How reliable is a 1993 esprit S4
Discussion
Hi Guys,
I am an Elise owner but my love for the Lotus brand started when i seen 007 take his white Esprit underwater, i love the Esprit, i always have and always will ( With a passion ) i know it Kicked the Ferrari 328,348's ass and gave the 355 a run for its money and laughed at 911's/ NsX's but there has always been the reliabity question, and thats why i chose the Elise, but to be Honest it has also had allot of Faults , Head Gasket Failure and the odd thing falling off,being stranded in the middle of nowhere etc,but i suppose the Mpg makes up for allot of the hassle, the truth is guys sports cars to me are suppose to go faster than 120mph and have some level of comfort and presence, like the Esprit. I have seen one at Ram City Motors at £14,000 with a years RAC warranty and only 49K miles, i have had a decent insurance qoute so thats not a real problem, basically are they as much hassle as some people tend to say they are, i dont really know much about the mechanics of a car and with my dealings with my local lotus Garage ( Edinburgh ) they are not so clever either, i dont really have allot of spare cash to spend on things going wrong so your honest opinions would be very grateful.
I am an Elise owner but my love for the Lotus brand started when i seen 007 take his white Esprit underwater, i love the Esprit, i always have and always will ( With a passion ) i know it Kicked the Ferrari 328,348's ass and gave the 355 a run for its money and laughed at 911's/ NsX's but there has always been the reliabity question, and thats why i chose the Elise, but to be Honest it has also had allot of Faults , Head Gasket Failure and the odd thing falling off,being stranded in the middle of nowhere etc,but i suppose the Mpg makes up for allot of the hassle, the truth is guys sports cars to me are suppose to go faster than 120mph and have some level of comfort and presence, like the Esprit. I have seen one at Ram City Motors at £14,000 with a years RAC warranty and only 49K miles, i have had a decent insurance qoute so thats not a real problem, basically are they as much hassle as some people tend to say they are, i dont really know much about the mechanics of a car and with my dealings with my local lotus Garage ( Edinburgh ) they are not so clever either, i dont really have allot of spare cash to spend on things going wrong so your honest opinions would be very grateful.
esprit are a great car. stunningly beautiful and fast like a rocket. But alot depends on the PO. If the car was meticulously maintained, and you do the basic clutch sorting, they can be reliable every day.
If it has been neglected not even abused, you will have a long list of repairs that if you are willing to go that road will leave with a beautiful collector quality esprit..
My tips..
Timing Belt- make sure it looks good
Relatively new battery - its in the back trunk
no oil leaks
Doors are alligned properlly
hood and trunk lift pistons should be clean and rust free so should the weld that connects the rear hatch and front hood
fuses should all be there and clean same with all the electronics and hoses in the nose
power windows and lights and mirrors must work
no rattles when riding over bumps
check at the paint all over the car closely. Are there chips or peeling cracks that will need to be addressed??
leather condition - GREAT or it will need to be repaired
I Love my car and it is the great est car ever but even buying it in excellent condition, I am doing alot of little things to make it perfect like it should have been when i got it.
the upside is fixing it up makes me closer to my car.oh, and Its alot of fun to drive a reaally awesome car...
If it has been neglected not even abused, you will have a long list of repairs that if you are willing to go that road will leave with a beautiful collector quality esprit..
My tips..
Timing Belt- make sure it looks good
Relatively new battery - its in the back trunk
no oil leaks
Doors are alligned properlly
hood and trunk lift pistons should be clean and rust free so should the weld that connects the rear hatch and front hood
fuses should all be there and clean same with all the electronics and hoses in the nose
power windows and lights and mirrors must work
no rattles when riding over bumps
check at the paint all over the car closely. Are there chips or peeling cracks that will need to be addressed??
leather condition - GREAT or it will need to be repaired
I Love my car and it is the great est car ever but even buying it in excellent condition, I am doing alot of little things to make it perfect like it should have been when i got it.
the upside is fixing it up makes me closer to my car.oh, and Its alot of fun to drive a reaally awesome car...
FSH a must. All receipts present. Mileage between services indicate whether its been idle for long periods. These cars should be driven regularly.
A car with 49k will have to have the belt changed at around 32k. Look at a new clutch, possibly a new manifold or turbo too as they last 50 to 60k depending on treatment. I have changed my manifold (574.88 just for the bit, not inc vat) as it cracked. If this car never saw rain then the heat shock of driving through puddles won't effect it and it may still be good.
Mine has had a new abs sensor, pads and discs on the front, sports exhaust and a few cosmetic and sports mods. The exhaust was a third cheaper than the Elise sports exhaust, the manifold probably triple. A dealer will charge lots for a service, an independant not much more than for a VW. Parts are dear, harder to come by and -may- be sourced elsewhere. At the end of the day do your homework and it makes owning far less of a dive into the deep end. Knowledge is power.
I drive mine to work everyday. Starts first time, every time and goes like a bullit. I tolerate a few squeeks and rattles, part of the 'Lotus Thang' I guess. I have a 94 S4 and love it, other people do too and it never gets unkind comments.
Dom
A car with 49k will have to have the belt changed at around 32k. Look at a new clutch, possibly a new manifold or turbo too as they last 50 to 60k depending on treatment. I have changed my manifold (574.88 just for the bit, not inc vat) as it cracked. If this car never saw rain then the heat shock of driving through puddles won't effect it and it may still be good.
Mine has had a new abs sensor, pads and discs on the front, sports exhaust and a few cosmetic and sports mods. The exhaust was a third cheaper than the Elise sports exhaust, the manifold probably triple. A dealer will charge lots for a service, an independant not much more than for a VW. Parts are dear, harder to come by and -may- be sourced elsewhere. At the end of the day do your homework and it makes owning far less of a dive into the deep end. Knowledge is power.
I drive mine to work everyday. Starts first time, every time and goes like a bullit. I tolerate a few squeeks and rattles, part of the 'Lotus Thang' I guess. I have a 94 S4 and love it, other people do too and it never gets unkind comments.
Dom
Thanks for the quick and honest reply Guys,i find Esprit owners a bit more honest about the good and bad of there cars, the Elise guys on the forum seem to go on about how brilliant the car is constantly, i beleive in constuctive criticism, i will make a point in investigating all the problems it may or may not have that you have mentioned, i am going to take one on a test drive this weekend. Another Question Guys? i heard the service prices are as follows: A service £400, B service £800 and an astronomical £1500 for a c service ( Lotus Edinburgh )is this true?
Thanks for the quick and honest reply Guys,i find Esprit owners a bit more honest about the good and bad of there cars, the Elise guys on the forum seem to go on about how brilliant the car is constantly, i beleive in constuctive criticism, i will make a point in investigating all the problems it may or may not have that you have mentioned, i am going to take one on a test drive this weekend. Another Question Guys? i heard the service prices are as follows: A service £400, B service £800 and an astronomical £1500 for a c service ( Lotus Edinburgh )is this true?
Hi there
My car came with a full history from Lotus Edinburgh and those are the prices I was quoted - ouch, ouch and triple ouch!! My local dealer quoted much less, nearly half, with labour at £45/hour. I can only assume that the Edinburgh rates are astronomical as they are also Aston Martin agents.
That S4 at RAM has been around for ages, which is suspicious as it is such an attractive price. I wonder how many people have viewed it??
Cheers
Mark
My car came with a full history from Lotus Edinburgh and those are the prices I was quoted - ouch, ouch and triple ouch!! My local dealer quoted much less, nearly half, with labour at £45/hour. I can only assume that the Edinburgh rates are astronomical as they are also Aston Martin agents.
That S4 at RAM has been around for ages, which is suspicious as it is such an attractive price. I wonder how many people have viewed it??
Cheers
Mark
Hi there,
I've seen the one at Ram for months now. I was considering buying this back in December but I don't thinks it's got FSH. I rang the guy from Ram a few times. Iam sure at first he said it had FSH then it changed to he was waiting for the PO to drop it in.
Double check this with them before you even travel. This has happened to me so many times, they say it's got FSH and when you get there and ask for it, they've misplaced it or the PO hasn't given it to them yet.
For an S4 it seems a bit cheap.
Personally I would look at something else first before visiting this one. I could be wrong, it could be one of those cars that been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
I've seen the one at Ram for months now. I was considering buying this back in December but I don't thinks it's got FSH. I rang the guy from Ram a few times. Iam sure at first he said it had FSH then it changed to he was waiting for the PO to drop it in.
Double check this with them before you even travel. This has happened to me so many times, they say it's got FSH and when you get there and ask for it, they've misplaced it or the PO hasn't given it to them yet.
For an S4 it seems a bit cheap.
Personally I would look at something else first before visiting this one. I could be wrong, it could be one of those cars that been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
alana said:
Hi Guys,
I am an Elise owner but my love for the Lotus brand started when i seen 007 take his white Esprit underwater, i love the Esprit, i always have and always will ( With a passion ) i know it Kicked the Ferrari 328,348's ass and gave the 355 a run for its money and laughed at 911's/ NsX's but there has always been the reliabity question, and thats why i chose the Elise, but to be Honest it has also had allot of Faults , Head Gasket Failure and the odd thing falling off,being stranded in the middle of nowhere etc,but i suppose the Mpg makes up for allot of the hassle, the truth is guys sports cars to me are suppose to go faster than 120mph and have some level of comfort and presence, like the Esprit. I have seen one at Ram City Motors at £14,000 with a years RAC warranty and only 49K miles, i have had a decent insurance qoute so thats not a real problem, basically are they as much hassle as some people tend to say they are, i dont really know much about the mechanics of a car and with my dealings with my local lotus Garage ( Edinburgh ) they are not so clever either, i dont really have allot of spare cash to spend on things going wrong so your honest opinions would be very grateful.
alana said:
Thanks for the quick and honest reply Guys,i find Esprit owners a bit more honest about the good and bad of there cars, the Elise guys on the forum seem to go on about how brilliant the car is constantly, i beleive in constuctive criticism, i will make a point in investigating all the problems it may or may not have that you have mentioned, i am going to take one on a test drive this weekend. Another Question Guys? i heard the service prices are as follows: A service £400, B service £800 and an astronomical £1500 for a c service ( Lotus Edinburgh )is this true?
I'd agree with the other comments on here especially Dom and Dave, as they are the "good Guys" !:-)
I've been running my 94 S4 for abotu 18 months now. I used it as a daily driver for the first 9 months and never had a fault. I have had a few niggles, however the only thing that's ever stranded me was a modification I did that I messed up - so I can't blame the car for my incompetance.
As a daily driver - yes you can do it, however I use a £300 mondeo to run up the 120 miles a day comuuting in traffic jams - it's just more economical, and easier to park or worry about.
Definately things to look for are, new clutch, new manifold and good service history - oh and good tyres too. I replace all my tyres, had my manifold changed and clutch replaced all within 3 weeks of each other, and it wasn't cheap. All in all about £4k. However I did have a B service done at the same time along with other little jobs, like chargecooler pump etc... I'm not trying to scare you, it's just sometimes these things do happen. The good news is, once the manifold and clutch are done, they will last you - it's just one of those jobs that has to be done at some stage. I've personally never heard of anyone who's had to replace a manifold for the second time!!
For 14k, you are getting a lot of car for your money, and something that you'll really enjoy. And the other thing to remember is that I chose to have everything done at the same time, I could have spread it out a bit, and not had all the little jobs done at the same time, replaced tyres etc. Realistically I probably could have got the manifold and clutch done together for well under 2k.
If there are any esprit owners on here fropm Scotland (That is where you are?), then maybe asked them to go a long with you and have a look. Someone who's lived with the cars for a while will be able to spot potential problems and any mods that have been done.
Cheers,
JC
Forgot to mention but Mark McKenzie live near Edinburgh.
There was also another guy who lives in Scotlant who e-mailed me but I forget his name now.
Mark McKenzie can be found www.lotusespritworld.com under owners pages.
He used to owna V8 and now is doing a 350Sport conversion on his project car 88 turbo.
He knows quite a lot about these cars. I quite often grill him for info etc, he's very approachable.
BTW LEW also have cars for sale.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
There was also another guy who lives in Scotlant who e-mailed me but I forget his name now.
Mark McKenzie can be found www.lotusespritworld.com under owners pages.
He used to owna V8 and now is doing a 350Sport conversion on his project car 88 turbo.
He knows quite a lot about these cars. I quite often grill him for info etc, he's very approachable.
BTW LEW also have cars for sale.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
Hi there, i owned an s4 for 12months and sold it last april firstly the car was fantastic fast and good looking BUT, after buying an example after 6mths of looking with a flsh and only 30k and paying top book for it in that time i had to replace the exhaust, have a new clutch, gearbox bearings and rod ends, an 'a' service without running costs etc the bottom line is that if you are planning to own one of these cars then be ready to pay out more than you expect but then again it is a super car !!!..ps i now own an elise......
>> Edited by paf291x on Sunday 29th June 21:15
>> Edited by paf291x on Sunday 29th June 21:15
I have had my 93 S4 for about 12 months now & use it most days, it has to be said that in general the reliability has been very good, I have had a few maintenance issues dealt with including the manifold, this is something you do want to check as the guy's have already said as it is expensive. Just to repeat what the guy's have said make sure the car has plenty of history as these cars do need to be maintained, it is not always the best option to go for low mileage cars as these have generally been standing for long periods of time between maintenance, once you try an Esprit there is no turning back - they are just fantastic to drive..... 
Andy..
Andy..
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