Elise owner looking for advice on Esprit buying!!?

[gilveys]

Hi there all,

I'm an Elise owner looking for some advice on purchasing a S4 Esprit,
specifically about the Pro's and Con's of buying an insurance Cat D damaged
car.

I've done some of my homework, the car I'm looking at was cosmetically
damaged on the front passanger side wing, and fixed a reputable company, who deals in Lotus
repairs around a year ago.

Can anyone advise on how this will effect the re-sale of the car e.g. will
a dealer ever touch it, or will be stuck with the private sellers market
when I
come to sell it? Additionally will it be hard to get insurance for the
vehicle? Is there anything generally I should be aware of other than the
basics
such as getting a vehicle inspection completed?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!!

[rfoster]

Insurance wise there shouldn't be any problem, as long as the vehicle has been 'Condition Inspected' (i.e. inspected by an approved body and approved for road use again.)
Obviously you should be buying the vehicle at a considerably lower price than that of an undamaged car, but be aware that this saving will be offset when you finally come to sell the vehicle, as it will be worth less to any potential buyer or dealer.
I doubt it would be a car that a dealer would want on their forecourt so if you were considering using it as a part exchange, the dealer would probably only give you the price that they could move it on for in the trade.
Good luck!
Richard.