Thinking of buying a '97....
Discussion
Naples has a fairly good reputation.
That being said, it looks like the interior may need some TLC...
...also - if you do decide to buy - I would work out a deal with Naples and have them put a Tubi exhaust on as part of the purchase (they are an authorised Tubi reseller - I bought mine from them). The only reason I say that is because the muffler also looks like it may have had it's day, and at 16,000 or so miles, you will be replacing it shortly (weld issues).
Just my 0.02...
ErnestM
That being said, it looks like the interior may need some TLC...
...also - if you do decide to buy - I would work out a deal with Naples and have them put a Tubi exhaust on as part of the purchase (they are an authorised Tubi reseller - I bought mine from them). The only reason I say that is because the muffler also looks like it may have had it's day, and at 16,000 or so miles, you will be replacing it shortly (weld issues).
Just my 0.02...
ErnestM
I have a 97 V8 and it has been back to the factory for an engine rebuild because of leaking cylinder liners. This does seem to be a common problem with the early V8. In other words, an engine rebuild would be a good thing in a car from this period. The black car on ebay does seem a bit tired inside for "only 16k miles" That mileage does make you think. it is very low for a US car with interior wear- ask how many owners. I have found the V8 better than the 4 cylinder car but probably not more exciting. Depending on how you drive, the clutch (that's the thing worked by the left hand pedal for you Americans!)may need frequent replacing. The factory quote 15k but I will be dissapointed to see under 30k as I never ride or hold on the clutch. When the time comes, the twin plate can be installed without any trouble. The twin plate clutch was introduced at VIN 5280. I think the one thing to check is the coolant. Any suspicion of scum in the oil or rust specks or oil in the water, walk away. I have had my car for 4 years and I never tire of the thrill of owning and driving it. I know the car very well now so if you have any specific questions, go ahead and ask !
I have a '97 V8 - take a look at my webby with all sorts of mods and maintenance done on the car, you'll also find the car's full service history on there too:
www.jonathanedwards.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/esprit/esprit.htm
2 main problems the car has had as far as maintenance goes has been the liners and the leaking cam-covers.
Had nothing go wrong since I bought the car 6 months ago appart from 1 or 2 very minor jobs I've done myself. Personally I wouldn't buy one that hasn't had the liners done because of the cost of putting it right.
www.jonathanedwards.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/esprit/esprit.htm
2 main problems the car has had as far as maintenance goes has been the liners and the leaking cam-covers.
Had nothing go wrong since I bought the car 6 months ago appart from 1 or 2 very minor jobs I've done myself. Personally I wouldn't buy one that hasn't had the liners done because of the cost of putting it right.
silver12r said:I saw that car in person a few weeks ago. I didn't look very hard at it but it certainly looked great. I recall thinking the interior was very nice but I was comparing it to my 74k mile S4s!
Anybody know this car?
FWIW, the Naples guys come across as honest and enthusiastic and Tony let me talk his ear off for about an hour. They are NOT mechanics though and I don't know what kind of PPI their cars go through before they take 'em in. They use a guy named Manfred (I think) and I don't know what his Lotus experience level is. I know many people buy cars from them sight-unseen but I'd need to see some records and get a PPI on the car first.
Coincidentally, I met a guy with a 360 Spider purchased from Naples Motorsports and he was very happy with them. He mentioned that they are willing to negotiate.
There's a red '97 at Lotus of Atlanta with 18k i think. Asking around $43k also.
www.lotusofatlanta.com
www.lotusofatlanta.com
I own a '97 V8 that I bought from Naples Motorsports a couple of years ago, and while I very much enjoy the car now, I would have to say that folks should be careful about buying a car (a least a Lotus) from that dealer.
I bought, sight unseen (which was probably my first mistake), so what I knew came from the salesperson (who is no longer there - and many others I know had complained about how rude this person was).
I think it's fair to say that no one at Naples knew very much, if anything, about Esprits. Although I paid a high premium for the car, it was exactly what I was looking for so I was ok with that (a yellow '97 with the right mileage and the OZ wheels). The car arrived looking pretty (kudos to their detailing crew), but had a couple of serious (and very expensive) mechanical problems.
When I e-mailed Todd about the issues and asked how they could have missed the issues (which could have been caught by poking around the engine bay), he said that Naples only does a "safety inspection" (drive it around, does a visual check, etc.), and that they don't check out the cars the way a shop would. As long as the car is “safe”, they consider it fine. I asked him that given the large premium I paid and the scope of the issues, if he would be willing to take at least some responsibly for rehabbing the car (a couple of grand, estimated at that time to be about 15-20% of the cost of the repairs), and he categorically rejected it. The car was not a lemon, it just needed some repairs that were expensive (and in my opinion, were obvious) - I made the repairs and now the car is perfect.
I'm sure I had the option to send the car back, but at that point, it was a good car and after spending what I did, what's another $10-15K vs. looking for 2 more years for a good car that might have more issues.
I don't mean to bash Naples Motorsports, and I know they do have many happy customers. I take full responsibility for not having checked out the car enough prior to buying it, and I know I could have paid Todd and team to take it to a shop where they would have found all the issues and helped me negotiate a fairer price. So for that, I take total responsibility and do not fault Naples.
However, and maybe this is just me and my mid-western upbringing, but if I was selling someone a $50K-$60K car (and they have cars a heck of a lot more expensive than that), I'd sure want to make sure the thing was straight, even if that meant spending a couple hundred getting it checked out a little more than walking around and kicking the tires.
Finally, even given all this, I think Todd is an honest guy - but I also think it's much easier to be honest when you honestly don't know what shape the car is really in and don't know much about the type of car.
Bottom line: Anyone considering a purchase at Naples Motorsports should have the car checked out by a qualified mechanic prior to purchasing.
>> Edited by jasonfromIndy on Friday 26th November 13:56
>> Edited by jasonfromIndy on Friday 26th November 13:58
I bought, sight unseen (which was probably my first mistake), so what I knew came from the salesperson (who is no longer there - and many others I know had complained about how rude this person was).
I think it's fair to say that no one at Naples knew very much, if anything, about Esprits. Although I paid a high premium for the car, it was exactly what I was looking for so I was ok with that (a yellow '97 with the right mileage and the OZ wheels). The car arrived looking pretty (kudos to their detailing crew), but had a couple of serious (and very expensive) mechanical problems.
When I e-mailed Todd about the issues and asked how they could have missed the issues (which could have been caught by poking around the engine bay), he said that Naples only does a "safety inspection" (drive it around, does a visual check, etc.), and that they don't check out the cars the way a shop would. As long as the car is “safe”, they consider it fine. I asked him that given the large premium I paid and the scope of the issues, if he would be willing to take at least some responsibly for rehabbing the car (a couple of grand, estimated at that time to be about 15-20% of the cost of the repairs), and he categorically rejected it. The car was not a lemon, it just needed some repairs that were expensive (and in my opinion, were obvious) - I made the repairs and now the car is perfect.
I'm sure I had the option to send the car back, but at that point, it was a good car and after spending what I did, what's another $10-15K vs. looking for 2 more years for a good car that might have more issues.
I don't mean to bash Naples Motorsports, and I know they do have many happy customers. I take full responsibility for not having checked out the car enough prior to buying it, and I know I could have paid Todd and team to take it to a shop where they would have found all the issues and helped me negotiate a fairer price. So for that, I take total responsibility and do not fault Naples.
However, and maybe this is just me and my mid-western upbringing, but if I was selling someone a $50K-$60K car (and they have cars a heck of a lot more expensive than that), I'd sure want to make sure the thing was straight, even if that meant spending a couple hundred getting it checked out a little more than walking around and kicking the tires.
Finally, even given all this, I think Todd is an honest guy - but I also think it's much easier to be honest when you honestly don't know what shape the car is really in and don't know much about the type of car.
Bottom line: Anyone considering a purchase at Naples Motorsports should have the car checked out by a qualified mechanic prior to purchasing.
>> Edited by jasonfromIndy on Friday 26th November 13:56
>> Edited by jasonfromIndy on Friday 26th November 13:58
If anyone wants to avoid this sort of thing, may I recommend that if you interested in a car from Naples that you have them agree to an inspection at a very close local dealer/service center: Dimmitt in Clearwater. Ask for Chris Warren (the service manager). They have an excellent Lotus tech there named Jason who knows the Esprit front and back...
ErnestM
ErnestM
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