Hi Guys,

I've done what a lot of silly people do (bought an Esprit without doing much research). 

The car looks beautiful throughout and I cannot see any fluid leaks or corrosion etc. It also drives beautifully and has a huge file of maintenance history. 49K miles backed up by full MOT history.

Before I start taking it for decent drives into the countryside I want to check the essential things to make sure it's not going to explode, catch fire or leave me stranded. 

I was surprised to see that there isn't a sticky post somewhere on this forum with a buyer's guide for these cars, or have I missed it?

A list of common faults, areas to check etc would be great. Can anyone help?

Here's a pic of my new toy...

Thank you.

When were the belts last changed? if not "definately" in the past two years, change them before driving. They are time relevant NOT mileage.

 

When I bought mine the immediate issues were:

Old tyres

Turbo wastegate would seize if not used for a while

And a hose rubbing on the brakes produced a load of steam in the engine compartment.

Oh, and the lights took a long time to pop up for the first time. They got better with use - as has the whole car.

As Chris says - change the cambelt if in any doubt as to its age!

Other than that - drive it! You will love it!

Also check fuel lines very carefully for cracking, as Ethanol is turning them into service items.   I personally don't use braided fuel line as you cant visually check the condition.  Any fuel smell in the engine bay (on a Turbo) needs investigation.     

Thanks guys. The engine had a top end rebuild in February of this year so the belts "should" have been changed then. I am going to try and get in touch with the owner at the time to confirm this.

I will get the fuel lines and brake hoses checked.

The pop-up lights are working perfectly, as is the turbo. The tyres are getting on a bit but they still look good with no signs of cracking or perishing.

There is quite a bit of heat coming from the engine compartment after a decent run. I've never owned an Esprit before so I guess this is normal?

 

Yes, heat coming off the engine is indeed perfectly normal. Particularly from the rear left engine Bay corner where the turbo sits. It’s real hot back there and it radiates for a couple of hours until the car is fully cooled down. 

2 hours ago, Gis said:

Yes, heat coming off the engine is indeed perfectly normal. Particularly from the rear left engine Bay corner where the turbo sits. It’s real hot back there and it radiates for a couple of hours until the car is fully cooled down. 

Thank you. That's a relief to hear!

How old are the tyres - not original Goodyear NCTs are they? Look at getting them replaced if getting on in years.

I have a warm up route of 2-3 miles to get the car up to temperature before getting the turbo working, and similarly, the last couple of miles before getting home, I drive sedately to let the turbo start to cool down.

2 minutes ago, ChrisJ said:

How old are the tyres - not original Goodyear NCTs are they? Look at getting them replaced if getting on in years.

I have a warm up route of 2-3 miles to get the car up to temperature before getting the turbo working, and similarly, the last couple of miles before getting home, I drive sedately to let the turbo start to cool down.

I am not sure how old the tyres are. They are no-name Chinese and Indonesian tyres, definitely not Good Year. I suppose they must have date codes on them somewhere, I will have a better look.

Thanks for the advice re the turbo, that does make a lot of sense.

This is the active Tyre thread for our cars

 

 

11 minutes ago, GreenGoddess said:

They are no-name Chinese and Indonesian tyres,

I'd double check they are speed rated appropriately

3 hours ago, ChrisJ said:

This is the active Tyre thread for our cars

 

 

Perfect! Thank you.

Perhaps give this a read.

http://www.lotusespritworld.com/beginners.html

 

The Buyer's Section of that site has listings of stuff to check when buying, too.

1 hour ago, CarBuff said:

Perhaps give this a read.

http://www.lotusespritworld.com/beginners.html

 

The Buyer's Section of that site has listings of stuff to check when buying, too.

I've already seen that, but thanks anyway 🙂

 

Based on the amount of work that car has had in the last 18 months one would hope you are good to go. Doesn't hurt to go over it though if new to you for familiarity as much as anything else...