Thinking of buying an Esprit

[CB154]

Hi, I was looking for some help. I am thinking of buying an Esprit but wondered wether you could all offer some assistance in terms of witch one offers the best value / fun (V8 or Turbo) which mark to go S4 or GT

so many options avaialble and any help would be appreciated.

thanks

[karluk29]

i have a gt3 4 pot and its the most reliable esprit there is, so
if you want to use it everyday etc etc gt3 is the way to go. and
if you chip it, it will be easily as fast as a s4 and better handling.

v8, well ALOT of ppl have sold there v8's for 4 pots as the power doesnt
come in when required out of corners etc etc,,,but in a straight line
on the staights its awesome

s4/s4s - very quick 4 pots and can be chipped to even faster, pretty
reliable aswell, dont know much about them to be honest

my gt3 returns about 23mpg so economical aswell, and parts are CHEAP

[okc-esprit]

karluk29 said:

parts are CHEAP

That's a relative term. I didn't consider the cost of repairing a cracked exhaust manifold cheap and the repairs were about half the price of a new manifold. Perhaps compared to other exotics the Esprit is cheap.

[Dr.Hess]

Hey Bill:

This wasn't that expensive (relatively speaking and completely ignoring my own labor costs):


It was a tremendous PITA, though. My welding experiments with the cracked original one (4 places) were not entirely successful. 3 welds held, one cracked next to the weld. Next time I weld cast like that, I add in the step of heating the welds cherry red with my rose tip torch, then letting it cool overnight. Oh well. I like the new one.

Dr.Hess

[GKP]

karluk29 said:

v8, well ALOT of ppl have sold there v8's for 4 pots as the power doesnt come in when required out of corners etc etc,,,but in a straight line on the staights its awesome

I'm sorry, WHAT??

You must move in different social circles to me. I don't know anyone that has downgraded to a four pot after owning a V8.
The V8 is much easier to drive. Smooth relentless power in any gear.

A four pot? Lethargic and wheezy. Nothing, nothing, nothing oooh hang on, here it comes...whoosh. Gone. Next gear, nothing, nothing etc etc.

The four cylinder cars are great if you drive at 100% everywhere. If, however, you are like me and don't have your own private racetrack, the V8 is the most suited to everyday driving and will make mincemeat out of most other cars on the road.
Once you've had enough of overtaking everything and just want to get home, the V8 will take you there with minimum of fuss and effort.

[karluk29]

i know of 2 ppl that have gone from v8 to 4 pots, just for
the fun factor of it, i have never driven a v8 so im going on
there word. they mentioned that the v8 when going around lanes
wasnt as snappy out of the bends.

hey i drive at 20mph so ppl stare, bahahaha, isnt that the whole
idea of owning a esprit lol. well i suppose mine is a little different
to the original mould.

as for parts, its not horrendous at all i dont think, compared to
say my misses veilside supra its a fraction of the price on 95% of
wearable parts, my front break pads cost me £20 thats cheaper than
a focus isnt it. and oil filters come in at a massive £3 as there off
a cortina bahahaha. its knowing where to look i suppose

[cnh1990]

Do you plan to maintain it yourself or send it out?

[karluk29]

if you send it to a lotus garage for everything it gets
silly money i think, they are no different to a normal man
in a garage, example (supplied and fitted):-

front brake pads = lotus garage (not named) £210

my friends garage = £20 (takes under 10mins)

same as air filter a lotus one is something silly like
£60 and a k&n (which will last forever basically) £55
and 1 min to throw in. WHY go to lotus specialist i say.
even if you are MINTED, money is money

[cross-eyed-twit]

can't argue with that...

got an 'A' service from the then SGT dealership, about £410 if memory serves. Geoff did one for about £150.

Really, you can't argue with that.

db

[pitstopete69]

I am told a problem with the V8 is that the ECU spends most of the time restricting the boost in order to limit power/torque blowing the gearbox to bits.

Spend some money on sorting the box, sort the rubbishness of the ecu and the problem is solved. I've talked to people who really know the gearbox differences and the V8/later boxes are the worst, theres design flaws a plenty. They are not all the same through the range. Also, all important internal gearbox parts DO NOT differ from standard Renault parts, they may have LOTUS stamped on them, but they have been tested and found to be no better.

The best thing I have seen done is a completely new bespoke kit for the internals, with massively strong shafts, dog engagement, six speed straight cut gear set in the centre part of the box (where 1st to 4th and rev. are, then the new reverse is in the back where 5th was. it all just works so well.
The basic V8 engine is massively detuned from its projected potential (why arent they all at least 500+ HP as standard?, answer:- that'll be the lack of gearboxes from Renualt and lack of new gearbox development towards at the Esprits' final death.

For me, I'd rather have an engine I know all about and have lots of bits for, a 4 cyl. turbo engine with some actual boost, not some technology restricting possibly a superb engine. with a few sensible tweeks, they are just as fast it seems.

[stals v8]

ECU or not i own a v8 esprit & all who slag the gear box off all the time have been spending to much time reading mag's & not owning a V8

If you know how to drive the car & feed the power without being silly, the gearbox is fine, & 350 bhp & a sub 5 second 0-60 still makes many cars that cost 70k+ or more look stupid.

This car packs its hardest punch at over 120mph so gear box or not,this cars fast........very fast

So all who dont own a V8 can babble on about poor gear boxes & say that it doesnt sound as good as an F355 etc.........buts that'l be little consolation when there eating lotus dust!!

[cross-eyed-twit]

I agree with the fact the box is the limiting factor here. It is. There is a new kit from Derek Bell (not the racer) and for a few grand the thing will handle 500 hp as it does in his Lola (GT40 type thing) with a hefty Yank V8. His has lasted 5 years with standing starts etc and over 400 torques. If I were to do it again I would get an inexpensive 4 pot and get the transplanted internals straight away.
Sort the linkage and clutch and (fingers crossed) it would be bullet proof.
As is I have a S4 and a second gear replaced. I now drive with what I call mechanical sympathy for the synchros, ie let them do their job and once engaged the gears work fine. Tweek it too much, get too many torques and I will need a new set.
Still, goes like the clappers and is still eminently tweekable. I am sorting the fuel and timing (which is retarded for emission using different pulleys etc) and its reasonably affordable at the mo.
I just have to remove the damn alarm as it goes off all the time, perhaps an alternator charging problem that it doesn't like. Or I have a rat in the garage...

[DVR]

stals v8 said:

So all who dont own a V8 can babble on about poor gear boxes & say that it doesnt sound as good as an F355 etc.........buts that'l be little consolation when there eating lotus dust!!

Totaly agree , I own two V8's , gearbox is fine and smooth.
It is really strange to always read comments regarding the gearbox.
They are fine and no problem to handle the factory torque/power set up.
Car is fantastic to drive and gives tremendous pleasure.

I remember when Porsche had the 915 gearbox in the 911 Carrera 3.2, it too was at the limit. But it worked as well as the gearbox in the Esprit V8. At the limit is ok if it is not "over" the limit.

[kmaier]

I've owned a V8 for over 4 years now and bought it new. I've since put on over 61K miles... they're not perfect, and I know it. Most dealers are not capable of doing reasonable work on them and the factory has it's share of assorted problems from poor quality parts to basic manufacturing problems.... and I've had many of all of these.

The gearbox is generally fine for the stock setup, but I believe most complaints which are gearbox related are usually caused by the clutch. My splines were rusted badly which fried the original gearbox in less than 18K miles. It was replaced with a rebuilt under warranty and the clutch splines were never cleaned and the new spline never lubed so it did it again. Fortunately I caught it and fixed it at 42K miles. I've also found this on other V8 cars as well. Also note that the bleeding and adjustment of the pedal is also more critical on the V8 due to the very small amount of travel required by the clutch and that fact that it has a very narrow friction band.

Other related problems have been:

cooling fans, two of them while under warranty
radiator at 15K miles... corroded from the solder seam on one end tank.. leaked
several AC related problems: 2 compressors, 4 sets of manifold pipes, etc.
two exhaust heat shields - they just crack and rattle
alternator - known to be poor quality
exhaust systems.. at least 4 of them while under warranty, they are junk

In short, it's a great driver's car and mostly well sorted. You have to fix the shortcomings if you plan on long term ownership and many miles. The coolant tank in the rear of mine eventually started loosing it's seal on the cap... it lost pressure once, I caught the temp gauge running up and quickly shut it down but too late... liner sealant compromised... ouch! It's been band-aided with Bahr's Leak for now but the engine gets yanked this year for resealing the liners and some upgrades. I'll be tossing the plastic tank for a custom alloy unit and have done numerous cooling system upgrades to ensure temp regulation over a wide variety of conditions.

Overall, still love the car and will not part with it. When it's running right, it's very, very quick... and I've kept up with Vipers, Gallardos, outran many Ferraris and Vettes (Z06 inlcuded) and it's still fun to drive.

Regards, KM
2000 V8

[superdave]

I have owned a 1990 carb turbo which Ireally loved. Did lots of work on it. Owned for about two years. I have also owned an S4s, nice car but a little over rated IMO. No difference between an S4 but with a huge price tag. I now have a V8 GT which is the dogs b*****ks. If things go wrong though, you'll end up with a serious garage bill. It hasn't put me off upto now...

I have a S4 for sale with 54K and FSH. Twin exit stainless steel exhaust just fitted. It's black with charcoal interior. PNM Hi-Spec front brake upgrade kit with new billet alloy calipers. PNM rear brake upgrade with Brembo rear caliper as found on V8's. Selling lower than going rate for quick sale. Email me if you are interested.


Dave

[CB154]

OK thanks for all your replies so far this has been a great help. Basically then I am edging towards the V8 given the replies I have had this seems the better option !!

Any thoughts as to best route to take in tracking a good one down. I have a 20k budget which I think should be ok to get a good quality one with full service history e.t.c I have a seen a few on top marques which a 96 is advetised for 17k is this about the right sort of money to paying ?

again i have had so much advice but any further thoughts would be great.

thanks

[superdave]

Early V8's steer clear as they problems. Try and buy a later one if you can afford it otherwise buy a 4 cylinder. There are one or two good early V8's but most owners have kept hold of them.


Dave

[superdave]

Just incase you consider a 4 cylinder then I just picked this one up today. Wheels are not everyone's cup of tea but if they are then these are being sold seperately.


Here's a link if the pics don't work
http://community.webshots.com/user/superdavelotus

[snuffy]

Over the last 14 years I've owned an NA, a Turbo, a GT3 and now a Sport 350. Which one do you reckon I think is the best ?