Discussion
Hi I'm thinking of buying a Lotus Excel.
Any things to look out for when looking at one?
and how's reliability, any known issues?
i'll be 21 next year which is when i'll be trying to get one i suppose?
how do u think insurance will fair
i've been driving since i was 17 an passed when i was 18
and took my IAM driving test and passed last year.
i dont have a perticulary fantastic job but i could work at that
am i being over ambitious
or do i only love once?
cheers for all replys
Any things to look out for when looking at one?
and how's reliability, any known issues?
i'll be 21 next year which is when i'll be trying to get one i suppose?
how do u think insurance will fair
i've been driving since i was 17 an passed when i was 18
and took my IAM driving test and passed last year.
i dont have a perticulary fantastic job but i could work at that
am i being over ambitious
or do i only love once?
cheers for all replys
Hi,
I have mine on Lancaster Classic limited milage, however there is an age difference so I think your premium might be more than my £200.
Drop in on
www.lotusexcel.co.uk
There'll be lots of help in answering your questions there.
Regards
Dave
I have mine on Lancaster Classic limited milage, however there is an age difference so I think your premium might be more than my £200.
Drop in on
www.lotusexcel.co.uk
There'll be lots of help in answering your questions there.
Regards
Dave
Go for it. Get as late a model as possible and if you can, try out a couple for comparison purposes.
They're pretty reliable mechanically, the engines are reputed to be good for 150,000 miles.
One weak point is the door beams which rot. Unfortunately, the doors are bolted over the beams, so you can't tell what state they're in. Still, check that the doors don't droop and close well. Even in a good condition car, they might be a little off (*cough*). Check for damp patches around the sills that show where water gets in. Excels also pressurise at speeds > 70mph or so - which actually blows air out through door seals if they're not tight.
In late cars you can get electric mirrors. Neither the mirrors nor the switches fare very well and aren't very cheap to replace. You can survive without them though, so it's not a problem if they don't work.
The standard tyres are Dunlop SP9000's. They don't last very long and are expensive to replace in the right size. There aren't many (any) alternatives in the right size, so the common answer seems to be to go for the next size down (narrower). However, you should probably replace them as a set to be safe, so if you're buying a car that is close to the limit, you'll need to factor in a couple of hundred quid or so for new rubber.
At the age you'll be looking at, things like headlining will be feeling the years. It's not too bad to replace, but costs a few quid, so check to see if it's already been done, or if there are signs of it beginning to hang down from the roof.
Late models also have CD changers (unlikely to survive, but you can bung in a better radio easily) and aircon (mine is faultless and I've not heard of particular problems - still worth checking though).
Those are the bits I can think of - check out the Excel Forums http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/ for more chat.
They're pretty reliable mechanically, the engines are reputed to be good for 150,000 miles.
One weak point is the door beams which rot. Unfortunately, the doors are bolted over the beams, so you can't tell what state they're in. Still, check that the doors don't droop and close well. Even in a good condition car, they might be a little off (*cough*). Check for damp patches around the sills that show where water gets in. Excels also pressurise at speeds > 70mph or so - which actually blows air out through door seals if they're not tight.
In late cars you can get electric mirrors. Neither the mirrors nor the switches fare very well and aren't very cheap to replace. You can survive without them though, so it's not a problem if they don't work.
The standard tyres are Dunlop SP9000's. They don't last very long and are expensive to replace in the right size. There aren't many (any) alternatives in the right size, so the common answer seems to be to go for the next size down (narrower). However, you should probably replace them as a set to be safe, so if you're buying a car that is close to the limit, you'll need to factor in a couple of hundred quid or so for new rubber.
At the age you'll be looking at, things like headlining will be feeling the years. It's not too bad to replace, but costs a few quid, so check to see if it's already been done, or if there are signs of it beginning to hang down from the roof.
Late models also have CD changers (unlikely to survive, but you can bung in a better radio easily) and aircon (mine is faultless and I've not heard of particular problems - still worth checking though).
Those are the bits I can think of - check out the Excel Forums http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/ for more chat.
Been a lot of discussion about this recently : http://www.lotusexcel.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=7&...
Gassing Station | General Lotus Stuff | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff