Long time on sale Elise - am I missing something?
Discussion
Just reaching out to the Lotus experts as i've never owned one previously.
I'm in the process of selling my 987.2 Cayman S for something that's a little more of an event on weekend drives.
I've seen this advertised for a while which is in the spec and colour that I want, and in budget.
https://www.velviscars.co.uk/vehicle-details/Lotus...
I know they've had the car in stock since at least July last year, which seems a long old time to me given the others i've watched have sold over the last few weeks, even during lockdown. Am I missing something here? Is there something particularly unappealing to the Lotus cognoscenti that has put people off buying it?
I'm in the process of selling my 987.2 Cayman S for something that's a little more of an event on weekend drives.
I've seen this advertised for a while which is in the spec and colour that I want, and in budget.
https://www.velviscars.co.uk/vehicle-details/Lotus...
I know they've had the car in stock since at least July last year, which seems a long old time to me given the others i've watched have sold over the last few weeks, even during lockdown. Am I missing something here? Is there something particularly unappealing to the Lotus cognoscenti that has put people off buying it?
Incomplete service history, colour + front number plate sticker not to everyone's taste, non-specialist dealer, for sale at the tail end of the summer?
There's nothing jumping out at me but I've not had an S3, or indeed been looking for one before.
Or maybe when viewed in the flesh the car isn't as good as it sounds.
There's nothing jumping out at me but I've not had an S3, or indeed been looking for one before.
Or maybe when viewed in the flesh the car isn't as good as it sounds.
This looks like a good car .
I too have been following it for some considerable period of time l
On paper , its all there .
I finally bought an almost identical car from Bell and Coalville ...2010. Elise R with 189 bop , . 53000 miles, 2 owners , S3 ....... but naturally aspirated and with the 2zz engine ..... purely because this is what I wanted.
On this reference point , and having studied the market , I would say that the car you are considering looks good to reasonable value
Best of luck
I too have been following it for some considerable period of time l
On paper , its all there .
I finally bought an almost identical car from Bell and Coalville ...2010. Elise R with 189 bop , . 53000 miles, 2 owners , S3 ....... but naturally aspirated and with the 2zz engine ..... purely because this is what I wanted.
On this reference point , and having studied the market , I would say that the car you are considering looks good to reasonable value
Best of luck
Nautilus is correct ..... I never looked in detail at the SH .
RE the colour , personal choice , but I wanted Chrome Orange, and there are not that many around .
Interesting that it has been on sale this long .
The Bell and Coalville car was advertised / went live on PH at 8 PM , and was sold at 9.15 the following day , subject to me seeing it . I bought it at 2pm that afternoon .
Yes , so great on paper , and a reasonable price too , but it might need to be more thoroughly investigated as Elises usually sell pretty quickly , esp the brightly coloured ones
RE the colour , personal choice , but I wanted Chrome Orange, and there are not that many around .
Interesting that it has been on sale this long .
The Bell and Coalville car was advertised / went live on PH at 8 PM , and was sold at 9.15 the following day , subject to me seeing it . I bought it at 2pm that afternoon .
Yes , so great on paper , and a reasonable price too , but it might need to be more thoroughly investigated as Elises usually sell pretty quickly , esp the brightly coloured ones
I enquired about it last year when I think it was £29995.
I'm a long way away from the dealer in N.Ireland but I do know a gent who looked at it last year and couldn't see much wrong with it but a few weeks later he bought another similar car from Snows. I didn't pursue it as I had a Caterham 620S to trade and they didn't want it. I subsequently bought a brand new Elise 220Sport in August.
I think it looks like a good buy as it is an ideal spec IMO being a great colour, forged wheels (which are very expensive) and black alcantara but maybe there is something wrong. The stick on number plate isn't great and the wheels look a bit chippy but it looks fine. I do recall Velvis put a few strange new parts on it when they got it like rear wheel arch liners and some other stuff I don't remember.
I'm a long way away from the dealer in N.Ireland but I do know a gent who looked at it last year and couldn't see much wrong with it but a few weeks later he bought another similar car from Snows. I didn't pursue it as I had a Caterham 620S to trade and they didn't want it. I subsequently bought a brand new Elise 220Sport in August.
I think it looks like a good buy as it is an ideal spec IMO being a great colour, forged wheels (which are very expensive) and black alcantara but maybe there is something wrong. The stick on number plate isn't great and the wheels look a bit chippy but it looks fine. I do recall Velvis put a few strange new parts on it when they got it like rear wheel arch liners and some other stuff I don't remember.
I have an identical spec/ colour car to this one (albeit with the addition of a tubular exhaust and TRD airbox) on a 14 plate. Comparing this to mine, comments would be:
Front number plate not good stuck on very expensive paint
Wheels gnarled - again a very expensive option
It needs servicing annually or every 4,500 miles for oil and 9,000 miles for air filter. Therefore with 3 service stamps it is potentially missing 4 services.
Non specialist dealer
If it had only one of the above issues it might be a consideration but all 4 and the price needs to be lower. If it was for sale at a reputable dealer/ indy who will have given it a thorough going over it would help negate anything else. As always when buying it, thinking about selling it is what helps make decisions.
Front number plate not good stuck on very expensive paint
Wheels gnarled - again a very expensive option
It needs servicing annually or every 4,500 miles for oil and 9,000 miles for air filter. Therefore with 3 service stamps it is potentially missing 4 services.
Non specialist dealer
If it had only one of the above issues it might be a consideration but all 4 and the price needs to be lower. If it was for sale at a reputable dealer/ indy who will have given it a thorough going over it would help negate anything else. As always when buying it, thinking about selling it is what helps make decisions.
Thanks Mike. I don't really like the reg plate in that position but I suspect that is reversible. Looking closely you can see the bare mounting holes for the front number plate carrier, so maybe it had a light bump from a previous owner and the sticker was a cheaper solution.
Who knows, but it is especially good to know that there was nothing majorly wrong with it when your acquaintance viewed it.
Who knows, but it is especially good to know that there was nothing majorly wrong with it when your acquaintance viewed it.
Venisonpie said:
I have an identical spec/ colour car to this one (albeit with the addition of a tubular exhaust and TRD airbox) on a 14 plate. Comparing this to mine, comments would be:
Front number plate not good stuck on very expensive paint
Wheels gnarled - again a very expensive option
It needs servicing annually or every 4,500 miles for oil and 9,000 miles for air filter. Therefore with 3 service stamps it is potentially missing 4 services.
Non specialist dealer
If it had only one of the above issues it might be a consideration but all 4 and the price needs to be lower. If it was for sale at a reputable dealer/ indy who will have given it a thorough going over it would help negate anything else. As always when buying it, thinking about selling it is what helps make decisions.
Thank you. I think our posts appeared at the same time. The SH information was something I planned to research but you've saved me the time, thank you. Those gaps are slightly worrying, and as you say, the minor points all add up to something a little more substantial. I'll keep my eye out for another with better provenance.Front number plate not good stuck on very expensive paint
Wheels gnarled - again a very expensive option
It needs servicing annually or every 4,500 miles for oil and 9,000 miles for air filter. Therefore with 3 service stamps it is potentially missing 4 services.
Non specialist dealer
If it had only one of the above issues it might be a consideration but all 4 and the price needs to be lower. If it was for sale at a reputable dealer/ indy who will have given it a thorough going over it would help negate anything else. As always when buying it, thinking about selling it is what helps make decisions.
KPB1973 said:
Venisonpie said:
I have an identical spec/ colour car to this one (albeit with the addition of a tubular exhaust and TRD airbox) on a 14 plate. Comparing this to mine, comments would be:
Front number plate not good stuck on very expensive paint
Wheels gnarled - again a very expensive option
It needs servicing annually or every 4,500 miles for oil and 9,000 miles for air filter. Therefore with 3 service stamps it is potentially missing 4 services.
Non specialist dealer
If it had only one of the above issues it might be a consideration but all 4 and the price needs to be lower. If it was for sale at a reputable dealer/ indy who will have given it a thorough going over it would help negate anything else. As always when buying it, thinking about selling it is what helps make decisions.
Thank you. I think our posts appeared at the same time. The SH information was something I planned to research but you've saved me the time, thank you. Those gaps are slightly worrying, and as you say, the minor points all add up to something a little more substantial. I'll keep my eye out for another with better provenance.Front number plate not good stuck on very expensive paint
Wheels gnarled - again a very expensive option
It needs servicing annually or every 4,500 miles for oil and 9,000 miles for air filter. Therefore with 3 service stamps it is potentially missing 4 services.
Non specialist dealer
If it had only one of the above issues it might be a consideration but all 4 and the price needs to be lower. If it was for sale at a reputable dealer/ indy who will have given it a thorough going over it would help negate anything else. As always when buying it, thinking about selling it is what helps make decisions.
I think this budget will get you a nice well looked after S3 but the colour/spec might need to be flexible. That said who knows what's happening with the prices at the moment - they might loosen up. Don't know.
Just to round this off - I placed a deposit on a s2 Sport Racer yesterday. It's a low owner car with superb provenance. I cut my teeth on Honda engines and generally prefer N/A, so the absence of a blower isn't a big issue.
Thanks again for the advice given.
Just need to sell my Cayman now!
Thanks again for the advice given.
Just need to sell my Cayman now!
For my needs/wants as a low mileage toy, the Elise is a much more suitable car. The Cayman was a serious machine but the Elise blows it into the weeds for fun. Power, practicality etc all become pretty irrelevant on a dry sunny day with the top off. That old adage of 'it's not how fast you go, it's how you go fast' is very true.
The performance gap isn't that wide I don't think, although you obviously have to work harder in the Lotus. Mine seems to have a TRD airbox fitted which adds to the drama.
Downsides?
Quite a lot of buffetting in the cabin vs something like a Boxster.
Rattles, squeaks and buzzes - most easily tracked down and resolved with something like heavy duty velcro, but I do have a steering/suspension related groan from the n/s/f which I can cure temporarily with a bit of silicon, but soon comes back!
One of the 4 mounting points for the hard top has split slightly just where the bolt goes in, so I can't secure it down. It'll be a relatively easy but 'faffy' fix.
Maybe lacks a bit of punch in certain gear/rpm combo, but a quick glance at the speedo confirms it is traveling a lot faster than the engine's efforts would suggest.
In short, I love it.
The performance gap isn't that wide I don't think, although you obviously have to work harder in the Lotus. Mine seems to have a TRD airbox fitted which adds to the drama.
Downsides?
Quite a lot of buffetting in the cabin vs something like a Boxster.
Rattles, squeaks and buzzes - most easily tracked down and resolved with something like heavy duty velcro, but I do have a steering/suspension related groan from the n/s/f which I can cure temporarily with a bit of silicon, but soon comes back!
One of the 4 mounting points for the hard top has split slightly just where the bolt goes in, so I can't secure it down. It'll be a relatively easy but 'faffy' fix.
Maybe lacks a bit of punch in certain gear/rpm combo, but a quick glance at the speedo confirms it is traveling a lot faster than the engine's efforts would suggest.
In short, I love it.
Andyoz said:
Did you get a chance to compare with other stuff further up the Lotus food chain, the supercharged S2 Exige etc...even an S3 Exige V6 which are starting to look decent value to me?
I'm really keen to get another longer go in my mates 2006 S2 NA Exige anyway!
No - due to a combination of lockdown logistics, budget restrictions and the right car popping up at the right time. I'm really keen to get another longer go in my mates 2006 S2 NA Exige anyway!
I basically moved sideways financially from the CS to the Lotus. I didn't want to sink double the amount into an early V6, as nice as they are.
Would you consider an Elise or are you not a fan of drop tops?
KPB1973 said:
Andyoz said:
Did you get a chance to compare with other stuff further up the Lotus food chain, the supercharged S2 Exige etc...even an S3 Exige V6 which are starting to look decent value to me?
I'm really keen to get another longer go in my mates 2006 S2 NA Exige anyway!
No - due to a combination of lockdown logistics, budget restrictions and the right car popping up at the right time. I'm really keen to get another longer go in my mates 2006 S2 NA Exige anyway!
I basically moved sideways financially from the CS to the Lotus. I didn't want to sink double the amount into an early V6, as nice as they are.
Would you consider an Elise or are you not a fan of drop tops?
I actually like the idea of the slight increase in bulk/size of the V6 but need to see one properly.
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