esprit for me?

[mlumb]

ok ive been at this point before. i stuffed my cerbera in december and so considered buying a v8 esprit to replace it.
however i got side-tracked and bought a brand new impreza instead,300bhp good handling very practical etc,but im a bit bored.
so would a esprit be a good halfway house between tvr and subaru,ie: good looks and performance but not as hardcore as the cerb?
if so which one will give me the best combination of performance and reliability?
thanks in advance.
mike.
p.s. around the £20-24000 mark.

[kylie]

I have never driven a Cerb but the Esprit from what I have heard on here has slightly better handling, reliability comparison again I can't comment too much on that one. For the kinda money you are talking about it only falls into GT3 or early V8 material. Later model V8 cars are a bit more expensive and they are also a bit more sorted i.e better brakes, more refinements to the interior and engine as well. Go to www.lotusespritworld.com for the ins and outs of esprit ownership, got some great stuff there.

I personaly have the best of both worlds, practical roomy Subi has grunty boxer engine, full-time 4WD sport wagon and the esprit for looks and performance and being being scared silly. Subaru's in my own opinion are a little more reliable but some esprits run without ever missing a beat and people use them as daily drivers too.

If you can afford to have both do it I have another violet blue 99 model Subi GT-B twin turbo on order I can't wait. Hopefully in time for the ski season this year. Good luck,
Kylie

[mlumb]

cheers kylie.
i was thinking early v8(although a 98 v8 has just gone for 24k)or maybe a S4S.
i do prefer the later dash though.
anyone else?
mike.

[rob.e]

A 98 or later is what you need if you want the later dash design. There were also some other minor changes at that point, improved wiper linkeage and gear link too i think.

The only 4 cylinder car with the late dash is the GT3 which is 2.0 240 bhp. Whilst this is a great car and handles beatifully i think you'd find it a little slow after a cerbera.

Post 98 there are two V8 models, SE and GT. The SE came with the rear spoiler, leather dash, comfy leather seats, leather gearknob and aircon as standard. GT had no rear spoiler (but larger transom/lip) or aircon/spoiler and a leather-look-a-like dash and lovely hardbacked alcantara sports seats with chrome knob. Most GT's had aircon and spoiler added back in as options. Not much to choose now between them in terms of price on the used market despite the 10k price difference when new.

Suggest you take a few V8 test drives and see what you like .

cheers
Rob