F308 QV or (early 90's) Lotus Esprit SE Turbo

Nathan, I think you'll have more fun in the 308, since it's the car you sound like you want more. Hows the Cobra?

 

It seems the Ferrari would be a little easier to get serviced as well, unless you already know someone familier with the Lotus. I would do the 308 - for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

If you search FerrariChat on "Lotus Esprit" you'll find a bunch of usefful posts.

 

Tough choice huh?

For me it all came down to 'bang for the buck'. and the performance levels of the chargecooled Esprit vs. a 308 made it an easy choice. I would still love a 3x8 of any kind, but it would be a totally different animal. More for Sunday cruiser etc... Looks? don't care. Heritage? don't care. Resale? don't care. It just had to be blinding fast, and competetive at the track vs. late model cars.

The Esprit offered all of that to me.

Good luck in your decision, I don't think that there really is a 'wrong' answer.

Craig

 

I did the same comparison a few years back. I love the look and feel of the 308, but the performance of the Esprit was much better. Plus, the maintenance costs are consdierably cheaper on the Esprit. One of the biggest downsides to owning a Lotus is having to explain to everyone who makes the car. Another big reason for me to go with the Lotus is my height - at 6'2", I'm not giant, but the 308 just wasn't real comfortable to me. I don't have huge amounts of room in the Esprit either, but I am at least comfortable driving for a few hours at a time.

Let me know if I can answer any questions. I used to own an 88 Esprit and currently have a 97. A very helpful site about the Esprit is www.espritfactfile.com

 

A good article comparing the two,(well, a 308 GTB) along with a Pantera.....

http://www.lotusespritworld.co.uk/ERoadtests/SE_ClassicCar.html

Craig 90SE

 

You cant go wrong with the Lotus, no way.

 

DITTO

Nothing like an Esprit and probably never again.

"We"re british and we're trying jolly hard"

 

Yeah, but when a person of the female persuasion asks, you can always say "Oh, it's the car that Richard Gere drove in PRETTY WOMAN".

Any and all women with red blood coursing through their veins has seen that movie at LEAST once.

Then you can say like Darth Vader: "I have you now! whoookschhhhh whoookschhhhh."

 

I would have too say if you want a looker car go with the Ferrari and all the joys it has to offer. WOman respond to the Ferrari but the remember the Lotus.

Also, if you never want to brake for turns ever again get the Lotus. The steering response alone is worth its weight in gold. Not to mention if you are diligent and thorough with your maintenance, the reliability is wonderful. I used to drive my 88 everyday to and from work. Like any exotic it must be driven to be reliable. With your height that may only be on dry days with the top off.

If you have questions. or if you are in the washington dc area and want a ride let me know.

page

 

Ha - the Pretty Woman reference is about the only thing that works with most people. "oh yes, Pretty Woman. It handles like it's on rails!" Though more guys respond to the Basic Instinct reference.

 

hmmm... by today's standards maybe.

but...

park them side by side and see which gets 10x the attention. Also, if aesthetics are a consideration, you can't beat the 308's exterior... and there is absolutely NO comparison to the 308's interior (QV). Which is likely the most elegant interior that I've ever seen on a sports car (think climate controls that are long, chrome levers, on buttery italian leather) without an inch of faux (or real) wood in sight.

It's a sports car, not a humidor!

That said, the Lotus is a beautiful sports car, I'd just change the wood out to CF. Also, would change the stick shift head.

 

Lotus. For sure.

 

I disagree, to the educated car enthusiast, my SE generates much more attention than 3x8's. Most people have never seen one in person. From 89.5-93 there were only 1608 Esprit SEs made.....ever.

To the kids, and people who don't know what they are looking at, sure the F-cars draw more attention.

Then again, I didn't look at either one for it's power of impression. It was ALL about the performance.

I certainly respect the 3x8's, beautiful cars, but way outdated. The Esprit SE is still a solid contender fifteen years after it was built.

You're right though........dash and shifter? ......ugh. Oh yeah, don't forget about the Firechicken steering wheel, those have to go as well.

Regards,
Craig

 

Sit in an esprit and you will be like, what were they thinking when they designed this thing?!

I love both....but cannot stand the old interiors. The newer V8s fixed it a little bit...

 

308 QV without question,driven and worked on both.

Remember 'LOTUS' Loads Of Trouble Usually Serious

Steve

 

I've driven the 308 for a couple of days and owned two Esprits. ESPRIT ALL THE WAY!!. My 90SE was amazingly reliable, EASY to work on and a MUCH MUCH better performer. I'm a school Principal and did my oil changes, slave/master cylinder replacements, spark plugs, air filter, fuel filter. I NEVER WORKED ON A CAR BEFORE THE ESPRIT. THey are EASY to work on. The Esprit by far is a better car. Once you come into the 348, 355 will the Ferrari match and surpass the early SE Esprits in most categories except for handling and reliability. You should go the the Esprit Forum (Yahoo.Groups) and ask the same questions. You will be amazed at how many owners went from a 308/328 to an ESPRIT SE.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Low Orbit Transport Of Unbelievable Speed.



Both cool cars......just depends on whether you want a fast one or not....