Scottish Elises

Hi all,

Today I made a journey to the south of England to look at a car that I genuinely thought was “the one”.

A 1998 S1 that’s probably mechanically the best I’ll ever find - it’s literally had every serviceable item and known problem area replaced or upgraded, at huge expense of course. Cosmetically not so good, but it would have allowed me to use the car on track and not worry so much about the paintwork being kept outside, until I move somewhere with a garage and probably ultimately got a re-spray. New roof and seats also needed. I would describe it as a useable, honest car.

The catch? Bad footwell corrosion, with at least 3 separate holes visible. The biggest of these was probably 5mm accross.

The seller came down to a reasonable price but my worry was the likely repairs involved. Was I right to walk away? Is floor corrosion like that fixable or is it just more trouble than it’s worth? I’ve read some chat about ACF-50/POR-15 etc but there’s not a lot on what can be done if the floor is actually holed.

Thanks again for any help!

I would call Craig Moncrieff. He is the person who can unequivocally answer.
I would have thought floor is repairable. It is all on the price you have negotiated.
Good luck,
Ian

Can be repaired per official Lotus recommendation, see details here.
https://wiki.seloc.org/a/Footwell_Corrosion

That makes it sound like quite a straightforward fix. Might indeed be a good idea to get Craig's thoughts.

Thanks

Got a 4 figure budget per annum to keep it on the road? Serious question. Could be an amazing experience if so

campbell wrote:Got a 4 figure budget per annum to keep it on the road? Serious question. Could be an amazing experience if so

Really? After the initial make good costs?

Yup

Always something to go bang on a car of that age.

And more and more creative solutions required as parts get tougher to cons by.

Either that or it’s off the road awaiting fixes while the good weather passes you by.

There is a guy on seloc called ‘the foot’ who makes repair panels which you can bond straight in top of the existing floor. Also available on eBay here.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2571881780

I haven’t spent anywhere near four figures/year keeping mine on the road but I guess it heavily depends on the condition of the car and how many common issue bits have been replaced by previous owners already (head gasket, radiator, suspension refresh etc).

Sanjøy wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:16 pm

campbell wrote:Got a 4 figure budget per annum to keep it on the road? Serious question. Could be an amazing experience if so

Really? After the initial make good costs?

Experiences may vary.... )

Any sports car or any "modern classic" is going to require maintenance and fixes. I have had good years and bad years, but reckon £1k per annum would be a generous spend to cover most stuff.

I'd say the higher maintenance figure (surely a grand is plenty per annum) is hugely offset by the lack of depreciation or even slight appreciation...

...and in addition - I've had the TVR over 2yrs now and not even spent a grand in that period - helps that I have the best independent place pretty much on my doorstep (well Carnoustie but near enough )

Selective response Ross

My other point about car off the road when you need it most, stands

It's all pretty moot anyway cos Lotus and TVR aren't everyday cars, so we have to own another more useable vehicle, this negates the off-the-road theory.

Jumping into Mini ownership shortly with an F56 Cooper which I'm looking forward to. 1st Mini since I sold mine about 30yrs ago

Cost of parts, well mine has TVR's own engine, so let's not think about this bit too much

Not quite. The off the road theory very much applies. When you want to do a track day. Or get out on a (rare) warm and dry sunny day. Or really fancied that special commute. Etc. Except the car’s broken. Again. And you’ve not got round to getting it fixed.

Anyway no matter!

It’s all about the fun and I hope it works out well

I reckon most Lotus need around £1k ploughed into them a year if your using them. But that's still pretty reasonable all things considered. If you maintain the level of maintenance and parts refresh you shouldn't get hit with any nasty surprises. Especially if you start with a well maintained example.

Ferg wrote: ↑

Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:56 pm

I reckon most Lotus need around £1k ploughed into them a year if your using them. But that's still pretty reasonable all things considered. If you maintain the level of maintenance and parts refresh you shouldn't get hit with any nasty surprises. Especially if you start with a well maintained example.

1k would be lovely...