Regret selling?

[AiD]

Hey Guys,

I know only I can answer this question but perhaps there is something to be learned from other viewpoints/experiences!

I've owned my Elise for about 8 years now, taken it round Scotland, Northern Ireland and France... it's even in our wedding album! We have a 16 month year old and I've got really in to road cycling so now do more miles on my bike than in the Elise as that is where my spare time now goes.

My heart says keep it but my head says sell as it is getting no use sitting in the garage and I can't see that changing. There is still petrol in my veins though so thoughts are to replace it with a classic mini or something I can cram the three of us in to...

Anyone else been here before!?

Thanks!
Alistair

[StiflerMR2]

Yup. I sold my s2 when the wee lad came along. I lasted 8 months before I bought another!

However, if you have cycling as another passion I understand that it can seem a bit nonsensical to have money sat on the driveway that could be put to better use.

I would say however, that from speaking to others that once they sell they find it incredibly hard to get one back (as the kids / wife / home improvements etc. tend to eat into the car money) so that's something worth keeping in mind.

[Dominic]

Sold my first elise and regretted it - now have another!

I would say however, that from speaking to others that once they sell they find it incredibly hard to get one back (as the kids / wife / home improvements etc. tend to eat into the car money) so that's something worth keeping in mind.

Exactly! Took me a lot longer than I planned to get into another when my first one was gone.

What age is your elise? If it is around 10 years or older, I doubt it would depreciate any further - may even increase slightly year on year. On that basis, if you don't need / want the cash from selling,then hang on to it - it's not really costing anything to keep it.

There are baby seats that fit the elise (see the SE baby thread) and I have recently been looking at suction mount based bike carriers that may work on an elise.

[rossybee]

I would say however, that from speaking to others that once they sell they find it incredibly hard to get one back (as the kids / wife / home improvements etc. tend to eat into the car money) so that's something worth keeping in mind.

I fall firmly into this category

Caterham was not depreciating, was paid for, but the money soon disappeared into house/kids/hols/etc, so think really long and hard about getting rid. Just make a point of taking it for a run once every month or so, makes it justifiable (in your mind at least)

[tut]

Never had to face the dilemma of selling, the buggers just keep writing themselves off.

tut

[mwmackenzie]

I regret selling my Elise and Esprits daily, can't seem to get back into one for love nor money..... every time I put some cash by it goes on family stuff, holidays, car repairs or such like... From experience I'd say keep it and run it when you can. Days like today are particularly tough as heading straight out of the office for a run would be amazing in a Lotus but it's now turned into a pipe dream for me, for now at least and that not mentioning getting screwed out of almost every penny I sold the car for by a bad investment! Important life lesson learnt though!

[j2 lot]

Keep and try to keep it running and in good fettle with an annual spanners session. It's probably not costing you anything and will possibly appreciate at a higher return rate than you could get elsewhere.
I sold a motorbike years ago when we were moving house and took about 8 years to eventually get a replacement

[Shug]

Very rarely get pangs of regret from mine, but bikes replaced the car in my life, so perhaps a different situation. That and I do have access to Elaines supercharged 111R when I want an Elise fix, so hardly cold turkey!

[sendmyusername]

I loved my first on, but sold it for an exige, never really bonded with the exige and missed the elise, so i got rid of the exige for another elise.
Unfortunately all the jobs around the house that i put off for the last 15years, suddenly are needing done (apparently it's not that suddenly) added to a different shift pattern,and a girlfriend that works different shifts, i tend not to have a lot of time to use it, plus when it is finally a good day i have to maintain the garden rather than get out for a run in it. My to-do list is gettint much much longer, and the crap weather really isn't helping.
Mostly my runs in it have been around the back of the sidlaws, or along to montrose etc.
So i'm in the same boat, it's bought and paid for, but i'm just not getting the use of it.
Add to that that i have another motorbike, and i take that out for the short blasts instead, so it will be used even less. Add insurance, tax, mot and servicing etc probably about £800 i could be trousering instead, does seem like a waste.
So i've stuck it on pistonheads, not overly sure that i really want to sell it, so put it in a bit high, and if it goes, it goes.
Parting shot -
it is always better to sell when you don't have to, than when you need the money.

[tut]

Parting shot -
it is always better to sell when you don't have to, than when you need the money.

Worthy of Confucius.......

tut

[mxvx]

I loved my first on, but sold it for an exige, never really bonded with the exige and missed the
Add to that that i have another motorbike, and i take that out for the short blasts instead, so it will be used even less. Add insurance, tax, mot and servicing etc probably about £800 i could be trousering instead, does seem like a waste.
So i've stuck it on pistonheads, not overly sure that i really want to sell it, so put it in a bit high, and if it goes, it goes.
Parting shot -
it is always better to sell when you don't have to, than when you need the money.

That's what I was thinking when people said it costs nothing
This cost +

[renmure]

I think that when you start thinking about selling then it usually means it is about the right time to do it, whether that is because you need the money for something else or just fancy a change. I wish I had kept hold of a few of the cars I have owned but only because they were good cars, not because whatever they were replaced with were any less good.

[point n squirt]

Yes Alister i think most of us go through this i know i did . I sold my elise when my wee lad was due as i knew i would not have time to use it and funds came in handy for house improvements that were now needed but it took a long time for me to save enough for a Lotus and once that pot is gone well its back to square one. Ive had petrol driven fun of one kind or another since i was young and feel a massive hole where that part of my life used to be but at the same time i also felt something missing when i had a Lotus but no child so i guess there is just a time and place for everything and its up to you to work that out. That being said im fooking getting another one at some point , oohhhh yes.

[Stephen]

If you don't need the cash and it's paid off keep it per Dom's post. That's what I have fortunately been able to do. The kids love it and always have.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[campbell]

Getting no use sitting in the garage is not necessarily a problem, per se.

If it's physically in the way, that may however be a problem.

If you actually need to access the funds tied up in it, then clearly you should sell. But if you don't need, then it's costing you nothing in real terms. Which is a lot less than most other ""normal" cars, all of which depreciate to very little after 10 years.

Our Elise is 16 yrs old and still worth 30% of what I paid for it in 1999. 110,000 miles later, that's pretty good value by my estimates

Make it part of the family - that's what we did. Get the little one out in it for some Dad Time. Take it out along with the family hack for some proper adventures (our Elise regularly comes camping with us).

Get it properly serviced each year around spring time (by someone enthusiastic for Lotuses who GENUINELY knows what they are doing).

And continue to enjoy 40mpg go kart motoring

I have the incredible privilege of running an Evora at the moment too. But after a few months and one sublime top-down drive through Sma' Glen in the Elise this week, I'm relieved I didn't have to sell the latter to buy the former...I've just reminded myself what I'd be missing

So. Does that help?!