Quote:
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Originally Posted by z12358
MNBoxster:
"My confidence level is greater in my Esprit (by a factor of 10) than the Boxster, despite Lotus reputation as being China Dolls. In fact, in 16 yrs. owning my Lotus, the only failures I ever had were directly related to pushing the car, and I drive that car HARD!"
So Jim, what do you say to those naysayers in a Lotus forum that may be unhappy paying a Lotus premium for an unworthy China Doll? 
Z. |
Hi,
My 22 y.o. Esprit has about the same power (2.2L 4 Cyl - 215HP), about the same weight (2780 lbs.), slightly shorter (165.4"), slightly wider (73.2") slightly lower (44.2"), 7200RPM Redline, . But, it will run rings around a Boxster in the straights (0-60 in 5.0sec. 165MPH Top Speed) or the twisties (1.12G), or the Brake area - 60-0 Braking Distance - 105'.
It makes a huge difference when putting up with Foibles if the car really delivers. Porsche coulda made the Boxster that way, but they chose not to. It's a Boulevard,
See and Be Seen, Cruiser, albeit admittedly nimble.
The Lotus is in fact a pretty robust car, not nearly deserving of the reputation. much more reliable than was my Elan SE or Europa Twin Cam Special. In 44k mi. of Driving, almost never city, mostly Open Road or Track, the only failure I experienced was a melted #4 piston brought on by a Lean condition due to a failed Intake Gasket leak at 36k mi. and this even drove me home 186 miles on 3 cylinders, though it wouldn't go over 61MPH doing so. Sounds stupid, but I was at BIR (Brainerd International Raceway) and the car ran, even with the Piston failure. I knew exactly what happened and that I'd be rebuilding the engine (for $2k) anyway, so I figured I couldn't hurt it any worse, and every mile closer to home would mean a cheaper tow (Has to be a Flatbed), so I kept going, with a friend following, and it got me home. Still started the next morning, though it sounded like ********************.
People who think the Esprit is a
China Doll are uninformed non-owners. Peruse the Esprit Forums and you won't find catastrophic engine failures which result from design flaws. 99% of all engine catastrophies in the Esprit are from failed or improperly tensioned timing belts (read Owner ignorance or negligence), or from actually pushing the engine too hard over Redline. They are 1960's technology (Lotus 910 Engine powered the Jensen Healey) with Dellorto carbs and plugs which need to be changed every 5k mi., Oil every 3k mi., eats rear tires, Fuel Tanks can rust out (replace with Alloy units), but other than that, and the odd Lucas electrical gremlin (which I have had none of), they're pretty reliable. Parts are about 1/2 what Porsche charges and readily available. They don't rust. You could buy a reasonable example for $10k. And... James Bond never drove no Porsche...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99