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Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2020 21:58
by Jega
Just a quick heads up good people ,might be of interest to one of the forum members .
https://www.swva.co.uk/classic-car/lotus-excel-se-1988/

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:05
by rbgosling
Not sure where to start with the LONG list of inaccuracies in the description!!!

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:39
by MetBlue
I've got one eye on it. Been catching up just this morning with a PO.
Tony

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:12
by KevW
That certainly has the look of a well cared for car. XJS seats too.

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2020 20:00
by Skyedriver
It could hardly be further away from where I now live. Would be interested to hear if anyone has a look at it. Wouldn't want to bid against another member on here though.

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 19:24
by Jega
I watched the auction on line today, the car went for £8100 + whatever commission they charge .Going by the description and without actually seeing the car in the flesh seems like a good buy for someone .

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 21:25
by MetBlue
I investigated the auction a few weeks ago. Buyers commission would be about another 10%.
Slightly earlier in the auction a Lotus Carlton went for £29,500 plus commission.
Tony

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 09:14
by Skyedriver
Commission there is 8% + VaT. So £8877 all in. For me there was another £600 to transport.
I was on a telephone bid link but dropped out before he finish.
I'd had a chap from the auction house do a walk around, slight lifting of the leather on the dash top and A pillar, some laquer lift (can't remember where but small) , poor screen seal repair otherwise seemed ok.
They said it had been owned by a long time Lotus OC member who sold it to the seller who was also a LOC member in January but he wasn't able to drive it due to age or something. They seemed to know the vendor.

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 13:58
by MetBlue
To my knowledge, the story you were given is pretty accurate. A PO is a regular poster on the forum and didn't take too much research to be able to find and have a word. I was considering the car until I found something that fits my needs a couple of weeks back.
Like you, I would have been dropping out of any bidding latest around the £7K mark. The car may well have been worth the price it got, but I'd want to be seeing it with my own eyes before bidding to that.
Made a bit of a mockery of the guide price (£5k to £5.9K).

There was a great Web site link recently put on TLF that appeared to draw together all auction prices from around the UK. I'll see if I can find it and post, as it made interesting reading.
Tony

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2020 15:44
by MetBlue
https://www.glenmarch.com/cars/results/quick/Lotus
This is the web site I referred. I found it a very useful and interesting reference. Fully interactive (i.e Drill down to see only model specific results, or go the other way and look at other manufacturers).
Tony

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2020 20:55
by vansman66
Hi All, new to the forum and joined just before this auction took place, have been on the look out for an Excel for a while ( owned one back in 2003).
I went to view the car the day before the auction and in my opinion the estimate was spot on, not only was there paintwork to do, mainly front bumper and roof, there was also some interior work needed, dashboard, trim panels around headlining, although headlining was good, I would have preferred the original front seats instead of the XJS items. Under the bonnet, the worst was cam cover gasket leaking to the point where 3 plugs were up to their knuckles sitting in oil.
I stopped bidding at 5.9K which considering the buyers premium was about as far as I would go on it, however I ended up the Exige Club Racer that was a little bit in the auction at lot 88 so not a bad day after all.

Re: Heads up for an Excel to be auctioned ,26 /6/ 20.

Posted: Thu Jul 02, 2020 09:06
by Skyedriver
Thanks for that extra info.
Just goes to show that whilst the auction house can do a walk around for you, they won't tell you the condition of anything you don't specifically question.
I asked about interior, dash and pillar, got the info and photos
I asked about paint laquer, was advised here was some work to do and there had been a "ding" on the front bumper which didn't show in the photos.
But there was no mention of the oil bath for the plugs.
TBH I was guessing there would be a timing belt and possibly a water pump to replace but when I asked about oil and water leaks there was no mention made.