[jdw5155]

I am simply crushed. I've been obsessing about this car for months but I am also trying to start a new company and I really should be putting my assets and attention there right now.

That said, I paid a non-refundable $2,500 deposit down for position #25 at Midwestern Auto Group in Columbus Ohio. I have spoken with my salesman Mike Finneran and he indicated that I can sell that spot to another person. This money is a deposit and will simply be applied towards the MSRP of your car. The MSRP price commitment is in writing.

I am not trying to make any money on this so you will not find this on ebay, I am looking for another enthusiast to purchase my spot for what I paid for it. My obvious other option is to buy the car and then flip it but honestly that is just not my style. I'll do that if I must rather than forfeit my deposit but selling my spot would be so much easier.

If you are interested please contact me at [email protected]. I can provide a copy of my buyers order and you can call MAG to confirm all the details I've listed here.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Win]

Sorry to hear, at least you aret trying to do the moral thing.

 

[atyclb]

the deposit is refundable. if they push it, I'm pretty sure there's no legal ground for them to keep your money, even if you signed something saying it's non-refundable.

 

[jdw5155]

I can have my atty. look at the contract but it lists this specifically as a non-refundable partial payment. If there are no interested parties then I might push harder on getting a refund.

Until then, if you're way down another list somewhere or not on a list but want to be, please contact me.

Regards,
Jim

 

[babak]

Sorry to hear about your plight and your integrity for doing the proper thing. I've got a buddy who might be interested let me toss him an email.

 

[jdw5155]

Additional info...kinda

Per another inquiry about order and delivery dates for my slot:

I just spoke with the dealer regarding #25 ordering/delivery dates. They really don’t have a good idea about how fast Lotus is going to be putting the cars out yet so it’s all pretty speculative. He thought the time of ordering would be in the April-May timeframe and the actual delivery might be around July-August. As more time goes by they’ll be better able to estimate these dates but they’ve only entered in their first 10 cars into the system so far.

I hope that helps.
Jim

 

[The Stig]

I am also trying to start a new company and I really should be putting my assets and attention there right now.

I am sorry to hear about your situation. What kind of business are you starting? The reason I ask is I am self employed too. Trying to swing buying an Elise and run a business.

Hang in there.
Neil

 

[Randy Chase]

. Trying to swing buying an Elise and run a business.

yeah, welcome to my world. It's tough.

I have this new product in development, one I expect will easily do over a mil in sales. But it needs about $100k in funding. Ouch.

Chasecam has gotten off the ground. But to take it to the next level requires more cash. And then there is the other business I am working on... I hope I can talk more about that in a few weeks when it becomes public (optimistically).

Tought spot Jim, but in the end you can always get another Elise later. I have thought about swapping spots with someone and dropping down until fall of 2004... but that is a really tough decision.

 

[jdw5155]

The only good news in all of this is my MINI will likely get the new header and cat-back I've been putting off. Hey, it's definitely no Elise but a guy has to get his speed where he can.

Business wise, I'm building a prototype system that might improve the way consumer package goods and products are marketed. If it works well in beta I hope to secure additional funding and take it nationally. I know it sounds coy but even though the patent is pending I really can't say much more here.

Thanks for the encouraging words,
Jim

 

[shinoo]

I started my own company fours years ago so I too can understand your pain. I sold my 911 to help fund it. Unfortunately significant personal sacrifice is required to get something new going. Though ultimately the satisfaction of achieving your goals/dreams will be worth it.

If you don't need the cash right away, can MAG simply allow your position to float backwards until you are ready to buy? This way you will still hold a spot and be able to purchase in a couple of years if your business is successful.

Remember the Elise is just a car.

 

[Nochmal]

The dealer I talked to said their initial deposit to get in line is "non-refundable" but if push comes to shove they would refund it. Their only really non-refundable deposit is the one you put down when you put in your for-real order. If all else fails it seems like you might have some success pushing for a refund.

 

[jlandreth]

I'm #29 at MAG and have been considering doing the same thing.Circumstances are such that another toy doesn't make much sense right now but, like you, I don't want to lose my $2,500. I may be keeping my Mini also.Good Luck!

 

[babak]

You've obviously thought about this, but being so high on the list, why not save the header/cat-back money, sell the MINI and get the Elise?

 

[adamant]

I'm surprised that no-one has snapped this up yet. Good luck with the business.

 

[smoseley]

I just saw this post. I'm interested. I have a few prelim questions for you, though:

1. When is the expected arrival date of the car?
2. Have you ordered yet? If not, when will you (I) be expected to order?
3. If you have ordered, what are the specs of your order?
4. What are the dealership fees stipulated on your purchase agreement?
5. What would the dealership charge for freight to Miami, FL?
6. Could a deal be made with LCU to send the car straight here or hold it in Atlanta for me in order to save add'l freight?

That's about it!

PM me your phone number or email or, email me at steven [AT] transio [DOT] com if you want to discuss this further. (You should probably post the answers to the above questions here, though. Other interested parties might wanna know, too.)

 

[Randy Chase]

When is the expected arrival date of the car?
Have you ordered yet? If not, when will you (I) be expected to order?
If you have ordered, what are the specs of your order?

I just spoke with the dealer regarding #25 ordering/delivery dates. They really don’t have a good idea about how fast Lotus is going to be putting the cars out yet so it’s all pretty speculative. He thought the time of ordering would be in the April-May timeframe and the actual delivery might be around July-August. As more time goes by they’ll be better able to estimate these dates but they’ve only entered in their first 10 cars into the system so far.

What would the dealership charge for freight to Miami, FL?
Could a deal be made with LCU to send the car straight here or hold it in Atlanta for me in order to save add'l freight?

Typical freight costs would be around $800-1200..or free if you let someone drive it. Might be a nice road trip at that time of year Steve.

 

[smoseley]

I was thinking that if I could pick it up in Atlanta, I could schedule my track days at Road Atlanta at the time of delivery. Then, everything would be perfect. Perfect, indeed! [wrings hands]

 

[jdw5155]

I'd love to ditch the MINI for the Elise but with Cleveland winters it just won't work as my only car and and 2 small kids I don't want a daily beater for family transportation. I like your thinking out of the box though.

I've gotten a few serious inquiries but generally from out of state. MAG has noted that they prefer to sell to buyers in this area but I'm not sure the rule can apply here. Given the circumstances I wonder if they can really protest to an out of state buyer.

Look at it this way, if a dealer won't give refunds for a given spot but has indicated that you can sell it to another buyer does it seem reasonable that they can dictate to whom you sell your spot to? I wouldn't think so.

I have left a message with the dealer regarding the out of state question. We shall see what they come back with.

Jim

 

[excesss]

You are doing the right thing; a business is an investment a car is a depreciating asset.

 

[xxxotic]

a business is an investment a car is a depreciating asset.

About 15 years ago I saved some money and invested it in the stocks of the business that I worked for. I wanted to buy a Porsche but the sensible side of me said to save money. Turns out the company went under and I lost everything. Five years after that my brother who works at Lucent tells me to by their stock. I buy 40K worth and 5 years later it's worth 200K, I was dumb and didnt sell, now its down to 20K. Now, I figure what the heck, if I'm going to lose money I might as have fun doing so.

By the way the company that I am now working for is going public in a month or two. With my luck the $45K I spend on the car will be worth $4 million in 5 years and the Lotus will be worth nothing!