[tvacc]

Originally Posted by cabc26b

The best combo I know is to get an early ( TYPE 26) car with a removable hard top. They look better and will give you option of dry high speed travel. On the window frames. sorry if the best thing you can say about them is that they disappear ( or in M's case to remove them) that should tell you all you need to know.

BTW, I honestly don' know why people out there insist the later cars are more reliable, it has not been my experience and one look at the s1/s2 wireing diagram vs the s3 and s4 is all it should take to let you know that the later car have the potential to be more trouble...

The cars are really exactly the same in almost all respects. One is not more reliable than the other....just safer because of the dual master cylinder.

The asthetics of the window frames is purely to ones individual taste and does not make either car better or worse. The wiring diagrams are almost the exact same...very little difference. The later cars had a "light logic box" to allow the use of 2 filiment tail lights...and the newer cars had power windows...but really that is about all. I think you are making too much of the differences....there is really not that much. I have taken apart and rebuilt more than 10 but less than 20 Elans in my life. I know the cars inside and out and consider myself to one of the experts on them.

The light logic boxes used to be not available and the wiring loom for that style as well are not available last time I checked...but that was several years ago. The last two S4 Elans I did, I had to rewire the car and add the 3 filiment lights to the rear.

Both cars give you the option of "dry high speed travel" In fact the Elan can be driven in the rain with the top down and not get wet at anything over 30 mph. (same goes for the Miata..which along with the MGB were the inspriation for the Miata)

I personally like the look of the Series 3 cars with Weber carbs....I like the power windows and frames...so it is really subjective. I like the sound of the Webers.

I would get whatever car you see and like. I repeat that the only objection I have to the early cars are the single brake system...which I think is a very big deal. I have had early British cars..most noteably a Sunbeam Tiger...put me in harms way by losing its single system brakes. I am lucky to be alive after that one.

If you are interested in a LHD DHC 1973 Elan Sprint (red with Gold Leaf colors)....fully restored.....in the low 30's...let me know. I know of one and it will be for sale soon. I do have the inside track on it. I also know of a 1968 or 9 Series 3 RHD DHC...absoutley beautiful....yellow....fully restored. Guy has well over 30K into it and will sell it for the low to mid 20's. This will be available in the spring.