Anyone have/had a Lotus Esprit?

[GrantMercury]

I've always been intrigued by the Esprit. I thought the 4-banger turbo was so cool because it was unique in the auto world.

Supercar speed
Supercar looks
Supercar price

...and 4 cylinders! Just completely unconventional and wacky. Plus it wasn't from Italy like most other high-dollar exotics. So cool.

Eventually they kind of messed it up, IMO. They dropped in a big V8, and kept adding to the bodywork to (presumably) make it more ferocious looking - ruining the simple good looks of the earlier versions.

Anyway, anyone have one? Anyone drive one? If so, what do you think of it? Are they especially repair-prone? What's the upkeep like?

[AllAboutCams]

It looks nice how much they going for

[GrantMercury]

Originally Posted by AllAboutCams

It looks nice how much they going for

I agree it looks nice. I love the simple, well-proportioned wedge shape, and the staggered wheel sizes gives it a powerful presence. Most supercars these days are just all fucked up looking - they go overboard to the point the things look like a mess. Less is sometimes more. Compare the graceful, stunning beauty of early Ferraris to the overwrought modern ones, for example.

Anyway, prices seem to vary wildly. The Esprit was on sale for many years, and there are lots of different variants. My fave is the turbo 4-banger, though.

It would seem used ones are reasonably affordable toys, but upkeep may be frustrating. This one is beautiful. No idea what the reserve is. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lotus...5fce &vxp=mtr

[Rochard]

I think they look great and I bet you they are cheap now - Under $30k, maybe even under $20k. I would love to have one, but I would rather have an older Ferrari. I'm sort of secretly looking for an old Trans Am to fix up - You know, Smokey and the Bandit era.

[lex5555]

I prefer the Raikkonen's Lotus
I'm jokng

[GrantMercury]

Originally Posted by Rochard

I think they look great and I bet you they are cheap now - Under $30k, maybe even under $20k. I would love to have one, but I would rather have an older Ferrari. I'm sort of secretly looking for an old Trans Am to fix up - You know, Smokey and the Bandit era.

[CurrentlySober]

only when i was little...

[ottopottomouse]

It'll break before you get it home from the dealer.

[MaDalton]

I had a Porsche 968 - also 4 cylinders but 240hp

[GrantMercury]

Originally Posted by ottopottomouse

It'll break before you get it home from the dealer.

LOL! That would be my guess, too. It always seems the coolest cars are the most trouble prone.

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by GrantMercury

Something along those lines... I restored my 1990 Chevy truck; It's like brand new now with 160k miles on it. I've discovered that... All cars are the same no matter if it's brand new or twenty years old, but older cars have more character to them.

Trans Am or Firebird just sort of screams fun.

[GrantMercury]

Originally Posted by MaDalton

I had a Porsche 968 - also 4 cylinders but 240hp

Yup. I like that. Conventional wisdom is more cylinders = more power, and I do like big, torquey engines as much as the next guy. But I have a soft spot for cars that kind of buck the trend. The Honda S2000 had a powerful, very high revving 4, too. Too bad Honda seems to have forgotten how to make exciting vehicles. I wanted to test drive the S2000, but I really couldn't fit. They make the coolest cars for short people.

[GrantMercury]

Originally Posted by CurrentlySober

only when i was little...

Pretty cool.

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

ADG