| Author | Message | ||
| TomD (Tifosi)
|
Billy I am not planning to buy one but at the next NY mini rally we have put me down for a ride | ||
| billy zissis (89tr)
|
All I have to add to this is if you drive one, especially a v-8 twin turbo you will forget about Ferrari altogether. I am sure everyone is gonna kill me because I said this, but it is the most amazing car I have ever driven. I have 2 Ferrari's as well and I prefer to drive the Esprit over them. If you do not believe me, anyone who lives in the New york area and is thinking about an Esprit I will take you for a ride in mine. I am not knocking Ferrari but it was Lotus who revolutionized F-1 racing. I have not had a problem in these cars for th elast eight years. The only problem was the cats would burn out to quickly and rattle but who needs them anyway. The car passes the very strict NY inspection without em. | ||
| Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
|
I have been dealing with Lotus USA for almost 15 years since taking over the remains of a dealership. Dwayne has helped too many times with the problems. How about the lease car doing 60mph standing still! Built his mileage up REAL quick! Also to their benefit Lotus are very customer friendly and willingly supply info., drop ship parts and so on, unlike some European companies. | ||
| Ken (Allyn)
|
Far fewer people even know what a Lotus is than a Ferrari so you won't get the same reaction. IMHO, a typical Lotus owner is more of a gearhead than most Ferrari owners (partly out of necessity), although a huge percentage of you here do lots of your own work, I think this is the exception with Ferraris. A Lotus Esprit will be faster and corner better than the 308/328 and some will dust the newer ones as well, so it's a trade of the Italian mystique for higher performence and more of a race car feel. You need to love the car because they don't hold their value and they do break until you've upgraded everything and then they'll last and won't let you down. My Europa is a daily driver because it's completely restored and I keep after it; older Esprits can be made reliable too given the time, effort and money to make it so. | ||
| Eric Eiland (Eric308gtsiqv)
|
Thanks, Michael for the info. I'll check out the yahoo group today and sign up. | ||
| Michael Fennell (Mfennell70)
|
Well, Brian and I will just have to disagree. The V8s are fine though more expensive to maintain than the 4s. Biggest electrical problem is related to the alternator placement - it gets showered in road grime. For whatever reason, they also seem to draw fairly high current when sitting (355/360s have this same problem, no?) so they need a battery tender if not driven regularly. As I said before, my S4s was a nearly-daily driver last year. 11000 miles. 1 track day, about 10 autocrosses, and countless sideways 2nd gear corner exits. Never let me down. Brian, if you're having recurring trouble with a car, you should call Dwayne Shumate, Field Engineer at Lotus Cars, USA. I'll bet that he would be willing to help. 1-800-24-LOTUS Eric, many people feel the "best" car is the S4s. If you're really interested, join that yahoo group I gave a link to below. | ||
| Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
|
I don't know that I would ever suggest a Lotus of any kind as a "daily driver". Good, fast cheap weekend warrior though. | ||
| Eric Eiland (Eric308gtsiqv)
|
Wow, Brian...thanks for the "heads-up" on the V8 electrical problems. As Johnny Carson would say "I did not know that"  . Would you recommend the S4 over say the S3 or HCI turbo models? Either way, it would make a great daily driver it seems. | ||
| Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
|
No, no, no to the V8 guys, most of them live in my shop with the stupidest electrical problems. Plus the car is STILL the same thing they built in 74 with new shape and motor. FAST but who would want one in 5 years. | ||
| Eric Eiland (Eric308gtsiqv)
|
James... I got a chance to get a real close look at an S4 last Saturday at the local car show. Having been an Esprit fan for years, I would love to own one; but would probably hold out for the later 8 cylinder models. The S4 was very exotic, with nice lines -- and the interior leather / ergonomics was excellent (quite a bit of leather, I might add). Overall, the car appeared to be "delicate" for lack of a better word -- but having never owned one personally, I wouldn't really know to what degree (unfortunately, the owner was not around to speak to). If I had to choose between the two, I'd stick with my 308 for sure. | ||
| James Angle (Jimbo74)
|
Thanks for the info guys, I'm torn between a 308 and an S4, but the S4 seems like an all around better car. (I'll probably get hate mail for that one.) | ||
| Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
|
I have several customers running the Turbo Esprits, most are driven VERY hard and hold up well, the later cars don't blow up clutches and overrev anymore. Window motors are weak (sound familiar 308 owners?) but can be upgraded. R&R ttrans is 8 hours total. Major with valve adjust and belts 18 hours or so in my shop. Watch for corrosion underneath, the frames are vulnerable. Other than that they are a fast kitcar type vehicle and good value. | ||
| Michael Fennell (Mfennell70)
|
James, The SE/S4/S4s Esprits are quite good cars. I put about 11000 miles on my S4s in the past year. I'm often fiddling with something minor (headlamp linkage is loose, driver's door doesn't close *quite* right, etc), but it has never let me down. In addition to clutch hydraulics, typical problem areas include the charge cooler pump (ez rebuild), cam tower oil leaks (total pita to fix, but you can live with them for a while), and synchros in transaxles that have been abused. Everything is well known and Lotus Cars USA is fantastic. The biggest problems stem from owner neglect and/or the hackings of unqualified mechanics. All Esprits since '89 have the Renault trans. check out http://www.espritfactfile and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/turboesprit | ||
| James Angle (Jimbo74)
|
Michael, I have a question? I think that car is awesome and I would like to get one some day. Is the S4 esprit a good car? Can it be an everyday driver, with certain exeptions? What are some of the problems other than the hydraulic line upgrades, that you have encountered? Does the S4 have a Renault trans in it? ANy electrical problems? THanks, Jim | ||
| Michael Fennell (Mfennell70)
|
It was a pretty simple job. Other than occaisional aggravation with accessability, the car is pleasant to work on. Of course, I don't do the belts myself and that looks like a total pain. My next trick is to upgrade the lower control arms. Untouched-for-6-years nuts, bolts, and bushings might make that much less fun. I'd say it took me 6-8hrs all told over a few evenings and one morning, much of it spent cleaning things. I think the book rate is actually 8 hrs. 2.5 is probably possible if you're a motivated professional and nothing gives you trouble but I'm in no hurry. Billy, I just saw your car about 2hrs ago. Nice. I like the BOVs you got from Johan. | ||
| billy zissis (89tr)
|
I should be getting mine back from ralph any day now. Cannot wait to drive it with the limited slip. | ||
| Brian stewart (Eurocardoc)
|
About 2.5 hours? | ||
| Richelson (Richelson)
|
Good job. How was it? | ||
| Michael Fennell (Mfennell70)
|
OK, this has nothing to do with Ferraris but I just pulled the transaxle in my '95 Lotus Esprit S4s. I'm bringing it up to my mechanic to have a limited slip differential installed. See pictures here. |