Help. Purchasing 05 Elise (Steering Rack Related)

[fonzi337]

Hi all,

I've been a long-time forum lurker but have never posted. I am in the process of purchasing an 05 HRM Elise (Touring and Sport package).

The car only has 1,800 miles and the owner hasn't driven it for 6 months. I was to take delivery of it tomorrow, so he took it to get it washed today for the sale.

He noticed a rather loud rattle when driving the car. He took it to a Lotus specialist and it is a loose steering rack. The seller has been very accommodating and honest and has offered to pay in full for a steering rack replacement (either stock or Sector111, estimated at $1000 for parts, labor and alignment).

At this point, I can still take delivery of it tomorrow and drive it the ~400 miles back. My question to you guys is: is there a risk of driving the car with a loose steering rack that has a rather loud rattle, or is this an issue that should definitely get fixed before driving it further?

Any advice or insight is appreciated. I need to figure out what I'm doing between now and tomorrow morning.

[waydui]

My own opinion is that I would NOT drive it until the problem is fixed.

Since the seller accepts responsibility for it and is willing to correct the problem, I would have it done before taking delivery.

There are several threads in the Suspension section on LT that address steering rack problems. Check a few of those out.

Regards,
Wayne