s4 ownership advice?
Discussion
Any feed back apprciated. have owned many cars over the years and like to change often. always been a fan of lotus currently have a standard s1 elise and have had a 1978 esprit in the past(plus tvrs and things).
Was wondering if anyone out there has an elise and an s4 and could way up some pro's and con's of the driving side of the 2. because i will be selling the elise for the esprit.
I use a tvr wedge for track days and the elise occasionally. I love the way the elise handles and in the simple way it is so balenced. I'm just wondering how much i might miss this??
Any advice would be apprciated seeing as ive not driven an s4! and lets face its difficult to get full feel of a car on a test drive when buying one..
Was wondering if anyone out there has an elise and an s4 and could way up some pro's and con's of the driving side of the 2. because i will be selling the elise for the esprit.
I use a tvr wedge for track days and the elise occasionally. I love the way the elise handles and in the simple way it is so balenced. I'm just wondering how much i might miss this??
Any advice would be apprciated seeing as ive not driven an s4! and lets face its difficult to get full feel of a car on a test drive when buying one..
hi there
hope you dont mine me inputting here!
im a gt3 owner and a previous elise 111s owner.
your right about the elise, ive yet to grive another car that handles so well and is poised so beautifully. looks really dont do it for me now though.
i have had my gt3 since march now and although having a few problems, which were my own fault (brought in a hurry and with no real research), i am over the moon with it.
the torque is far better than the elise and the handling as far as i am aware is one of the best out of the esprits as it was designed for track days. the lightest of the esprits i think.
comes with 240bhp stock engine and can easily be modified to 280bhp with no problem with the weight of around 1200kg.
i cant really comment on the s4 though as i have never been in one but if your used to the chuckability of the elise then personally i would consider the gt3
heres what you need i think
look at the reviews too
www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/models.html
hope ive helped.
dave
>> Edited by DAVES_GT3 on Sunday 24th July 21:54
hope you dont mine me inputting here!
im a gt3 owner and a previous elise 111s owner.
your right about the elise, ive yet to grive another car that handles so well and is poised so beautifully. looks really dont do it for me now though.
i have had my gt3 since march now and although having a few problems, which were my own fault (brought in a hurry and with no real research), i am over the moon with it.
the torque is far better than the elise and the handling as far as i am aware is one of the best out of the esprits as it was designed for track days. the lightest of the esprits i think.
comes with 240bhp stock engine and can easily be modified to 280bhp with no problem with the weight of around 1200kg.
i cant really comment on the s4 though as i have never been in one but if your used to the chuckability of the elise then personally i would consider the gt3
heres what you need i think
look at the reviews too
www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/models.html
hope ive helped.
dave
>> Edited by DAVES_GT3 on Sunday 24th July 21:54
cheers dave
Im actually looking for a gt3 but there so rare and hard to find a good one i thought id say s4 to get a greater responce! Esprit world is a great site and have checked it out many times.
Im glad you can reasure me that the esprit is as rewarding fun as the elise in the feel aspects and you dont miss the elise too much!!!
Im actually looking for a gt3 but there so rare and hard to find a good one i thought id say s4 to get a greater responce! Esprit world is a great site and have checked it out many times.
Im glad you can reasure me that the esprit is as rewarding fun as the elise in the feel aspects and you dont miss the elise too much!!!
i dont miss the elise at all now. i was so gutted when i sold it. one of those situations where i wanted to sell it but when it had gone i wanted it back. i can honestly say the esprit is the most adictive car i have ever owned. no matter how many problems you have you will over come them. esprit is either in the blood or not.
make sure you either do your research on there problems or get it checked out.
personally id invest in freescan if you dont have it even before you buy the car and ask the owner if it is ok to do some tests on it. you wont go wrong that way.
history is essential too.
do you know your way around the esprit or not?
were abouts are you based?
dave
make sure you either do your research on there problems or get it checked out.
personally id invest in freescan if you dont have it even before you buy the car and ask the owner if it is ok to do some tests on it. you wont go wrong that way.
history is essential too.
do you know your way around the esprit or not?
were abouts are you based?
dave
based near stratford upon avon. Had a 1978 esprit before about 3 years ago but that was just getting the james bond fantasy out of my blood did a lot of work to it cambelt etc. But im fully aware its a completely diferent kettle of fish. But i am a huge esprit fan id love an early 80s turbo, but it will just be a pain cos of the age so i fancie a gt3/s4 because of the looks and performance for £ is awsome!
But whats a free scan? is a dignosis gizmo? whats the damage?
But whats a free scan? is a dignosis gizmo? whats the damage?
yer its similar to tech 1 what lotus use but better.
tells you all the sensor readings from the ecu.
fantastic bit of kit.
costs you a laptop and the freescan kit from LEW for £95 or if you want to try and do it cheap make a aldl lead from the laptop to your port on the car and download freescan for free. would advise buying the freescan booklet if you do it this way though.
which ever way you look at it, it could save you thousands literaly, wish id have known about it.
i know south west lotus centre have a green gt3 up for sale at £17999. they had it for about 3 months now. you can save a lot buying private but you can get bitten like i did. getting to the completion stage now though. 1997 older dash model with 58000 miles cost me £14500 which i thought was dirt cheap but i have spent £3k so far in three months.
all worth it though.
esprit owners are so helpful though thats one good thing.
you could always tag along at an esprit meeting if your up for it and bring your elise im sure people wouldnt mind.
theres one in oxford on the 21st august arranged by dermot ohare
here are the details:
LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting
21st August 2005
This years annual LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting will be held on Sunday 21st August 2005. Starting from around 10am in the Talk House carpark. The route and final destination will be different from last years events. Lotus have been invited to send down a representative, which hopefully will be accepted. More news here on the meet as we get it.
See detail of the last meeting here:
www.lotusespritworld.com/EOtherstuff/26Sept04_run.html
For directions to the Talk House use the route finder on www.theaa.com and for a map of it's where abouts use www.streetmap.co.uk entering the postcode.
Please email Dermot to confirm you are attending.
dermot.ohare@chemistry.oxford.ac.uk
The Talk House
Wheatley Road,
Stanton St. John
Oxford,
OX33 1EX
hope you dont mind me posting this deromt :s
Id certainly be willing to take you for a spin if you come and fill you in with what i know.
keep the esprit dream alive and real!
dave
tells you all the sensor readings from the ecu.
fantastic bit of kit.
costs you a laptop and the freescan kit from LEW for £95 or if you want to try and do it cheap make a aldl lead from the laptop to your port on the car and download freescan for free. would advise buying the freescan booklet if you do it this way though.
which ever way you look at it, it could save you thousands literaly, wish id have known about it.
i know south west lotus centre have a green gt3 up for sale at £17999. they had it for about 3 months now. you can save a lot buying private but you can get bitten like i did. getting to the completion stage now though. 1997 older dash model with 58000 miles cost me £14500 which i thought was dirt cheap but i have spent £3k so far in three months.
all worth it though.
esprit owners are so helpful though thats one good thing.
you could always tag along at an esprit meeting if your up for it and bring your elise im sure people wouldnt mind.
theres one in oxford on the 21st august arranged by dermot ohare
here are the details:
LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting
21st August 2005
This years annual LEW/Yahoo! Oxford Meeting will be held on Sunday 21st August 2005. Starting from around 10am in the Talk House carpark. The route and final destination will be different from last years events. Lotus have been invited to send down a representative, which hopefully will be accepted. More news here on the meet as we get it.
See detail of the last meeting here:
www.lotusespritworld.com/EOtherstuff/26Sept04_run.html
For directions to the Talk House use the route finder on www.theaa.com and for a map of it's where abouts use www.streetmap.co.uk entering the postcode.
Please email Dermot to confirm you are attending.
dermot.ohare@chemistry.oxford.ac.uk
The Talk House
Wheatley Road,
Stanton St. John
Oxford,
OX33 1EX
hope you dont mind me posting this deromt :s
Id certainly be willing to take you for a spin if you come and fill you in with what i know.
keep the esprit dream alive and real!
dave
I've been very lucky with my S4. Always loved Esprits, i did the wrong thing by reading a little about them & buying the first one i saw, got away with it though, its been pretty bomb proof. Unlike say a mondeo where the cost is in the daily depreciation, with the S4 if you buy right the only costs are in the running expences. Ive had mine nearly 3 years & i could sell it tomorrow for exactly what i paid for it.
Servicing costs are reasonable, i use Esprit Engineering & will never take the car anywhere else. You will get little probs though & all i can say is stay on top of them because in 2 weeks time another something small will happen & then you have 2 probs to sort...& then 3... keep on top of them & you'll be grinning when ever you open the garage.
The performance is mental. As you prob know the 0-60 is 4.7. The real performance however is in the 3rd gear overtaking, say 60mph to 90, blasting past 7 or 8 cars at a time on a nice sweeping A road, nothing better.
I've never had an Elise but cars similar, with the Esprit its road presence. People point, kids give you the thumbs up, girls say oh i dont like the colour. But everyone notices, you cant pick your nose in it for sure.
your heart will tell you if its right for you or not mate. DO IT!
See you at Oxford....
>> Edited by Splodge S4 on Monday 25th July 08:46
Servicing costs are reasonable, i use Esprit Engineering & will never take the car anywhere else. You will get little probs though & all i can say is stay on top of them because in 2 weeks time another something small will happen & then you have 2 probs to sort...& then 3... keep on top of them & you'll be grinning when ever you open the garage.
The performance is mental. As you prob know the 0-60 is 4.7. The real performance however is in the 3rd gear overtaking, say 60mph to 90, blasting past 7 or 8 cars at a time on a nice sweeping A road, nothing better.
I've never had an Elise but cars similar, with the Esprit its road presence. People point, kids give you the thumbs up, girls say oh i dont like the colour. But everyone notices, you cant pick your nose in it for sure.
your heart will tell you if its right for you or not mate. DO IT!
See you at Oxford....
>> Edited by Splodge S4 on Monday 25th July 08:46
It is difficult not to buy the first one you see, purely because you dont see many of them around. I was lucky, Dave seems to have had a few probs, ive been following your posts on other threads.
If you can i'd say dont buy yet but try & get up to Oxford for the meet, you will know so much more about the cars afterwards, theres normally 40 or 50 cars there, maybe even a few for sale. Good luck!
If you can i'd say dont buy yet but try & get up to Oxford for the meet, you will know so much more about the cars afterwards, theres normally 40 or 50 cars there, maybe even a few for sale. Good luck!
Putting it in the diary! as you can see i have a mad wedge for track action so i like cars with pop up lights and pointy noises! yes the tvr is ugly as sin!!
really looking for a yellow or orange gt3 or s4 not much about at the mo but im prepared to find the right one..
have you seen the beautiful orginal turbo at www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk (white james bond job 14k) id love one of these having had an old esprit before but i think you'd just be to scared to drive it cos of the age its going to be fragile!!
really looking for a yellow or orange gt3 or s4 not much about at the mo but im prepared to find the right one..
have you seen the beautiful orginal turbo at www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk (white james bond job 14k) id love one of these having had an old esprit before but i think you'd just be to scared to drive it cos of the age its going to be fragile!!
After having the cars you have had you know what these things are like to live with better than most potential buyers.
Its not at all 'Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious' as some belive, more like 'Loves Overtaking, Usually Speeding'. Looking forward to seeing you all at Oxford. We are entering the Britball run the week after so my S4 wont be as it normally is, you will notice it though.... definately & you buggers better not laugh to much.... nuff said!
Its not at all 'Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious' as some belive, more like 'Loves Overtaking, Usually Speeding'. Looking forward to seeing you all at Oxford. We are entering the Britball run the week after so my S4 wont be as it normally is, you will notice it though.... definately & you buggers better not laugh to much.... nuff said!
I agree about the LOTUS quote. Mine was just not looked after mechanicly by the last owner but body work wise it is A1 and the mechanical side of things is 99% there now so im loving every minute of it.
Come to Oxford, i have a yellow GT3, loved it ever since i set eyes on it!
It keeps me from spending money on the women! Just the car. lol
dave
Come to Oxford, i have a yellow GT3, loved it ever since i set eyes on it!
It keeps me from spending money on the women! Just the car. lol
dave
Dave...
I notice in the pic in your profile you dont have a front plate, was that just when the pic was taken or is it always like that?
Reason i ask is i have a sitcker front plate on the front spoiler by the grill, it really faces up not forwards & its about 6 inches long. Never been pulled in 2 years, been followed a few times by the bill but the rear plate is normal so i suppose i may have just been lucky. Wondered if you were the same?
I notice in the pic in your profile you dont have a front plate, was that just when the pic was taken or is it always like that?
Reason i ask is i have a sitcker front plate on the front spoiler by the grill, it really faces up not forwards & its about 6 inches long. Never been pulled in 2 years, been followed a few times by the bill but the rear plate is normal so i suppose i may have just been lucky. Wondered if you were the same?
hi
That pic was taken not long after i had the car and the previous owner had attached the nuber plate to the grill/mesh with cable ties on the front.
It looked neet apart from the ties but the plate wasnt central because it hit the tow hook. Needed to be a smaller plate to make it central. I moved it back to its normal position when my private plate come through because i was worried about restricted air flow to the radiator and id already had the front plate made the same size so it wouldnt have been central.
oh well enough of me babbling on..
It did look smart on the grill tho i must admit. Out of the way but still visable and leagl i presume
dave
That pic was taken not long after i had the car and the previous owner had attached the nuber plate to the grill/mesh with cable ties on the front.
It looked neet apart from the ties but the plate wasnt central because it hit the tow hook. Needed to be a smaller plate to make it central. I moved it back to its normal position when my private plate come through because i was worried about restricted air flow to the radiator and id already had the front plate made the same size so it wouldnt have been central.
oh well enough of me babbling on..
It did look smart on the grill tho i must admit. Out of the way but still visable and leagl i presume
dave
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