Driving an S3 as an everyday car ?

PostPost by: yanni » Tue Aug 03, 1999 9:52 pm

Hello to all the list !

I'm new here so, maybe this question has already been asked.
I'm a fanatic but my wages cannot allow me to buy an elan and to have a commute car in the same time, at least for the first year.
I would be ready to buy the elan (an S3 SE DHC I can have for FF120000 in close to perfect condition), but would it be possible to use it for 12000kms a year without experiencing severe failures, especially in cold weather condition ? Considering the fact that the car would stay in a closed room and would be acurately servicied.
If some of you had a similar experience, your feedbacks would be greatly appreciated.

Regards Yann DELCAN






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PostPost by: rodbean » Tue Aug 03, 1999 11:14 pm

Yann DELCAN wrote:


Hello Yann,

I have used my street Elans many times in the past for regular transportation along with various competition uses (not including actual racing but close). The effect has been that things wear out quicker but the car is generally reliable and no Elan has ever left me stranded on the road. This was possibly due to the simple nature
of the car which allows temporary fixes to most problems without extensive assortments of tools.

In short, with regular and attentive services, I see no reason not to be able to depend on your Elan for normal transportation as well as for pleasure. Personally, I don't use an Elan for this now because I don't want to put 60 miles per day (minimum round trip distance to work) on an Elan when I can't enjoy it in heavy traffic
anyway. I want to use up the consumable pieces on mountain roads and race courses rather than idling on the freeway. But that would change if I lived closer to work.

Rod Bean
southern California
S1 and S2 Elans






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PostPost by: rodney » Tue Aug 03, 1999 11:29 pm

At 11:52 PM 8/3/99 +0200, you wrote:


Yann

It is hard to assess close to perfect, but if it is mechanically sound
there should be no reason why you shouldn't be able to drive it 12kK a
year. Remenber we are talking about a 30 year old car that may look
perfect on the outside, but have many nearly worn out parts in the drive
train. Without having owned the car there is no way of knowing how well it
has been serviced. Don't ever believe a previous owner.

With a good generator/alternator/battery there should be no cold weather
problems, its normally hot weather that affects Elans the most.


Rodney Stevens
Home Phone: 61 2 42942428
Email: [email protected]

Work Phone: 61 2 97106701
Work Fax: 61 2 97106789
Email: [email protected]

Elan SS s/e 45/7616
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PostPost by: planejr at worldnet.att.n » Wed Aug 04, 1999 4:08 am

I'll second Rod's reply. In the sixties and seventies, I did it all the
time. Picked both Elans up at the factory and toured Europe with my wife
too. The second time we had a fifteen month old son with us. We took him
from Ohio to Mosport when he was three months old in the first Elan. My
wife breast fed to save space. Take that soccer moms.

You can do anything you want but haul dirt. Just be prepaired for
adventure and, as Rod suggest, be ready to innovate. Too many Elan
owners today have a wimpy attitude, afraid to take long trips, afraid to
driver at night. Why, I remember way back in '66....

Paul

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PostPost by: "Barbara J. McKee&qu » Wed Aug 04, 1999 5:19 pm

I've known several people who drove their Elans daily. But some advice:

1. Make sure the car really is in "close to perfect condition" if that's
what you're paying for and expecting. Have the best Elan expert you know
check it out before you buy.
2. Get to know your Elan intimately. If you're not mechanical, learn.
3. Find a good Elan mechanic, preferably one who's available 24/7.
4. Expect it to break down, because it will. Carry a tool box at all times
(it fits nicely on the shelf behind the seat).
5. When it does break down, don't panic, just deal with it. With a little
knowledge, you'll be able to get it running again. It's a small price to
pay for the pleasure of owning and driving an Elan.
6. Find other Lotus or Elan nuts and bond with them. Their advice,
expertise, and help when it comes time to fix or restore will be invaluable.

And be prepared to fall in love with your Elan and never part from it. I've
owned mine for 22 years.

Regards,

Barbara








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PostPost by: jcocking » Wed Aug 04, 1999 6:07 pm

Hi Yann,

Check out the car in detail. There is a buyer's check list on
LotusElan.net. It is very detailed on what to check out with the Elan.
After it meets your expectations, have an expert check it out again. This
is a very small insurance payment to find out if there is something wrong
with the car.

When I bought my Elan in 1988, I spent a day prepping the car and proceeded
to drive it from Connecticut to Texas. We, my wife and I, cover 1800 miles
in four days. Four days equaled two fuses, one oil change, three loose
trumpets, loose distributor cap, a little sunburn and a fantastic time. My
wife an I still laugh at some of the looks and we received on our cross
country trip. We determine that the Elan was the first RHD car a lot of
people had seen in the deep south. Nothing is better than the person in the
left seat, to lean over to get something out of the back area, while doing
70+ with the top down. Another story, for another day...

I drove the car regularly for several years. The car has never left me
stranded. With a basic toolbox you can fix any item. The car is a very
simple car to work on. (do not forget a set of metric wrenches if it has
webers. I had to buy an expensive set of cheap wrenches at a truck stop in
the middle of the night in Mississippi)

I checked out the car and it passed my test, but did not have an expert
check it out. An expert would have found how the previous owner had welded
plates on the front strut towers to hide the rotted towers. The PO did a
great job on the weld. It was only a fluke that I found it. Even with the
body of the chassis, you had to look very close to see the welds. Would
have still bought the car, but at a reduced price. So alas, my car went on
blocks. It is slowly coming back to life and am eagerly waiting to hear the
roar of a twink in action. (The suspension parts went to the powder coater
today..Hurrayy!!)

If an Elan is your passion, get it. I have passed on several cars,
including Elans, and will always regret it. (say amen here) Just check it
out good.

Enjoy

Jeff Cocking
69 Elan S4 SE DHC RHD - It has more initials after its name than I do.








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PostPost by: lotustony » Wed Aug 04, 1999 7:28 pm



country trip. We determine that the Elan was the first RHD car a lot of
people had seen in the deep south. Nothing is better than the person in
the
left seat, to lean over to get something out of the back area, while doing
70+ with the top down. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I had lots of laughs back in the 70s driving a right drive Elan . . . .the
best reactions were those when I had my big dog sitting up in the left seat.
. . . even better when he'd keep his sunglasses on.

Tony Clark - Sherman, TEXAS
26 years of LOTUS enthusiasm
Eleven S1 - Elite S1 - Elan S1 - 23B - 51A
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PostPost by: Stevie-Heathie » Thu Aug 05, 1999 8:06 am

Hi Yan and welcome to the list!

My daily driver and only car is a 1970 Plus 2S. I have had her since
November last year. My previous daily driver (and only car) was a 1966
MG MIdget. Before that I had a 1990 Escort (yawn).

The Elan makes a MUCH more usable daily driver than the MG (and my
housemate's 1979 TVR). Although it's light years ahead of the MG in
terms of technology, with lots more bits and pieces, especially
electrics, to potentially fail, I have found the Lotus to be FAR more
dependable and consistant.

Although I don't drive to work, I have put about 4,000 miles (9,000 km)
on the Elan since Nov, and she has never left me stranded. My
mechanical ability isn't great, but I'm learning as I go along, and this
list is an absolutely absolutely fantastic font of knowledge and advice.
I have fiddled with various electrical bits, changed the oil twice, and
done assorted odd jobs (lubrication of trunnions, etc etc) myself, but
also had professional preventative maintenance done on the brakes and
had her tuned on a rolling road.

My car unfortunately has to live on the street (terraced house with no
garage), but she survived last winter admirably, only failing to start
once, and that was because of a faulty battery.

I would encourage you to go for an Elan as a daily driver, as long as
you appreciate that these are all now old cars, and respond well to
being treated with respect. Eg I'm checking brake fluid, oil, and
coolant levels twice a week _just in case_. On the road, I'm constantly
listening out for new noise and vibrations, scanning gauges, being aware
of any new smells, etc etc which might be signs of potential problems.

If I was you I'd place more emphasis on mechanicals than aesthetics
when selecting your purchase. I'm making do with ripped seats and a
rusty rear bumper on my Plus 2 because I knew that the PO of this car
was a competent engineer and looked after the oily bits very well. A
ripped seat won't prevent you from getting that meeting on schedule,
whereas a tired water pump might let go at any time.

My advice: Get the car checked by a competent third party. The buyer's
guide on the elan.net site is very thorough. You can use any minor
probs you discover get a price reduction. If nothing insurmountable is
found, get yer chequebook out and start enjoying, pound for pound, the
most grin inducing car on the road!!!

Best of luck, and keep us informed.

Steve
1970 Plus 2S
Chester, England







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PostPost by: rodbean » Thu Aug 05, 1999 9:04 pm

Steve Heath wrote:


And right next to Christopher Neil too..... how convenient!

Rod







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PostPost by: Stevie-Heathie » Fri Aug 06, 1999 8:48 am

Ah yes, Christopher Neil. My TVR 3000M-driving mate Jim and I are
regular patrons, as my credit card bills will testify.

The blokes in the parts dept know their stuff, and while waiting for
them to retrieve the required widget from out the back it gives the
opportunity to ogle at the impressive hardware on display. Esprits,
Elises, Caterhams, a Marcos and loads of Tivs were lined up last time I
was there, a month or so ago. I'm always struck by the interiors of the
new Tivs - surely the best cockpits in the world - love those spinny
things betwixt the seats that open the doors!! However, as I insist on
reminding Jim at every available opportunity, TVR has always been
somewhat agricultural in its approach (chuck a jock-off engine in a
teeny GRP car and see what happens) :-))).

I haven't patronised the workshops at CN, I prefer to entrust my baby to
smaller operations, I don't why exactly.

Steve.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





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PostPost by: rodbean » Fri Aug 06, 1999 3:36 pm

Steve,

Does CN still have little original Lucas/Girling/Smiths and repro Lotus
interior and exterior trim stuff as they did about 15 years ago? I know
there was a time when the Lotus factory was giving CN, Paul Matty, etc.
legal trouble for selling things still available (at that time, I presume)
from dealers (not here in the US however where dealers didn't want to even
talk to Chapman era Lotus owners).

I have a great catalog from then showing all these items but I've wondered
if some of the repro and old stock sources are still there.

Rod





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