car purchase

[Big Jim]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300974970284? ... 1423.l2649

This is the car I went to see , does any one know it ?


It goes well
Drips a little oil
It has been resprayed , but small blisters on bonnet and rear spoiler , but still looks good .
Interior smells musty
All gauges ,lights work.
Good tyres
Good windscreen
Apparently , more difficult to start when warm
Bonnet strut tired
I think at some point in recent time it has been off the road for a few years
The price is a little negotiable .

Jim

[alanbell]

jim,
the wood that should be in the instrument binnacle and centre console has been replaced as has the steering wheel, not a problem if you like the effect and intend to keep the car but could be if you want to sell it, some people put originality above all else.

[Big Jim]

I had not realized it should be wood , I guess that is an easy fix ?The original wheel is included in the sale , along with a workshop manual .
Jim

[amarshall]

Being picky - not the correct handbrake lever, gear knob (or gaiter) and the centre tunnel area looks odd too. Something not quite right about the centre console either - the area where the clock and cigar lighter sits doesn't look standard and the stereo is much later than the original (I don't really care, some do). Sill kick-plates are not original either (added weight!).

Hot starting problems are fairly normal on the HC engines, hence the introduction of the "purge pump" on the later ones (this car shouldn't have one). As long as it's turning over cleanly it should be OK.

Musty smell indicates that damp has got in somewhere - the question is where ? and has it been sealed ?

Bonnet strut is trivial to replace - Range Rover Classic tailgate, or Lotusbits.

I guess it depends how picky you are - where's the oil dripping from ?

Oh, and - how are the doors ? Have the beams been replaced or even checked recently ? Is there any sign of drooping or unwillingness to close without slamming ?

[Big Jim]

Thanks , a comprehensive survey.
The wrong trim does not worry me too much , although the more original the better .
I looked at the doors as a potential problem and seemed to be ok , but the passenger door will only open from inside , needs attending to .
This owner has not had the car long and has decided it is not for him , so not a good witness for history . It does come with a good amount of history , it seemed to be normal services/tyres stuff . I sort of assumed they leak into the cabin as standard ? I thought it is musty as it has not really been used seriously for a while and needs airing .
The thing that bothers me is the oil drip , the engine was pretty clean , but I could not any drip ,but there was some on his garage floor , but the car was outside when I viewed.
I didn't really want to buy the first car I saw , but it did look quite good .

[fueltheburn]

Hi Jim

I remember this car when it went up for sale a few months back. It was last on sale for a second time about 6 or 7 weeks ago. It was in a barn and had been stored there for a while. It was covered in dust and looking what I would term as unloved.
Admittedly the lustre has come back now though.
Excels don't leak by default - they just have a lot of areas where they can leak.

I had been looking hard for excels myself recently and have found what I consider a good example - it wasn't advertised anywhere but by word of mouth.
One of the ones I thought looked quite promising is this one:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

It has been used on a regular basis as well, which as far as Excels are concerned is a good thing. Just look at how far Angus travels in his, Rome and back is not uncommon.
Leaving Excels standing for too long - they begin to get a car form of Arthiritus. Lothiritus

[Big Jim]

It looks great with the wood trim and leather seats , although as I am a lanky git , I am fairly resigned to have to change the front seats for something lower.
I hope it turns out to be a good one for you .

[fueltheburn]

I think you misunderstood me...
The autotrader one I supplied the link for is still for sale.
I have bought an older LC model.

[Big Jim]

OK , thanks
Do you have a photo of what you bought ?Are you pleased with it ? Any surprises ?

Jim

[fueltheburn]

Narrow body LC
Engine rebuilt
Quite a lot of work carried out - plenty of receipts totalling near 10k in a short period of time
Non original leather seats (but this doesn't bother me) that look factory fit
Aftermarket exhaust by local exhaust MFR.
Rebuilt fuel sytem
Rebuilt brake system

Slight PAS leak
Drivers door doesn't shut as the rods have disconnected - used a bungee cord between doors and my arm to hold shut during test drive.

On the test drive it was misfiring, coughing and spluttering, after 5 mins it was pulling hard and as I would expect. This was most likely down to not being driven for the last month, i.e old fuel and Lothiritus.
After clearing its throat, everything peachy...... the first 5 mins nearly ended it for me as she sounded horrible and was misfiring before she had cleared her throat

Bumpers and fuel cap need re-spraying
Rear lights need re-doing as the right one has beugn to split at the bonding.
Carpets are heavily worn
Fuel tank breather pipe is deteriorated, i.e rotten and needs replacing (smell of fuel in boot)
Speedo bouncy - needs lubricating
Needs a new header tank
Vents in bonnet are missing the mesh

No tax and no MOT

All the above are relatively small things and me being pedantic.
It is a very useable car and will need only a relatively small amount of work to get back on the road and become a very good example. A weekends work should have her up scratch.


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There is one Caveat to the sale.... the previous owner must have first refusal of her if and when she goes up for sale again.

Very pleased with it

[Big Jim]

Good find
What are the pros and cons of LC HC cars ?

[amarshall]

Good find
What are the pros and cons of LC HC cars ?

LC is the 160 bhp engine
HC is the 180.

There's not a huge amount to choose between them, although the power delivery is a little more "refined" in the HC version (steps back, waits for fight to start). The extra power tends to get used up, in SE or SA models, by the aircon (when it works).

[malcolm]

The wood dash looks to me like its just been painted silver.

[Red1]

Welcome tothis nice and very helpfull place.

Nice colour combination! Well mine has the same more or less.
I noticed a lot of test cars for the magazines were also red, as well as in the advertising. It must be a good colour then

Happy motoring!

[Lotus-e-Clan]

Yep RED sports cars attract the passionate enthusiast - I've got three!

I sometimes wish SWMBO was a REDHEAD...