Introduction

So, after 18 months of restoration and de-bugging, documented in a earlier blog, I thought it might be fun to jot down some notes on the ups and downs of ownership.

Here are a few paragraphs from my last post in the earlier blog.

The car is just great to drive on the open road but is obviously still less than reliable and is not at all fun to drive in heavy traffic. And it has truly been a money pit. Sadly, the previous owner had been ill for a number of years and had obviously been unable to keep on top of the work required and had taken a number of shortcuts - the scope of which only became obvious as work progressed.

We loved our old +2, and - perhaps this was a historical perspective through rose tinted-glasses - had hoped that the Elan would be an excellent touring car. So far it isn't, and may never be; the +2 is a different car and when we owned it was less than 20 years old.

 Which brings me to the main conclusions of the blog:
1. Running an old car can't be justified in terms of money. They will go wrong, overheat and throw unexpected tantrums. You either love the car for what it is or you let it go.
2. You have to use the car or it will just deteriorate...... and what's the point in that?
3. However, as you use it you have to treat every journey as an adventure and be prepared for issues to arise.
4. I'm really pleased that another of these fantastic cars is still on the road.

So, onwards - with the ups and downs!