[Tristar Racing]

New to the forum ...Just sold my Viper Friday....Looking to buy a V8 Esprit now to replace it...What are the major differences of the late 90s cars vs the 2000 & up cars? What should I be looking for as far as things that need replacing, timing belt, clutches, etc...Am I better off with a lower mileage 90s or higher mileage 2000 up...I need to stay in the 30K range as far as price goes, so I dont think I can find a low milege 2000 or so for 30K..Thanks...Any one selling can let me know what they have...looking for Black, Red, Maybe Dark Grey....Al

97s have issues with the cylinder liners from what I have read. You get what you pay for with the Esprit. A lower priced car will probably cost more in maintinence in the near future.

If you only have 30k, the Esprit might not be the car for you, especially if your not planning on doing your own maintinence work.

 

[ifly]

Where in the country are you? I know a well looked after 97 in Houston for sale. Let me know and I can put you in touch with the broker.

New to the forum ...Just sold my Viper Friday....Looking to buy a V8 Esprit now to replace it...What are the major differences of the late 90s cars vs the 2000 & up cars? What should I be looking for as far as things that need replacing, timing belt, clutches, etc...Am I better off with a lower mileage 90s or higher mileage 2000 up...I need to stay in the 30K range as far as price goes, so I dont think I can find a low milege 2000 or so for 30K..Thanks...Any one selling can let me know what they have...looking for Black, Red, Maybe Dark Grey....Al

 

[viper1996]

^^^^ I am in CT but let me know the stats...thanks...Al

 

[kabob]

In Sarasota, FL, but seems to be precisely what you're looking for:

Lotus : Esprit:eBay Motors (item 140319563147 end time May-15-09 14:24:10 PDT)

Low-mileage, single owner silver 2001

 

[billt]

There are several in the 30 - 35K range if you're looking for a '99 or so. Many have only
about 20k miles. I'd opt for lower mileage over a newer one with higher miles in general. Look for a well maintained cared for stock car. Some have been "chipped" which reduces engine longevity. Mine has been absolutely marvelous so far.

 

[Huskerbill]

There are several in the 30 - 35K range if you're looking for a '99 or so. Many have only
about 20k miles. I'd opt for lower mileage over a newer one with higher miles in general. Look for a well maintained cared for stock car. Some have been "chipped" which reduces engine longevity. Mine has been absolutely marvelous so far.

I am always of the belief that, when you are buying an exotic more than 5 years old, that you get one with higher mileage but documentation of work (i.e. receipts). Both cars (whether 20k or 60k miles) will cost you about the same to maintain.

The 60k car will have more cosmetic (and maybe internal) "wear" but has least been driven. The little things like seals/tires/pads/etc. are probably still good because they have been used. Any little gremlins have been driven out of the car and you have history (receipts) to tell you if there are any recurring issues with the car.

The 20k car will usually be cleaner and fresher looking (appearance) but you don't know what the state of the internals are. How long does it sit between drives? Or does it get driven every Sunday for about 10 miles to the local coffee shop? If it has that few miles, has the battery died and been recharged a bunch of times, putting a lot of strain on the alternator? Does it have gremlins that are waiting to come out that the previous owner never drove enough to find?

At the end of the day, you will probably pay the same for maintenance on each car. At least you are saving a lot upfront on the higher mileage car. Like I said though, you NEED receipts (at least the last few year's worth) on the higher mileage car.

FYI - This is just one guy's opinion but I have followed this mantra with both of my Ferraris, 3 past Porsches and my current Esprit........and haven't had an issue with ANY of them. Although I really baby my cars (wait till you see my garage pics I am about to post) I do drive them. Put about 8k miles on the Esprit this past year alone.

 

[TrapperJohn]

One other thing to check on, if you haven't already, is availability of qualified service. Where is the nearest dealer, and what sort of reputation do they have? Is there a good mechanic outside of a dealer who knows the Esprit? This is not a simple vehicle to work on, things are packed pretty tight under there, and it has some quirks.

I'm in Kentucky, nearest dealers are Indy and Dayton. So I do the work myself. Then again, mine is a 4 cyl 90 SE, so the task is a bit more simple, but only a bit. The Esprit isn't actually that hard to work on, once you resign yourself to removing several components to get to what you're after. Most parts are available online.

As for immediate service, plan on a cam belt change if it hasn't been done recently. Lose the cam belt and you lose the engine.

Best upgrade you can make is to the driver, the Esprit rewards a skilled driver, more than most. Be careful about chipped cars or juicing the engine up further yourself - as I recall, the V8 was limited to 350hp because that's about all the transaxle can handle reliably.