RE: Lotus Esprit Turbo | The Brave Pill
Discussion
I've owned this particular model since 2012, and in the same time also had a V8 Esprit. Neither have caused me any issues. In fact, the SE is the car I have the greatest confidence in - partly because I know it well enough at this point that if anything acts up, I can gauge the severity of it quite easily. My example is pushing 29 years, so of course you need to keep an eye on things. Luckily servicing is simple and cheap, and everything that's part of regular service can be accessed from above (and below with axle stands). No engine-out jobs needed for things are simple as a timing belt change.
I let the V8 go after 4 years as part of a separation, but I'd never really bonded with it, preferring the peaky character of the 4 pots (the V8 didn't cost me anything to run. I put in a major service and new brake lines, and turned a tidy profit in the end). The parts prices fo the Stevens Esprits are silly - of all my daily drivers over the years, Ford Focus, Peugeot RCZ, Toyota GT86, Jaguar XKR, Jaguar XK, Maserati 4200 and Fiat Brava only the latter was cheaper to obtain parts for.
Unfortunately Esprits have been so cheap for so long that they've been passed around owners who didn't have the will or the finances to take care of them. The result is a lot of unhappy people and a tarnished reputation. Buy a good car however, and you're set. But that wouldn't make it much of a brave pill would it?
Pro tip: it's not the problems that all the magazines write about that will cause you grief as an owner, so don't bother worrying about gearboxes eating themselves or other relatively rare issues (I've heard plenty of stories of the V8 eating gearboxes, but never a first hand account of a 4-pot doing the same).
I'd whole-heartedly recommend an SE, S4, S4s or GT3 (or Sport 300 of course) to anyone looking for an easy to maintain first Supercar. The Lotus Forums (TLF) makes ownership a doddle compared to more mundane rides, where finding help with the model you own is nigh-impossible due to the variations churned out over the years.
For those seeking additional risk, the V8 is a good bet; higher stakes, but also higher returns. Once again, buy a good car/known quantity and you'll be set. That's however easier said than done.
I let the V8 go after 4 years as part of a separation, but I'd never really bonded with it, preferring the peaky character of the 4 pots (the V8 didn't cost me anything to run. I put in a major service and new brake lines, and turned a tidy profit in the end). The parts prices fo the Stevens Esprits are silly - of all my daily drivers over the years, Ford Focus, Peugeot RCZ, Toyota GT86, Jaguar XKR, Jaguar XK, Maserati 4200 and Fiat Brava only the latter was cheaper to obtain parts for.
Unfortunately Esprits have been so cheap for so long that they've been passed around owners who didn't have the will or the finances to take care of them. The result is a lot of unhappy people and a tarnished reputation. Buy a good car however, and you're set. But that wouldn't make it much of a brave pill would it?
Pro tip: it's not the problems that all the magazines write about that will cause you grief as an owner, so don't bother worrying about gearboxes eating themselves or other relatively rare issues (I've heard plenty of stories of the V8 eating gearboxes, but never a first hand account of a 4-pot doing the same).
I'd whole-heartedly recommend an SE, S4, S4s or GT3 (or Sport 300 of course) to anyone looking for an easy to maintain first Supercar. The Lotus Forums (TLF) makes ownership a doddle compared to more mundane rides, where finding help with the model you own is nigh-impossible due to the variations churned out over the years.
For those seeking additional risk, the V8 is a good bet; higher stakes, but also higher returns. Once again, buy a good car/known quantity and you'll be set. That's however easier said than done.
blade7 said:
Over 10 years ago I was looking for weekend car to keep long term. Heart said Esprit Turbo, head 250 bhp 944 Turbo. The Esprit had supercar looks, the 944 solid engineering. Magazine tests suggested there wasn't much between them on the road. I've still got the 944.
+1Edited by blade7 on Saturday 2nd November 10:36
In fact the guy I intended to buy the Esprit from suggested as much when I told him I was also looking at a 944T !!!
I had a 3 year old one of these for a couple of days while a friend was on holiday in the mid 90s. Stunning performance, but my head was jammed against the roof the whole time (I'm 6 ft 2). And the steering, OMG. With no PAS, it was ridiculously hard at low speeds. Gorgeous looking though. 
There’s some utter b
ks quoted above.
These are fantastic cars and ultra reliable IF looked after properly and NOT skimped on. Once in fine fettle then running costs are low for the performance. I’ve had 5 esprits now of varying types and all have had their issues initially - normally tight arse previous owners and supposed specialists who are actually robbing incompetent bds
ks quoted above.These are fantastic cars and ultra reliable IF looked after properly and NOT skimped on. Once in fine fettle then running costs are low for the performance. I’ve had 5 esprits now of varying types and all have had their issues initially - normally tight arse previous owners and supposed specialists who are actually robbing incompetent b
dsseanyfez said:
blade7 said:
Over 10 years ago I was looking for weekend car to keep long term. Heart said Esprit Turbo, head 250 bhp 944 Turbo. The Esprit had supercar looks, the 944 solid engineering. Magazine tests suggested there wasn't much between them on the road. I've still got the 944.
+1In fact the guy I intended to buy the Esprit from suggested as much when I told him I was also looking at a 944T !!!
Edited by blade7 on Saturday 2nd November 17:02
Not quite the same thing, but has everybody seen the Esprit restoration on the "Soup" YouTube channel by George Karellas?
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheeKookTube/search?q...
The comments in this thread that call for a BEV conversion or an LS swap sound creative. I mean: Who doesn't want a performance car that's deeply authentic? On the other hand, abandoning the original for something creative could be loads of fun and, in the long run, possibly less costly. I dunno.
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheeKookTube/search?q...
The comments in this thread that call for a BEV conversion or an LS swap sound creative. I mean: Who doesn't want a performance car that's deeply authentic? On the other hand, abandoning the original for something creative could be loads of fun and, in the long run, possibly less costly. I dunno.
Edited by unsprung on Saturday 2nd November 17:57
Magicsmurf said:
There’s some utter bks quoted above.
These are fantastic cars and ultra reliable IF looked after properly and NOT skimped on. Once in fine fettle then running costs are low for the performance. I’ve had 5 esprits now of varying types and all have had their issues initially - normally tight arse previous owners and supposed specialists who are actually robbing incompetent bds
I hear what you're saying, that there's nothing inherently unfixably wrong with them, they are capable of being dependable and low-maintenance.ks quoted above.These are fantastic cars and ultra reliable IF looked after properly and NOT skimped on. Once in fine fettle then running costs are low for the performance. I’ve had 5 esprits now of varying types and all have had their issues initially - normally tight arse previous owners and supposed specialists who are actually robbing incompetent b
dsHowever, you also appear to be saying that (1) if I buy an Esprit, it's almost certain that it will have problems due to previous ownership (at least, from your sample 5 out of 5 did), and (2) if I take it to a Lotus specialist to try and get it fixed, they'll probably make it worse and charge me handsomely for the privilege. So not a totally confidence-inspiring buying prospect ;-)
(I feel somewhat similarly about my RX-7 - it's not inherently hopeless, but it needs TLC and is poorly served by the sparse network of "specialists" in this country).
Tin Hat said:
Is that a cigarette lighter and ashtray in the passenger door card\handle!?
Like it
No. The owners manual states that it the far classier Cigar Lighter.Like it
HTH
In response to the unreliability, other than standard service items and routine maintenance the only real issue I've had in over 10 years is a sticking starter motor. Use the car regularly and look after it and it is fine.
Mark_Blanchard said:
Great looking example 😎Magicsmurf said:
There’s some utter bks quoted above.
These are fantastic cars and ultra reliable IF looked after properly and NOT skimped on. Once in fine fettle then running costs are low for the performance. I’ve had 5 esprits now of varying types and all have had their issues initially - normally tight arse previous owners and supposed specialists who are actually robbing incompetent bds
Completely agree. People say the same about TVR, however in 7 years of TVR ownership neither car I owned had an issue.ks quoted above.These are fantastic cars and ultra reliable IF looked after properly and NOT skimped on. Once in fine fettle then running costs are low for the performance. I’ve had 5 esprits now of varying types and all have had their issues initially - normally tight arse previous owners and supposed specialists who are actually robbing incompetent b
dsI think Lotus like TVR suffer from hobbyists who mistake accessibility for their own ability to 'fix' issues when the car, when the car should be maintained by a specialist.
GingerMunky said:
Completely agree. People say the same about TVR, however in 7 years of TVR ownership neither car I owned had an issue.
I think Lotus like TVR suffer from hobbyists who mistake accessibility for their own ability to 'fix' issues when the car, when the car should be maintained by a specialist.
I think Lotus like TVR suffer from hobbyists who mistake accessibility for their own ability to 'fix' issues when the car, when the car should be maintained by a specialist.
The beauty of both TVR and Lotus is that you can maintain them yourself.
Far too much concern over it being cat c 24 years ago. It really doesn't matter, its been on the road all these years later.
Bodywork on these crazes with stone chips, just because the paint is peeling means very little.
However, these were very cheaply made, are prone to chassis rot and are generally pretty unreliable and expensive to fix. Interiors are really crap, very poorly put together and don't wear the year's well
Bodywork on these crazes with stone chips, just because the paint is peeling means very little.
However, these were very cheaply made, are prone to chassis rot and are generally pretty unreliable and expensive to fix. Interiors are really crap, very poorly put together and don't wear the year's well
People who say that they have had a Lotus or TVR or whatever for 10 years etc and nothing much has gone wrong and how you should ignore the stories etc miss the point. A car is a collection of thousands of bits designed to work with each other. If some of those bits are outside of spec, things start to go wrong. Unreliable cars are that way because they were built to a loose spec or tolerances.
By the law of averages, you will get some where most of the parts are within spec, and these will, in general, be reliable. The problem is that not many cars will be like this, which is why bad reputations are formed. Count yourself lucky you have a good one...
By the law of averages, you will get some where most of the parts are within spec, and these will, in general, be reliable. The problem is that not many cars will be like this, which is why bad reputations are formed. Count yourself lucky you have a good one...
BigChiefmuffinAgain said:
People who say that they have had a Lotus or TVR or whatever for 10 years etc and nothing much has gone wrong and how you should ignore the stories etc miss the point. A car is a collection of thousands of bits designed to work with each other. If some of those bits are outside of spec, things start to go wrong. Unreliable cars are that way because they were built to a loose spec or tolerances.
By the law of averages, you will get some where most of the parts are within spec, and these will, in general, be reliable. The problem is that not many cars will be like this, which is why bad reputations are formed. Count yourself lucky you have a good one...
I don't think you mean law of averages...By the law of averages, you will get some where most of the parts are within spec, and these will, in general, be reliable. The problem is that not many cars will be like this, which is why bad reputations are formed. Count yourself lucky you have a good one...
Maybe you meant the law of large numbers?
Or something else.
Law of averages wiki:
"The law of averages is the fallacious belief that a particular outcome or event is inevitable or certain simply because it is statistically possible.[1][2] Depending on context or application it can be considered a valid common-sense observation or a misunderstanding of probability. This notion can lead to the gambler's fallacy when one becomes convinced that a particular outcome must come soon simply because it has not occurred recently (e.g. believing that because three consecutive coin flips yielded heads, the next coin flip must be virtually guaranteed to be tails).
As invoked in everyday life, the "law" usually reflects wishful thinking or a poor understanding of statistics rather than any mathematical principle."
There was a red one of these I used to see in Cobham Surrey with the number plate LOTUS, I can’t remember the exact letters and numbers but that’s what it looked like. I think it was a later V8 model as it had the large rear wing. I think it’s a stunning car. I’d love to see what lotus could conjure up now if they had the resources, a McLaren competitor
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