[Closed] mid life crisis car on a shoestring

You buy into a car that was also costing its last owner too much?

Edit- whats costing on the 5'? Age-related rust and consumables? I had two- the only thing they needed was fuel! 😀

😆

Swappng a Mazda for a Lotus to save money....? Not sure that's gonna work.

You do have a clue about Elans Stumpy?

I thought Elan's were meant to be awful things? At least 2 previous owners have told me this, although if you have driven one you may know better.

Why not look at another potential classic - the MR2 (last gen). It feels nippier (but not as nice steering/corners) and less boot space.

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Lots
Of
Trouble
Usually
Serious
😀

Presume you are talking about the 90's FWD Elan M100

They were surprisingly reliable, all the mechanical bits being Japanese.

They are just about appreciating classics now, if you buy a half decent one and look after it you shouldn't lose any money on it

Several friends of mine work (or have worked for) for Lotus, have owned them (Lotuses, not specifically Elan's) and got rid of them due to the cost.
Another mate had an Esprit that he got rid of as it was an absolute money pit.

I have no direct experience of Elan's, but would be amazed if they were cheaper to run/own/maintain than an MX-5.

Out of interest, what era Elan are we talking about?

One of these:

[img] [/img]

(I always wanted one of these, growing up).......

or one of these:

[img] [/img]

tpbiker, all I've read (mags, forums) suggests they are good, including a chat with a former owner.

Hora I'm not interested in being suggested other cars.

stumpy01 - Member
I have no direct experience of Elan's

🙄 see post above.

Curious what's costing on the MX5, assuming it's a Mk1 or 2 type.
Sills are repairable/replaceable and good for another 10+ years. Hoods are diyable and chance to replace with mohair. Can't think of much else that goes wrong. Windscreens delaminate.
The wife's got written off which was a real shame. Replaced with a 944 that cost a little more and about the same again in repairs.

Welding mostly, its an 89.

mid life crisis car on a shoestring

That'd be a motorbike

A Lotus Elan wont be run on a shoestring. Unless you mean you are going to garage it/look after it and only use it for fun/treats. Thats what shoestring means interms of one of them.

If you'll drive it weekly- you'll be running a list of 'to do's,

944 is a good suggestion- getting on now but really reliable if you find the right one.

Hora, your expertese comes from....? Owning? Forum reading?

944 was my first thought too - I always wanted one when I was a kid and have met a couple of people who've got them now and using them for everything including commuting. You can get them fairly cheap if you're willing to do a bit of work but once done, they seem to be pretty reliable and the performance is good. Plus you can actually get a bike in them 🙂

MkII Scirocco GT/Scala

Miss mine a lot. Getting scarce. Could have spent a little more money on it and had it would have been an exciting car. As it was it got battered by too many careless elderly drivers and builders so was sold for scrap.

Always feels faster than it is, even as stock spec.

[i]Welding mostly, its an 89.[/i]

buy a newer one?

Hang on, isn't the elan fwd or did I just make that up? Anyway, I personally can't understand why anyone would go from an mx5 to an elan.
At the end of the day isn't a midlife crisis car about pissing money away?
If you want to go fast get a bike or an sti impreza. If you want to go fast with the top down and the tail out put a small block in the mx5. Full duck or no dinner.

How much is a vx220 these days?

What sort of mid-life crisis are you having? Do you need to get more fun/noticed/fast/killed/laid/spendmoretimeintheshed? Then the budget?

Edit: /cold/oily/wet/sideways/

Hora, your expertese comes from....? Owning? Forum reading?

Friends owned them, years of reading/hearing about them/I'm 'friends' with Porsche 944 restoration on bookface. Should I be the designer or something to qualify me?! In addition I've driven two MK's of MR2 and owned two engine sizes of the MX5 as well as driven the dull MK3.

If you'll drive anything[b]OLD[/b] as you daily- you'll be running a list of 'to do's,

based on experiance of running old cars.

very few old cars have recieved love and care over the years unless you personally do a tops off restoration like somafunk has then you have no idea how it is mechanically and thus how much it will cost.

As an '89 you can probably consider the sills as a consumable.
Personally I'd get the work done and keep unless it's an opportunity to find something with lsd or whatever extras you want that the current one doesn't have.

Its v low mileage, I just want something fun, reliable and topless (as well as the GF ). I think the Elan is a beauty, ive Read its the best FWD carever. Happy to do some work myself but no garage.

Hora I'm always suspect when one individual tells me something against EVERYTHING I have been told.

Elans aren't cheap to maintain and parts are getting difficult to get hold of. The last few we've repaired we have had to use some used parts (I work for a Lotus Main dealer) and like any older car its likely to have issues. Even though they are FWD they are great to drive. The aren't immune to rust either - we had to repair a chassis last week and the wishbones rust through. The Izuzu bits tend to be reliable, but the rear brakes don't do much so often need tinkering with.

Like I say, they're not bad cars, but if you are on a budget I'd steer clear.

To (probably slightly mis)quote Colin Chapman, "if you can just about afford a Lotus, then you can't afford a Lotus"

Thanks Hicksy, good to hear first hand comments. I'll ask on the owners forums. I'd heard about the wishbones,and am happy to do a bit of tinkering myself in the summer.

They start around £3K yes?

So (even Hora) any alternative (even hardtop) suggestions, fun (not nec fast) but more practical (bike inside) up to £3K not costing much to keep going...hot hatch? Always fancied a 1275GT...

So (even Hora) any alternative (even hardtop) suggestions, fun (not nec fast) but more practical (bike inside) up to £3K not costing much to keep going...hot hatch? Always fancied a 1275GT...

Subaru = costly servicing and low mpg?

Am I reading this right...OP is looking for a budget sports car that he can run on a shoestring and we're suggesting a Porsche? I have a Porsche (admittedly not a 944) and its a money pit. Is an old 944 cheap to run? - not looking for an argument, I'd just be very surprised if thats the case.

Elan is Front wheel drive, which is why the guys I knew didn't like it. They also thought it was underpowered..although maybe they just had a lower spec model.

Civic Type R

Porsche Boxter 2.7?

I've had my bike inside a mk2 MR2. They're a different beast to the mk1 MX5 (which I've also had), but each have their own pros/cons. The n/a MR2 engine is pretty much bombproof, but you might be at the top of your budget to find one that hasn't been "Barry-ed". Other than that the only thing I ever found that was a pain in the ass was the rear calipers sticking when I left it parked up for a while. Easy enough to free off with a G-clamp and some wood blocks (to squeeze the pistons back in) and it would be a while before they stuck again.

Other than that, and for less than £3k, I'd be looking at another MX5 in better condition.

Honda CRX or del Sol?

I know nothing about owning one, but they look sweet.

So (even Hora) any alternative (even hardtop) suggestions, fun (not nec fast) but more practical (bike inside) up to £3K not costing much to keep going...hot hatch? Always fancied a 1275GT...

If you were 22 and wanted a hot hatch my Ibiza Cupra would be perfect! Would leave you alot of change for a brand new bike as well 😉

On a more sensible note the MR2 is a nice wee car and can be had for buttons

Just get your MX5 fixed or buy another one?

Hora, your expertese comes from....? Owning? Forum reading?

You know exactly what the answer is to this

For daily use and fun not fast I'd look at a Panda 100hp or suchlike, or as above another MX5, old Porches and stuff are a pita from what I've seen with mates that have had em,

Fiat Barchetta , remember when topgear did the middle east special they ran this a Mk2 mx5 and a BMW z3.

They all agreed that the Barchetta was the most reliable and best of that bunch.

Not the most scientific test I know.

Sounds like you've already made your mind up.

An Elan isn't cheap to run. I used to sell endless spares to a customer when I worked at Halfords in Bangor. The parts are pricey (and difficult to get hold of). I cannot see it being cheaper to run than an MX5. A colleague (at the same store) had one - even as suped up monster mazda it still wasn't that costly.

I costed up a 924 once. It was scarey - £1500 just for a secondhand stub axle - and that's basically a VW. I didn't buy it. Randomly it turned up again on Top Gear driven by Richard Hammond. It didn't break down once!

If you were to go down the tin top route then the Clio 182 is almost certainly the best hot hatch for £3k. Surprisingly reliable, cheap to fix, can be used daily and will even return decent mpg. Dunno if you'd miss having a drop top though?

A rust free mx5

I don't think you'll get much cheaper to run that that

Al, it doesn't take a genius to work out that a mass produced Japanese car is going to cost less to run than a Lotus. You must know that ! You've just had a bad/rusty one.

Barchetta

I also really like the Fiat Coupe - it's a thing of beauty, especially with the matching-coloured interiors.

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[img] [/img]

Cant believe nobody has suggested a Pagani Zonda yet. No imagination you lot.

Andy it is mostly Japanese!

Its not been spares that cost, mostly welding.

If its a fun 2nd car why not get something actually classic like an MG, Triumph, Austin etc. For one reason or another my Midgets barely done more than drive for its MOT the last 3 years, still a right giggle though. Depends if you resent spending money on it though, nothing will be cheaper than the mazda.

And unlike any cheap hot hatch people wont assume your hanging arround with Schoolgirls in mcDonalds car parks.