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R400 Duratec SOLD


john aston

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Twenty years of Sevening , 100k miles , a back which twinges too much and a desire to enjoy top down tours in more comfort are all factors. Still love the car , but now is the time to change before I get old and bitter !

New car ? Top candidate is  a Mk 4 MX5 2 litre .

Staying in club of course . I like it here 

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I would love a ride in an Elan - I find myself naturally drawn to them at various car shows... a bit like a 7 with a bit more cover!

Good shout John *thumb_up*

As an alternative, why not buy a relatively cheap, but beautiful 1.4 DVA SuperSport currently for sale on PH AND have yourself a MX-5?!! *driving* The best of both worlds surely?

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If only I had the £45k spare for an Elan Sprint (one of which I so nearly bought in 1978 for -eek - £1200 ) and a salary for the mechanic I 'd need to keep it going  .........

But I do like the look and weight of Mk 4 2 ltr MX5 - added lightness (compared to its predecessor) and a dose of Jinnba Ittai make it a spiritual successor to Elan in many ways  , with similar performance .

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Hi John,  I have a MX5 Mk 4 2 litre.  Good to drive and a comfortable place to sit.  Not hugely quick but very nimble.  Recommended.  

There is something Elan like about it, with the added benefit that things don't fall off it on a regular basis!

 

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John,  great car to drive, I had mine in 1974 and it was a problem regarding reliability with it being an enclosed engine bay, to change a water pump was an engine out job, I spent more time at Scorton getting parts, Ford bottom, triumph suspension, lotus top.

Sadly sold it to a hairdresser in Redcar for £500 it was a 1964 yellow S2 I used the money a buy a Scimitar. Still have nightmares to this day

Best of luck to what ever you buy

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Englishmaninwales,  some years my Elan does 100s miles and some years a bit more.  It is pretty reliable and always starts and stops, and is great fun to drive.  It's been to Le Mans and back many times.  However it is 48 years old and I would not use it as a daily driver any more than I would use the Caterham as a daily driver.  It would be possible in either of course but something also fun but maintenance free makes more sense as a general runabout, hence the MX 5.  And for extra Mazda oomph then BBR do a range of go faster options.

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I am looking for £22.5k , with a bit of wriggle room . The spec is available from me if you pm me your email address. In short - 2007 car, factory built , one owner , Caterham roller barrels , FIA bar , leather seats , Stack, carbon dash etv ,  lots SBFS stuff and  nearly new ZZS tyres.

48k miles because  I think Sevens are meant to be driven. New car with similar spec would be -£ 45K? Most secondhand but lower miles R400s , if you can find one,  tend to be £27 -30k    

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When l sold my S3 Supersport in 2012, l bought an MX-5 MK3 model with the folding hardtop. I thought it would soften the blow and be more practical.

I have to say that after owning and driving it for 15 months, I couldn't wait to get shot of it.

After the Seven, l found it to be a lukewarm experience. The storage in the boot was not increased significantly either.

Of course, this is a personal view. I ended up buying another Seven in the end. Prefer the L7 club to the MX-5 Owners Club by a country mile.

How about looking at something like a Jaguar XK, John?

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Wow, really interesting to see the Elan and MX5 compared on these pages in the same breath. As an Elan Sprint owner since 1983 I cant believe they draw comparison, MGB and MX5 maybe. The Elan was just so far ahead of its time and dynamically will still kick the pants off an MX5 I'm at a loss to understand the comparison other than a few styling que's bigged up by Mazda PR rhubarb when the MX5 first came out. And yes, I have driven MX5's, complete with hat and sunglasses, such a limp wrist car! And after 34 years of Elan driving and competing I can only suggest that reliability issues were down to poor build and maintenance (mostly the latter!), once properly built they are jewels

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It was far more than styling cues and included even minutiae  like the gearshift sound and feel- I like them and always have done. Faute de mieux really - wht else offers light , reliable roadster fun ? Old Boxster - nice but spectre of a big repair bill on the odd one that goes bang  haunts me .  Elise - yes , but looking for something sturdier which won't need much tlc .

Old Jag,  Blacken ???? You must pay more attention to my scribbling as I never miss an opportunity to be rude about them . E Type in early versions nice (if not as nice as  most polls suggest ) , always liked the XK150 and Daimler Double Six- but that is it - can't stand the rest of them. Big and heavy , golf clubs and Pringle sweater mandatory   

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You wouldn't want an Elise with a bad back, it almost crippled me and yet a Seven with Tilletts is I find the most comfortable place in the world. Back problems come in all shapes and sizes though. Also the Elise was without that sense of occasion that comes with driving a Seven, like it had no soul.

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