I know the first owner through lotus circles. Seen the car in the flesh. Stunning with the orange paintwork.
@Matty
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 5:25 pm
by Jobbo
Does anyone feel comfortable buying through Collecting Cars? I think I need to hear both Harris's and Porter's stories before I'd do business using them.
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 6:05 pm
by Matty
It does look great - the CR wouldn't be a typical spec I'd go for, as a girly man I'd prefer the carpeted version but that could be retro-fitted. I was keeping an eye on that to see what it got to, but it'd have to be cheap for me to take a swing, although the fact you know the car Scott gives a bit more confidence.
Lotus cars have never done well on CC, so be interesting to watch this one.
Ultimately Simon they don't really do anything, so it doesn't really matter, I wouldn't have thought. The fact that they exist and continue to be able to charge that markup for doing nothing that Autotrader doesn't do genuinely boggles my mind. I mean, making upto seven thousand two hundred poound *per car* for putting a timer on some pictures on the internet is mental.
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 6:23 pm
by scotta
Jobbo wrote: Mon Mar 17, 2025 5:25 pm
Does anyone feel comfortable buying through Collecting Cars? I think I need to hear both Harris's and Porter's stories before I'd do business using them.
Harris posted on IG in a now deleted post that he was going to make a video on it. suspect CC saw it and slapped him with a shut up order.
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 7:01 pm
by mik
Jobbo wrote: Mon Mar 17, 2025 5:25 pm
Does anyone feel comfortable buying through Collecting Cars?
The only person I know who actually purchased via CC was Pete with his 600LT (some time back now). Other than managing the auction, CC effectively act as a service to introduce the buyer to the seller. They don't seem to do much after that.......
600LT seller didn't like that Pete couldn't get down from Jockland to collect the car for a couple of weeks, so declared that "time was of the essence of the contract" and that if the payment wasn't complete & the car collected by X then he'd consider the contract forfeit, and retain both the car and the deposit (that you are forced to pay when you pay CC).
I don't think the timescale the seller set was entirely unreasonable - something like 8 days from memory - but when this element was effectively pulled from thin air (and CC had zero interest in getting involved) it understandably created some stress. (And Pete couldn't even discuss it with the seller - he was only able to deal with their PA who just repeated that his boss was a very busy man etc etc ).
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 7:06 pm
by mik
Back on topic Matty - Evora GT410 for sale rite nowe in "Volkswagen Toffee Brown Metallic, with a suitably matching tan leather interior and stitch"
Which sounds awful when I read it, but somehow I don't completely hate it.....
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 7:57 pm
by Matty
I'm a huge fan of tan interiors, so I really like that. IPS tho Oh, and the small matter of price.
£62k seems like strong money - however, as discussed on the TLF forums, the Evora market is odd! Someone pointed out that the other H&M car was overpriced (and I'd have agreed, by about £5k judging by the rest of the market) yet sold pretty much instantly I can only guess colour and geography are more important than price!
So if you want IPS and love metallic brown, you'll pay it
I've noticed *a lot* of GT410's coming to the market recently though? Strange. Maybe a few jumping ship to Emiras?
Jobbo wrote: Mon Mar 17, 2025 5:25 pm
Does anyone feel comfortable buying through Collecting Cars?
The only person I know who actually purchased via CC was Pete with his 600LT (some time back now). Other than managing the auction, CC effectively act as a service to introduce the buyer to the seller. They don't seem to do much after that.......
600LT seller didn't like that Pete couldn't get down from Jockland to collect the car for a couple of weeks, so declared that "time was of the essence of the contract" and that if the payment wasn't complete & the car collected by X then he'd consider the contract forfeit, and retain both the car and the deposit (that you are forced to pay when you pay CC).
I don't think the timescale the seller set was entirely unreasonable - something like 8 days from memory - but when this element was effectively pulled from thin air (and CC had zero interest in getting involved) it understandably created some stress. (And Pete couldn't even discuss it with the seller - he was only able to deal with their PA who just repeated that his boss was a very busy man etc etc ).
Exactly the sort of story that makes me avoid CC. If it were just an introducer of buyer to seller, great. But you could find the car isn’t as described, lose thousands and have no comeback.
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 10:07 pm
by Mito Man
Someone had set up a website with stories about bad experiences from CC and cars with hidden damage but I can't find it from a quick search. I think the professional photos and longer descriptions lull people into a false sense of security, it is an auction at the end of the day with the usual caveats. The UK portion of it appears less dodgy but the US seem to have quite a lot of flood damaged cars with a clean title...
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 10:25 pm
by Matty
They're very agressive with pushing people to drop the reserve too, according to stories on SELOC.
Mito Man wrote: Mon Mar 17, 2025 10:07 pm
Someone had set up a website with stories about bad experiences from CC and cars with hidden damage but I can't find it from a quick search. I think the professional photos and longer descriptions lull people into a false sense of security, it is an auction at the end of the day with the usual caveats. The UK portion of it appears less dodgy but the US seem to have quite a lot of flood damaged cars with a clean title...
There's a big bold section in every advert saying that this is, essentially, a private sale:
"However, potential buyers must independently satisfy themselves as to the accuracy of the description. Potential buyers should view or arrange inspections as well as conduct any research they feel is necessary before committing to bid or buy........It is a bidder’s responsibility to satisfy themselves of the colour and condition of a vehicle, including its interior and the existence of any remedial bodywork or paintwork, before committing to bid or buy. This includes by raising enquiries with the seller in the comments section"
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2025 10:28 pm
by Matty
Jon Seal on SELOC isn't overly complimentary about them either:
"I would NEVER buy one from CC there is zero vetting of any kind and its a great way for unscrupulous sellers to off load crap. How people are buying untested uninspected supercars and the like I mean wow its completely ridiculous. They have shut down numerous pistonheads threads where people have revealed horror stories. I have heard of a number of accounts of both awful cars and also buyers chipping sellers when they come to pick up. A lot of the negative is kept quiet but overall I won't be using them to buy ever and selling well they ring me at least twice a month but unless I took a real oddball PX in I don't think I would trust them again."
Re: What car thread - Lotus Edition Vol.2
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 7:15 pm
by 16vCento
I saw an Exige (which isn't that surprising as I was in Bell & Colvill) with the plate EX**GES and it made me wonder what our very own @exiges was upto these days in terms of cars
I know the first owner through lotus circles. Seen the car in the flesh. Stunning with the orange paintwork.
@Matty
Unsold at £34,250 - or over £36,500 with fees, which would be strong money with broken AC and buying blind. Wonder what the reserve was?
That’s still cheap for a club racer. Not far off market rates for an Elise club racer S similar to mine. One just came on the market- admittedly from a dealer - at £37k
for putting a timer on some pictures on the internet is mental.
).
Oh, and the small matter of price.
