Why is the Lotus Esprit not appreciating in value??
Discussion
J4CKO said:
Going up now because so many Porsches are out of reach and people start looking for alternatives ?
Maybe. Or maybe buyers are looking for something more reliable than an old Porsche? http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...This thread has become irrelevant.
I decided to buy an Esprit and started looking. Can't find anything bellow 20K at the moment. Maybe in the U.S. But not anywhere in Europe. And I have also seen Esprits for around 100K give or take.
Maybe if somebody knows somebody who knows somebody who is selling. But online it seems the bargains are over! Maybe you could get very luck and find an early Stevens car for under 20K. But a Giugiaro? Forget it!
Not very long ago you could have them for sub-10K easily. Quite a bit sub-10K actually. Now you can't even find beat up ones.
Normally if you can't find them beat up it is a sure sign of them growing in importance. Because either owners are investing money to fix them up before selling because they know they will be worth more, or the beat up ones are getting snapped away so fast by people who want to restore to sell for more that you can barely see the beat up ones up for sale.
Regardless, I think we can close this thread. The market seems to be finally waking up to the Esprit. Maybe this thread did it's job.
I decided to buy an Esprit and started looking. Can't find anything bellow 20K at the moment. Maybe in the U.S. But not anywhere in Europe. And I have also seen Esprits for around 100K give or take.
Maybe if somebody knows somebody who knows somebody who is selling. But online it seems the bargains are over! Maybe you could get very luck and find an early Stevens car for under 20K. But a Giugiaro? Forget it!
Not very long ago you could have them for sub-10K easily. Quite a bit sub-10K actually. Now you can't even find beat up ones.
Normally if you can't find them beat up it is a sure sign of them growing in importance. Because either owners are investing money to fix them up before selling because they know they will be worth more, or the beat up ones are getting snapped away so fast by people who want to restore to sell for more that you can barely see the beat up ones up for sale.
Regardless, I think we can close this thread. The market seems to be finally waking up to the Esprit. Maybe this thread did it's job.
Edited by Shifter1 on Thursday 22 September 09:41
It's a thin market with limited supply, limited demand, a big variety of vehicle age/specification and a wide range of vehicle condition. The traditional recipe for a huge range of prices. At one end of the market there will be dreamers who think their old car is worth a small fortune and at the other end somebody's unfinished project which they're desperate to sell. Doing as much research as you can should help with this minefield.
All I would say is "never buy a cheap fixer-upper". It will eat you alive.
Buy on overall condition and service history.
All I would say is "never buy a cheap fixer-upper". It will eat you alive.
Buy on overall condition and service history.
Ozzie Osmond said:
It's a thin market with limited supply, limited demand, a big variety of vehicle age/specification and a wide range of vehicle condition. The traditional recipe for a huge range of prices. At one end of the market there will be dreamers who think their old car is worth a small fortune and at the other end somebody's unfinished project which they're desperate to sell. Doing as much research as you can should help with this minefield.
All I would say is "never buy a cheap fixer-upper". It will eat you alive.
Buy on overall condition and service history.
Unless you can do the work yourself, and, more to the point, consider doing so an enjoyable hobby.All I would say is "never buy a cheap fixer-upper". It will eat you alive.
Buy on overall condition and service history.
Shifter1 said:
I decided to buy an Esprit and started looking. Can't find anything below 20K at the moment.
Not a Giugiaro but this one is well under £20k, I've had quick look round it and is seems to in good condition.Personally I can't understand why you'd want an early one, the later one's are so much better IHMO!
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C764222
Edited by skeggysteve on Thursday 22 September 14:56
skeggysteve said:
Shifter1 said:
I decided to buy an Esprit and started looking. Can't find anything below 20K at the moment.
Not a Giugiaro but this one is well under £20k, I've had quick look round it and is seems to in good condition.Personally I can't understand why you'd want an early one, the later one's are so much better IHMO!
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C764222
Edited by skeggysteve on Thursday 22 September 14:56
Slightly O/T, but a school friend bought a brand new Stevens Esprit Turbo back in the day, when that model was new. His first car had been a new Nova, then a new MR2 T-Bar and then this Esprit: all bought while still a teenager.
Anyway after a few months I finally got a passenger ride in it. Unfortunately I believe he was the influence behind the "Driving Miss Daisy" story. The experience was so disappointing: nothing to do with the car though. I just couldn't understand why he had bought it, when his Nova would have been just as fast.
Shortly after, the poor Esprit met its maker. He dropped it off at the dealer for a service and one of the spanner monkeys took it out for a joyride, sorry test drive, and wrote it off. My friend just took the insurance money and returned to buying boring cars from then on.
Anyway after a few months I finally got a passenger ride in it. Unfortunately I believe he was the influence behind the "Driving Miss Daisy" story. The experience was so disappointing: nothing to do with the car though. I just couldn't understand why he had bought it, when his Nova would have been just as fast.
Shortly after, the poor Esprit met its maker. He dropped it off at the dealer for a service and one of the spanner monkeys took it out for a joyride, sorry test drive, and wrote it off. My friend just took the insurance money and returned to buying boring cars from then on.
DonkeyApple said:
Trouble is that the earlier ones offer style and sophistication while the latter promotes the image of sad blokes who can't drive and have a penchant for the lowest form of skank; the disease riddled, drug addled, street prossie.
^^^ Somebody buy him a Pretty Woman DVD for Christmas! It'll keep him happy for days 
Ozzie Osmond said:
DonkeyApple said:
Trouble is that the earlier ones offer style and sophistication while the latter promotes the image of sad blokes who can't drive and have a penchant for the lowest form of skank; the disease riddled, drug addled, street prossie.
^^^ Somebody buy him a Pretty Woman DVD for Christmas! It'll keep him happy for days In the former they out competed their mainstream rivals for the role yet in the latter they were the last resort after the others turned it down.
DonkeyApple said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
DonkeyApple said:
Trouble is that the earlier ones offer style and sophistication while the latter promotes the image of sad blokes who can't drive and have a penchant for the lowest form of skank; the disease riddled, drug addled, street prossie.
^^^ Somebody buy him a Pretty Woman DVD for Christmas! It'll keep him happy for days In the former they out competed their mainstream rivals for the role yet in the latter they were the last resort after the others turned it down.
DonkeyApple said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
DonkeyApple said:
Trouble is that the earlier ones offer style and sophistication while the latter promotes the image of sad blokes who can't drive and have a penchant for the lowest form of skank; the disease riddled, drug addled, street prossie.
^^^ Somebody buy him a Pretty Woman DVD for Christmas! It'll keep him happy for days In the former they out competed their mainstream rivals for the role yet in the latter they were the last resort after the others turned it down.
Leins said:
DonkeyApple said:
Ozzie Osmond said:
DonkeyApple said:
Trouble is that the earlier ones offer style and sophistication while the latter promotes the image of sad blokes who can't drive and have a penchant for the lowest form of skank; the disease riddled, drug addled, street prossie.
^^^ Somebody buy him a Pretty Woman DVD for Christmas! It'll keep him happy for days In the former they out competed their mainstream rivals for the role yet in the latter they were the last resort after the others turned it down.
Dr Gitlin said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
To be fair quite a few of those complaints were masking a strong desire to get deposits refunded because of looming financial calamity.
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