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Noobie question here. How is it to live with the M100? How hard is service? Parts availability? Quality? Quality of the top and durability of the rear window?
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How hard is service? Some aspects not too bad, others it is an absolute PITA. For instance,check out the engine bay; the oil filter resides at the back of the bottom part of the engine underneath the intake plenum. And changing the transmission fluid
wtf where they thinking? In fact many of the components reside between the back of the engine and the firewall. Replacing components of the AC to the brake servo requires removing the dash and center console. One mechanic said it was the most complicated car he had ever worked on. Working on an Elise is a piece of cake compared to the M100.
Parts availability? Most of the internals can be sourced thru Dave Bean. A lot of the components are from various GM parts bins around the world, and cost a fraction of what Lotus charges. Most of the later era Esprit's all the way to the V8 have the same steering wheel as the M100, which I believe is the same as a Pontiac Firebird. A lot of the switch gear comes from Vauxhall; inf act it looks like some of components in the Elise are the same ones used in the M100.Trim pieces on the other hand are almost impossible to find.
Like Lotuscar, I have both and love them to death.