How bad are Lotus v. a 355

Doug,

It really depends on what your goals are. If you want something fun to drive, sounds amazing, and something that gives you an ear to ear grin, I recommend the F355. If you're looking for more of that turbocharged feel as opposed to the instant response of the F355, the Lotus maybe for you. The only pro I see for the Lotus in my eyes is that since the Lotus is a turbocharged car there is more room for modifications. With not much money you can get them up to around 500bhp (although the transmission is a weak-link) where as F355 turbo kits cost over $30k!!! Which is ridiculous.

Good luck with either choice you make.

Regards,
Kevin

 

A new one. Very pretty, in an eighties sort of way. The problem was the quality was atrocious. First, the manual seat adjustment was broken. I don't know how you manage that one on a new car but it was. Then the right mirror drooped and rattled so it was unusable. Then when we went over a change in pavement angle the back engine cover popped loose. The interior looked like a kit car. I should of figured something was wrong when it was a new car, one year old, selling for $10K under sticker. It only took one drive to say "no". That said, the turbo V8 was fun. Kinda screamed English Engineering. Like Lucas screamed English Engineering. Sorry. So very sorry. But seriously, you cannot compare an Esprit to a Ferrari unless it is a very old one. Now the new Elise, seems like a real winner, if you are a little person. Very little person. Tiny. Really not big. Small. Toy like. Sorry again.

 

The Esprit is a REALLY bad track car. It is as bad out there as the Elise is good.

 

We used to sell Lotus and Ferrari. I used to drive them back to back every day. Can you say Tinker Toy?

Motors used to blow up all the time in very comical ways.

Andre Agasi brought his back after 400 miles. Had what was left of a rod bearing shell laying in the oil pan, never did figure out how it got down there.

We had an acronym for Lotus, Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.

 

I seem to recall that the way Colin Chapman actually came up with the name LOTUS was that he had a car up for sale at a public auction and at the end of the day, nobody had shown an interest in it, so the auctioneers put a piece of tape on the hood and wrote upon it "LOTUS", which meant "Lot Un-Sold", so the staff would park the thing in the lot meant for cars that were not bid upon.

Given the quality issues stated here, somewhat ironic, no?

 

That may well be true. I have never been able to get anyone to give me the history of that name. Most "experts" have told me that no one knows.

 

Road & Track's 11/97 issue featured an article titled "Ferrari F355 Berlinetta vs Lotus Esprit V8". The articles concluding paragraph reads as follows: "So the question remains. Which do I prefer? My initial sentiment leans toward the Ferrari because of the sheer excitement it provides behind the wheel. But when considering that the Esprit V8 is quicker and costs about $50,00 less than the F355, I'm back to square one." I hope this is helpful. Tim

 

Well you ask about a Lotus vs. Ferrari on a Ferrari site... what do you expect... try Lotus site, you will hear good about the Lotus. I don't have the V8 but the S4, 1994. I modified it to a point that I could reach 310 Km/h and 0to60 in 4.0 s. (and I drive that speed regularly). I spent money only half of that you pay for a major service for the 355. Major service of the Lotus??? so small, no one discuss it... I have seen no points of buying another fast car for the last 10 years. New Ferrari is very nice but I have to spend I don't know another $200,000 to get 315 km/h ??? If you add that $200,000 to an $80,000 car I am sure you'll get more quality especially the interior.......IMO

 

I had a similar quandry myself. I own a 1991 Lotus Elan which is a great car - the Elise is essentially the successor (small convertible 2 seater). I was considering an Esprit myself. The newer Esprits (they stopped making them in 2004 but you can still find "new" ones) are actually quite nice. They redid the interior and they have a much better fit/finish to them than in the past. They have more trunk room and a real spare tire. They are also lighter and faster than an F355. Both cars require you to rev the engine high before you really get torque so if thats what you are after, neither car fits the bill (probably a Corvette is better - I considered that too). Ultimately, the way the car fit me was what drove me (haha) to the F355. I just got mine the other day, by the way.

Sit in an Esprit and drive it. It has a more claustrophobic feel to the interior. My Elan, which is a smaller car, actually feels cavernous by comparison. Thats because there is a hump right next to you and you feel like you are sitting in a submarine (wait, you are - remember "The Spy Who Loved Me"). But, I digress. Also, Lotus had to get an exception the last few years in order to sell the car and exception basically ran out. The problem is the A pillar comes too close to the driver.

This has been discussed numerous places and there are some other articles out there that compare F355, Esprit, and 911 all together. Ultimately, the Esprit is the better buy and will certainly cost less to run in the long run. I love Lotuses and they really are great cars. They are much misunderstood from those not in the know (not unlike Ferraris). I chose the F355 because I still have a Lotus (which is practical!) and I didn't like the feel of the interior. Plus, there is a certain something that makes the F355 a bit more special. For Lotus, I always get "who makes that" from people not in the know. Everyone knows a Ferrari. But, it does eat gas, cost a lot to repair, and is not as fast. But, its fast enough for me and I'm not in a drag race so I figured, what the heck.

Hope this helps.

Scott

 

Lotus = great cars, but not the V8 Esprit. That one lives up to the acronym quoted above.

Just like Ferrari's they are misunderstood by the general public, but loved by their fans.

Jas

 

i had a 2000 Lotus, juat sold my 355 for a 360. The lotus is a great looking car, thats about it. The build quality is really bad. The steering wheel is froma camaro!. Gm had a stake in Lotus for a time so quality got a bit better. THe lotus has no soul, you can't even hear the engine when the car is on. You can get a 2000-01 Lotus for 40-45, this is a car that cost 90k new! do the math.

vince

 

I used to own the S4. The Lotus and the 355 are completely different cars. In terms of build quality, the same applies for both cars: the newer the better. However, I would stay away from an early 90's Esprit, simply because Lotus (and all of the British automotive industry, for that matter) was recovering from John Lucas, AKA the Prince of Darkness, nearly ruining them with his shoddy parts.

That said, Lotus has recovered and is now a pretty reliable car. I can't speak for the V8, but when the S4 was around, it was THE fastest production car you could buy.

Lotus has a panache all it's own. Comparable to owning a Saville Row tailored suit versus an Armani, it depends on your tastes.

As for maintenance, the KEY difference is that you don't have the engine-out service that you need on the 348/355. The Lotus is a twin turbo, so you'll have to change oil much more frequently.

It comes down to your personal preference. Buy a car that makes you happy, and reminds you that it's worth all the sacrifices you took working your butt off to make the money to buy such a great car!!

Have Fun!

 

S4: 1993-96
S4S: 1995-96 = fastest (was also most reliable of whole bunch)