MikeW

I had a 1977 S1 Esprit . It had the n/a 2.0 in it I had it work up by a company out of Southern CA. It put out 385 hp at the Flywheel In that little car it was damn fast. The down side I am 6'3" tall When I moved my foot on the peddles my knee would be pushed up agents the steering wheel. But I have to say one thing about it...It did attract the women

SinkorSwim

Well I guess,,, I will move on. This is or was going to be a daily driver for my wife....

dockrocker

My brother-in-law just traded in his '88 - talk about a mechanic's car (or should I say, "mechanic's bank account" car!). Cost him an arm and a leg to keep it running. Timing chain + cover, $700. Belts, etc, over $100. Etc etc. And you don't want to think about big ticket items, like the turbocharger.

You are a wise man to walk away from that "deal."

dockrocker

Oh, and the oil leaks! I think the oiling system is designed to constantly leak, thereby ensuring that fresh oil gets added between regular changes! I still have stains on my garage floor from when it was here for a couple weeks...

dreamer

did someone mention a ten foot pole?!!!

GLH

Not without good walking shoes!

birdog

George Lucas...........The prince of darkness !!!!

timucin

L ots
O f
T rouble
U sually
S erious

Byron

I owned a 94 Lotus, The car was fine but very small inside. I would buy one again if I found a good one. I have had some other exotics, They all cost more than a regular car to keep them going but less than my boats!!

puder

they look like an ugly ferrari. They drive like a poorly designed ferrari. The electrical systems are crap. And the ergonomics and driving position are attrocious at best.

That being said it handles pretty well and is definatly fast. BUT the design is pretty damn bad. In very hard cornering with less than 1/4 tank of gas you can actually stall the engine. The baffles (if they are in the tanks) don't do a good job of keeping the fuel in the pickup. And ina sustained hard turn you can actually starve the engein of fuel to the point that it dies.

Reserve. Stpuid stpuid stpuid. You have to pull up this little jammie on the shift lever then cram WAY left. SOmetimes it doens't like to go there and engage.

More wonderful news abotu teh tranny. teh gate is damn near non existant. It feel very similar to a beat up hyundai or honda civic tranny. 1st can be a ***** to find and missed shift happen do to the sloppy gate.

Parking brake. It on the way left side and you pul it up. But then you have ot push it all eth way forward again so youcan get out of the car. Another poor design.

Driving position. The wheel is nt centered on youy bodie scenter lineit about 3"-4" to the right. SO you arms and shoulders while driving are contorted to the center of the car. Wierd descri[tion but normally your "johnson" should be right belwo the wheel centerline. ON a lotus it 4" to the right. Very uncomfortabel to drive.

The gas pedal is very close to the firewall on the right side. Plus due to teh closeness and the off center wheel you leg from the knee down to pretty much your ankle is actually pressed up to the firewall.


NOW a few of eth pluses. The current lotus looks basically the same as the older lotus (mid 80-present). The turbos are fast cars. No two ways abtou it. Once you adjust to thier wierd driving positions its not bad. Its fast and it handles pretty well. It sis very light and hs a mid engine so the balance isn't bad.

Would a lotus be my firs choice in car. NO. Would it be my second choice. No. Woudl I actually own one? NO. DO i think its fun to drive and have fun with? YES. DO i have fun with my brother's when he leaves the keys? YES.

DO i laught my ass off everytime its brakes and he dumps $$$ into it to fix? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT.

If you geta KICKIN deal on it and know of a good mechanic or can do eth work on it yoruself. Id say go for it. But if your like my brother who bought it cus it looks cool and doesn't knwo how to fix or maintain it STAY AWAY.

sorry for the bad news. BUt i'd just like help steer someone away from a money pit. FYI my brother has as much into repairs on that car (mechanical stuff he never crashed it) as he paid to buy it.