Excel values!

[barefoot]

I know this has been brought up many times but it really is something I can't get my head round. I have been very fortunate in having many lovely cars in the past most through my company, the last as new car I bought was a BMW M5 in 05 one of the 500BHP ones. After selling it on and losing a fortune I decided never again and also at that time I opted out of the company car tax scheme so since then and using my own money I decided I only wanted older cars that had near enough lost all they ever would in depreciation, plus I love classics and restoring them. I have restored a few MGB's and a couple of Jags the MG's I have sold on without making a profit but also hardly any loss, my jags would be the same if I sold them on.

I have a 7 year old boy so I normally have at least 1 car with room in the back for him, I recently bought a 06 RX8 231 at only £3300 a great car actually but diabolical fuel consumption around £430 road tax and an engine that cannot be trusted to keep compression if not looked after meticulously. I have just sold it to a guy from Sweden who flew over and drove it back the same car in Sweden in LHD he tells me is over £10,000! Anyway my point is as we all know classic cars in recent times seem to do well and the MGB is a case in point only a few years ago a mint car was top end £6,000 now there are lots well over £10,000. If you look at the website http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/ Capris (even a 1.6) Escorts MG Midgets Rovers etc etc even Lancias like the Gamma and Beta Coupe are all fetching good money!

The Excel was a £30,000 car when it was last made had astonishing road handling and fantastic ride that still outclasses many new so called sports cars of today, the latter cars are reasonably reliable and rust is not an issue yet they are one of the cheapest classic cars available bar none at the moment. You really can get a genuinely nice Excel for £3500 now look through the classic car website link I have put on here and see what £3000 can buy you it’s an eye opener some tatty TR7's go for more! I had my car out yesterday it drives like a dream no rattles no wind noise a smooth ride and it goes round corners better than the 06 RX8 ever could and in my opinion it was just as quick up to 100mph. Clarkson said on Top Gear the RX8 was one of the best handling cars he had ever driven!

You would think sooner or later others would catch on to the Excel being one of the best classic car bargains out there but I truly wonder? I know there are ropey Excels as there are ropey MGB's etc but a good Excel is 5 times better than any MGB GT yet worth up to over half less in value, its crazy (I use the MG as a reference as I have been buying and selling these recently). As for looks everyone who has seen mine think from the front especially that it looks great, so it looks great, drives great, handles great, sounds great, has room for 2 adults and 2 kids plus you can get 2 sets of golf clubs in the boot and in my version has leather on the dash, seats, door trims, rear side panels and it has a Lotus badge on the bonnet....what a great car!

[alanmoss]

Totally agree. I have had mine now for 18 years and even at today's low values it also represents cheap motoring over the years.

[AndyC]

I agree, I don't know, maybe it's the Loads Of Trouble Usually Serious label (not deserved of the Excel) or maybe it's that when people were oldish kids they could dream of one day owning a Capri, MGB, XR3i etc but you'd probably not consider ever owning a Lotus, and that now translates to people fulfilling that childhood/ early adulthood wish. Whatever the reason it's not only true of the Excel, it's similar for the Esprit, M100 Elan Elite and Eclat, the older Lotus models are fetching much higher prices now as is the Carlton. Either way it's great for people who do appreciate the cars.

If you look at even more extreme parallel, look at Scimitars, they were approx the same price as an Aston when new, a good one now is very cheap and a project is almost worthless unless it has a solid chassis.

[barefoot]

Andy

I agree but the lots of trouble is more justified in the early cars and it is those that are bringing the big money nowadays. Same with the TR5/6 nowadays as for the TR7 that was and still is a crap car yet their values have gone up recently along with a load of other rubbish cars for that matter! I am not looking at this with rose coloured glasses by any means I am 55 yrs old my 1st car was a 73 MGB GT teal blue ochre trim reg VTB317L.....happy days.


As I say I have had lots of nice cars as for Lotus have had Excel in 84


A 69 and a 73 Elan plus 2 (no pics)


A 75 Europa Special (no pics) an 02 Lotus Carlton


A 69 Vegantune Elan in Sprint colours with 150BHP Vegantune engine.


Of all the cars I have had the Excel is honestly one of the best drivers car ever made and ever since I sold my original Excel I have wanted another. I am truly amazed at the lack of interest in them at the moment and the uptake on lots of other far far worse cars. I bought an old XJS 3.6 sport 2 years ago for £550 with a full MOT knowing it would be worth spending money on as they can only go up in value as they are rightly doing so at this moment in time. This was one of the Excels biggest competitors when new and has been one of the cheapest classic Jags ever available but even these are now getting well over £10,000 for good ones with the cabriolets up to double that.

My XJS before/after







Surely they will eventually take off and the good ones out there will be worth decent money and in turn that will make the unrestored tatty cars worth restoring they really are to good a car to keep down! Hopefully my posts/pictures will not be seen as bragging on here as that is not my intention I love to read others car stories especially with pics and hope others do likewise mine, we wouldn't be on here if we didn't love cars especially old English sporty ones!

[amarshall]

Sorry chaps - but I think one thread on this is probably enough.