The NSX, Viper, or Lotus Esprit. I, of course, would love to get to a point one day where I own a Ferrari...but I think at this stage in my life the costs of ownership are well out of my league(I'm also not sure I would fit in a 328). However, I spend a lot of my weekends just driving around in my car for the simple fact that I love driving and all the aspects surrounding it. It seems that the 3 models mentioned above are good performance bargains and will add a little spice to my drives and make this relaxing part of my week that much more special. I am well aware that all 3 of these could potentially require a large budget for maintanence costs, but again, will be less brutal than that of a Ferrari. I still have a year or two before I can comfortably purchase one (Unless my boss is reading this and wants to give me a raise/promotion earlier). Now, I know these 3 cars above are very different in nature...but I was just wondering if you had the choice between the 3, which would you choose? I would especially like to hear from owners who have owned more than 1 of the above and which one they would choose if they could have just one. Lastly, I am 6'3"/215lbs. Size 13 shoe. Is one of the above better than the others for someone that is a bit taller or easier to shift with a larger shoe size? Thanks for all of your input. edit: I'm also not looking to choose based on performance numbers or 0-60 times. I am simply just looking for something that is fun to drive and puts a smile on my face for a few hours on the weekend. Thanks!
I had a similar question when I was going to buy my car. It was over 3 years ago and between a C5 Z06, GEN I Viper, NSX and Lotus Elise. I had around 30k to spend and would have gone to 40k for a new lotus Elise. For performance (Especially on the track since I track my car frequently), reliability, rarity and looks I obviously (Check out my screen name) picked the Viper. Back then If I could have got my hands on a Lotus Elise for 40k I would have but back in the day there was a year waiting list for an Elise. Thank God I didn't because it wasn't the car for me. The Viper is everything I want in a car. One of the best decisions I have ever made. But back to your question. I assume you mean a 1996 and later Esprit, a late NSX and a GEN II (96-02) viper? If so: Again I would pick the Viper. It's going to be the best performing, most reliable, car out or the three. Parts are plentiful and less expensive then the other two. Especially for a man of your size you want the viper. If it's between a GEN I viper an early Esprit and a an early NSX I would run to the GEN I Viper. My second choice would be the Lotus Esprit. I have a buddy that has one and loves it. He doesn't have the problems that seem to be a big concern with the other Esprit owners. (Gear box) My biggest problem with the Esprit is the fact that parts are going to be expensive and hard to get your hands on. The best two things about the Esprit are its INCREDIBLE good looks and rarity. I for one don't like the NSX. Most track guys (including me) that I talk to feel either the NSX or the Lotus Elise is the most over rated performance car for the track you can buy. I will say it does have great looks and it is more respected by the Import enthusiasts than the other cars. But I just don't see why anyone would by a under 300HP used car for 30k when you have so many other choices.
Well I own a SRT-10 convertible and it puts a sh*t eating grin on my face every time I take it out. It attracts as much or more attention than the 355 though (good or bad) and can walk 99% of the cars out there. The NSX and Lotus are both great cars and definitely worth consideration but neither could even come anywhere near the level of performance that a Viper is capable of. 1.01 g's on the skidpad- 0-60 in under 4 seconds -1/4 in 11.77 at 126 mph and a top speed north of 190 mph.
Hey Dan, I really appreciate you taking the time to writeup your feedback. It was the exact response I was looking for. It seems you were in the exact same situation as I will be here in the next year or so. I figure I'm going to set 50k aside for the purchase. 40k on the vehicle and have another 10k in the bank as a maintanence fund in case something goes wrong. I might end up waiting 2 years because most of what I save goes towards my investments and downpayment since buying a house/condo comes before the car obviously I have been getting myself a little prematurely excited though by browsing through the various internet auto sale sites. Looks like I could get a Gen II viper with 14-20k miles on it for right at 40k. Again thanks for the response and I used to live in Kansas City and would regularly be in Olathe to visit friends. Was just there on business not long ago too. Lots of nice roads out that way. I miss the more temperate whether and my little abode on the Plaza! Sincerely, Travis
I think at 6'3" you would feel claustrophobic in the Lotus. The NSX and the Viper are complete polar opposites. That is a question only you can answer. :shrug:
And also you would feel claustrophobic with a GTS, but with a roadster it won't be to bad. I think a Lotus takes a certain individual to enjoy and a NSX is ok. There is of course a C5 Z06........
My Brother has a 94 Viper. I love it. It's a total beast. If he didn't have one, I would probably want to go out and get one. It's been trouble free.
Owned all three. Here is the simple breakdown. Lotus- poor performance, unreliable- lots of maintainence problems and the guy with the old 911 down the street will dust you. It is a Ferrari wannabe. NSX- Reliable- it is a Honda. Good accelaration, nice handling. Fun to drive Light weight, nimble, easy to steer and drive. Your wife/significant other will not mind driving it to get her nails done. Viper- Reliable. Beast on acceleration. Nothing will beat you off the line at a red light. Heavy steering in turns but unbeatable in a straight line. S/O will not drive unless she is going to the gym where she lifts more weight than her personal trainer that she is probably dating on the side. Hands down- Viper
I remember reading lots of tests and such on all those cars and a couple of things that stood out where... 1. The foot box of the Lotus is so small and the pedals so close together if you wear a shoe bigger than a size 10 and wider than a Medium you will never be able to drive the car well. 2. Mario Andretti found the Lotus difficult to drive anywhere near the limits and spun it on several occasions and was NOT a fan of the car... 3. As noted Ferrari wanna-be with very expensive parts and few places that you can trust to fix it anyway. 4. A friend who used to own the local Lotus dealership said to me recently if you want to take a car to the track on a pretty regular basis, DON'T buy a Lotus! YMMV! James
I'd go with either the NSX or Viper. Both look cool, one is extremely higher quality and one is extremely faster.....
My personal choices would be: '92 Dodge Viper '94 Lotus Esprit S4S (with the mid mounted wing) No Honda/Acura NSX!
I have two of the three, a 92 NSX and a 97 GTS. Both are great and very reliable. As for driving, the Viper will of course toast the NSX and is a ton of fun to drive. As most have said as well, the NSX is great but if you do not modify the exhaust it can be boring. I would go for the Viper if you are looking for a weekend toy. Brian Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
According to my history, we have not had much dialogue in this regard, but it seems to me that the choice between the three is unanimous...exactly the feedback that I was looking for. Thank you, all! Also, when I see the NSX out it seems a bit dated - the Viper still for some reason or another seems fresh and exotic.
I have driven Viper and NSX. Viper is fast, but it ran out of rpm way too fast for me. I felt like driving a really fast truck. It was fast, but it wasn't fun to drive. NSX in other hand was slow, but it was a blast to drive. I guess I like the high-reving sports car. So if it was between these two, I go for the NSX.
I have owned 2 of the three... I absolutely loved my elise... it handeld great... got phenominal gas mileage. Gets plenty of looks and is the purest sports car you can purchase. It will not disappoint... too much. I would definetly go for the exiege S. I am contemplating that purchase right now actually. Once you drive and exiege S you will never drive another lotus. The thing is phenominal. The great thing about the lotus elise, exiege, S etc... is that the are pretty rock solid in there reliablity. You have nothing to worry about as far as hidden expense if you own a car out of warranty. Everything is pretty cheap on those cars to replace IF anything ever goes wrong. Now, the bad things about the car is that it is super low, and if you are 6ft or taller, is a pain to get in and out of. Also, every elise i have owned/driven, always have a smell of gasoline to them, but thats just my sensitive nose. Also, the A/C is terrible in the car (I live in AZ where it gets to 120) and the coolant temp often rises. However, I am either going to buy an exiege S or another elise here in the next couple of days because I need to buy a car that gets good gas mileage. The viper... i have owned a gen 2 (1997) GTS as well as an 06 viper SRT GTS (coupe) Both are phenominal. I do prefer the gen 2 car. Louder more raw... more race car. More special in every way. Way sexier body. But the lows are... the stereo sucks (rectifable) the interior gets to ELVENTY BILLION DEGREES. Your shoe will almost melt in the pedal box. I actually removed my cats to lower the temps inside the car... the perfomance gain was just a bonus. But the Gen 2 car is the most memeroable car i think you can own. It is just so sexy in its looks, so fast and powerful. Nothing on the street can touch it... I ran my car on road race tires on the street, and with an exhaust and smooth tubes i ran an 11.42 at the track at 125mph. Very very few street driven cars can touch that. The brutal torque and massive rear tires will allow you to eat just about anything short of 600hp alive. The SRT10 Gts i had, was much more sedate. Its ac was better, the seats were better, my feet were never on fire, the car has amazing brakes worth of a 911 turbo. the Stereo is better. a much more all around refined car. However, if you are going for refined cars, there are better choices. Personally if you are buying a toy... a toy to enjoy. Get the gen 2 car. If you are daily driving the thing and don't really race or act like a jackass all that much, go for the gen 3 car. The NSX, i have been pondering these cars for a while. A good friend of mine mark Basch develeoped a supercharger for the NSX's back in the day and those cars are a blast. However, I really can't get over how expensive the cars are. The insurance is ridiculous on them as well due to the all aluminum construction. At least thats what my agen tells me, yet a quote on an A8 or XJ super V8 is cheap and they are made of aluminum. I just don't see the value in the cars enough to own them. The GTS has so much more charisma let alone power than the NSX and the Lotus, in my mind is a pure version of the NSX for much less money and much less problems. Plus the styling on the NSX is getting a little long in the tooth unless you go for a fixed headlight car. The gen2 viper is older, but that body style is classic, and will always be a deseriable car. The Gen 2 viper will always be the viper to own. The elise, very much the same way. The NSX... who knows... the next version is supposed to be phenominal, and who knows what that will do to the value of 92-2004 NSXs. Okay, enough of my rant... My thoughts though are if you want to fall in love with a car... get the viper. you will never ever ever regret it. The lotus, will be a tremendous ownership experiance, with good memories, but... alas... you will sell it... The viper you will want to hold on to forever. The NSX, like all japanese cars, lacks soul, and character. It will be a very good car... its probably the best CAR. But is certainly not the best TOY.
i disagree. you got a bad one. out of all the cars i have had, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Detomaso, my 89 Lotus Esprit SE and my 911's have been the best, everyday usable cars. i am only selling my 89 SE Esprit ( see Ferrari ads) because i am buying my 3rd Lamborghini, and want a Euro carb car while the getting is good. the only down side i see to the early Esprits is how close the pedals are, you need a good pair of driving shoes, other than that its 28 miles per gallon and fun as hell. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
After being able to thrash a Viper (dukes of hazard type stuff on backroads) I say Viper. That car can really bring out the devil in someone. MUAH HA HA HA HA!
Just wnted to touch on the size of the person sitting in the car. My brother is 6'5. He could not comfortably fit in the Viper unless it was at least a 2000 model. The Elise on the other hand fit him better. Just stating a fact for ya.
6'3" is about the limit on NSX's. The lower seat cushion is removable in these applications and a thin aftermarket pad can be put in. Cancelled my order for the Elise after I sat in one. In-out was a nightmare. Viper gets what kind of milage; 12 ? Day in day out the NSX is hard to beat. Comptech makes a supercharger for 400 HP but I like mine pure.
Travis, In another year or two, the Gen 3 Viper will probably be in your price range as well. Food for thought.
Don't be so sure about that.....Dodge is most likely going to stop building the Viper in 2010, if that happens then every one of the measily 25,000 Vipers that were ever produced could very well go up in value, not down. Food for thought.
