Anyone know this Esprit for sale in NY?

[Simplife]

Currently for sale on ebay. His ad says car is "museum quality" and best example he has seen anywhere, blah, blah, blah. Just want to separate the fact from the hype. One pic looks like drivers seat cushion is torn. And if I really get picky it looks like the front splitter is off an earlier model. Didn't 2002 begin the rubber splitter? Cosmetics aside, it is the maintenance that matters. States he has service records.

Thanks.

Lotus : Esprit V8 Coupe 2-Door in Lotus | eBay Motors

[lotusespritse]

One would hope that he removed and stored the front splitter while still in new condition, and he is including it with the car like the original muffler. If not, that's over $1K to replace. I have seen others remove them before they get messed up and go with the earlier, more damage resistant splitter.

It looks like he took off the Bilstein shocks too. Those look like Spax in the rear.

I don't see the seat tear. I think it's just reflection that looks like foam.

From his statements:

"I am a lawyer who has represented car dealerships, so I will not play any games with "low ballers" or "tire kickers". I have chosen to sell this car on my own accord, as I have formed a bond with it, and would like to meet and greet the new owner."

I could see him setting the reserver at $2,349,203,303.92.

If so, it could be one of those situations where it sits on the market for a long time before he's serious about selling. Especially since it is not car buying season for another 3-4 months.

I'm not a fan of Esprits that lived in winter wonderland states. Either they were driven in that horrible salt, or they sat for months without being driven. So I would take off for that.

[QuadCam]

I thought the bilstein/eibachs were only on the final edition Esprits, not the 25th Anniversary Editions.

[lotusespritse]

Originally Posted by QuadCam

I thought the bilstein/eibachs were only on the final edition Esprits, not the 25th Anniversary Editions.

Maybe I am wrong about that, but I thought FE's got the ride height adjustables.


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[QuadCam]

I went to look it up and can't find all the differences between the final editions and the 25th anniversary editions.

Seems odd that someone would ditch the OEM bilsteins with spax.

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by lotusespritse

I'm not a fan of Esprits that lived in winter wonderland states. Either they were driven in that horrible salt, or they sat for months without being driven. So I would take off for that.

Id say 99.99999999% of Esprit owners in snowy climates do NOT let salt get anywhere near their car. Thats not a concern. And, the car can easily sit for 3-4 months. Mine does every winter and it fires right up every spring without incident. Heres the trick:

1) Fill car all the way up with gas
2) Add some marine-grade fuel stabilizer
3) Take a quick spin to get the fuel mixed around
4) Park the car for the winter
5) Put battery maintainer on battery
6) Dont touch the car for 4 months. Domt start it, touch it, nothing.

In spring, ffire her up and let her idle for a few extra minutes.

Drive and enjoy.

No reason to avoid NE cars, absolutely none. Mine has followed this protocol for 3 winters now and sshe always comes out OK.

[lotusespritse]

When I bought my first Esprit from a dealer in Boston, he swore to me it was never driven in snow. Later I met the owner and he told me some of his snow driving stories.

[irox]

0.00000001%

?

[lotusespritse]

Originally Posted by spree

0.00000001%

?

So it IS a roll of the dice ;-)

Still prefer that the car I buy doesn't sit for 4 months of the year. Just because it starts doesn't mean that it won't have issues down the road as a result of sitting. Almost universally accepted that it's better to drive these cars regularly. So I'm always going for non-snow cars.


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[Type82]

I've owned my Esprit for 11 years now. Every year she goes into storage November 1st and comes out May 1st, never had a problem.

I would love to drive my car all year round however living in the Northeast that is not an option.

[Simplife]

For those of you wondering what the differences were to the FE -- this thread may be of help

Final Edition Esprits; more different than we know

[lotusespritse]

Originally Posted by Simplife

For those of you wondering what the differences were to the FE -- this thread may be of help

Final Edition Esprits; more different than we know

What we need to know is what did the 2002 have, and I don't see that in your thread link.


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[marc4sgr]

The 2002-03 did not have adjustable shocks.
Nor did it have the aluminum interior knobs, the Lotus Logo on the shifter knob and the different stitching on the seats.

Finally all the mesh inserts were not black but Stainless.

As you were.

[lotusespritse]

Originally Posted by marc4sgr

The 2002-03 did not have adjustable shocks.
Nor did it have the aluminum interior knobs, the Lotus Logo on the shifter knob and the different stitching on the seats.

Finally all the mesh inserts were not black but Stainless.

As you were.

So which non-adjustable shocks were on the 02?



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[jtrealty]

It's not only cars in the snow belt that can sit for extended periods of time. Perhaps the owner gets sick, the car is on consignment at a dealer, the owner loses interest and the registration lapses, vacations, and so on. Examining the service documents and watching the dates and mileage can tell a lot, like reviewing a logbook on an aircraft. A car that sits is not too bad as long as it is properly maintained. For instance the brake and clutch fluid is changed regularly and the battery is kept charged or replaced. I do not agree with storing a car full of fuel with stabilizer added. I prefer to remove as much as possible and put fresh stuff in when I awaken the car. I also remove the battery. You can easily tell if a car has been used on salt roads, all you have to do is look underneath.
David Teitelbaum

[BlackSheep]

I just pulled my 88 Esprit out of storage in Vancouver B.C... It has sat since 05.. added some sta-bil to the 1/4 tank of 8 year old gas, hooked up a new battery.. crossed my fingers and after about a 4-6 second crank it coughed, spit and sputtered up to it's 3,000rpm warm up cycle.. It burbled and spit a little here and there for a good 2 minutes until it came back down to 1,000rpm.. I crawled around it to see if it was puking anything from underneath.. I couldn't believe the Bosch Jet k-tronic did not gum up and give me any trouble.. I babied it 2 blocks to Chevron and filled it with 94.. Then drove it 130 miles to Seattle and shipped it to Dallas.. Not saying I wasn't puckered up the whole trip, but she weathered quite fine.. Other than I believe a ground issue or voltage regulator problem that had my dash lights going dim and bright back and forth, it gave me no problems...

[lotusespritse]

Originally Posted by Simplife

For those of you wondering what the differences were to the FE -- this thread may be of help

Final Edition Esprits; more different than we know

Here's a better source:
The Lotus Esprit Fact File - Model Information Changes

Looks like I was wrong about Bilsteins on the 2002. I was thinking of the damper program that had non-adjustable Bilsteins for purchase.

[marc4sgr]

They were indeed Bilstein just not the adjustable ones on the FE's

[lotusespritse]

Originally Posted by marc4sgr

They were indeed Bilstein just not the adjustable ones on the FE's

What do you mean by "they" in this case?

[marc4sgr]

I meant that the 02-03's did come with Bilstein shocks though the shocks on this car in question have been changed to something else..

Here is a link showing what the FE kit looked like

Esprit Suspension