Post 98 V8, reliable or not???
Discussion
I am currently in the market to buy an Esprit V8. I realise that the best option is for a post 98 vehicle, as this has a more robust clutch, and the up to date interior.
I am aware of the piston liner problems, but recently I have seen a few cars with less than 30k miles on them, that have had complete engine rebuilds by the factory. Add to this the weakness of the gearbox, and I am just wondering if it is realistic for me to buy one (given that my driving style is quite spirited) or are these horror stories blown out of proportion?
Your thoughhts would be appreciated...
Also, what would you esitmate the annual running costs to be in the real world?
I am aware of the piston liner problems, but recently I have seen a few cars with less than 30k miles on them, that have had complete engine rebuilds by the factory. Add to this the weakness of the gearbox, and I am just wondering if it is realistic for me to buy one (given that my driving style is quite spirited) or are these horror stories blown out of proportion?
Your thoughhts would be appreciated...
Also, what would you esitmate the annual running costs to be in the real world?
Yep, no reason why it won't be as reliable as any other car of this type. As long as you don't continually subject it to full bore standing starts then clutch/gearbox etc will last many thousands of miles.
Have it serviced regularly and do preventative maintenance to catch any potential issues before they become serious, and it'll last a lifetime.
The cars you've seen advertised that have had engine rebuilds would have suffered from the very common liner leakage problem. Consider their rebuild as a bonus not a negative.
Budget £1-£2k per year depending amount and type of miles driven.
Have it serviced regularly and do preventative maintenance to catch any potential issues before they become serious, and it'll last a lifetime.
The cars you've seen advertised that have had engine rebuilds would have suffered from the very common liner leakage problem. Consider their rebuild as a bonus not a negative.
Budget £1-£2k per year depending amount and type of miles driven.
I think that any pre 'mid year 2000' v8 that hasn't had a full engine rebuild would be of concern rather than the other way around. There was a problem with the sealent used on the piston liners that fails, this wasn't spotted until mid 2000 so any cars manafactured before this will potentially have this fault. I believe most fail, some sooner some later ...
As GKP says you oughta be looking at a rebuild as a bonus, you'd expect other pm work such as the cambelt to have been done at the same time.
As GKP says you oughta be looking at a rebuild as a bonus, you'd expect other pm work such as the cambelt to have been done at the same time.
According to kato's site, the change started with engine number 30600. My car is number 61 and has engine 30603, so mine is number 4. My car was also built in March of 2000 so that can serve as a guide.
As far as I know, all 1997 models have been upgraded to the AP Racing twin-plate clutch but the 1998 and later also has updated shifter linkage which is a plus.
I would tend to look for a 2000/2001 as there are numerous upgrades which include the AP racing brakes, better ECM mapping and some other goodies as well, unless you really like the round tail-lights and center exhaust (US only).
Regards, KM
2000 V8
As far as I know, all 1997 models have been upgraded to the AP Racing twin-plate clutch but the 1998 and later also has updated shifter linkage which is a plus.
I would tend to look for a 2000/2001 as there are numerous upgrades which include the AP racing brakes, better ECM mapping and some other goodies as well, unless you really like the round tail-lights and center exhaust (US only).
Regards, KM
2000 V8
The chap that I bought mine off told me that it had cost £7,000 to be done 
I'm sure it shouldn't be as much as this, but it is going to be well into the thousands .....
I'd expect that once a car is out of it's warranty period Lotus wont want to know, build fault or not
>> Edited by Zhastaph on Friday 7th January 12:58
I'm sure it shouldn't be as much as this, but it is going to be well into the thousands ..... I'd expect that once a car is out of it's warranty period Lotus wont want to know, build fault or not
>> Edited by Zhastaph on Friday 7th January 12:58
Rebuild costs are difficult to accurately predict, as its all dependent on what needs replacing. Mine was 6k but that included a lot of items that were not actually related to the rebuild - ie new clutch etc. Just made sense to do this whilst the car was in bits.
Although lotus will probably not confirm publicly, they HAVE made contributions to repairs done for leaking liners where the car IS out of warranty - only proviso is that the repairs are done within the authorised dealer network.
BTW all my running costs are in my profile, but bear in mind a lot of the costs are upgrades plus i was running the car as my only vehicle for several years..
Although lotus will probably not confirm publicly, they HAVE made contributions to repairs done for leaking liners where the car IS out of warranty - only proviso is that the repairs are done within the authorised dealer network.
BTW all my running costs are in my profile, but bear in mind a lot of the costs are upgrades plus i was running the car as my only vehicle for several years..
Gassing Station | Esprit | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff