GT3 or V8? Whats better, pro's and cons..............
Discussion
Hi,
A friend has just bought a V8-SE, i was thinking of the GT3. Whats the best example to go for d oyou reckon? I know the V8 will have a better top end, but discussing with various people and i'm getting mixed views. The general impression is the GT3 is the purists Esprit, does that mean its better cross country? Then someone says the V8 is awesome mid range.
I wouldn't mind starting with the GT3 and then moving on to the V8, just wondered what people thought and if there are PH'ers that have had both and what their experiences were.
Thanks.
Rog.
A friend has just bought a V8-SE, i was thinking of the GT3. Whats the best example to go for d oyou reckon? I know the V8 will have a better top end, but discussing with various people and i'm getting mixed views. The general impression is the GT3 is the purists Esprit, does that mean its better cross country? Then someone says the V8 is awesome mid range.
I wouldn't mind starting with the GT3 and then moving on to the V8, just wondered what people thought and if there are PH'ers that have had both and what their experiences were.
Thanks.
Rog.
the GT3 will be more fun for more of the time - especially when it comes to servicing and putting fuel in it. The V8 is a great vehicle...but they are more prone to faults cos frankly the drive-train was never built for the power (and is one of the reaosns it 'only' has around 350 brake) and they cost a massive amount more to own and run.
real world driving the speed differential isn't that important, and IMO the standard V8 sounds like a bag of spanners (as does the 4 pot admittedly)
get post 98 so you get the pretty interior
real world driving the speed differential isn't that important, and IMO the standard V8 sounds like a bag of spanners (as does the 4 pot admittedly)
get post 98 so you get the pretty interior
nightmare said:
get post 98 so you get the pretty interior
Definately, the ones i've looked at with the older dash, just don't feel right to me. I nearly bought a V8-SE a couple of years back but change of job put the kibosh on that, but that had the later dash and it felt right, couldn't explain what it was, it just felt comfortable.
Oh I dunno... I have always thought that a cold knee, sitting with my feet pointed more toward the middle of the car vs. the front, and the wide guage cluster holds a 'charm' or 'character' that I feel is lost on the newer cars interior. It is somehow "Lotus" while at the same time it tips a hat to the Italian designer heritage...
What is better?...
I would have to ask you back... What do you like? (BTW - I also prefer the 4 pot cars)
It could be stating the obvious, but I'd go for an S4 over a V8... personally...
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
What is better?...
I would have to ask you back... What do you like? (BTW - I also prefer the 4 pot cars)
It could be stating the obvious, but I'd go for an S4 over a V8... personally...
Drive topless!!!
Cameron
Being a child of the 70,s, I have always preferred the old style boomerang pod interior. I have a V8 with a sports exhaust and the difference between this and the standard item on a GT3 that belongs to a friend of mine is like a 50cc motorbike compared to an SR 71 at takeoff. The exhaust will never sound like a TVR because of inbuilt engineering factors such as the flat plan crankshaft.
I always wanted a V8 so I bought one, but I have since seen that the consensus (Mike K. included) is that the S4s was the definitive Esprit.
That said, my own experience is that you buy the youngest one you can. With a hand crafted design of any machine, there is ongoing development almost every month as new ideas solve the niggles on a regular basis (see the Fender Stratocaster in the fifties). That said, there are also periods when various (usually financial and buy out related) factors cause quality to decline (see the Fender Stratocaster in the sixties and seventies). This does not appear to have happened with the Esprit. So, the younger the better. Unless the S3 or earlier is particularly desired, I would say definitely S4 or later. One factor to consider with this, is that sometimes, sophistication adds problems. Take the later V8's which had the AP brakes from the Sport 350. Great, fantastic, huge stopping power.....HUGE repair bill !!!
You must do something which is becoming extremely difficult. Find a dealer with a V8 and a GT3 and test drive them back to back. You must then decide if you want the extra clout of the V8 for the somewhat greater cost of keeping it.
I always wanted a V8 so I bought one, but I have since seen that the consensus (Mike K. included) is that the S4s was the definitive Esprit.
That said, my own experience is that you buy the youngest one you can. With a hand crafted design of any machine, there is ongoing development almost every month as new ideas solve the niggles on a regular basis (see the Fender Stratocaster in the fifties). That said, there are also periods when various (usually financial and buy out related) factors cause quality to decline (see the Fender Stratocaster in the sixties and seventies). This does not appear to have happened with the Esprit. So, the younger the better. Unless the S3 or earlier is particularly desired, I would say definitely S4 or later. One factor to consider with this, is that sometimes, sophistication adds problems. Take the later V8's which had the AP brakes from the Sport 350. Great, fantastic, huge stopping power.....HUGE repair bill !!!
You must do something which is becoming extremely difficult. Find a dealer with a V8 and a GT3 and test drive them back to back. You must then decide if you want the extra clout of the V8 for the somewhat greater cost of keeping it.
This is always a difficult question to answer. They have so much in common, but are so different. Both have plus and minuses. There is differences in running costs, but if you're looking for an Esprit, then you wouldn't expect it to be cheap anyway, so the difference might not be that much of an issue. The big thing to watch out for with the V8 is the liner issue. If you can find one with that sorted, then there's not much in it regarding big bills. Although watch for manifolds on 4-cylinders, not many GT3's have had them, but they're due soon, as they're the same as SE, S4 and S4s and the S4s are starting to see cracked manifolds.
So if running costs aren't an issue, it's down to the driving experience. We can all tell you what we think, but you'll only know once you drive them. There is a big difference between the 4-cyl and V8. Some love the more revvy 4-cyl and some the torquey V8. The GT3 will feel lighter and more race are like and the V8 more of a powerful GT, but only in relation to the Esprit!
If you're spending £15-25,000 you have to drive both before deciding. Otherwise you'll find you might have chosen wrong and it'll cost you to change. But if you're buying an Esprit, you won't be that disappointed, you'll be driving the greatest car in the world!
So if running costs aren't an issue, it's down to the driving experience. We can all tell you what we think, but you'll only know once you drive them. There is a big difference between the 4-cyl and V8. Some love the more revvy 4-cyl and some the torquey V8. The GT3 will feel lighter and more race are like and the V8 more of a powerful GT, but only in relation to the Esprit!
If you're spending £15-25,000 you have to drive both before deciding. Otherwise you'll find you might have chosen wrong and it'll cost you to change. But if you're buying an Esprit, you won't be that disappointed, you'll be driving the greatest car in the world!
I have just gone through the same thinking process before ending up with my GT3. When I first started looking around I imagined that there would be a lot of similarity between the two cars and that the choice of engine would be more of a 'personal preference' type of issue. In fact, the choice of engine transforms the car more than I had previously appreciated.
Performance wise I dont think there is that much to choose in 'real world' driving. The odd fraction of a second here or there or few mph at the top end (when the top end is already 160-odd mph) is interesting but fairly academic. It might be argued that the running costs of owning any Esprit are pretty interesting but academic (till it goes wrong) but personally, even if just for the mpg, the GT3 suited me.
Being used to fairly nimble cars (I have an elise 111R, an s1 exige and have just sold a Westfield Megablade after 18 mths ownership) I found that *for me* the GT3 came closest to what I was after. Yes, you have to change gear more often. Yes, you have to concentrate more to keep in the power band in order to make very very rapid progress as opposed to just very rapid progress. But for me that was more appealing and involving as the driver.
In contrast I found the V8-GT's that I looked at to be stunning cars in their own right but less involving to drive for the same reasons that I prefered the GT3. However, I can also appreciate other people, who have tried both variants, prefering the V8 for their own reasons.
At the end of the day, they are both ace cars.
Jim
Performance wise I dont think there is that much to choose in 'real world' driving. The odd fraction of a second here or there or few mph at the top end (when the top end is already 160-odd mph) is interesting but fairly academic. It might be argued that the running costs of owning any Esprit are pretty interesting but academic (till it goes wrong) but personally, even if just for the mpg, the GT3 suited me.
Being used to fairly nimble cars (I have an elise 111R, an s1 exige and have just sold a Westfield Megablade after 18 mths ownership) I found that *for me* the GT3 came closest to what I was after. Yes, you have to change gear more often. Yes, you have to concentrate more to keep in the power band in order to make very very rapid progress as opposed to just very rapid progress. But for me that was more appealing and involving as the driver.
In contrast I found the V8-GT's that I looked at to be stunning cars in their own right but less involving to drive for the same reasons that I prefered the GT3. However, I can also appreciate other people, who have tried both variants, prefering the V8 for their own reasons.
At the end of the day, they are both ace cars.
Jim
if you don't bend it a grand a year should sort you for servicing and fiddling.
however....esprit parts cost-wise take the p*ss completely. front bumper...unpatined..£800 pop-up light cluster? 220 quid etc... just for the part! So don't reverse into anything!
fuel. i used to stick about 60 quid a week in mine...but then I was using it all the time and doing about 300 miles a week for that I guess
however....esprit parts cost-wise take the p*ss completely. front bumper...unpatined..£800 pop-up light cluster? 220 quid etc... just for the part! So don't reverse into anything!
fuel. i used to stick about 60 quid a week in mine...but then I was using it all the time and doing about 300 miles a week for that I guess
I would change the oil (Mobil 1) every six months. I take my V8 to a good Lotus dealer once a year to get the book stamped for £400 and change the oil and filter between (I do 6K a year) so it means an oil and filter every six months or 3K miles. I change the gearbox oil and hydraulic fluids every year and the filters and plugs every two years. You can do the engine and gearbox oils yourself very easily (please don't be offended if you are an ace mechanic!) but you will need a special tool to take the gearbox plugs out.
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