Florida Lotus - any info

[Vampyre]

Looks like this car is from Fort Myers, Florida. I was wondering if this was an ET memebers car. Does anyone have any info on this car?

Car was $32900 in Florida and is now $36000 with more miles

SCCPC111X5HL34515

http://adrenalin-autohaus.ebizautos....e-2315388.html

[SanAnEliseMan]

No but that price is far too optomistic. . . especially since the warranty is up in 17 miles! Love the color scheme (red leather gets me) but for that price you can easily get an 06 with far less miles. Not even worth looking at unless the dealership is willing to drop the price to around 30 or less, IMHO.

[lotusport]

Originally Posted by Vampyre

Looks like this car is from Fort Myers, Florida. I was wondering if this was an ET memebers car. Does anyone have any info on this car?

Car was $32900 in Florida and is now $36000 with more miles

SCCPC111X5HL34515

http://adrenalin-autohaus.ebizautos....e-2315388.html

This is very wierd. The MY (5=2005) and S/N of the car (4515) suggests a later 2005 build and delivery, while the photo is of a car with the engine lid-mounted radio antenna -- definitely very early manufacture. My 2005 S/N is 1277 and doesn't even have the hole drilled and plugged as some interim cars had. Mine was delivered 12/31/2004.

I know, I know, manufacturing isn't strictly in VIN sequence, but we're looking at a S/N that's 3,000+ numbers later than mine. And, the owner's manual states that "For change point identification...only characters 10 (model year) and 14-17 (serial number) will be quoted."

Soooo...what's with this apparent inconsistency? Hmmmm?

[AnsisK]

CF center console seems out of place. Doesn't match anything anywhere, tonally or material.

[lotusport]

Originally Posted by AnsisK

CF center console seems out of place. Doesn't match anything anywhere, tonally or material.

It's pure aftermarket. Strictly according to taste. (For that matter, what's with an OE flat, textured, gray plastic center console? Doesn't match anything anywhere, tonally or material.)

I have a CF console in my STi, red int. car -- with a CF splitter on the front. I think it's nice. To each his/her own.

[AnsisK]

I understand the attraction of CF bits, even if the weight is negligible in some cases, but this time it just seems out of place, like I said. Also possibly the fact that the Elise's ethos is lightweight through aluminum, so the use of carbon as a weightsaver seems kind of strange in the bare-aluminum cabin. If it had aftermarket CF bits everywhere else, then I'd completely understand.

Matter of opinion, like you said.

[deh20]

Well, mine has far fewer miles, almost a year of warranty and no mysteries

http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45328

[ChrisB]

Originally Posted by lotusport

This is very wierd. The MY (5=2005) and S/N of the car (4515) suggests a later 2005 build and delivery, while the photo is of a car with the engine lid-mounted radio antenna -- definitely very early manufacture. My 2005 S/N is 1277 and doesn't even have the hole drilled and plugged as some interim cars had. Mine was delivered 12/31/2004.

I know, I know, manufacturing isn't strictly in VIN sequence, but we're looking at a S/N that's 3,000+ numbers later than mine. And, the owner's manual states that "For change point identification...only characters 10 (model year) and 14-17 (serial number) will be quoted."

Soooo...what's with this apparent inconsistency? Hmmmm?

None of the Fed cars were shipped with the rear mounted antenna...only the plugged hole where the Euro S2 had the antenna. My guess is that the owner installed a rear-mounted antenna to replace the cheesy taped up wires in the front clam that pass as an antenna. I'm not sure the rear antenna is any better, but it may have been an attempt at improved radio reception. It has a JVC head unit in it which is clearly aftermarket.

[Vampyre]

So the Vin# is later, yet this car seems like an early build... weird.

[ChrisB]

Originally Posted by Vampyre

So the Vin# is later, yet this car seems like an early build... weird.

The antenna doesn't indicate an early build. Since no Fed cars were delivered with one, the owner obviously installed it. The sticker shows the VIN and the window sticker shows the MSRP was the last of the '05 increases. It clearly appears to be a very late build.