V8 Buying Tips Please
Discussion
Hi,
this is my first post on the forum and I would like to ask all you nice chaps out there for some advice,
I have been fortunate enough to come into some money and I am planning on spending between £20-£25k on a car.
I have been looking around and the choice of fast cars out there for this sort of money is scary!?!
I am off to have a look at a '96 Esprit V8 tomorrow thats been advertised for £18,999 and would be very greatfull if any of you lotus owners out there could give me some tips on what to look out for.
Cheers,
Ste.
this is my first post on the forum and I would like to ask all you nice chaps out there for some advice,
I have been fortunate enough to come into some money and I am planning on spending between £20-£25k on a car.
I have been looking around and the choice of fast cars out there for this sort of money is scary!?!
I am off to have a look at a '96 Esprit V8 tomorrow thats been advertised for £18,999 and would be very greatfull if any of you lotus owners out there could give me some tips on what to look out for.
Cheers,
Ste.
I'll get in before everyone else to suggest the buying guides here are dead handy. Comes with a useful checklist of things to check on Esprits. Sadly, I've no experience with the things myself, so I can't give you any more advice!
(The don't seem to have a V8 specific buying guide either).
Dan
Usual rules apply as with all used car purchases. A big file of all the invoices and lavish maintenance record at a main dealer is what you really need to see. If not a dealer, then a reputable specialist.
A v8 costs a lot to maintain, so if the previous owner has cut corners you are the one who'll end up paying to get things sorted out.
Fresh mot would be essential. Catalysts can fail - the v8 has two (one each side) which will set you back 800 each side PLUS fitting. A recent mot emissions check will show that these are still ok. Check when the cambelt and clutch were last changed. Cambelts are due every 24k miles on a v8. Approx cost is 700/800 just for the belt change, plus the normal service etc. Clutches last well, but are expensive to change if they do fail. The clutch itself is around 800 quid, plus fitting. Main dealer will charge approx 1400 all in for clutch.
Some early cars (mine included) had piston liners that leaked. Check that its had any necessary rectification work done. Ask the owner if he/she ever has to top up the coolant. If they say "yes, regularly" then walk away.
Gearboxes are fine in normal use but if the PO liked to go dragracing then 2nd gear synchro could be mashed (common problem with abusive drivers). Check for smooth operation of gear changing and no crunching.
The exhaust is prone to cracking, especially if not fitted correctly. Easily fixed if you know someone who can weld, but can be good negotiating point if the one you're looking at has a rattly box. A new one will be 400 ish from a dealer.
Tyres, obviously. Rears are around 220 each. Fronts 120 or so depends on make etc.
The pre-98 cars had the old style interior, but i guess you knew this already. May be harder to resell?
Are you totally set on a v8? For your budget you may only find tatty problematic v8's and for the same money you may be better with an immaculate 4 cylinder car? The GT3 from 98 on had the newer interior and still does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds. Autocar actually prefer this to the v8 in terms of handling finesse/balance.
Finally (!) whatever you do, DON'T buy the first one you look at. Take your time, drive lots of cars before making your choice. Its very easy to get seduced by the first sexy car you see and logic goes out of the window
Join the yahoo group:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/UKLotusEsprit/
Feel free to ask any specific questions. I'm on my second esprit (a 98 V8-GT) having run a GT3 before this. All my v8 costs are in my profile for reference.
cheers
Rob
A v8 costs a lot to maintain, so if the previous owner has cut corners you are the one who'll end up paying to get things sorted out.
Fresh mot would be essential. Catalysts can fail - the v8 has two (one each side) which will set you back 800 each side PLUS fitting. A recent mot emissions check will show that these are still ok. Check when the cambelt and clutch were last changed. Cambelts are due every 24k miles on a v8. Approx cost is 700/800 just for the belt change, plus the normal service etc. Clutches last well, but are expensive to change if they do fail. The clutch itself is around 800 quid, plus fitting. Main dealer will charge approx 1400 all in for clutch.
Some early cars (mine included) had piston liners that leaked. Check that its had any necessary rectification work done. Ask the owner if he/she ever has to top up the coolant. If they say "yes, regularly" then walk away.
Gearboxes are fine in normal use but if the PO liked to go dragracing then 2nd gear synchro could be mashed (common problem with abusive drivers). Check for smooth operation of gear changing and no crunching.
The exhaust is prone to cracking, especially if not fitted correctly. Easily fixed if you know someone who can weld, but can be good negotiating point if the one you're looking at has a rattly box. A new one will be 400 ish from a dealer.
Tyres, obviously. Rears are around 220 each. Fronts 120 or so depends on make etc.
The pre-98 cars had the old style interior, but i guess you knew this already. May be harder to resell?
Are you totally set on a v8? For your budget you may only find tatty problematic v8's and for the same money you may be better with an immaculate 4 cylinder car? The GT3 from 98 on had the newer interior and still does 0-60 in less than 4 seconds. Autocar actually prefer this to the v8 in terms of handling finesse/balance.
Finally (!) whatever you do, DON'T buy the first one you look at. Take your time, drive lots of cars before making your choice. Its very easy to get seduced by the first sexy car you see and logic goes out of the window
Join the yahoo group:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/UKLotusEsprit/
Feel free to ask any specific questions. I'm on my second esprit (a 98 V8-GT) having run a GT3 before this. All my v8 costs are in my profile for reference.
cheers
Rob
I would concur with Dan and suggest getting the checklist and be familiar with it prior to the viewing. I suspect I know the car you will be viewing (green?) and if I recall it has high milage. Either way I would suggest viewing as many as possible and reading all the reviews on this site.
I bought my V8 in October and although paying over the odds for her, she had next to no mileage, full Lotus history and had been cherished - the interior is immaculate.
I think I viewed about 5 Esprits in total and the range of condition was clear. For example I saw one alleged directors car which upon enquiry with Hethel proved to be nothing of the kind - the VIN number suggested it was LHD and as such it was probably a tester for different LHD interiors. Be wary of 'directors cars' as often they will not be. Hethel mentioned that test cars will either have very low mileage or very high mileage but not an average. This one (P504PPW) was frankly a bit dodgy, had dubious history and I was test driving it with the check engine light permanently on! However the dealer was very accomodating and we spent pretty much 3 hours crawling over her - since it was my first experience of Esprits, I was grateful but it was far too much of a risk.
Another I saw (actually the titamiunm one on the owners page - Carson?) had its rims absolutely mashed and a number of scratches. It was just about to be sold but I took a drive and it did feel nice.
Eventually I bought my current Esprit and I am delighted with her. Old interior but as I say immaculate and virtually a scratch free exterior. According to Bell and Colvill, she has had a very easy life. In addition the previous owner had just retired from my airline so we are still in touch and he misses her desperately!
Please feel free to e-mail me if you want anymore tips, etc. If you have any reservations about the car, walk away - there are lots out there, including your one!!!
Kind regards
Edward
I bought my V8 in October and although paying over the odds for her, she had next to no mileage, full Lotus history and had been cherished - the interior is immaculate.
I think I viewed about 5 Esprits in total and the range of condition was clear. For example I saw one alleged directors car which upon enquiry with Hethel proved to be nothing of the kind - the VIN number suggested it was LHD and as such it was probably a tester for different LHD interiors. Be wary of 'directors cars' as often they will not be. Hethel mentioned that test cars will either have very low mileage or very high mileage but not an average. This one (P504PPW) was frankly a bit dodgy, had dubious history and I was test driving it with the check engine light permanently on! However the dealer was very accomodating and we spent pretty much 3 hours crawling over her - since it was my first experience of Esprits, I was grateful but it was far too much of a risk.
Another I saw (actually the titamiunm one on the owners page - Carson?) had its rims absolutely mashed and a number of scratches. It was just about to be sold but I took a drive and it did feel nice.
Eventually I bought my current Esprit and I am delighted with her. Old interior but as I say immaculate and virtually a scratch free exterior. According to Bell and Colvill, she has had a very easy life. In addition the previous owner had just retired from my airline so we are still in touch and he misses her desperately!
Please feel free to e-mail me if you want anymore tips, etc. If you have any reservations about the car, walk away - there are lots out there, including your one!!!
Kind regards
Edward
Steve
If you have a look on my site, www.adrianmugridge.co.uk you'll find all the running costs for my GT3. I suspect it's going to be about the same for a V8, maybe a bit less. I see you are in Manchester, where abouts is the car you are going to look at ?
Adrian 97GT3
Chester
If you have a look on my site, www.adrianmugridge.co.uk you'll find all the running costs for my GT3. I suspect it's going to be about the same for a V8, maybe a bit less. I see you are in Manchester, where abouts is the car you are going to look at ?
Adrian 97GT3
Chester
Thanks for all the helpfull tips lads!!!
I whent to see the V8 on Saturday afternoon and it was Green. It also had a V8SE spoiler fitted though it didnt have the brake light in it which I thought was a bit tacky! The dealer that was selling it was 'S cars' in Shaw, near Oldham.
There were a few things that I didnt like about the car. When we try'd lifting the bonnet it cought on the sun roof?!? Should this happen?? It was nearly ready for a set of rear tyres. And when he took me out in it, he drove it very slowly and didnt want to give it any stick. When I asked him to, he said that he didnt want to push it when it was cold?!? Funny as It was just being driven into the garage when I turned up and the temp gauge was at normal running temp!!
Anyway I did the right thing and walked away.
But what a stunning looking car!!
I think Im going to try taking a look at a few more V8's and a few S4S's and GT3's. May think about upping my budjet and looking at a few post '98 V8's.
Cheers again, will let you know how the hunting goes.
Ste.
I whent to see the V8 on Saturday afternoon and it was Green. It also had a V8SE spoiler fitted though it didnt have the brake light in it which I thought was a bit tacky! The dealer that was selling it was 'S cars' in Shaw, near Oldham.
There were a few things that I didnt like about the car. When we try'd lifting the bonnet it cought on the sun roof?!? Should this happen?? It was nearly ready for a set of rear tyres. And when he took me out in it, he drove it very slowly and didnt want to give it any stick. When I asked him to, he said that he didnt want to push it when it was cold?!? Funny as It was just being driven into the garage when I turned up and the temp gauge was at normal running temp!!
Anyway I did the right thing and walked away.
But what a stunning looking car!!
I think Im going to try taking a look at a few more V8's and a few S4S's and GT3's. May think about upping my budjet and looking at a few post '98 V8's.
Cheers again, will let you know how the hunting goes.
Ste.
Well done Steve on resisting tempatation and walking. As the other chaps have mentioned, it is normal and not recommended to open the engine cover and it hit an open sun roof. The dealer clearly did not know Esprits...
As an aside, does anyone else (Rob?) have difficulty getting the roof cover into the boot. I have tried once and had no joy. Queried it with Bell & Colvill and they checked the car as some had a design problem meaning that it would not fit. Mine is OK but I still have had problems. Any tips?
Keep searching for YOUR car. I did most of mine on the internet by setting up 15 sites in my internet favourites for quick searching. Most of the time was spent at the main dealers and predominently Autotrader which often seemed to have new cars appearing.
For your information the cars I viewed were:
P504PPW - LRG
X414XCL - Silver
S957SCL - Titanium
A Black one near Beaconsfield!
And Lottie(My one!)
By the end I knew most of the nooks and crannies of an Esprit and could guage quality and care of ownership. Since I could trust the former owner of Lottie and Bell & Colvill gave the FULL low down on the car (warts and all as they had done all the work on her) I finally did not conduct a survey but that would be a recommendation in almost any other situation - B&C said they would give a car a going over for about £140 that should uncover any problems - they have a good V8 man there.
Keen to hear how you get on and next time I am near Manchester, I would love to see the result of your search!
Kind regards,
Edward
As an aside, does anyone else (Rob?) have difficulty getting the roof cover into the boot. I have tried once and had no joy. Queried it with Bell & Colvill and they checked the car as some had a design problem meaning that it would not fit. Mine is OK but I still have had problems. Any tips?
Keep searching for YOUR car. I did most of mine on the internet by setting up 15 sites in my internet favourites for quick searching. Most of the time was spent at the main dealers and predominently Autotrader which often seemed to have new cars appearing.
For your information the cars I viewed were:
P504PPW - LRG
X414XCL - Silver
S957SCL - Titanium
A Black one near Beaconsfield!
And Lottie(My one!)
By the end I knew most of the nooks and crannies of an Esprit and could guage quality and care of ownership. Since I could trust the former owner of Lottie and Bell & Colvill gave the FULL low down on the car (warts and all as they had done all the work on her) I finally did not conduct a survey but that would be a recommendation in almost any other situation - B&C said they would give a car a going over for about £140 that should uncover any problems - they have a good V8 man there.
Keen to hear how you get on and next time I am near Manchester, I would love to see the result of your search!
Kind regards,
Edward
u769345 said: ...
As an aside, does anyone else (Rob?) have difficulty getting the roof cover into the boot.
No, just takes practice
there is a good diagram in your owners manual - suggest you try it a few times in private before trying to stow the roof say, outside a crowded pub or similar - saves embarrassment ! BTW, cars registered PPW (like james bonds) or ending CL are norfolk area registrations, so these will probably have been registered by the factory. That may be good on one level, as the car may have been in a magazine, but may also mean that its been thrashed mercilessly in its early life by journos. I recently had a look at S964SCL which is a sport350 (it was for sale in a local independent). It was in several of the magazines back in 98.
Quick search on the web and here you go, a short vid of it being thrashed at hethel!
www.racecar.co.uk/roadtest/e2.mpg
Putting the sun roof in the boot is an illegence test, I've been at it 11 years and I've just got the hang of it. Always put it in the bag and make sure the fixing are facing upwards, otherwise they catch on all sorts of bits and bobs. I find it easiest to put a corner of it as far in as it will go towards the battery and then work it from there.
Adrian
97Gt3
Adrian
97Gt3
Soz for the confusion Adrian,
I called it the bonnet because it covers the engine.
The sunroof was shut when he opened the boot(bonnet).
I guese the sunroof must have been taken out and not fitted back properly. To be honest i dont think the dealer did rearly no much about esprits.
Edward, could you let me know what the 15 sites were that you set up in your favourites?
I will keep you all updated on my progres!
I called it the bonnet because it covers the engine. The sunroof was shut when he opened the boot(bonnet).
I guese the sunroof must have been taken out and not fitted back properly. To be honest i dont think the dealer did rearly no much about esprits.
Edward, could you let me know what the 15 sites were that you set up in your favourites?
I will keep you all updated on my progres!
wYeah sure, no problem...
www.sjsportscars.co.uk/home
www.lotuscarsales.com/stock.htm
data.uksportscars.com:8080/ecars/uksportscars/body_sales_stock.html
www.christopherneil.co.uk
www.findit.co.uk/cars/lotus/esprit
www.kentsportscars.co.uk/cars.html
www.maidstonesportscars.co.uk/service/lotus.asp
www.pistonheads.com/lotus/esprit/owners.asp
www.lotussource.com
www.nickwhale.co.uk/sportscars/
www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/car_reviews/main_review.asp
www.bell-colvill.co.uk/Lotus/Lotus_main.htm
www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk
www.petersmithsportscars.com
www.sgt.co.uk
www.strattonmotorcompany.com/LotusUsedCars-List.html
www.espritfactfile.com
www.thlotuscentre.co.uk
www.synter.co.uk
www.fabcars20.co.uk/lotusfc.htm
www.hrowensportscars
www.williamsautomobiles.com/used_lotus/html/carlist.html
www.eaglef1.com
www.british-cars.co.uk
www.lotuscarclub.com
www.seloc.org
www.uslot.org
There you have it. All my Lotus favourites. I think the Lotus source site is shutting down which is a shame as there is a lovely picture of a black esprit there!
Basically I tended to keep an eye on all the sites and the main dealers I also registered an interest with hoping they would keep their eyes open for me. Some of the sites are just fun ones.
The auto trader site is the main one though and where I found my one - unfortunately she had only been put up for sale the day before! Some of the Esprits there now have been on for ages.
The dealer at Haydon (nice chap - lost their Lotus status last year I understand) offered to find a car for me. He would then prepare it,etc.
It was funny once you get in to it that you begin seeing the same cars cropping up all over the place.
Indeed the gold GT3s (I believe there were two were floating around at the time - ex show/press cars) but one has apparently been shipped to US recently.
The factory were also most helpful when I would phone up with a VIN number to query - they gave my the warrenty history of the car and basically recommended purchasing from a proper dealer for peace of mind.
Have fun in your search,
Kind regards,
Edward
www.sjsportscars.co.uk/home
www.lotuscarsales.com/stock.htm
data.uksportscars.com:8080/ecars/uksportscars/body_sales_stock.html
www.christopherneil.co.uk
www.findit.co.uk/cars/lotus/esprit
www.kentsportscars.co.uk/cars.html
www.maidstonesportscars.co.uk/service/lotus.asp
www.pistonheads.com/lotus/esprit/owners.asp
www.lotussource.com
www.nickwhale.co.uk/sportscars/
www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/car_reviews/main_review.asp
www.bell-colvill.co.uk/Lotus/Lotus_main.htm
www.paulmattysportscars.co.uk
www.petersmithsportscars.com
www.sgt.co.uk
www.strattonmotorcompany.com/LotusUsedCars-List.html
www.espritfactfile.com
www.thlotuscentre.co.uk
www.synter.co.uk
www.fabcars20.co.uk/lotusfc.htm
www.hrowensportscars
www.williamsautomobiles.com/used_lotus/html/carlist.html
www.eaglef1.com
www.british-cars.co.uk
www.lotuscarclub.com
www.seloc.org
www.uslot.org
There you have it. All my Lotus favourites. I think the Lotus source site is shutting down which is a shame as there is a lovely picture of a black esprit there!
Basically I tended to keep an eye on all the sites and the main dealers I also registered an interest with hoping they would keep their eyes open for me. Some of the sites are just fun ones.
The auto trader site is the main one though and where I found my one - unfortunately she had only been put up for sale the day before! Some of the Esprits there now have been on for ages.
The dealer at Haydon (nice chap - lost their Lotus status last year I understand) offered to find a car for me. He would then prepare it,etc.
It was funny once you get in to it that you begin seeing the same cars cropping up all over the place.
Indeed the gold GT3s (I believe there were two were floating around at the time - ex show/press cars) but one has apparently been shipped to US recently.
The factory were also most helpful when I would phone up with a VIN number to query - they gave my the warrenty history of the car and basically recommended purchasing from a proper dealer for peace of mind.
Have fun in your search,
Kind regards,
Edward
u769345 said:
Indeed the gold GT3s (I believe there were two were floating around at the time - ex show/press cars) but one has apparently been shipped to US recently.
Someone's shipped a GT3 to the states
Do they know its not emissions legal for the states!
I know of a guy who had a gold v8-gt in the usa, for only track use as it couldn't be road registered. That car is now in the uk and its for sale:
www.thelotuscentre.fsnet.co.uk/forsaleesprits.htm
Oh, many apologies, must have been confused so guess it was a V8GT - in fact I think I now recall Tiff Needell thrashing one of the two at the factory. Clearly I do not know too much about it but was just a passing comment from the chap at Haydon. The south west lotus centre is where I encountered P504PPW-not for sale now so I suspect some brave soul has bought her. With only 10,000 miles it had already had a new gearbox - poor thing must have had its guts ripped out!
From asking around other Lotus dealers and Hethel it seems that the SWLC inherited some cars from the defunct DJ Dean which often seemed to source many unusual cars such as Sultan of Brunei car and 'directors cars'. They could also apparently get hold of bits that no one else could although Hethel thought this was dubious. Perhaps Mr Dean knew of a hole in the factory fence!
Anyhow I did hear one or two less than encouraging comments with regard to DJ Dean whose website recommends SWLC.
Just out of interest, I do not suppose anyone knows where P504PPW has ended up?
Good game, Good game.
Kind regards,
Edward
From asking around other Lotus dealers and Hethel it seems that the SWLC inherited some cars from the defunct DJ Dean which often seemed to source many unusual cars such as Sultan of Brunei car and 'directors cars'. They could also apparently get hold of bits that no one else could although Hethel thought this was dubious. Perhaps Mr Dean knew of a hole in the factory fence!
Anyhow I did hear one or two less than encouraging comments with regard to DJ Dean whose website recommends SWLC.
Just out of interest, I do not suppose anyone knows where P504PPW has ended up?
Good game, Good game.
Kind regards,
Edward
There's a clip of Tiff driving that car on Davin Harvey's site:
www.microcircle.freeserve.co.uk/V8GT.mpg
www.microcircle.freeserve.co.uk/V8GT.mpg
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