Quote:
Originally Posted by CertifiedCC
heck you can find a '08 unregistered stock elise with about 2-3K more and sometimes just a bit less. Searching is all you need do.
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Too true. Had my nearly new 07 Exige S that I bought as a new car for what I believe is a very reasonable price at a very large car show in Ocean City, MD today. About 2500 cars of all kinds.
If I heard it once, I heard it a dozen times from people walking by. One person (usually a wife/girlfriend) asks companion what kind of car it is...and the (usually male) companion would say...'Aw...that's just a $30K car."
To the average person simply walking by the car, there is no visual distinction between the Elise and Exige. And to many enthusiasts who wanted in on the new Lotus, but couldn't afford the low $40's price of admission when they were first introduced, they are simply a low $30's/high $20's car now on the used car market. Almost regardless of mileage and options.
It's a really weird market for these cars. On the one hand, it's a buyer's market because often sellers are very willing to sell low to get rid of the car, thinking they'll be sitting on it forever at a higher price.
On the other hand, buyers are expecting to buy very low mileage, totally unmarked showroom quality cars for low $30's high $20's...and often stipulate specific combination of colors, options, mileage, etc. As if there are a whole lot of these cars on the road. Oh, and they always have 'cash in hand.'
What they often don't realize is when they say "Looking for a CO 06 Elise with touring, starshield, LSS" they may be talking about a grand total of a couple dozen cars meeting that exact description being shipped to the US. And at any given time maybe only a couple of those, nationwide, might be for sale.