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Looking to Buy an Esprit


Lambo Guy
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Historically the Esprit has received a lot of love on this forum, and for good reason I think... it's a proper weirdo "car guy's car" which responds decently well to mods and it isn't as obvious as a Porsche or Ferrari.

 

A thread hasn't been made about them in a while so I figured I'd start another one. At first a later model V8 seemed like the logical choice to go for but after doing some reading I'm really curious about the four-pot cars... an S4s just seems so "pure". Anyone have experience with them ? Anything crucial to look out for ? Been doing a bunch of reading and seems like extensive service history is essential, as with any exotic, and watch out for timing belts and ABS lights.

 

Don't think I'd particularly mod the car beyond an exhaust to get it breathing (and sounding) better— what are the best systems for these cars ?

 

Not many seem to creep up for sale, much less stellar examples, so I feel like I'm going to be waiting for the long haul for a perfect example to pop up... but if anyone also has any leads they would be much appreciated.

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I sold my 2000 V8 TT earlier this year. Loved the car, real drivers car for sure. When I bought it a few years earlier, I knew it was rare, but didn't realize HOW rare. Over almost 30 years of production, there were less than 11,000 total Esprits produced. Less than 1800 total V8's. Worldwide! The problem I had was that I am not mechanically inclined beyond oil changes and maybe changing a starter, and finding a good mechanic who really knew this car was next to impossible in the mid-atlantic area. These are not toyota engines like the Elise, and plenty of "good" mechanics have caused more harm than good when working on these cars. These cars require a lot of attention and if you decide to get one, in addition to having a good service history, I highly recommend being a true "wrencher" or having an experienced Esprit mechanic within a 60 mi,e radius. All that said, I do miss her, just wish she had been as reliable and easy to maintain as the G.

I highly recommend the Loustalk forum for good info and searching for a good example for sale.

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I was trying to track one down untill I saw the Wheeler Dealers episode on it. When he goes to remove the instrument cluster, each wire has to be disconnected individually as they hadn't put a loom with a common disconnect into the harness. For me, this exemplified the type of issues that might lead to shoddy repairs and high repair costs.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MCIJv1jou8 (16:50)

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^^^^^^hahaha that sounds like independent British engineering at its finest. If you expect anything different than something like that out of an Esprit you are definitely looking at the wrong car. And thats just the instrument cluster, I guarantee you everything else on the car is engineering in the same manner.

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^^^^^^hahaha that sounds like independent British engineering at its finest. If you expect anything different than something like that out of an Esprit you are definitely looking at the wrong car. And thats just the instrument cluster, I guarantee you everything else on the car is engineering in the same manner.

 

:iamwithstupid:

 

Absolutely. Especially if it was sourced from Lucas... :icon_mrgreen:

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Thanks for the responses. I think we all know you need to be a bit crazy to even go down the path of looking at something as esoteric as an Esprit. Thankfully, I have two independent Lotus specialists to choose from where I live so that side of things doesn't seem so daunting if everything checks out with the right car.

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PErsonally, I would buy a last year V8TT. 2004 Anniversary car. Find one in yellow. They run like a beast, are relatively reliable, and handle amaingly well. The newer style wheels really set it off as well. I know the S4 is a great little car, but I have never been in one that wasn't down and out for something.

 

All that said, agree with Allan, lovely car with a ton of character. Side note, tough car if you are a big guy. Fortunate for me, I am just the right size, much above 6 feet and it gets super tight, especially in the pedal box.

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I love the V8's. Just remember LOTUS stands for lots of trouble usually serious. Talk to Gonzo. He has one of Allen V8's. If you can find a clean one and a reliable mechanic....

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I love the V8's. Just remember LOTUS stands for lots of trouble usually serious. Talk to Gonzo. He has one of Allen V8's. If you can find a clean one and a reliable mechanic....

 

 

Gonzo modded his though, even moreso than I had it modded. I think he is over 500hp now, maybe even more.

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I was trying to track one down untill I saw the Wheeler Dealers episode on it. When he goes to remove the instrument cluster, each wire has to be disconnected individually as they hadn't put a loom with a common disconnect into the harness. For me, this exemplified the type of issues that might lead to shoddy repairs and high repair costs.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MCIJv1jou8 (16:50)

 

Speaking of Wheeler Dealers its a shame Ed the mechanic is no longer affiliated with the show.Evidently the new producers want a more "Hollywood " version of the show and Ed didnt want to be involved with that type of production.

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I tried to buy 1986 model Turbo Esprit as my first car when I was 18.

Now 16 years later I only saw the same car in local cars and coffee type event 2 weeks a go it was in very well mainained shape.

Alongside it was also another red Esprit in V8 form.

 

I have always liked the Esprit, propably because Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge was my favorite game in Amiga 500 when I was kid.

 

lotus-esprit-turbo-chalenge-screen.png

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've owned two Turbo Espirits 1983 & 1985. While driving, both of them in heavy rain while going thru a puddle that sprayed up on the exhaust it warped the exhaust manifolds causing an exhaust leak at the head and both required an engine out repair. One snapped a timing belt at 25k miles...They were TROUBLE!

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