New member!!!

Hey everyone, I’ve been lurking around for quite some time, and I finally thought I would join. I have always loved the Lotus, especially the Esprit. I do have a couple of questions though. First of all, in a few months I will be looking at an early 90’s Esprit to buy. I’m planning on just getting the regular Esprit and nothing fancy like the Turbo or S4 or whatever. I know that Esprit’s are famous for their lack of mechanical reliability. Just how reliable are they? I would also be using this car as my daily driver. How much per month should I set aside for repairs? I’m getting one mostly because of the exotic look. It’s just the kind of car that says “Look at me!!!” Thanks for any help. [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image][This message has been edited by Tony W (edited 28 November 2001).]

Hi TonyI ran a 98 Esprit GT3 for 12k miles, then traded it for a V8-GT in march this year. Never had a problem with reliability. My esprit is my only car - gets driven (almost) daily.First service i had on the GT3 cost me �1,100 (ouch!) but the most recent service on the V8-GT was a more reasonable �350.Buy the best/newest car that you can, as the esprit evolves year by year. Always buy the best car you can find and try not to be ‘seduced’ by the first shiny car you see!Suggest you join up on the esprit yahoo group, for more info and many more web links. 200+ members, so someone will be able to answer just about any question you post up. Yahoo UK | News, email and search Information on the web:Karl-Franz Marquez Esprit factfile - excellent info http://www.espritfactfile.com/ Lotus Esprit World The complete Esprit Site, it’s all here! http://www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/ Adrian’s Home Page Info and stories, plus running cost info http://www.adrianmugridge.co.uk/ Feel free to mail me off line with any specific [email protected]

I had a 96 S4S which I bought second hand in 96. Admittedly I did’nt do a lot of miles but I never had a problem with it. I just got rid of it a couple of month ago.My Exige on the other hand. Well!!

I’ve had a range of Esprits from an '88 non-turbo to a '97 V8. I totally agree with Rob, get the newest car you can, they definately got much better over the years. They were all pretty reliable, but they are expensive to run. Tyres are a big expense on newer cars, particularly the S4 onwards, I found the tyres on my S4 only lasted 3000 miles, and the brake pads lasted 4000 miles!The only problem I remember being a regular thing on my first non-turbo Esprit was water leaks. They must have used crappy hoses because the thing was always chucking water out somewhere. At least that sort of thing is cheap to fix. Another thing to watch out for is the head gasket. They were always a little bit fragile, and rather expensive to sort out.Good luck,Brendan

Hey Tony, I know you from cf.com [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]I figured I may as well sign in and say hi. I’m a big Elise and Exige fan (I even like the new Elise [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image] )Sorry for taking this off the topic, but just introducing myself as well [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]John