RF GURU

04 Porsche GT3 or 04 Lotus Esprit?? Both cars have similar operating/performance parameters, including exactly equal curb weights.

I went to look at a Lotus Esprit final edition and was told that my GT3 is not an exotic, but simply a street car when compared to the Esprit.

What are your opinions on this degrading remark.

Aesthetics?
Performance?
Desirability?
Exotic?
Exclusivity?
Joy of ownership?

I'm a sensitive person, so the remarks made really kinda hurted me.

The Esprit IMO is beautiful, but the build it very kit like, it smells like a Chinese shoe factory inside the cockpit and the build quality and construction principles look rough when examined up close.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Its_Lobelt

The GT3 will probably tear the Esprit a new a$$hole on the track. The esprit is not that fast. Sure it looks good and its one of my favorite cars of all time but if its performance you are after then the GT3 is a sure bet but if its lloks then maybe the Esprit. But then again looks are subjective.

Larry Herman

Most exotico snobs don't feel that Porsches are extra special. Maybe as a whole that's true, but there are certainly Porsche models that are definately exotic. A 550 RSK, the new GT, the GT2 and others. The GT3 is probably a fringe car, but is that the only reason to buy it? Also, I think that Lotuses (Lotii?) make Ferraris look stone cold reliable. Take that for what it's worth.

Sloth

I think the person who said this is full of krap. Put them both on the track and we shall see which one is more of a steet car. The Lotus Espirit that runs Grand Am Cup (converted street cars) is not even competitive against 996 Carreras... yet alone a GT3. Anybody have some Ring times for the Lotus?

Do not be so sensitive...

RWO

First off, you are talking to a dealer who wants to sell you a car. He/she is going to tell you whatever they think will work to sell you a car. I have owned almost every model Esprit sold since the 1977 Esprit S1. They are beautiful cars but they nothing but a 20-year-old supercar design now. Robert is correct; a GT3 will kill an Esprit on a track. The fastest Esprit built was the Sport 350 that is 19 secs slower on the ring, and 2 secs slower on Hockenheim than the GT3.

Aesthetics - eye of the beholder. I love the look of the Esprit but the huge "look at me" wing on the back detracts from an otherwise attractive car. I love the simplicity of the GT3.

Performance - GT3 all the way, see www.track-challenge.com.

Desirability - Porsche people desire the GT3, Lotus nuts desire the Esprit. In the general public, if you parked them side by side, most uninformed people would migrate to the Esprit, who cares?

Exotic - There's only 125 Esprits sold per year, for a reason, no one wants them.

Exclusivity - See above. In addition, if you look at resale value, a 04 Esprit, with a $93K MSRP, is going to be worth $50K-$60K in 2 to 3 years (if not sooner). While the 996 has not done well, it's a fair estimate that the GT3 will hold it's value better due to limited numbers and it being selected by many magazines as the best 911 in years.

Joy of ownership - I could type a book here. Owning a Lotus is a frustrating experience. Very few Dealers. Even when you find a dealer they work on 1 Esprit per month best case so the Tech is untrained or has little experience. While you can get most parts, dealers rarely have them in stock, you have to wait. I will say the newer cars are very reliable during their 2-year warranty period. If you don't like dealing with taking your car in for service, the Porsche is a mile ahead of the Lotus here.

Good luck.

Roy

As a side note, you should be able to get a good deal on an Esprit if you want one. The dealer has $10K in it plus rebates depending on how many cars they buy. That could be another $5K+, look for $10K off MSRP minimum.

macfly

Everybody has said it perfectly, but I'll pile in with my $.02 as well.

The Lotus will not be with you in 2 years, and you will loose 50% of your investment in that time if you are purchasing. If you are leasing, and will never go out of warranty you might give it a go if you are curious.

If you take it to the track you'll be annoyed and frustrated at how clumsy and slow it is compared to modern cars. It is a 12 year old design that was never considered to be that good even in it's prime! If you really want a Lotus get a new Elise with a nice reliable Toyota motor, you'll have a blast with that one.

If you really just want an exotic buy a sensible one, like the Gallardo. Lamorgini has the full weight and technical prowess of VAG behind it, that makes it a sensible exotic, one you'll enjoy, not loose too much money on, and won't have to make excuses for at the track.

sjsharks

It's slower because Julia Roberts is the only one who knows how to drive it.

GuyR

Blimey - are they still making the Esprit?????

It's old, outdated, cramped, poor quality and I'm not sure they even sell them any more here in England.

I cannot even believe the comparison is being made...........this must be a joke!

Guy

RF GURU

Thanks for input, RWO, et. al. I drove the thing and it is odd feeling, rough around the edges with generic feeling switchgear, unique clutch and shifter feel, cramped, clausterphobic, no dead pedal so left foot gets cramped up, etc. Overall a truly unique driving experience- called the Lotus Experience- I kind of like it in a weird way. Funny that while sitting inside, from within-I don't feel the beauty of the exterior design- probably because the fit and finish is not to modern standards when viewed upclose, like inside. It has been written about the Esprit's poor reliability, but only from experiencing upclose, can one get a real feel of why the car is low on reliability.

Its got great looks going for it and above average supercar performance and handling, so I guess it is what it is, I just don't know if its worth its market price, because if one factors in the maintenance and frustration cost in ownership, then it may well be a $120K supercar instead of a $85K supercar.

RF GURU

"In the general public, if you parked them side by side, most uninformed people would migrate to the Esprit, who cares?"

As soon as ya walk up to the esprit for closer look, the kit car feel starts to take over and you walk away questioning the car's durability. With the GT3 fine engineering is found no matter how closely the car is inspected. And the GT3 is very beautiful, in a simple sort of way. If I had to describe my short experience with the Esprit I would have to say that " If the Esprit is not Kit Car construction, then I don't know what is" because I have not seen another car so reminscent to a plastic model kit. That is not be a bad thing, but it is unique, no doubt.

1AS

The Lotus experience is not well epitomized by the Espirit. Loti (?) have been light, tossable, and relatively modestly powered. Everyone who owns them expects downtime. I wouldn't consider an Espirit since I don't think it's a good example of what the factory does well. The GT2, GT3, and the Elise are at the best end of that spectrum. AS

1988952

Yes the gt3 is miles ahead of the Esprit but the Lotus posesses one great quality: you can provoke oversteer at will, in any gear. It is not the fastest way around a track but it is fun.

Larry Herman

If you find that enjoyable, just dial in a little toe out into your current ride, you'll get lots of it

GrantG

That may be true, and I love powersliding as much as anyone, but it's not fun IMHO when you have a turbo motor. It's just not possible to balance it on a knife edge when the throttle response isn't just as sharp. Even my extremely balanced 944Turbo S was no fun to drive sideways because of the lag...

DealMan

If you like to provoke oversteer at will try the GT2