Afraid to buy 84 turbo esprit

[marcvv]

Yes, I want this car, one of the examples I've looked at looks like a decent deal; I've filled in the LEW-checklist; step 2 was to approach the specialist(s) as listed on LEW; but before even seeing the car they told me not to buy it!!!;Their quote: "nomatter what the car looks like it's throwing money away; there are no more pistons/cilinders available; if something happens to the exhaustsystem; everything will have seized; you'll end up tearing the whole engine apart and there will be no parts available to fix it"
Well that started me thinking; but why is none of this horror on the LEW site ? who is right/who is wrong in this matter?
I would use the car as a third car and drive about 7500 km a year; the car has had an engine rebuild 15000 km's ago and a new turbo.

Any help will be greatly appreciated

Marc

[lotusguy]

marcvv said:

Yes, I want this car, one of the examples I've looked at looks like a decent deal; I've filled in the LEW-checklist; step 2 was to approach the specialist(s) as listed on LEW; but before even seeing the car they told me not to buy it!!!;Their quote: "nomatter what the car looks like it's throwing money away; there are no more pistons/cilinders available; if something happens to the exhaustsystem; everything will have seized; you'll end up tearing the whole engine apart and there will be no parts available to fix it" Well that started me thinking; but why is none of this horror on the LEW site ? who is right/who is wrong in this matter? I would use the car as a third car and drive about 7500 km a year; the car has had an engine rebuild 15000 km's ago and a new turbo. Any help will be greatly appreciated Marc

Marc,

You don't describe the car in great detail, but whomever your 'Experts' are, seem a little shy on the facts.

I totally rebuilt my engine last year including new bearings, ConRod, Aftermarket Pistons (OEM are still available too), Valve springs, Carb Rebuild, Clutch, Synchros, Slave Cylinder, Vacuum Pump, Waterpump, Clutch and Brake Master rebuild, new Slave, and all the pertinent gaskets, 'O' rings, seals, bearings, plus the odd assortment of needed replacement bolts, nuts, washers etc.

None of these parts were difficult to find as I had several sources to choose from enabling me to shop for the best prices. I used Genuine Lotus OEM parts for at least 95% of my needs. I sometimes chose aftermarket parts due to their better quality or vastly better price.

The list of Unobtanium parts for the '84 is incredibly short for a 19 year old exotic and consists mainly of dash switches and a few trim parts, but these still pop up from time to time on Ebay and the like as new, old stock items as people or businesses clean out their garages and inventories.

If you have a clean example at a resonable price, parts and service availability should not preclude you from proceeding. Concentrate more on the car's condition and what you'll need to budget to get it into the shape you want or can afford. Proceed on that basis and inquire about specifics from this list, it is a great resource. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

[fraserl]

Hi Mark,

guess what I have just bought an '84 Turbo Esprit, Not only do the guys on this site know thier stuff but there are several places to get parts including SJSPORTSCARS "Check out their web site" I thing is .co.uk also I have found that compared to any other sports car/classic I looked at and I looked at a lot with a budget of 12K for a second car "I also have a ZX12R bike", I would say jump in with both feet and grab it, only check the noise when accelerating if you get a squeal walk away poss turbo/wastegate failure / jam. which if not sorted means droping the engine to fix. other than that I reckon it the best drivers car you can get for the money and the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

[lotusguy]

fraserl said:

Hi Mark, guess what I have just bought an '84 Turbo Esprit, Not only do the guys on this site know thier stuff but there are several places to get parts including SJSPORTSCARS "Check out their web site" I thing is .co.uk also I have found that compared to any other sports car/classic I looked at and I looked at a lot with a budget of 12K for a second car "I also have a ZX12R bike", I would say jump in with both feet and grab it, only check the noise when accelerating if you get a squeal walk away poss turbo/wastegate failure / jam. which if not sorted means droping the engine to fix. other than that I reckon it the best drivers car you can get for the money and the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

Fraser,

Removing the intake hose to the turbo and checking for oil, indicating the seals are gone or going, should be part of any pre-purchase inspection on these cars. A Garrett T3 turbocharger really only averages about a 50k-60k mi. lifespan.

But, finding a faulty turbo should be no reason to walk away from an otherwise excellent car. The engine does not have to be dropped (actually on the Turbos onward, you pull the engine from the top), and it is a pretty easy DIY job. But, it does present a need for the PO to discount the purchase price the $500 to $600 it takes to fix it. Should the seller offer to fix it, I would decline, taking the discount and getting it done myself to insure it was done right. Btw, SJSportscars can be found at: www.SJSportscars.co.uk , you can email Steve Roberts (Owner) at: [e-mail] . Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

[marcvv]

Thanks for all your advice; I've just bought the car after having it checked by a independant lotus-enthousiast; he could not find anything seriously wrong with the car so I bought it. Due to circumstances I can only pick it up 2 weeks from now. Can't wait !

Marc

[lotusguy]

marcvv said:

Thanks for all your advice; I've just bought the car after having it checked by a independant lotus-enthousiast; he could not find anything seriously wrong with the car so I bought it. Due to circumstances I can only pick it up 2 weeks from now. Can't wait ! Marc

Marc,

Congratulations! Be sure to let us know when you get it. Happy Motoring! Jim'85TE

[PatHeald]

Whereabouts in the country are you?

Pat.

[marcvv]

Hi Pat,

I live in the south of the Netherlands near Roosendaal; however I bought the car in the UK. I'll be picking it up soon.

Marc

[fraserl]

Good Luck with the Car

Fraser

[maigret]

I have had no trouble getting parts for my 1980 S2. In fact I had some parts arrive today from SJSportscars which have taken 14 days to get here. The fastest was 8 days. Thats not bad considering I am as far from Devon as you can get. Also I have been able to source a few used parts from local British car wreckers.
Some of my friends with late model Japanese cars have had to wait 3 months for parts out of Japan, at outrageous prices.