All I know about these cars is the profile was lifted off an old Elan, and they seem to be durable, or so it seems to me from reading about them. Anyway, I have $5,000 in cash to buy one with. Can anyone tell me what to look for or to be careful about when I look at a car? Are some years more reliable than others, etc. I don't need any power options. I like a manual transmission. The "plain janer" the better for me.
Thanks in advance for any help you may give me.
Aart
~Aart wrote
Go here:
-- Ken Lyons '97 Brilliant Black/'90 Classic Red Inside the Beltway [Remove the first two digits to reply]
Ken, Thanks for the links! Good stuff. One more question, what's this about? "It should be a sealed battery marked 'Panasonic' on the side and should not have been replaced with a lead acid (normal) battery. " What's so special about a panasonic battery? Thanks, Aart
On Wed, 09 Jul 2003 00:54:28 GMT, "~Aart" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
The original battery for the earlier years was an AGM battery capable of more than the 5 year average lead-acid car battery life. Mine's still going at the 12.8 year mark. It was chosen, I believe, for its ability to withstand a bit of a crush during tough times, and the fact that it doesn't vent much (or at all...) in the way of noxious vapour. In addition, I suspect they were more compact than the equivalent capacity wet-cell type.
The problem with a non-AGM replacement is often that it doesn't fit well and may not have been vented properly.
And in case you get this far: an AGM battery has special care and feeding requirements. Don't let anybody hook it up to a 20A charger or you'll be shopping for a new one.
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