGB for about 10 years until our son was born, when it was sold due to lack of use. I promised myself another classic car once I retired and got settled back in Norfolk. My problem is that I have very eclectic taste in classic cars so actually ‘pulling the trigger’ on one is proving difficult.  I am pretty sure most of you will have seen the 1978 Elite near Sheffield that is on ebay for £19750. My research (including Glenmarch auction results) shows me that it is an awful lot of money for one of these, however it looks to have been ‘gone over’ very well indeed and I would rather pay top dollar for a good one than buy a cheap money pit. What are your opinions on it amd it’s pricing?

On a slightly different note, what is general maintenance like for an average DIY spanner man? I looked at a cambelt job on youtube and it didn’t look too ominous. 

 

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[Mark Shelley]

Weird. The price has just jumped £2K!!

Are they appreciating that fast? 😄

[Dan E]

@@Mark Shelley that car has been subject a quite a few magazine articles (definitely one in Absolute Lotus) , personally I think it is a bargain @circa 20k, expensive for one of them but you pay your money and what else can you actually get for that sort of money. If I had the garage space i would be driving up there now

[Dunc]

I'm going to give the contra-view to Danny's one above.

Elites and Eclat's ALL need work at some point, and despite not being that complicated, there are items that remain a pain in the behind, which for the ordinary owner requires a knowledgeable mechanic/access to parts. Buying an expensive one isn't a guarantee of anything with regard to upkeep and expense on one of these!

Series 2 cars have always sold at a premium to Series 1 cars, because they are rarer and better. The car you are looking at would (I believe) set a record price for an elite or eclat.... and its a series 1....

I could spend a fortune at Lotus bits on restoring a series 1 elite (and many people have....) but at the end of the day, it remains a series 1, with a 2L 907 , vacuum lights and a ropey gearbox  (I'm not scoring points as I own a S2 as I also own a 2L 907 engined car). Series 2 are just better cars than series 1's.

So... do you REALLY want to spend what in Elite and Eclat terms is a HUGE amount of money on a series 1 elite that someone else has spent a fortune on?

I wouldnt. I'd keep my powder dry until a nice elite S2 becomes available.

(gearbox alone in an S2 sells for over 1500 quid, and a 912 is worth a lot more than a 907.....)

[Mark Shelley]

Well, I think you guys have well and truely put me off buying this example. Still got it saved though as I like to look at it! 😂