Buying advice - ESPRIT

[330Clubsport]

The time has come.

I now live near work, and can walk it.

I need a weekend car tht looks amazing and wil bring a smile to my face for under £20k.

So it's an Esprit for me.


Please, any advice on what to look for and any dealings anyone has had with Paul Matty?

Thanks

[britten_mark]

330Clubsport said:

I now live near work, and can walk it.

Snap!

330Clubsport said:

I need a weekend car tht looks amazing and wil bring a smile to my face for under £20k. So it's an Esprit for me.

An excellent choice, monsieur!

330Clubsport said:

Please, any advice on what to look for

You could write a book. Or a website for that matter, try LotusEspritWorld as a first stop.

330Clubsport said:

and any dealings anyone has had with Paul Matty?

Most people on here seem to say he's good, gets nice cars in, but they are a bit pricey.

[330Clubsport]

Cheers, Mark.

I found LEW just after I posted. Great site.


I know you will hate this, but are there any real howlers I should look for? Prepared to pay top whack for a good trouble free car. What sort of warranty will I be able to get? Appreciate that it won't be the same as the BMW one I am used to, but just looking for some comfort that if it grenades on day one I will have some comeback..

Again, forgive the dumbass questions but do you have one? If so what modeal and how has the experience been?



>> Edited by 330Clubsport on Friday 13th August 14:31

[fflyingdog]

Hi welcome to the Lotus world, IMHO a S4s is a good start,resonably reliable, looks great,goes like a rocket,all the toys ie:electric windows ,a/c,abs,power steering,removable roof section,LEW does a dam good write up on the various models and their particular pitfulls...............but i may be a bit predudice owning a S4s myself !
Nick S4s

[rob.e]

The best S4s's are not below 20k. Suggest you look at a GT3.

You should be able to get a post 98 (new interior) GT3 within your budget.

[rob.e]

330Clubsport said:

Again, forgive the dumbass questions but do you have one? If so what modeal and how has the experience been?

Anthony - you can click the user name on any post and usually see what someone is driving . Some folks have the running costs in there too..

[fflyingdog]

Ooops didnt see the under £20K bit......sorry !

[britten_mark]

By the way, 330CS's are really smart. Nice Estoril blue one around here makes me drool. Maybe in a few years when they are a bit cheaper, eh!

[PatHeald]

330Clubsport said:

Please, any advice on what to look for and any dealings anyone has had with Paul Matty?

Hi.

I bought my 1987 HC Turbo from Paul Matty 2 years ago.

He generally sells quality stuff and often finds amazing condition really low milers.

Don't be too misled by a really low mileage. I bought mine with only 21k on the clock and an almost full main dealer history, much of it by the Lotus factory sevice centre.

My car suffered from having been used too little. I've replaced radiator, exhaust, tyres, gear linkage, clutch slave cylinder and hose. It's pretty much sorted now, but it has been a labour of love to get her just right.

If you do buy a low miler, it helps if it has done at least a couple of thousand miles in the last year or so.

Get a compression check done to make sure the valve guides and the cylinder liners are not shagged.

Make sure the cam belt has been changed recently. Have a good look at it and if it is all shiny and smooth, then it's been on too long.

Don't worry too much if the gearchange is all floppy, loose and vague. Mine was absolutely dreadful. I had no idea whether I was going to get third or fifth. This was cheaply and fairly easily fixed with new bushes, rose jointed linkage and new cable.

Incidentally, my daily driver is a 1996 BMW 328 Coupe Sport Auto on 17 inch rims. Even my elderly 215bhp Esprit is miles quicker than the BMW, despite the fact that they are separated by so few horsepower. The Lotus feels so much more special than the Beemer, just don't expect BMW standards of fit and finish.

The ride is no more firm than your old 328 and my Esprit doesn't suffer from tramlining like the Beemer. The steering is far sharper, but you'll miss that silky six cylinder motor and it's throttle response. The Esprit is all turbo lag, induction roar and farting wastegate, but the motor is surprisingly smooth when stretched.

I have to admit a terrible bias, but if you don't need the ultimate performance of a S4, then a S3 HC Turbo is a pretty good compromise between the stronger HC motor and lack of complicated electronics or fuel injection. The only thing you'll miss is power steering.

Styling is a very personal thing, but the Giugiaro shape is the original and purer design. I think it has now passed through being dated and is an emerging classic.

S3 HC Turbo prices are very firm. The best Giugiaro turbos are fetching up to about £15,000.

Buy the best you can afford, but be paitient. It took me 3 years to find mine, but I am a very fussy bugger.

Cheers

Pat

[PatHeald]

Gazboy said:

1200 miles in the last year, is that a bad sign?

Not really, just make sure it's not been standing for months at a time.

Mine had done 900 miles in the year before I bought it.

If you buy a 13 year old car that's not been used much and then start chucking on the miles, you've got to budget for rotten silencer, semi permeable radiator and some hydraulic problems. These are inconvenient, but not really expensive, providing you can do the spannering yourself.

The radiator is quite an expensive job if you get someone else to do it, as there is a lot of labour involved.

Bore condition and cambelt are the critical areas to look at.

Cheers

Pat

[330Clubsport]

Thanks to all.

I think I will try to find a nice GT3....



Mark - thanks for the compliment re the 330CS - people slag them becuase they are not the poor man's M3 they could have been. To be honest they are better than people think - 90kg of sound deadening out means they sound lovely, and pull hard when you crack the throttle.

Jury's out on that wing though.... if I'd have got it new I'd have deleted it.

Anyway, off for a browse of Top Marques.


Incidentally, anyone in the Canary Wharf area got an Esprit they can take me for a run in? I promise to have clean shoes......

I'll buy you a pint in reutrn!

[paul c]

Best of luck, good choice.

Don't forget to post details of anything you have put a deposit on/or are going to look at here:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/UKLotusEsprit/

A members car might be for sale , if not...

You may find a member locally who will come with you to have a look, and you will find the nearest reputable specialist to inspect it for you.

Also,you may find that other members have had the same car inspected - and walked away due to it needing major & expensive work.
Don't buy a KNOWN bad one that you could have been warned about for free

There are sadly a few about,so ask!

Paul C
Turbo SE

[bojangles]

PatH
bimmer please.. dont call yourself an enthusiast if you say beemer! that is for motorbikes.. and Beamer is with full beams on..

hehe, no offence, but the term comes from the car clubs. they insist on bimmer.

Bruce

[Andrew S]

has anyone mentioned autotrader.co.uk to you often get several Esprit's on there. when buying our V8 i found it to be by far the best, along with LEW, to sight cars and find dealers etc. occassionally you may pick up a bargain as quite a lot of smaller dealers do not know what they have in an Esprit. i've chased several where they've said they wished they'd done there homework as they could have sold them 10 times over and for a few grand more. you never know if you take all the precautions already mentioned. it can take a long time though, but it is so, so, so, worth it.