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Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:25 pm
by campbell
Interesting article (if the sharing works from the tablet app to Tapatalk!!)
http://evoapp.co.uk/1LA8HYU
Shared from evo app
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:19 am
by mxvx
Link works Campbell. I read the article and was thinking the same myself...
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 10:00 am
by campbell
The scunner of it all is, we seem to be running two future classics. But definitely can't keep them both!!
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:21 am
by Scotty C
i think the ideal time was about 4-5 years ago when you could buy a 340r and S1 exige for £15k
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:26 am
by mwmackenzie
Arrrgh.... I'm toying with selling

I use the car as a daily driver but I'm not getting any chances to actually use the car, no track days and no road runs as the wife seems to be working or I have the kids every time something is happening, seems a waste and as a daily I'm missing my creature comforts... I love my wee car but the thought of winter is sending a chill down my spine

Not sure yet as I do love driving the car but the bypass and M9, M90 really aren't what it's best suited to.. I really want to get it on track or a few runs but it just doesn't seem possible with family life as it is now... We'll see over the next wee while as I don't really want to part ways with her.......
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:41 am
by Dominic
mwmackenzie wrote:Arrrgh.... I'm toying with selling

I use the car as a daily driver but I'm not getting any chances to actually use the car, no track days and no road runs as the wife seems to be working or I have the kids every time something is happening, seems a waste and as a daily I'm missing my creature comforts... I love my wee car but the thought of winter is sending a chill down my spine

Not sure yet as I do love driving the car but the bypass and M9, M90 really aren't what it's best suited to.. I really want to get it on track or a few runs but it just doesn't seem possible with family life as it is now... We'll see over the next wee while as I don't really want to part ways with her.......
Don't do anything hasty! Get it out for a run, and it will all make sense again. Just need to put some time aside for it, and do it. Appreciate that is not always easy, but make a point of it and it will happen.

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 11:42 am
by campbell
Scotty C wrote:i think the ideal time was about 4-5 years ago when you could buy a 340r and S1 exige for £15k
Quite so.
But if one's TARDIS is off the road it's probably still worth picking up a sound but tatty S1 for £8k, run and enjoy, slowly refurb, then sell "high" in 5-10 yrs.
Simples!
It's not necessarily about making profit, I guess it can be just about depreciation-free motoring in an awesome car.
EVO do good articles on this from time to time, which inspired our first MINI

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:54 pm
by woody
mwmackenzie wrote:Arrrgh.... I'm toying with selling

I use the car as a daily driver but I'm not getting any chances to actually use the car, no track days and no road runs as the wife seems to be working or I have the kids every time something is happening, seems a waste and as a daily I'm missing my creature comforts... I love my wee car but the thought of winter is sending a chill down my spine

Not sure yet as I do love driving the car but the bypass and M9, M90 really aren't what it's best suited to.. I really want to get it on track or a few runs but it just doesn't seem possible with family life as it is now... We'll see over the next wee while as I don't really want to part ways with her.......
MTFU.
Or buy a sheddy sub £1k Focus for over winter & sell in spring for the same £. Mine has been excellent.
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 5:11 pm
by Rosssco
VX220 values are also (predictably) following this trend, with prices like some of the Elise variants going up over the last ~2 years, and even sheddy NA's not losing any value, mainly due to lack of availability it seems (being popular on the lowest rung of the VX / Elise market)
Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 10:48 am
by chrisdb
This played a big part in me finally buying one this year. Having kept an eye on the market on and off for quite a few years it seems to have bottomed out and good examples are holding their value nicely just now. Not sure if a normal S1 with various (tasteful!) tweaks will ever appreciate like a mint low mile original garage queen but it's nice knowing that it's pretty much depreciation proof.
Anyone read the evo article with the 964 're-imagined by Singer'? £300k + base car but

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 4:40 pm
by Rag_It
mwmackenzie wrote:Arrrgh.... I'm toying with selling

I use the car as a daily driver but I'm not getting any chances to actually use the car, no track days and no road runs as the wife seems to be working or I have the kids every time something is happening, seems a waste and as a daily I'm missing my creature comforts... I love my wee car but the thought of winter is sending a chill down my spine

Not sure yet as I do love driving the car but the bypass and M9, M90 really aren't what it's best suited to.. I really want to get it on track or a few runs but it just doesn't seem possible with family life as it is now... We'll see over the next wee while as I don't really want to part ways with her.......
Running an S1 as my daily driver through a winter was truly one of the most character building experiences to date...

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:40 pm
by Dominic
Rag_It wrote:mwmackenzie wrote:Arrrgh.... I'm toying with selling

I use the car as a daily driver but I'm not getting any chances to actually use the car, no track days and no road runs as the wife seems to be working or I have the kids every time something is happening, seems a waste and as a daily I'm missing my creature comforts... I love my wee car but the thought of winter is sending a chill down my spine

Not sure yet as I do love driving the car but the bypass and M9, M90 really aren't what it's best suited to.. I really want to get it on track or a few runs but it just doesn't seem possible with family life as it is now... We'll see over the next wee while as I don't really want to part ways with her.......
Running an S1 as my daily driver through a winter was truly one of the most character building experiences to date...

Been there, done that.... scraping ice off the outside of windscreen, getting in and then scraping ice off the inside

Was all worth it though, and was epic fun in the snow.

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 11:50 pm
by mwmackenzie
Maybe I'll just keep it and see Craig about a heated screen and a heater that works better than me blowing on the windscreen might be an option

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:47 am
by campbell
Heated screen would be inspired, Mark

Re: Why now is the time to buy a used Lotus
Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 9:22 am
by Stevoraith
Must admit, I've been running Kennys Exige this week and as much as it's an event driving it and I look forward to driving it, it's really not suited to the daily commute.
Trudging down the M90 at 6.30am with a droning exhaust or sitting in a queue at the Forth bridge at 6pm made me long for the air-conditioned, sat-nav'd, electric-seated comfort of my BMW. And that was in an Exige which does have the luxury of working aircon and central locking!
Having said that, I'm fortunate enough that the last 10miles or so of my commute can be on interesting roads if I'm in the mood, and those roads reminded me how great Lotii are.
So to get back on topic, if I had 10k for a daily driver, Elise would not be it. But if I could afford a high-days and holidays car then I can't think of a better place to put £10-£12k.