Should I walk away?

[chieflief]

Hey all. Am seriously considering a 2006 111R, 38000km.
The owner says that there have been oil changes done regularly (every 6000km), but there is NO paper trail regarding the servicing history. To be fair, the owner doesn't claim that any other work has been done - JUST the oil changes.
It has been in a minor accident (someone reversed in to him at a set of lights!!!); the front clam was replaced.
Another thing that concerns me is that the current owner has put new tyres on the rear... cheapies (from Kal Tyre, don't know the brand, but were $200CAD each).
Plusses include a decent price ($36500CAD; average price for this vintage & mileage is $40000CAD), and claims to have never tracked or auto-crossed.
I don't know the state of the clutch or brakes either (or the front tyres).
The colour combination is not one I would choose, so that doesn't really play a part. No hardtop included. I haven't viewed the car in person yet.
Based on the wisdom gleaned from this thread I will proceed with an independent inspection including an ECU dump.
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Oh, just a note: I save 5% on the purchase price if I buy before July 1... new tax law!!! Whoohoo!!! I LOOOVE new taxes!!! (yes, that's Canadian sarcasm.)

[21TonyK]

Hi

Not hat you aren't welcome here but might be worth posting on a US forum as well. They'll have more insight into Canadian prices.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/

As to servicing I'm sure an '06 car would have a stack of dealer services PLUS owner or additional oil changes. If not you need to ask why?

[Loudman]

I don't think that is is necessarily important for a recognised garage to service your car, but it is vital that a capable person does do the prescribed maintenance (as defined by the service schedule) or it is likely to affect the longevity of the car. You need to make sure what this guy is saying, if he is saying that he has adhered to the service schedule but done the work himself, then ok, but then the question is do you trust him and do you trust that he is capable? if you do then I think that a reduced price is reasonable to cover the uncertainty and the potential effect that not having the early history will have on your resale. If the answer is no, and he hasn't done the presribed servicing, then I'd pretty much walk away. Engineering firms tend to specify a service schedule that they think is appropriate to keep the car in good condition, its not a 'nice to have', so not doing any one of the things could have serious long term consequences. I'd say that if this is your dream car then think about it, but you have said yourself in the post that it is not quite what you would have picked yourself, so do you really want to take such a risk for something that is not quite what you want and is still a lot of money?

[Sune]

Walk away!

If it smells a little fishy, and this does, then something is not right. IMO no one has a car like that and only changes oil now and then (without any documentation). If no service records are to be found, then they are non-existing. That's my experience anyway.

[Lione1 Richie]

I'd have to agree with the above. It would certainly put me off and I'd be continuing the search. You have to think about re-sale a little as well.

Do you want the hassle of trying to sell on a car with little or no service history, which has also been accident damaged? I know I wouldn't.

All the best.

Lione1.

[griffter]

unless the car is on the ca equivalent of an accident damage or write off register i wouldnt worry about the clam. I dont know why people worry about the odd track day! Elises are quite at home on track. Far more of a concern are owners who dont understand the importance of proper servicing and a record thereof... This would put me off. It sounds like youd be better off looking elsewhere, but if choice is limited in ca and i suspect it is, may be worth a look with a view to a low offer. It may just be a car with a relaxed owner who suffered an unfortunate accident and couldnt get the the best tyres instantly. Id want it for more like 20 percent off market rate for a right car though.

[Gooby]

griffter said:

unless the car is on the ca equivalent of an accident damage or write off register i wouldnt worry about the clam. I dont know why people worry about the odd track day! Elises are quite at home on track. Far more of a concern are owners who dont understand the importance of proper servicing and a record thereof... This would put me off. It sounds like youd be better off looking elsewhere, but if choice is limited in ca and i suspect it is, may be worth a look with a view to a low offer. It may just be a car with a relaxed owner who suffered an unfortunate accident and couldnt get the the best tyres instantly. Id want it for more like 20 percent off market rate for a right car though.

Ding!
I would look at as a big fat bonus. You can now haggle to get a great deal. With some of the money saved have a first rate service and tyres!
There is very little to go wrong with the car. Check for chassis damage and get an ECU read out. I would walk away if the ECU says it has been buzzed (Run away). I would walk away if there was any damage to the chassis (run away) and leave if the guy wont haggle.
TBH no service history would tell you about the above and you would be looking at these details anyway.

[CardShark]

I'd only consider it if the car was even cheaper than it is already compared to others of the same year/km. How much would it cost and how easy is it to arrange an inspection by someone *who knows* what they're doing with Elises? If it can easily and cheaply be arranged then it may be worth saying to the vendor that you'll have it subject to inspection, but if you end up buying a duffer then it's going to be mighty difficult to sell it on again baring in mind there'll be another owner listed and they may wonder why you're wanting to get rid of it soon after buying. How long do you intend on keeping it? If it's for a good few years then the lack of history is less of an issue, if it's just for one summer's fun then it's a different matter. On top of that, and as someone else has already said, it doesn't sound like quite the car you're looking for anyway, may just be better to bide your time and get
a) something you *really* want
b) something that isn't going to make you paranoid

Elises are an absolute joy, get one that makes you look back over your shoulder every time you walk away from it!

Edited by CardShark on Monday 26th April 12:24

[theturbs]

Walk away - the discount you quote is not worth it. You're better off paying CAD40k for a better example.

[chieflief]

Thanks everyone. I knew I'd get great advice. Moved from the UK recently and well, I feel like there are some very knowledgable and trustworthy people on this site... (and a few characters as well -who shall remain nameless of course)!
Anyways, I'll give it a good think; yes, choice is limited here. Resale value is a concern - I plan to keep the car for four years (my wife thinks that it will be impossible to keep it ONLY four years!), so I can at least recoup some service history there... I may still get an inspection with a view to making a silly low offer, and see if he haggles.
Or I may just continue the search and be patient... I'm 50/50 about it at the mo!
Will let you know if anything exciting happens.
Thanks again!