I should start off by saying that I have a business in which I buy salvage, CD, BOS and PO cars on the side. I have a "real" job that has nothing to do with the industry. Having said that, I am currently looking for a sub 20k elise to beat up at the track and enjoy on hot Texas days.
Ive driven 2 elise (is that plural?) The first, nearly 8 months ago one handled amazing. I even stalled twice as I wasnt ready for 1. how heavy the clutch was going to be, 2. you dont get help in moving the car just from releasing the clutch. Ive driven, ferrari's, lambo's, maserati's, and porsche's nothing compares to the elise. Love at first drive. However, I felt like the gas pedal was missing something....
Enter this silver elise being sold here in Plano, TX for 22k. I finally booked a time to check it out. One to see if I could negotiate sub 20k, and two for you guys interested.
The guy selling it is a very nice guy, felt like I was talking to a friend the whole time. The car was hit on the rear left. The whole rear end has been repainted with what I think was an original white rear clam. From what I could tell it looked like a light hit on the rear. How light I dont know, Im trying to get a look at more salvage elise's up close. I couldnt tell if anything beyond the clam was damaged, it really looked like it was rear clam only.
The front is a bit of a different story, two things caught my eye. I didnt get a picture of it but when you open the door if you looked inside the hinge there was a bit of damage on the door frame. A very small bit maybe 2 inches worth of a jagged edge on what should be smooth.
Second is I took a pic of the underbody. I saw what looked like glue...I've never used glue before. If I ever wanted to hold two pieces of anything together it was always with top notch weld work. I might even be able to get away with panels, but I've never used glue. I dont know if this is something common in the elise. I've just never seen it on the underbody in my experience with vehicles on the side.
A quick google shows that this exact glue shows up in different places on the elise?? I'd be happy to hear if anyone has any insight on this
Drive. This car drove amazing. The other elise I drove simply didnt drive like this. The other elise handled well but the gas pedal did not feel like this silver one here in plano. This one the gas pedal felt heavy. The only way I can describe it is that it felt like I was driving the car literally with my foot. I feel like this is the way all elise are supposed to feel, but Ive only driven two and need to drive a few more. And possibly more than just a "test drive." I should also say something was wrong with the shift knob in getting the car into reverse. The other elise I drove it was really easy to get into reverse. This one you had to unscrew the knob a bit before you could put the car into reverse. Not sure what was up with that. But I am sure its an easy fix.
In the end, I decided to keep looking, at 22k, there are some examples for sale that have clear titles at or a bit more than this. Titles that are "clear" should be salvage and vice versa. This car could be worth it to another buyer. I need to know more about the elise in general, and I do want to drive more before I put down 22k. And it felt like it was on the high end for me.
Im in no rush though, the right elise will pop up at the right time, and it will probably have a bit more damage than this one. I already have a rear clam. Hope this helps someone. If anyone needs me to check out anything else I am 10 minutes away from this dealer and would be happy to help
