Cat D exige

[NilsP]

Hi fellow PH'ers,

I fancy a switch as i'm tired of my Cooper S, want GF wants it and i want something a it more hardcore.
But Lotuses here on the continent are pretty expensive ( €38k for an Elise SC, €40k for a exige s and up)
So I'd like to get one in the UK and in time do a LHD conversion.
It would be a daily driver together with my Cerbera.

Now I was wondering if anyone of you know/owned/had a look at the Cat D Exige 260 in the PH classifieds.
This one: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...

If exported the CAT D register wouldn't matter.
I can get a hold of the front clamshell and the rear is an easy repair.
But I'm slightly worried about the crack in the hardtop.
Am I right to think the chassis might have had a decent whack if it has cracked there?
Or am I worrying to much?

Any info on this car would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[bosshog]

You need to go and see the car (or get someone to look). You must check the upright mounts on the suspension as if they are bent you cannot repair full stop. I would think chances are this might be the case as that body work damage doesn't seem to warrant a Cat D

[NilsP]

Well I was thinking the same thing.
Overall damage is pretty minimal to be a Cat D
And I really don't want a banged up lotus with a cracked chassis
D/S rear wheel looks a bit crooked as well, must've taken a pretty big hit.

I'm just going to leave this one be and look for a nice Exige S or an Elise SC.

Thanks for taking away my doubts

[AyBee]

I'd be wary of their claim "CHASSIS LOOKS FINE, HOWEVER WE ARE NOT ENGINEERS & A VISUAL ACCOUNT OF DAMAGE IS GIVEN" - somebody has obviously inspected it in order for it to be given an insurance category, so either they haven't seen the report for repair (unlikely), or they're trying to pull a fast one by claiming that they're not engineers...

I'd definitely want a look and to take along someone who is clued up in damaged Loti.

[NilsP]

AyBee said:

I'd be wary of their claim "CHASSIS LOOKS FINE, HOWEVER WE ARE NOT ENGINEERS & A VISUAL ACCOUNT OF DAMAGE IS GIVEN" - somebody has obviously inspected it in order for it to be given an insurance category, so either they haven't seen the report for repair (unlikely), or they're trying to pull a fast one by claiming that they're not engineers...

I'd definitely want a look and to take along someone who is clued up in damaged Loti.

Yes you're right.
I'll just save a bit more and get a decent one.
For peace of mind
Prices for good ones doesn't seem to differ so much RHD vs LHD
And a conversion gets to £3,5k real fast

I really like these though. too bad i'm not quite there yet

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=...

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=...

[talktohenry1]

If they write
"CHASSIS LOOKS FINE, HOWEVER WE ARE NOT ENGINEERS & A VISUAL ACCOUNT OF DAMAGE IS GIVEN"

This means they know exactly what the damage as bearing mind they are traders, and will have has a good luck it before they purchased it with experienced eyes, and would of had to pay a price where they can re-sell it based on it's ''true condition''

People who write like this are basically dishonest idiots, however in this case it doesn't mean it's a bad or mis described car!

[Skaffen]

Yeah, what the others have said . Sounds like you've taken that on board though, which is good.

Of course it's not impossible the Exige's chassis is fine despite it being a cat D (maybe if some of the parts, e.g. clam, are on back order perhaps that could be a factor in it being a write off?). But it does ring alarm bells and you'd certainly want to inspect the car or have someone knowledgeable inspect it and not just go on trust about the chassis.

The only thing to add is that someone posted on SELOC a couple of months back having made the mistake of trusting a salvage seller (different seller) over the condition of the chassis of a cat D Lotus Europa S which had damage to the front driver's side wheel area...

http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=421475
http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=419099

[foxsasha]

NilsP said:

Hi fellow PH'ers,

I fancy a switch as i'm tired of my Cooper S, want GF wants it and i want something a it more hardcore.
But Lotuses here on the continent are pretty expensive ( €38k for an Elise SC, €40k for a exige s and up)
So I'd like to get one in the UK and in time do a LHD conversion.
It would be a daily driver together with my Cerbera.

Now I was wondering if anyone of you know/owned/had a look at the Cat D Exige 260 in the PH classifieds.
This one: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...

If exported the CAT D register wouldn't matter.
I can get a hold of the front clamshell and the rear is an easy repair.
But I'm slightly worried about the crack in the hardtop.
Am I right to think the chassis might have had a decent whack if it has cracked there?
Or am I worrying to much?

Any info on this car would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

I know of a left hand drive Exige S V6 up for sale at a very good price. Great car, I've done a couple of thousand miles in it. Was faultless. Not my car, it's a friends. Let me know if it's of interest.

[NilsP]

foxsasha said:

I know of a left hand drive Exige S V6 up for sale at a very good price. Great car, I've done a couple of thousand miles in it. Was faultless. Not my car, it's a friends. Let me know if it's of interest.

I'd love a V6 but sadly taxes are way too high here in Belgium.
I would be another 5000 to register it and get my plate.
And 1200 a year in road taxes

I wish i lived in the UK...

[Newscuttlepanel]

Went to see this on Monday, no chassis/ suspension /underside damage, simple repair to the clam and roof and a screen, should have had it, dithered a bit and it's gone to a guy in Belgium now. Dam.