Lotus Elise S1 Cat D

[Col B]

Hi All

I'm from the north west and just joined. Can anyone advise me? I've been to view an Elise - Cat D registered in 2001. Damage was front clamshell and new wishbone. Been repaired to a high standard. Mileage is low (mid thirties),Only thing i can see is that drivers seat requires re-upholstering. Both Water Pump and Cam belt were replaced last year. Drives well, no pulling everything appears in order. The seller has been very helpful and answered all my questions. I'm thinking of making an offer pending satisfactory insurance quote. I've not owned a Lotus before.

Are there any other questions that I should be asking?
Should I avoid cat d's?

Cheers

Colin

[softlips]

Cat Ds can be a good buy, the Elise clams are very expensive a relatively minor bump can result in a write off. However, they can also be full of problems and become money pits, it may be worth you getting it inspected by someone who knows Elise's. It should be priced well below the prices non cat Ds are fetching - it will always be a cat D! If it's not or you have any doubts leave alone - there are loads of Elise's out there for sale.

You will probably be best insuring with one of the specialists.

[MartL]

Hi Colin,

I've had a look at the car you're talking about - It's only really worth it, if you get it for a 'bargain' price IMO - Something around the current price. To put it in perspective - we picked up a 2001 Elise, 60k, in need of some TLC, but 'straight', for 5k, around 12 months ago. It only needed an HGF repair, and some paintwork fixing...

The stigma associated with 'cat registered' cars is something that a lot of people struggle to overcome - Often, there's not *that* much up with them, but they're written off due to the large costs associated with fixing them. Provided the repair to the car is sound (I'd have an engineer check out the mounting points for that front wishbone, as they're likely to have been damaged.), and it's issue free, there's not usually an issue with insurance - the company just need to be aware that the car has a Cat status, and had been subject to a 'total loss' claim before, and would adjust the payout accordingly, should anything happen to it in the future (read that as, you'll get not a lot for it if the same happens to you!!).

Think about re-sale time too - if you do need to move the car on in the future, you'll always have a more limited market than that of a straight car. The sale price would obviously reflect this. I noticed the chap wants 7k for offers... a bit optimistic I feel. There are plenty of straight cars out there at that price point, which are more likely to rise in value over the coming years. The price of S1 Elises has been buoyant recently - that's not the same for those on the insurance register though, just something to bear in mind.

Great colour though - similar to mine

Martyn.

Edit - Re: the seat bolster - that would seem awfully worn, for a car with just 35k on the clock - more likely to look like that in a 65k car IMO. Any other members care to comment on theirs at 35k?

[chevronb37]

Where's the advert for the car? I'll have a look. Mine's done 31k miles and the seats look blemish-free.

My personal feeling is that a straight S1 Elise isn't so difficult to find and that a categorised car would need to be significantly cheaper to make it worthwhile - as per Martyn's comments above. However, if resale isn't such an issue and everything checks out at the mounting point then perhaps it's worth a punt.

[Col B]

Hi All

Thank you for your advice with my dilema. I'm been back to view the vehicle and have now driven it. There were no issues with the Cat D works carried out. The vehicle drives straight and true. Checked the other points - all ok. Purchased the car and have driven back home (Preston - about 80 Miles). All done with a huge smile on my face :0). I feel that I've made the right decision for me. Hope to meet up with you all at a future event. Thanks once again for your collective advice.

PS Is it normal for the manual windows to slip down a bit during a journey?

Kind regards
Colin

[softlips]

Windows should stay where you leave them. I have know this to happen on cars when the winders have been positioned at around 11 o clock when 'parked'. The weight of the winders can then make them move. I'm talking old Hillmans etc here but the principle would be the same.

Get used to the smile- it never leaves*






* except when HGF strikes or the MIl appears or your are trying to work out how to get a socket on that inaccessible nut.

[PaulT]

Good stuff, glad you're in a Lotus - good feeling isn't it?
Preston - we've got a few members from over that side especially from NORLOG

[SimonE]

Enjoy it - a cat repaired car can be an absolute bargain

[Jamesy]

Hope you have fun with it. Bought my first Lotus three and a half years ago, S1 Elise same as you.. still grinning from ear to ear.