My Quandary; Change to Excel?

[Mike C Sailor]

As I'm now in my 70s and less keen on working underneath cars, I am wondering what to do re my Elite.
I need a strategy.

I really like the Elite - I prefer the look of it to the Excel though I do like the latter, but Elite is quirky with more character (to me).
Concerns with the Elite are:
Diff leaking over rear brakes. I fitted a breather, but it still happens, I'm sure it will again, and it's a swine of a job.
Rear brake auto adjusters don't work even after a lot of work, and brakes are very hard to adjust manually.
Driveshaft UJs fail, even the heavy duty ones I fitted.
All the above means, in the future, hard work right underneath the car, the very thing I want to avoid.
The gearbox is OK but not great, and could become a serious concern as I understand parts are a problem.
As against that, the Elite is tax exempt!

As I see it, all the above were sorted out in the Excel which, provided I got a good one, should enable me to do the ongoing maintenance or get it done at reasonable cost. And I assume it would be an even better drive than the Elite.

I'm still only wondering what to do, no decision yet.

The Elite may be a problem.
The clutch slips on full throttle, one cylinder has low compression, and paintwork needs attention as some small parts are coming loose; looks OK in typical photos but I would need to declare this in any advert. So it'll be very hard to sell as it is.
Then the risk is this; I could well spend say £5000 to get the car sorted, but I might well getting no more than that on selling. In which case I'd end up keeping the car, not a bad result but not 'strategic'?

On the other hand, the money I'd spend on an Excel would, I guess, on the Elite, fund a full engine rebuild and a respray, giving one hell of a nice car.

I guess a logical thing is to remove the engine, check where the loss of compression is (valve or rings I assume), fix that at minimal cost, and do the clutch, to make it sellable. But I don't really fancy this work, in some ways I'd rather just buy a good Excel and give the Elite away ... at least that's a 'strategic' result.

Any comments welcomed.

[pistolpete]

sounds like its an Excel you want, from my experience so far the excel is easier to live with, if its all sorted

[bash]

Prices for Excels are creeping up and good ones do come up these days that have had money spent on them or have been well maintained. Ones that dont come into that territory could still need money spending on them. Dont go on miles, go on the above, ones that are used but have higher miles can be a better buy. Having said that, they are good enough to use everyday and many do, I did for many years. Unless you have a good eye it all comes down to budget, there are a couple of nice looking ones on e bay at the moment at 10 grand and above.
If you have the room/ budget I would buy an Excel first and then sell the Elite. It looks good to a potential purchaser that you have more than 1 Lotus.
Some superb restorations of Elites are ongoing and people are spending good money on them but I hear what you are saying about maintenance issues and its a decision that is hard if you are like me and have always done your own maintenance.

Good luck
Bash

[Hawaiis0]

Excels are now in the Tax Free status bracket so not an issue.

Elites are cool at the moment so you may get more as is for a switch to an Excel

Excels are the car of the future. get one before they become the New Esprit

Excels are ( sometimes) more reliable

%k for your Elite + %k in the resto fund = ok Excel

Did I say Excel?

Or you could have both

[richardw]

Or you could find a tatty Excel that is uneconomic to restore and fit the chassis to your Elite. Lotusbits can do this (they did mine)

Cheers, Richard

[Marten]

As I'm now in my 70s and less keen on working underneath cars, I am wondering what to do re my Elite.
I need a strategy.

If you've got the space, improve your working conditions and get a car lift?

[Mike C Sailor]

As I'm now in my 70s and less keen on working underneath cars, I am wondering what to do re my Elite.
I need a strategy.

If you've got the space, improve your working conditions and get a car lift?

A good lateral thinking suggestion! I like lateral thinking, even if not directly OK it can lead to unusual and effective results.
Not an option for me I'm afraid.

[ChrisJ]

Can we please have some photos of the car

[Mike C Sailor]

I have taken pictures but can't see how to post them; I've read the FAQ and visited the 'insert image' but I'm still confused! It's my age I guess.

It seems I need to get into a public sharing site, put them there, then add links; but I have no idea where to go as I'm not into this kind of stuff.

[Alan_M]

I have taken pictures but can't see how to post them; I've read the FAQ and visited the 'insert image' but I'm still confused! It's my age I guess.

It seems I need to get into a public sharing site, put them there, then add links; but I have no idea where to go as I'm not into this kind of stuff.

Have a look at this guide for photos.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11571

[Mike C Sailor]

[Mike C Sailor]

This shows the paint problems, just a few such things, mostly paint is good.



Reasonably good interior







Thanks so much for the video on how to do this, brilliant!!!

I did not wash the car for these pics (taken today), water is short, and I felt lazy, but the nearside had a wipe and the pics give a good idea what the car is like.
I did most of the interior myself, but front seats were mostly done by a pro. I did the rest; I can use a sewing machine (I make sails for my boat and they win prizes), and my wife is a quilter and I sometimes help with this.

[Pete Boole]

Could be the twin of mine! Fix it Mike! . If/when it goes wrong get some help with the heavy lifting. Where are you based? Just get it mechanically sound and drive it - it doesn't have to be cosmetically perfect . The one I'm restoring at the moment is the first car where I've ever really paid much attention to the cosmetics!

Pete

[Mike C Sailor]

Thanks Pete, this option is definitely on the table, and getting more likely.

It is interesting that Elites/Eclats seem to be getting some recognition now. I seem to remember that a few years ago you could hardly even give them away, nobody wanted them even at silly prices. OK, they are still not highly in demand but things seem much better.
This does perhaps answer one of my concerns; if it costs say £5k to get it sorted, and I then keep it, that could be a good result!

Though I listed my concerns, there's a lot that's OK with mine. Chassis is sound and rustproofed, door beams have been repaired properly and rustproofed, door hinges are OK, well lubricated, window frames are well attached to the door beams.

I'm in Essex; I'll do some searching but I don't think there are any classic Lotus specialists near me; it's a very long way to SJ Sportscars.

[MetBlue]

Thanks for the details for the register Mike. Lotus changed the A/c and Heater system in 76, your car's the oldest I know of on the record with the "new" system - about 50 after the change.
There's just something about the Elites that makes them stand out. IMO, money invested in an Elite / Eclat is more likely to show a return than on an Excel currently, although you are right that an Excel would be an easier car to live with day to day.
For what it's worth, I'd be tempted to stay with the Elite. Find a good old fashion local garage with a proper mechanic who used to repair things rather than just replace, and let them spend an hour once a year with the grease gun underneath and staying on top of the things that are easier from beneath. If they are any good, they'll be only too happy to let you wander around the car at the same time.
The interior looks tidy and paint can be kept looking half decent for minimal cost and a little elbow grease.

Tony