Going to Look at a Se7en this weekend...
Discussion
Anything i should be aware of to particulary check/look out for?
Its a 93, 1700 xflow, discription says its a de dion, long cockpit chassis (cloth seats/4 point harnesses) BRG/yellow stripe/flared arches.
also has to pass the missus test.... am screwed after this weekend looking at TVRs
5 speed I guess too? Value at about £8k at this time of year - don't get suckered into paying more as you'll not get that back when you come to sell it. Better buy would be a 1.6K roadsport - can be bought for under £10k.
Corrosion - take a very good look at the chassis tubes, especially the cross ones under the steering rack - make sure you take the nosecone off the car to check out this whole area - powder coating flakes off. See whether the suspension is flaking too.
Then turn your attention to the bodywork - aluminium/steel corrosion occurs where panels meet chassis - behind exahust silencer, along the curved bottom of the sideskins (not easy to see unless you grovel in the dirt, but a good feel should detect it), where the rear skin meets the back end of the chassis, again, grovel under the car and check round behind the fuel tank for this.
Corrosion - take a very good look at the chassis tubes, especially the cross ones under the steering rack - make sure you take the nosecone off the car to check out this whole area - powder coating flakes off. See whether the suspension is flaking too.
Then turn your attention to the bodywork - aluminium/steel corrosion occurs where panels meet chassis - behind exahust silencer, along the curved bottom of the sideskins (not easy to see unless you grovel in the dirt, but a good feel should detect it), where the rear skin meets the back end of the chassis, again, grovel under the car and check round behind the fuel tank for this.
has been my thoughts - its finding one for the money... but then we're in no hurry.
partly lookin at this one as its close by and its an oppotunity to get the missus to drive one to see how she likes it.
Tho like i said after the Tiv its hard, but shes going with an open mind about it. She also wants to look at Elises.. and after showing her a 21 last night that might be our compromise (if we can find one, tho i did get in touch with Dave of cat21.com last night - this mornings answer was supprising and heartening) since i'm not totally sold on the Elise after more front engined/rwd as nice as the elise is...
partly lookin at this one as its close by and its an oppotunity to get the missus to drive one to see how she likes it.
Tho like i said after the Tiv its hard, but shes going with an open mind about it. She also wants to look at Elises.. and after showing her a 21 last night that might be our compromise (if we can find one, tho i did get in touch with Dave of cat21.com last night - this mornings answer was supprising and heartening) since i'm not totally sold on the Elise after more front engined/rwd as nice as the elise is...
You take the nose cone off by turning a couple of retaining screws under the nose cone (very easy).
I had an Elise as an everyday car prior to getting my HPC. The Elise is a great car although they are prone to niggling problems such as boot cables going and the suspension needs to be set up perfectly otherwise the handling can be quite unpredictable.
The Lotus dealers I used gave a less than perfect experince and cost and arm and a leg.
I drove a 7 (VX HPC) back to back with an Elise and the 7 was in a different league in terms of speed, sound and experience.
A think a Ford X-flow will give a similar experience and as it'll have carbs it should sound great.
The 7 isn't an everyday car though (although some people do use them everyday), but it's the best tonic for a hard day at work.
I had an Elise as an everyday car prior to getting my HPC. The Elise is a great car although they are prone to niggling problems such as boot cables going and the suspension needs to be set up perfectly otherwise the handling can be quite unpredictable.
The Lotus dealers I used gave a less than perfect experince and cost and arm and a leg.
I drove a 7 (VX HPC) back to back with an Elise and the 7 was in a different league in terms of speed, sound and experience.
A think a Ford X-flow will give a similar experience and as it'll have carbs it should sound great.
The 7 isn't an everyday car though (although some people do use them everyday), but it's the best tonic for a hard day at work.
g7jhp said:
You take the nose cone off by turning a couple of retaining screws under the nose cone (very easy).
To save you the blushes of trying to wrestle the nosecone off...I'll just add that you also need to undo the two dzus fasteners that secure the sides of the nosecone to the sideskins - revealed when you take the bonnet off...
well just back...
in response to the above - they had to put some petrol in as it was very low - was unleaded they put in.
Got a unaccompanied drive - as the bloke who does the test drives couldnt fit in
Probly not the best weather for taking one out in the pouring rain - but at least it proved to SWSBI(WC) that the roof doesnt leak (tho a bit of a problem with condensation. half hood should solve that) drove nice, but seats were not the best i've sat in.
was nice but possibly not "the one" tho confirmed to me i'd have one for everyday use in a shot
in response to the above - they had to put some petrol in as it was very low - was unleaded they put in.
Got a unaccompanied drive - as the bloke who does the test drives couldnt fit in
Probly not the best weather for taking one out in the pouring rain - but at least it proved to SWSBI(WC) that the roof doesnt leak (tho a bit of a problem with condensation. half hood should solve that) drove nice, but seats were not the best i've sat in. was nice but possibly not "the one" tho confirmed to me i'd have one for everyday use in a shot
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