Sachin Misra

Test drove this car yesterday. Holy $hit! What a blast, along with awesome handling and very toughy brakes. Does anyone here have any advice, opinions, thoughts or other general comments? Price seems right, and the looks that you get, Mama Mia.

<a href="http://www.foxvalleymotorcars.com/search/details.asp?id=DCIL5217.1/4460A&storenumber=DCIL5217.1" target="_blank">http://www.foxvalleymotorcars.com/search/details.asp?id=DCIL5217.1/4460A&storenumber=DCIL5217.1</a>

BTW, its a 3.5 liter twin-turbo V8 putting out 350hp (read somewhere that it was de-tuned and the factory was able to get 550hp with very few mods).

Just concerned about reliability. I do know the guys at the dealer and they are an authorized Lotus dealer.

Eric Kasir

Hi Sachin, hope you are well, don't know if you remember we met at the UK Rennlisters meet when you were over here...

Anyways, the Esprit - well, think I may be able to give a bit of advice on this, a friend of mine is a senior design engineer at Lotus, and was a core part of the team that designed / developed the V8 twin turbo. The early cars had some problems due to the engine being rushed into production, but he has told me that pretty much all the gremlins have been sorted by now, and this unit is actually pretty reliable. The interiors do take a beating though, I have a friend who has a '98 Esprit GT3, and various bits of trim are lifting inside the cabin, my '94 993 looks / feels a lot newer and more sturdy inside.

Car is beautiful to look at though, those new rear lights work very well I think. They actually had to change them because the original Esprit rear lights came from the Toyota MK1 Celica parts bin, and they could no longer source them!

A good resource for Esprit info is here:

<a href="http://www.espritfactfile.com/" target="_blank">http://www.espritfactfile.com/</a>

Also, I am sure if you wanted to ask any specific questions, my friend at Lotus wouldn't mind you contacting him.

Cheers
Eric

Sachin Misra

[quote]Originally posted by Eric Kasir:
<strong>Hi Sachin, hope you are well, don't know if you remember we met at the UK Rennlisters meet when you were over here...
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Eric,

I do remember you and the rest of the guys, that was a fun night. Thanks for the reply.

I'm partial to the 993, and have enjoyed it immensely. If you had to compare the 2 where do you think the Esprit falls short? I guess the interior is one of them (although it's very stylish). I'm more concerned about the major mechanicals. The warranty scares me as well. It's only 2yrs-24K miles.

I'll check out the website as well. If you don't mind, I would love to talk to your friend. You/He can reach me at smisra5@attbi.com

Cheers!

Eric Kasir

Sachin, my biggest concern with them is build quality, not mechanical problems etc. Also it is a big car when compared to the 993, I prefer my cars more 'go kart' like in dimension. Certainly in performance and handling terms it is more than a match for a n/a Carrera though.

I have toyed with the idea of an Esprit for years now. I use my 993 as a daily driver to go to gym / supermarket etc etc and I don't think I would be happy doing that with an Esprit, not that I think it couldn't take it, I just think I would be more paranoid about where I parked it.

The Esprit is more 'special' in that you feel like you are in a supercar with the seating position / limited rear visibility(!) etc and the fact that on an average drive around London you see at least 20 Boxsters and 5 or 6 993's, unfortunatley there are an awful lot around, but.... you can't knock the fact that 911s are very 'complete' cars in every sense of the word. They can fulfil a wide range of tasks a 'normal' supercar couldn't.

As you have got more than one car, I say go for it! You live life only once, theres not enough time to regret not doing something. If you don't get on with it, you can get back into a 993 easy enough.

All in my humble opinion!

Eric

Tim Ashfield

Sachin,

I have driven several of these cars both on the road and the track - they are an awesome drive!

I would endorse everything that Eric has said in particular around build quality especially the interior.However as a driving experience you can't fault them,I would strongly recommend a lengthy test drive preferably for a weekend.
Best of luck with your decision.

Caveman

Hi Sacha,

Lotus used to stand for "Loads of trouble, usually serious"! The newer ones are supposed to be a lot better and there has never been any question about their handling, or the V8s. If you can find a good one then go for it but don't expect it to survive as well as a Porsche.

Cheers,

David
<img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Paul M

For that sort of money, you could be in a very nice 993TT... Have you tried driving each car back to back...?

sy308

FYI, sales people at Fox Valley are pretty aggressive.

That being said, it has been some years since I have been in an Esprit. As I recall, the car was a delight to drive with a very responsive 4 cylinder in line turbo. The inside was a real hand made disaster. Dials and gauges looked like they were built by a fifth-grader and positioned by a first-grader. There was poor fit and finish. It was about the worse looking piece of automotive workmanship I have ever seen. The car I was priviliged to ride in just had its transmission reworked. Overall impression: cool to look at, nice road manners, the V8 should be quite fast. I am sure the newer cars are far nicer. For that money, I would go TT in heart beat. BTW, there is a well known saying in the used-car market. Don't know if you have heard it and I hope it does not apply; "There is an *** for every seat!" Good luck.

neunelf

I considered buying an Esprit before I got the 993. The prices on them are so reasonable that I had to at least give it a shot.

The problem for me is that I didn't fit comfortably. I'm too tall. I never even took it out on the test drive.
Maybe the newer V8's have more leg room for taller people. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Mike W

I have owned a Lotus Esprit for almost 20 years(1979 S2). Current cars are way different but some of the problems still remain. I have driven most of the current models and the cars are still a blast to drive. They will bury a 993 when it comes to power. They handle wonderfully. The bad news is although build is better these cars are prone to numerous problems when it comes to everyday use. They pale in this area when compared to a Porsche (any Porsche!). Also be aware there are rumors that the Esprit is going out of production and the effect that will have on service and parts. I love the esprit, but I would rather spend the money on a used 993 TT. Just my two cents. MIke W

Eric Kasir

Mike, the Esprit is now pretty much out of production, the factory is totally geared up to Elise / Exige production. They are building them to order only now. As long as Lotus exist though, can't see a problem with service and parts availability.

Fred R. C4S

Years ago, a friend of mine was a big Lotus fan. He had owned several Europa's and Elan's. Their performance was astonishing, when they ran. He once told me that Colin Chapman had designed and built these cars on a very strict principle to maximize performance. That principle was the 9/10 rule. Simply put it is was based upon weight being the enemy of performance. So in every aspect of the car, from con rod bolts to light switches, it was determined what the absolute minimum required to do the job actually was. Then Colin reduced the design to 9/10 of that.

Those cars were a ball to drive, and a nightmare to keep running. I've often wondered if the 9/10 rule died with Colin or was carried on by the numerous owners since.

Allan-BilletDesign

i own a 2000 Esprit TT, and the car is blast to drive, is as as fast as my friends 993tt, and has never given me any problems. I drive it daily.