Discussion
Anyone out there recently moved away from tvr to lotus, or vice versa? I'd love to run a cerbie 4.5 although the servicing money pit might push me towards an Exige (turbo technics supercharged 260).
These threads always seem popular out there in the tvr / porker circles. Just trying to weed out you lotus guys - where are you all?
Driving experiences / running / preferences anyone?....
I have a Lotus (Carlton), but came from a Porsche, via a Caterham.
I think that the reason so few go from Lotus to TVR and vice versa, is that these two marques are so similar in terms of trade off and Britsishness - more character and performance than a same priced Porsche (for the sake of argument), but less build quality.
My mate with a troublesome Griff went to a 911. He is glad he didn't go to something from Hethel as he's seen me spend a small fortuned fettling mine, sorting it out properly. And Blackpool was certainly not a shopping destination either!
I will buy a Porsche when the Carlton goes, although a well-sorted Esprit could be an option, I suppose.
Domster
I think that the reason so few go from Lotus to TVR and vice versa, is that these two marques are so similar in terms of trade off and Britsishness - more character and performance than a same priced Porsche (for the sake of argument), but less build quality.
My mate with a troublesome Griff went to a 911. He is glad he didn't go to something from Hethel as he's seen me spend a small fortuned fettling mine, sorting it out properly. And Blackpool was certainly not a shopping destination either!
I will buy a Porsche when the Carlton goes, although a well-sorted Esprit could be an option, I suppose.
Domster
I do not own a Lotus or TVR but I am going to be getting a TVR hopefully within 12months, the reason TVR? Not only do they go like stink ( all models ) & look gorgeous ( in my opinion ) but they all have the most charasmatic engines of any car manufacturer
, in a sports car the engine note plays a large part in the overall driving excitement, this is an area in which Lotus is sadly lacking. When they launched the V8 in the Esprit I was very impressed............until I heard one! WHAT AN ANTI-CLIMAX! What a wasted opportunity. Its all right if you like the sound of a four ( I DON'T ! ). My mate at work owns an M reg Esprit S2, I have been in it a number of times,looks gorgeous,is bloody quick, handles well, BORING sound! 
I will stick to TVR thank you. This is my opinion of course. Andy
, in a sports car the engine note plays a large part in the overall driving excitement, this is an area in which Lotus is sadly lacking. When they launched the V8 in the Esprit I was very impressed............until I heard one! WHAT AN ANTI-CLIMAX! What a wasted opportunity. Its all right if you like the sound of a four ( I DON'T ! ). My mate at work owns an M reg Esprit S2, I have been in it a number of times,looks gorgeous,is bloody quick, handles well, BORING sound! I will stick to TVR thank you. This is my opinion of course. AndyHello Roadrunner, in my time amongst others 3 x TVRs, 2 x Lotus, all great cars, first Lotus an Esprit SE great car super handling, company car came so Lotus went and along came S3 for fun factor followed by 4.3 griff, really enjoyed them all. Company Car went and along came an Esprit S4, another great car, no trouble but servicing quite expensive though real problem was idiots on the road. Every day going to work someone would try and take you on, who wants to race to work huh !!! friends suggested it maybe an aggressive shape. Got to the stage where I was going to be wiped out or someone else but for me the one more thing missing was the noise, had great power and handling but just did not do the business for me when winding it up (V8 Esprit is not much better apparently). Decided that it was time I finally went for my dream car, a car I had drooled over since seeing on top gear in 96/7 so purchased a Cerb. Now this is the business, softer lines and not too much hassle but the power and the noise, truly awesome. Running costs not too dissimilar to the Lotus but insurance is over 200 GBP cheaper through a TVR specialist plus you get things like track days etc. With regards to the Exige I have driven one while the Esprit was in for a service, scary until the tyres were warm, you got noise, but engine noise behind your head that I think it would become mildly irritating after a period of time. At the end of the day it is personal choice, but for my sins I have a passion for British Sportscars, I like both marques if I went back to a Lotus it would be an Esprit V8 but in all to me the TVR is ultimately the better car as it is home grown and has no compromises to meet other countries regulations/noise restrictions etc.
I run a V8-GT Esprit 1998 model.
Reason i bought this over a TVR
1. TVR does not have ABS brakes.
2. TVR is scary in the wet (in my opinion). Esprit is fantastically well balanced handling car - its even MORE fun when the roads are damp.
3. I prefer the "exotic" look of a mid-engined car.
4. TVR's are quite common in comparison to Esprits
5. Heritage - Colin Chapman designed it (nuff said)
6. James Bond had one
Both cars are massively quick. Probably, the Esprit would be better thru the twisty stuff.. but TVR less likely to munch its 2nd gear synchro..
Both exellent cars. Suggest you have a good long drive in both before you buy.
Oh, and whilst the V8 esprit DOES sound like a 4, there are lots of aftermarket sports exhaust suppliers around
Reason i bought this over a TVR
1. TVR does not have ABS brakes.
2. TVR is scary in the wet (in my opinion). Esprit is fantastically well balanced handling car - its even MORE fun when the roads are damp.
3. I prefer the "exotic" look of a mid-engined car.
4. TVR's are quite common in comparison to Esprits
5. Heritage - Colin Chapman designed it (nuff said)
6. James Bond had one
Both cars are massively quick. Probably, the Esprit would be better thru the twisty stuff.. but TVR less likely to munch its 2nd gear synchro..
Both exellent cars. Suggest you have a good long drive in both before you buy.
Oh, and whilst the V8 esprit DOES sound like a 4, there are lots of aftermarket sports exhaust suppliers around
They're both great - I can't imagine anyone being disappointed either way.
I went for a TVR, because of the looks, the speed and the handling. All good reasons to buy a Lotus as well, of course! In the end, the TVR swung it because of the noise and the fact that I could pay £15k for a car that originally cost twice that (with apologies to whoever bought it brand new!).
Having said that about the noise, a mate of mine used to have an Elise S1 with a (Janspeed?) sports exhaust. Sounded the business. And I do like the way you can hear your gearchanges in an Elise.
I went for a TVR, because of the looks, the speed and the handling. All good reasons to buy a Lotus as well, of course! In the end, the TVR swung it because of the noise and the fact that I could pay £15k for a car that originally cost twice that (with apologies to whoever bought it brand new!).
Having said that about the noise, a mate of mine used to have an Elise S1 with a (Janspeed?) sports exhaust. Sounded the business. And I do like the way you can hear your gearchanges in an Elise.
I have just 'converted' from Lotus (albeit an Excel SE ... the family mans Lotus!) to TVR. I currently have both though plan to sell the Excel shortly having recently purchased a 4.5 Cerby. Love them both.
The Excel is a more relaxing drive, feels like a luxury coupe when driven rather than a sportscar as such. The TVR is sensational in performance though it's race bred engine will probably not be as reliable (time will tell). Just as I liked the styling of the Excel when it first came out, personally I don't think you can beat the TVR Cerbera's styling today. The Excel and Esprit whilst still nice cars to look at and drive are just too outdated. I guess the common term that best descibes the TVR is a 'drivers car' - it doesn't have ABS, traction control etc etc but that has it's own appeal to some. Never having owned a car with all these gizmo's I personally don't miss them, but I can imagine if you've got used to having these you might.
I bought it not for the power, but because I like the design (inside and out), it's suprisingly practical in terms of room (my whole family gets to go in it together with luggage), and because pound for pound you can't get more for your money on the second hand sports car market. There are indeed reliability worries (look at the threads under TVR) but these seem to be predominantly directed at the S6 model. The 4.5 and late 4.2 models have a more robust reputation.
Given the choice I wouldn't mind either the Lotus or TVR. Comes down to personal taste and how you like your car to feel when driven. Best bet is to arrange some test drives and see for yourself.
The Excel is a more relaxing drive, feels like a luxury coupe when driven rather than a sportscar as such. The TVR is sensational in performance though it's race bred engine will probably not be as reliable (time will tell). Just as I liked the styling of the Excel when it first came out, personally I don't think you can beat the TVR Cerbera's styling today. The Excel and Esprit whilst still nice cars to look at and drive are just too outdated. I guess the common term that best descibes the TVR is a 'drivers car' - it doesn't have ABS, traction control etc etc but that has it's own appeal to some. Never having owned a car with all these gizmo's I personally don't miss them, but I can imagine if you've got used to having these you might.
I bought it not for the power, but because I like the design (inside and out), it's suprisingly practical in terms of room (my whole family gets to go in it together with luggage), and because pound for pound you can't get more for your money on the second hand sports car market. There are indeed reliability worries (look at the threads under TVR) but these seem to be predominantly directed at the S6 model. The 4.5 and late 4.2 models have a more robust reputation.
Given the choice I wouldn't mind either the Lotus or TVR. Comes down to personal taste and how you like your car to feel when driven. Best bet is to arrange some test drives and see for yourself.
I've owned an Esprit V8 and currently have a Cerbera 4.2. IMHO you can't say one is 'better' than the other. They are both brilliant cars and it comes down to personal preference. I've also owned an Elise and in terms of driving pleasure per pound spent it beats eveything (IMO). Best thing is to do lots of test drives!
But if I had to come off the fence I would choose TVR because of the noise - how can anyone fail to be moved by a Cerbie at 6000rpm ? - but also because TVR interiors are bespoke and hence so much nicer. When I had the Esprit everytime I got in a black cab it really irritated me that the light switches etc were the same as in my £60k sports car.
On the other hand an Elise down a twisty back road on a summers day....
Cerbera's are not cheap to service - last 2 services on mine have been well over £1000, but then the Esprit wasn't cheap either I seem to remember a set of tyres being £1300 (but I might be wrong there)
Its a hard decision to make but one worth relishing!
Edited by HappyOwner on Thursday 24th January 17:35
But if I had to come off the fence I would choose TVR because of the noise - how can anyone fail to be moved by a Cerbie at 6000rpm ? - but also because TVR interiors are bespoke and hence so much nicer. When I had the Esprit everytime I got in a black cab it really irritated me that the light switches etc were the same as in my £60k sports car.
On the other hand an Elise down a twisty back road on a summers day....
Cerbera's are not cheap to service - last 2 services on mine have been well over £1000, but then the Esprit wasn't cheap either I seem to remember a set of tyres being £1300 (but I might be wrong there)
Its a hard decision to make but one worth relishing!
Edited by HappyOwner on Thursday 24th January 17:35
quote:
.. but then the Esprit wasn't cheap either I seem to remember a set of tyres being £1300 (but I might be wrong there)
£1300 is way off the mark - I just had a full set of Bridgestone S0-2's for my '98 V8-GT Esprit: 235/40ZR17 front and 295/35ZR18 rear.
Total cost fitted/balance etc. £712
Had an M100se for 7.5 years. Most reliable car ive ever owned and with the top down The best looking car for me this side of a 355spider. Back in 95 the only car i would have swapped it for was an S4 Esprit. I think the development of the esprit (apart from the vastly improved interior has taken a step backwards aesthetically. The S4 looked exotic and somehow subtle at the same time. I find the spoilers on the later cars overpowering and the rear fin/80's graphix combo of the 350 looks tacky and as for the half attempt at the latest restyle, the ferrariesqe rear lights enclosed in the ill fitting panel smack of Halfords (IMHO). I did sell the Elan as I said and bought a 4.2 Cerbera. Looks are gorgeous, Interior is fab. Steering very precise and later type clutch as light as the Elan with loverly g/box to boot. I have driven both Esprit/Cerbera regularly and the power delivery of the TVR is in a different league. The handling is poor compared to any Lotus on all but smooth straightish roads and as a result are difficult to compare. On sunny days a yearn for my Elan, on dry days and evenings, Cerbera every time (windows down drooling at the popping and banging). For everyday.... Im looking for an Esprit S2 (pref in need of a little love) if anyones selling! 
Have owned several Lotus, I have driven my mates TVR's also and would say if you want to drive slowly and enjoy the engine noise, go for a TVR otherwise go for the Esprit which is in a different league for handling and build quality(S4 onwards).I havent owned a Sport 300 but can safely say it was/is the best esprit I have ever driven.(Shows a 355 how it should be done.)
Worth noting I have done over 100,000 miles in Lotus cars and never had a problem.!
Worth noting I have done over 100,000 miles in Lotus cars and never had a problem.!
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