moving from 993TT to Esprit V8 TT... questions

[ThrottleJock]

What kind of concerns should I have, (if any) regarding a '98 Esprit V8 in comparison to the current car, a modified '96 Porsche 993 twin-turbo? The Porsche has offered 28,000 miles of trouble-free driving with no unscheduled maintenance beyond Porsches recommended tune-ups. The Porsche is driven hard but not abused. No 1st gear clutch drops, only a handful of full-throttle applications in 1st gear during the life of the car (for fear of exploding the clutch under 506 boosted horsepower and all-wheel-drive traction) and NO speed-shifting or gear crunching. Is regularly "spirited" driving a reasonable request for the Lotus or will the car spend much of it's life in the shop? The Lotus will be a "nightly driver". That is, only taken out for weekend road trips and evenings on the town. Less than 10,000 miles/yr.
Thanks in advance for any insight you may provide.

[rob.ellis]

i drive a v8, and had a gt3 esprit before that.. both as my 'only' car. I take every opportunity to give my car an absolute pasting ;-) afterall that's what its there for! Take care with 1st to 2nd shifts, as this is where most people have problems (2nd gear synchro is weak).

Lots of problems are caused by people "drag racing" their esprits. If you regularly dump the clutch in first, and do tyre smoking getaways, then you'll amost certainly cause yourself some problems; drive shafts etc.

If you want tyre smoke - buy a tvr or a viper. If you want the best drivers car this side of a f360 - then the esprit's your car!

Have fun.
Rob
V8-GT 98

[domster]

If you don't mind me asking, why are you going from arguably Porsche's finest road car which has cost you so little to maintain, to a Lotus Esprit V8?

I love Esprits, but I just don't think the V8 and the 993 are in the same league... am I wrong or what?

Performance wise the standard 993TT will whip a standard V8... 0-100 in 9.17 compared to about 10.5. Yours will be even quicker.

It also has four wheel drive and should never break.

[paul r]

I was thinking along the same lines! Why the strange move? Maybe you like costly hassle - Maybe you might want to also consider my girlfriend!

[hsu]

Are you keeping the 993TT or replacing it with the Esprit? I have to say that personally, while I find the Esprit more rewarding to drive, and while it is the hands-down winner in the panache contest, it is a nontrivial step down in capability, reliability, and utility. The answer to your question depends quite a bit on what kind of relationship you have now with your Porsche.

Have you read the Esprit Fact File? Karl-Franz has incorporated a little do's and don'ts list that I cooked up some time ago.

I can try to answer specific questions, as we have a 993TT and an Esprit V8 between my wife and I. Both are used almost daily, and both are regularly taken to the track.

cheers,

-dave

[Nightmare]

Paul R

[bosshog]

quote:

I can try to answer specific questions, as we have a 993TT and an Esprit V8 between my wife and I. Both are used almost daily, and both are regularly taken to the track.

Actually, I'm quite interested in your opinions. I've got a 993TT aswell, which I love, but the one thing that I don't love is the steering. It feels a bit like a bus after my Elise. How does the steering in the Esprit feel like?