'04 Esprit went cheap on Ebay...

[finnerty]

Somebody got a helluva bargain on this one! Did it go to a member here?

Lotus : Esprit:eBay Motors (item 320443972707 end time Nov-05-09 16:00:00 PST)

I thought about bidding but didn't as I never imagined it would have gone for only $40K.......

[Spudboy]

Low mileage too!

[gregte]

Don't be so sure... it is unbelievable how many times you see a car sell on ebay then it pops up again for sale again in a few weeks by the same seller.

[Appleseed]

there's one on there now, yellow '97 for 37,900

[gregte]

There is a huge difference between 97 and 04. 37900 is full retail for a 97.

[finnerty]

I've been in the market for a V8 for nearly a year now, and I have observed that there is a big difference between the price that sellers are "asking" and the prices at which the cars are actually trading for. Most '97 / '98 cars are going in the 28K - 30K range. Whatever car I end up purchasing, I do not intend to pay more than 40K ----- and I'm patient enough to wait as long as needed.

[finnerty]

Originally Posted by gregte

Don't be so sure... it is unbelievable how many times you see a car sell on ebay then it pops up again for sale again in a few weeks by the same seller.

Indeed, that does happen fairly often with cars on Ebay. And, I hope it does with this one ---- because then I can get another shot at it !!

[D713B]

From the Autocheck section of the E-bay page:

"Repo, theft or other event reported".

Also, there's no way of telling if the reserve was met on the auction. Considering 40k was the starting price and there was only one bid of 40k, I doubt it was.

[finnerty]

True. At the end of the auction, Ebay stated that the "winning bid" was 40K, so I'm assuming it sold for that.

As for the Autocheck "Repo, theft or other event reported" ---- when I contacted the seller during the auction, they did disclose that the car was a "bank / loan repossession". That's not a deal-breaker to me ---- "theft recovery" would be a whole different matter, though.

[E5PR1T]

Well...here is another one...

Lotus : Esprit:eBay Motors (item 300364608868 end time Nov-16-09 17:01:40 PST)

[finnerty]

Yes.....I saw that one too, and called the seller today to discuss it.

THIS CAR IS ALSO A REPO out of the West coast, and was BOUGHT AT AUCTION by the current Dealer ---- it also HAS NO SERVICE HISTORY AVAILABLE so there may be "stories" with this one

Also, the Dealer is inaccurately describing it as a "Final Run Edition" ---- it is not based on its chassis number. However, it is a late (August) '03 MY car.

Chicago is only about 250 miles from me, so I'm driving up there next week to inspect the car personally. If it checks out with the PPI (and there are no lien / IRS issues), I will likely make an offer and would hopefully be driving it back home with me !!

.........we'll see.......

[ifly]

Best of luck, I eventually bought one that had been advertised on eBay but at full NADA values, after seeing the car come up twice I eventually contacted the broker acting on behalf of the owner with a reasonable market based offer which after some humming and hawing was accepted based upon a satisfactory dealer and personal inspection.

All I can say is over a number of years I have looked at a lot of eBay Esprits and never found one in the right condition, there was always a deal breaker especially when they showed up cheap. I am sure some of them work out and are fine but in my experience the majority have not, top issues have been lack of service history and issues that have been fixed only to be found upon inspection to have been bodged or worse. I definitely payed more than I could have picked one up on eBay but I have total peace of mind with how the car has been owned and serviced since new and even talked to Lotus about the car (Manufactured October 22nd, 2003, imported to US January 2004, shipped to dealer March 2004 and sold to 1st owner July 2005.

Finnerty I would take the check list which can be purchased here, Buying an Esprit and also have a local dealer do a full inspection (usually runs $400) and split it with the seller if he is serious about selling the car!

By the way all these statements of "1 of 33" is so totally incorrect its not even funny, there were over 70 Final Edition Cars made and imported to the US, with the final VIN being 10621, only 16 were made in 2004 and all were exported to the US. All the cars sold in CA to meet the emission requirements are classified as 2003.5 but others sold in other states are 2004's.

Best of luck.

[finnerty]

I hear 'ya..... Lot of BS from the salesman about this car. And, when I look at it, I will definitely have my radar up. After all the great info that many folks (including yourself) here on the forum have shared with me about the V8 Esprit's, I feel as though I'm fairly well educated on what to look for with these cars.

While this will be my first Lotus, I've bought, sold, and owned many other exotics over the years. And, the key to buying one right is to have the discipline to buy "with your head" and not "with your heart". If you can do that, you will usually end up with a good car.

[finnerty]

Originally Posted by ifly

...By the way all these statements of "1 of 33" is so totally incorrect its not even funny, there were over 70 Final Edition Cars made and imported to the US, with the final VIN being 10621, only 16 were made in 2004 and all were exported to the US. All the cars sold in CA to meet the emission requirements are classified as 2003.5 but others sold in other states are 2004's....

I'm a bit confused I guess about the FRE numbers. According to the Fact File site, (98) MY 2003 Esprits were imported to the US, and (33) MY 2003.5 / 2004 Esprits were imported to the US. It was always my understanding that only the last (33) were all the FRE cars. So, I thought the seller was correct in stating that an FRE car is 1 of 33 ---- but, his error, in this particular case, is not realizing that an '03 MY, which this car is, is not part of the FRE set.

Am I missing something???

[RDT]

Howdy all,
Hey i am a green horn to this site.
I just bunched my 1993 mazda RX7 R1 on a track in Wisconsin two weeks ago and am considering a Lotus.
What car holds their value best the Exige or the Elise?
What Specific model would you recomend?

[ifly]

Originally Posted by finnerty

I'm a bit confused I guess about the FRE numbers. According to the Fact File site, (98) MY 2003 Esprits were imported to the US, and (33) MY 2003.5 / 2004 Esprits were imported to the US. It was always my understanding that only the last (33) were all the FRE cars. So, I thought the seller was correct in stating that an FRE car is 1 of 33 ---- but, his error, in this particular case, is not realizing that an '03 MY, which this car is, is not part of the FRE set.

Am I missing something???

So there is a gentleman by the name of Jeremy Walton who spent a couple of years working with the factory on a book called "Lotus Esprit, The Official Story". He details in there that Lotus built 82 Final Edition Esprits from mid 2003 until the final one left the assembly line in February 2004. Not all of these went to the US so 10570 which you are looking at was one of the early Final Editions, if the VIN's ran consecutively then the first Final Edition VIN would have been 10539 or 10540. 40 were built in 2003 and 42 in 2004 and as mentioned earlier a lot went to the US but also a number were delivered in Europe. The number commonly bandied around for the US is actually 39 or 42 out of the 82 with the majority of the last build going to the US. The last UK car was delivered in Early 2003 and still has the early 03 grilles although with a JPS racing color scheme as requested by the buyer.

The tell tales for a "Final Edition" are the Stainless mesh grilles on the front, the cheese grater grille has elongated holes and not round ones like the early 03 cars. The SmartTire sensor under the heater controls and aluminium knobs on the heater controls as well as the signed engine plaque by the guy who put the engine together. Other changes included the Bilstein/Eibach suspension, cross stitching on the seats, aluminium gear change knob and surround along with Lotus logo on headrests and Airbag cover.

Again too much information is better than not enough. Keep us appraised as your search progresses and if we can do anything to help let us know. BTW Fox Valley would probably happily take a look at the car for you.

[ifly]

Originally Posted by RDT

Howdy all,
Hey i am a green horn to this site.
I just bunched my 1993 mazda RX7 R1 on a track in Wisconsin two weeks ago and am considering a Lotus.
What car holds their value best the Exige or the Elise?
What Specific model would you recomend?

RDT,

Would recommend you post in the main area and introduce yourself, this really is the Esprit specific area of the forum. I am sure Elise and Exige owners would be happy to sell you on the pro's of each car.

[E5PR1T]

The car appears to a final edition to me in every way...the exhaust valence...the leather seats, the shift knob, the name plate on the planum...it has to be a final edition...

Anyways, I would still stay away from cars w/o service records, regardless of what year the car is...bottom line is...fine a good condition car despite how much it's going to cost you...get the best one you can afford...

Alan

Originally Posted by finnerty

Yes.....I saw that one too, and called the seller today to discuss it.

THIS CAR IS ALSO A REPO out of the West coast, and was BOUGHT AT AUCTION by the current Dealer ---- it also HAS NO SERVICE HISTORY AVAILABLE so there may be "stories" with this one

Also, the Dealer is inaccurately describing it as a "Final Run Edition" ---- it is not based on its chassis number. However, it is a late (August) '03 MY car.

Chicago is only about 250 miles from me, so I'm driving up there next week to inspect the car personally. If it checks out with the PPI (and there are no lien / IRS issues), I will likely make an offer and would hopefully be driving it back home with me !!

.........we'll see.......

[finnerty]

Originally Posted by ifly

..........The tell tales for a "Final Edition" are the Stainless mesh grilles on the front, the cheese grater grille has elongated holes and not round ones like the early 03 cars. The SmartTire sensor under the heater controls and aluminium knobs on the heater controls as well as the signed engine plaque by the guy who put the engine together. Other changes included the Bilstein/Eibach suspension, cross stitching on the seats, aluminium gear change knob and surround along with Lotus logo on headrests and Airbag cover.

.......... BTW Fox Valley would probably happily take a look at the car for you.

Based on those details, this car is a Final Edition then --- good to know --- thanks much for the info

Yes, I have the guys at Fox tapped to do the PPI. It may be a moot point though as there is alot of bidding activity on the auction. So, the car may get snatched before I get to look at it ---- I don't have the guts (or recklessness) to buy an exotic sight-unseen like the folks bidding on the auction

[gregte]

You guys are wayyyy over analyzing this. Go look at the car, drive it, if it looks mint,drives mint and can be bought right...buy it! We're talking about Lotus Esprit's here, these cars will never be collectors items, they are for driving and enjoying.