questions about 95 lotus esprit s4s

[motley]

new here, hello everyone, i may be buying a 95 lotus esprit s4s but am having second thoughts, i have been into american cars all my life but now want to try something different, the car has 30,000 very easy 1 owner miles on it, so mechanicly its very solid, my questions are is this a type of car i can take out and romp on it with out having to worry about something breaking? not that im going to do that but i want to know if it can handle a hard drive every now and then, also are theese cars reliable? can i go on a worry free 3 hour drive with out thinking something bad will happen, are they good daily drivers? is there anything i should know about buying a 95 esprit, were there problems or issues with the 95 model year, thanks guys looking forward to posting and learning alot here

[ErnestM]

As referenced in another post:

www.espritfactfile.com

Karl owns a 95 S4s and has documented a lot of things about the vehicle. He also has managed to rack up quite a few miles on his car and you can't tell it by looking at it. It's pristine.

I would have any purchase looked at by a local Lotus mechanic, or if you don't have one close by, maybe a Lotus Ltd member in the area.

Cheers

ErnestM

[jk1]

motley said:

my questions are is this a type of car i can take out and romp on it with out having to worry about something breaking? not that im going to do that but i want to know if it can handle a hard drive every now and then, also are theese cars reliable? can i go on a worry free 3 hour drive with out thinking something bad will happen, are they good daily drivers? is there anything i should know about buying a 95 esprit,

Depends on what you mean by "romp on it". You don't want to drop the clutch from a standstill or slam the shifts between gears (particularly 1st/2nd) but the Esprit is very capable when it comes to "spirited" driving for which it was designed. My friends know I'm not one to shy away from exploring the acceleration limits of my S4s on a regular basis. As one of our S.Fla enthusiasts who shall remain anonymous (KM)says "it just doesn't feel like a good drive unless I crack 100 mph", and I aspire to that philosophy sometimes as well.......

A lot of us take our cars on long distance drives quite frequently. That shouldn't be a problem as long as the car is in good repair.

Keep in mind though that you are buying a 10-11 year old car and no matter how well it's been kept, there will always be continuing maintenance and replacement of old/worn parts. It helps a great deal if you are able to do some or all of the work yourself. If you have any mechanical ability and the service notes/parts manual, most repairs/maintenance can be handled without a trip to the mechanic. The Esprit is not any more difficult to work on than most other cars, just a little tight on space in some areas.

I will say that I believe buying an older Esprit is a commitment and you will be rewarded if you go into it with that frame of mind. You have to meticulously follow the maintenance schedules, give it some TLC and drive it regularly as they do love to be driven.

As was said already, if possible have it inspected by someone who knows these cars.

Good luck in your search and hope this helps.

Jim
95 S4s

[mikelr]

Motely,

All I have to say is that the 95' model year is probably one of the most reliable Esprit's made.
If it was well cared for you can't go wrong.


Mike R.
94'S4 NY/NJ LEO

[superdave]

My advise is that if your into a certain type of car then stick with it. If you like american, german or Japanese type cars then I think you may be dissappointed. Not saying that any others are better but the trim build quality on a pre 98 cars aren't as good. The interior in particular squeeks and rattles a bit. The mechanics though are good.
I love Esprits as a childhood dream and Iam on my third and love every minute of ownership. I've had a lot more ups than downs. All three Esprits have not been any real problems. The newer I've had have been less problems.

Hope this helps a little,


Dave Walters

[DAVES_GT3]

Sound advice Dave,

Unless you have a real passion for Esprit the id be tempted too to stick to what you love. Ive had a few problems with mine but loved every minute of working on it getting it fixed. The ups sure out way the downs.

Its more of a relationship with these cars....... or is that me being sad :O lol

regards
Dave

[Paula&Marcus]

Hi,
First I want to express that the S4s is a very good Esprit model, there is hardly any other 4-Cylinder Esprit model that is built that well like the S4s. (Apart from the crap clutch maybe ... ;o)

On the other side the Esprit is quite a fragile machine, its very very different to all this american iron machines. You have to understand these cars and treat them well otherwise you may wreck it within minutes. You have to understand how it is driven well without damaging or wearing some parts too much. For example:
- clutch: dont overheat it, dont drop it
- 1st and 2nd gear: dont abuse it, take yourself time to shift from 1st to 2nd !!! All the problems with 2nd gear failure are mistreatment related IMHO
- ....

These cars are for people who are somekind of sensitive people ... driving an Esprit properly (this does NOT mean driving it like your grandma) is like a perfect comunication between driver and machine. There is no such thing like force involved. If you force it too much you will wear it too much or you will break it.

If you feel that you have the sense for it ... go for it, treat it well and you will love it !

Cheers
Marcus (www.PUKesprit.de)

[fflyingdog]

Hi
I have a 19995 S45s in Black and all would add to the above posts is to treat her like a lady and she will please (not being sexist)....but abuse and miss service intervals etc and she WILL bite you back, at the end of the day its a machine and as with all machines they do break.....just that the Esprit can be expensive if you dont note little noises that suddenly appear,dont worry you do get to know the individual 'quirks' of your particular machine.
Nick s4s

[motley]

thanks for the replys, i am a easy driver and not a hot rodder so dumping the clutch is not something i will be doing at all, also i am very good with cars so working on it and doing service will not be a problem, just wanted to get some of your opinions on a few things before i do buy it, i think im gonna go for it, i will let you all know when i get it..thanks