Buying an Esprit, how much to spend

[jb111s]

I know there have been a few posts like this before but I'm still a bit stumped.

Thinking about selling my Elise & getting my childhood dream car the Esprit. As I work in the smoke I only really plan to use it once or twice per week for a quick blast down the gym & sainsbury's but intend on giving it a good hiding at the weekends.

How much, and which model would be the best to look for ? I would preferably want some creature comforts like A/C, but most importantly would want something that wouldn't end up being a money pit. I know this is a bit inevitable with old cars so being so a good mate of mine is a mechanic & would be willing to help out if any work needed. Are they relatively easy cars to work on & how much should I budget for things going wrong?

[Kylie]

Hi check out Lotusespritworld.com for heaps of great reading on models etc.

[karluk29]

hi matey

you need a GT3 if you want it reliable and easy to mess with. mines done 29k and never goes wrong apart from normal things, there not expensive to fix at all (apart from the pressure switch in the brakes mmmMMMM, rip off).

[Hedgerley]

I'd second the GT3 recommendation if thats all you plan to do. Probably the best 'balanced' Esprit and low(er) running costs compared to the V8. As Kylie says, head over to LEW. There is a very nice GT3 for sale in central London, known to LEW. I am considering taking a look (I work in London, live in Scotland) but doing 10k miles a year, mainly long trips, I'll probably be replacing my V8-GT (recently deceased) with another V8, preferably as soon as possible..........

[jb111s]

Cheers guys. Yes, the gt3 does look like the sort of thing I'm after with the classic design & more modern interior.

Thanks for the website very informative. From an owners point of view, what is the servicing/insurance like on these ? Does anyone use Fibreglass services for their Esprit & are they similarly cheap to do regular services as the Elise ?

[Kimbers34]

For more in depth information on things like Insurance, repair costs, day to day driving and the quirks of the model check out Lotus Esprit forum. It's full of that sort of info.

[paulg390]

Kimbers34 said:

For more in depth information on things like Insurance, repair costs, day to day driving and the quirks of the model check out Lotus Esprit forum. It's full of that sort of info.

Would second that ... very helpful bunch of guys...