ok,,,,a huge decision for me,,,,i have owned corvettes all my life,,,im 38 ready to buy my dream car,,,,which is a lotus esprit,,,2002-2004,,,,but ive been told the maintenence is very expensive,,,and by looking at some of the threads here,,,looks as if people are having to be real easy on the shifting (looking as if its real fragile),,,,i was going to upgrade my z06 with many mods,,,put alot of money into it,,,,but i see what im paying for with the z06,,,,i could own a lotus,,,i think ! ,,,,,, alot of people say the lotus is made very cheaply,,,,,is not put together very well,,,,if this is not true,,,,,let me know.....theres so many questions i have b4 i decide,,,im not a millionaire,,,but i make decent money i think to afford one,,,but i would like anyones input,,,,,,there are millions of corvettes,,,but so little lotus's,,,,id like to be part of the lotus community,,,,so any photos of some esprits,,,help me make this decision,,,,,goods and bads about owning a lotus......thanks people ! also i live in detroit,,,any lotus clubs up here,,,,:bow:
2002 Corvette Z06 owner--switching over?
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11,688 Posts
You can call me.... I'll PM you the number.... the local lotus club:
Great Lakes Lotus Club
Great Lakes Lotus Club
Hey, my previous car was a C5, i used to use it as a DD, loved the lazy power at low rpms, loved the concept of being able to store the hard top in the giant trunk 
it was a very comfortable ride as-well.
But i think it was poorly built, plastic pieces where falling of, the stupid headlights gears known to be a problem by GM for years was still produced with plastic gears that would break (make it metal increase the price 0.10 cents right?!?)
Everything about the lotus feels precise compared to corvette, but when i still see one on the road i miss my x corvette
So if you can keep the vette as a DD, and get the lotus for the weekends...
it was a very comfortable ride as-well.But i think it was poorly built, plastic pieces where falling of, the stupid headlights gears known to be a problem by GM for years was still produced with plastic gears that would break (make it metal increase the price 0.10 cents right?!?)
Everything about the lotus feels precise compared to corvette, but when i still see one on the road i miss my x corvette
So if you can keep the vette as a DD, and get the lotus for the weekends...
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531 Posts
Welcome :wave:
My last car was a 2002 Z06 and yes it was fast but it had no character and
was very boring compared to a lotus. Make the switch you will not miss the Vette.
My last car was a 2002 Z06 and yes it was fast but it had no character and
was very boring compared to a lotus. Make the switch you will not miss the Vette.
Tip for you: stop using so many comma's, you apparently don't know how to use them. Your posts are kinda hard to read.....
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6,655 Posts
I have no idea what it takes to maintain a Corvette, but I have owned an older Esprit, and have many friends with Esprits of all vintage.
They are way more maintenance intensive than most cars. And can be very, very expensive to maintain.
Fragile? Most problems come from past owners who did not keep up the maintenance...let some things slide or jury-rigged a cheap/quick fix.
Talk to as many current/past owners as you can, don't buy the first, second or third you come across. Pictures do not do these cars justice. When you actually are up close, sit in, then drive one, it's real easy to let the experience create a halo effect for a car that has issues underneath. Have a very knowledgeable Esprit tech look over any car you are considering.
Best of luck.
They are way more maintenance intensive than most cars. And can be very, very expensive to maintain.
Fragile? Most problems come from past owners who did not keep up the maintenance...let some things slide or jury-rigged a cheap/quick fix.
Talk to as many current/past owners as you can, don't buy the first, second or third you come across. Pictures do not do these cars justice. When you actually are up close, sit in, then drive one, it's real easy to let the experience create a halo effect for a car that has issues underneath. Have a very knowledgeable Esprit tech look over any car you are considering.
Best of luck.
It's hard to compare the L's and the Vette. You cant beat the Vette as far as performance/fuel economy/cost of ownership standpoint. The problem with the Vette is that you see so many they just dont turn heads as much. I just sold my 99 FRC that had Heads, Cam ,and Nos and the guys drove it back to NY from CO with no issue and pulled down 28MPG. If you want cheep fun stick with the vette. If you want a quick car with personality and flash then the L would do you well. Keeping in mind the more personality one has the more work they are.
Good Luck
Aaron
My 99
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Good Luck
Aaron
My 99
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2,731 Posts
...you really think the corvette has a lower cost of ownership?..maybe for daily driving, but under heavy track use the lightweight elise has a dramatically lower cost of consumables, plus its simplicity makes it very easy to do maintenance oneself... honestly, you're comparing two fiberglass bodies, one with big heavy general motors internals and the other with small lightweight toyota internals - about the only place i can see the lotus costing more to own is with its low-volume lotus trim pieces...
...a basic elise will outperform a basic corvette in the twisties just as much as a basic corvette will outperform a basic elise on the high-speed stretches, and as for uprated or modified models, well, how fast do you want to go and how much do you want to spend?..they're very different cars, but i think it's misleading to make a blanket statement that the corvette outperforms the lotus...
...a basic elise will outperform a basic corvette in the twisties just as much as a basic corvette will outperform a basic elise on the high-speed stretches, and as for uprated or modified models, well, how fast do you want to go and how much do you want to spend?..they're very different cars, but i think it's misleading to make a blanket statement that the corvette outperforms the lotus...
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6,655 Posts
See OP's original post. He's comparing the Vette with an Esprit, the most recent of which is 5 years old and a completely different animal than the Elise. The Esprit is neither a simple car nor is it in any way inexpensive to maintain.
Dude, read the thread, he's talking about an ESPRIT, not an Elise...
Anyways, OP, I have '95 Esprit and would not trade it for the world. It's the most incredible car to own and the maintenance is not bad at all, provided you've got a car that's been taken care of. I don't have time here to mention all of the incredible accolades the Esprit has to offer. Feel free to PM me, I'll go further if you want to hear more.
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...oops, my mistake...yeah, i take back everything i said - that's what i get for shooting from the hip...
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