Why are Excel's so cheap and Esprits fetching premium prices

[iangotts]

Maybe because the Lotus Excel was never in a Bond movie. If James Bond has been into "threesomes" then he would have needed an Excel rather than the 2 seater Esprit.

However the low resale price does mean that more people can afford to buy an Excel and possibly have enough budget to restore it, so more cars are back on the road.

[igg-hiss]

Iangotts

Has made the most wonderful point. An excel has a great many virtues, Galvanised Chassis, a robust version of an engine which can be quite difficult to keep in correct trim (excluding liners that is), Toyota's well engineered running gear and simple electrics. means that the Excel is a wonderful car for us all to own.

But it does not have "Supercar" title that it's sister with the engine in the wrong end has! When I was an apprentice in the 1980's at Randles Garage then a Suzuki and Lotus dealer, a customer complained that he was becoming disappointed that his excel felt very flat in comparison to his wife's Swift GTI, the Service manager responded by asking but would you turn up to meeting in a Swift GTI? the 1980's were a watershed for cars like ours, the supercar has it niche but the GT's role was being usurped buy Hot Hatch's with similar performance but big boots, and swift saloons which offer 4 doors.

Lets not forget that Supercars are thought of as "Sexy", GTIs are "Fun" and Swift Saloons are "Practical" but the Excel is and always will have "Class". Sexiness diminishes with age, Fun can't last for ever and who wan'ts practical, but class never dies.

Ian

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Maybe because the Lotus Excel was never in a Bond movie. If James Bond has been into "threesomes" then he would have needed an Excel rather than the 2 seater Esprit.

However the low resale price does mean that more people can afford to buy an Excel and possibly have enough budget to restore it, so more cars are back on the road.

Nah. The type of people buying Excels at the moment are still getting loans to raise the two grand! They can hardly afford the petrol let alone do a *proper* resto.

OK. that statements is a little harsh I know and it's a simplistic generalisation for sure. But unfortunately there is some truth in it.

The hidden talent of the Excel (driving experience) does nothing to help raise the value in the eyes of a higher class buyer with plenty of disposable income.

So best stop worrying so much about what you can't control ... ie the real world market value of the Excel.

[iangotts]

If people are struggling to raise the £2-4k for a car, maybe we should be appealing to another sort of buyer. One who would use it as a regular car and feel proud to run up to a business meeting driving it. Far more style and kudos than the non-descript BMW/Audi/Merc company 'school uniform' cars which fill the UK's motorways.

[Peter]

The other issue is running costs are out of proportion to the cars value, further depressing values

The Esprit also had a lot more performance, if you look at prices for the Restyled Stevens Esprit, compared to the SE, the N/A version is barely above Excel Values

The G car is now a classic down to that stand out for the time wedgy styling

[GJ1]

So......what does this say about our cars values then?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Excel-2 ... 2570634c88

If an engine alone can generate that sort of price should we stop underselling ourselves and try to ease the values up steadily?

[amarshall]

<refrains from making comments about support for national events where we try to showcase the cars>

[Mr Locust]

So......what does this say about our cars values then?

It says that after about a year of pitching the same advert he hasn't sold it. So noone has been prepared to pay that price. Implying it is either too far gone or over priced. Or both.

All this talk about being under valued, should be worth more etc is irritating tosh. Its a 25+ year old plastic bodied car which uses loads of fuel by most peoples modern standards but there is a real feel good factor about the car.

If you like it, use it. I am amazed at the number of people who come over and make genuinely positive comments when you are out in one.

[johnthebass]

You get what you pay for! £2k is hardly likely to buy one a good example and bearing in mind a further £2-3K may have to be spent putting it right. If folk are struggling to find the initial £2k basically they shouldn't be buying one in the first place!
I paid £4k for mine initially and have spent about the same again putting it right! But I do have a car that now starts first time doesn't give me any worries about going off somewhere without a tow-truck, it's been to Greece and back without a murmer and give's me 33mpg on the run! I did have a notion of buying an Esprit once but Chris at Foulds Motors warned against the high cost of maintaining them! The Excel is a class act that's for sure.
John.

[AndyC]

My current red one cost me £2k (well £1995), the engine was a little noisy and the cheapest route was to drop another one in that I already had but if I didn't I expect £600-£700 of parts would have sorted it. After that it was pretty much cosmetics, replace headlining, deal with water leak and that's been it for the last 2-3 years other than servicing. the bodywork is now looking worse for wear (scuffed paintwork) and I managed to damage the interior but that's accident damage/ abuse by me rather than the car failing.

Based on that I'd say you can get a decent one now for £2k (prices have dropped) although if you wanted mint condition you'd look to pay several times that.

[muphy]

What else matters. I scooted up to B&Q today to get some bits for my renovated bathroom (spend my life there & screwfix), plenty of head turns and when I got back to Stoney, waiting at the lights and I got the biggest thumbs up and smile from a taxi driver on the local rank, and I drove between Aberdeen and Stonehaven at A road speeds My first 7k RPM shifts today!!

I love the car, I love the drive, I love the looks and there is no way on gods green earth that I will part with my Excel.

Nothing else comes close!

Care I about price or value....... Nope

M

[Lotus-e-Clan]

What else matters. I scooted up to B&Q today to get some bits for my renovated bathroom (spend my life there & screwfix), plenty of head turns and when I got back to Stoney, waiting at the lights and I got the biggest thumbs up and smile from a taxi driver on the local rank, and I drove between Aberdeen and Stonehaven at A road speeds My first 7k RPM shifts today!!

I love the car, I love the drive, I love the looks and there is no way on gods green earth that I will part with my Excel.

Nothing else comes close!

Care I about price or value....... Nope


M

Exactly.

[MrCoolA]

So......what does this say about our cars values then?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Excel-2 ... 2570634c88

If an engine alone can generate that sort of price should we stop underselling ourselves and try to ease the values up steadily?

that has been for sale for a few years now.............

[Malvern Michael]

I am desperately searching for a good excel and it is difficult to get a handle on the values.

Some owners massively over value their car either through naivety of greed and ignore all the clear faults their cars have, others seem to under value and they get snapped up by those that move the quickest.

I hope to get a late excel with air/con and leather and as original as I can find but this seems very hard to achieve.

Any car is only worth what someone will pay for it but Excel's do seem on the whole good value if you find a good one which I hope to do.

[jamesn]

I agree with the problem on values. On the "for sale" forum there are two 1990 red SEs with full leather and similar mileages. One is up for £2k. The other (in France, so less convenient) is up for £8k.