Lotus Elan advice
Discussion
All your questions answered here - http://lotuselancentral.com/forum/index.php
Hope you have many happy hours of reading!
Only 800 S2's made, 3000+ SE's made.
There were also around 80 non turbo (NA)models made in the SE run.
Bullet proof engine, fibreglass body, outstanding value.
Hope you have many happy hours of reading!
Only 800 S2's made, 3000+ SE's made.
There were also around 80 non turbo (NA)models made in the SE run.
Bullet proof engine, fibreglass body, outstanding value.
I ran an M100 Elan SE as a daily driver for about 4 years/70k+ miles. Running cost over its lifetime (including 2 HGF repairs!) was 45p/mile.
Things to look out for:
Seized brake calipers and knackered handbrake adjusters. Even in perfect condition, the brakes are alarmingly crap by modern standards.
Wheel bearings. Peoples experiences vary, but the rears especially seem to be prone to fail. They are at least cheap to fix.
Dodgy modifications - a good many of them will have had bleed valves, dump valves, tuning chips fitted. Yes there are performance gains to be had, but after about 70000 miles of regular use, I'd come to the conclusion that original was best. Dump valves offer zero benefit IMHO.
Hood wear or damage. They ALL leak to a greater or lesser extent, but tears or fraying are bad news as the hood is expensive to replace.
Handling - wise, I'd say they are closer to hot hatch handling than classic RWD sportscar handling (for obviousl reasons). The price you pay for the fancy front suspension (that eliminates torque steer) is pronounced bump-steer under heavy braking.
As Dico says, lotuselancentral is the essential place to get all your Elan advice and info.
Things to look out for:
- 1 IMHO is accident damage.
Seized brake calipers and knackered handbrake adjusters. Even in perfect condition, the brakes are alarmingly crap by modern standards.
Wheel bearings. Peoples experiences vary, but the rears especially seem to be prone to fail. They are at least cheap to fix.
Dodgy modifications - a good many of them will have had bleed valves, dump valves, tuning chips fitted. Yes there are performance gains to be had, but after about 70000 miles of regular use, I'd come to the conclusion that original was best. Dump valves offer zero benefit IMHO.
Hood wear or damage. They ALL leak to a greater or lesser extent, but tears or fraying are bad news as the hood is expensive to replace.
Handling - wise, I'd say they are closer to hot hatch handling than classic RWD sportscar handling (for obviousl reasons). The price you pay for the fancy front suspension (that eliminates torque steer) is pronounced bump-steer under heavy braking.
As Dico says, lotuselancentral is the essential place to get all your Elan advice and info.
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