Thinking of buying a V8 Esprit
Discussion
Hi Guys, I have popped over from the TVR Cerbera forum and I am looking for some up to date advise. I'm sure there are many threads like this on here but things do change quite quickly in the car market.
I am thinking of buying a Esprit V8 and although I have owned Lotus in the past It was never a Esprit.
I have a budget of 30 to 35K. Can you guys tell me if there is a substantial difference between the earlier cars around 1996 to the later cars of 2000 +. I can see the obvious ones like the interior is more modern, different wheels, lights, spoiler etc but are they also a much better built car underneath. What makes some cars a GT or even a GT350?. Would you buy purely on condition and forget about the year or is it always going to be later cars that hold their value.
There seems to be a big price difference between early and late cars even if the condition and mileage is similar. The car will get minimal use but will need to do the odd track day as that is a firm favorite of mine. I get nothing from the bank in interest these days so thought that If i buy carefully I could enjoy the car and maybe not loose money.
IF anyone knows of a good one for sale or is thinking of selling please PM me.
Thanks in advance.
I am thinking of buying a Esprit V8 and although I have owned Lotus in the past It was never a Esprit.
I have a budget of 30 to 35K. Can you guys tell me if there is a substantial difference between the earlier cars around 1996 to the later cars of 2000 +. I can see the obvious ones like the interior is more modern, different wheels, lights, spoiler etc but are they also a much better built car underneath. What makes some cars a GT or even a GT350?. Would you buy purely on condition and forget about the year or is it always going to be later cars that hold their value.
There seems to be a big price difference between early and late cars even if the condition and mileage is similar. The car will get minimal use but will need to do the odd track day as that is a firm favorite of mine. I get nothing from the bank in interest these days so thought that If i buy carefully I could enjoy the car and maybe not loose money.
IF anyone knows of a good one for sale or is thinking of selling please PM me.
Thanks in advance.
I sold my 96 V8 Azure blue with the OZ Futura 3 piece wheels (optional extra) for £29k recently, had 47k miles on the clock, very nice condition.
You might want a newer version, buy wisely and it will appreciate massively over the next couple of years.
You might want a newer version, buy wisely and it will appreciate massively over the next couple of years.
Edited by phumy on Tuesday 15th November 08:29
Later is better. Final editions 2004 up, have all the upgrades. AP brakes, the 350 chip, bilstein shox etc, etc.
Anything '99 up will have the better dash and improved gearchange.
A lot of things to check on buying.
Have the petrol tanks been out? They WILL rust because they sit on crap foam.
Has it had a new clutch? New clutches are NLA from Lotus. But there are some good recons out there. They don't last very long if the car is driven as intended (about 20K).
Cam belts/tensioners/water pumps need changing every 2 years or so. Good time to do the clutch and petrol tanks!
Pre 2002 or so need to be checked for liner problems.
Oh, best car there is for the money btw!!
Anything '99 up will have the better dash and improved gearchange.
A lot of things to check on buying.
Have the petrol tanks been out? They WILL rust because they sit on crap foam.
Has it had a new clutch? New clutches are NLA from Lotus. But there are some good recons out there. They don't last very long if the car is driven as intended (about 20K).
Cam belts/tensioners/water pumps need changing every 2 years or so. Good time to do the clutch and petrol tanks!
Pre 2002 or so need to be checked for liner problems.
Oh, best car there is for the money btw!!
Great decision, any well cared for v8 that has had the cambelts replaced in the last 18 months ish and regularly serviced will most likely be a great investment and most importantly bundles of fun!!!
Late or early cars from my experience all seem to be pretty reliable as long as they have been looked after.
I have had 2 and had very little problems with either never broke down and always started on cold mornings!
Late or early cars from my experience all seem to be pretty reliable as long as they have been looked after.
I have had 2 and had very little problems with either never broke down and always started on cold mornings!
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