S4s purchase advice

[Monty400k]

I have just sold my M3 which has freed up funds to allow me to buy my first Esprit, I've been back and forwards on which model to go for and have settled on an S4s. 

I am currently considering two cars and am looking for some advice on which is likely to be the best buy, one is Ruby red metallic with 30k miles, the other Calypso red with 50k miles,both appear to be in excellent condition. 

I can't decide which colour I prefer, the Ruby red car is more expensive however I can afford either, id like people's opinion on which is likely to be the better buy, my head tells me the Ruby red car makes more sense as its a rarer colour (I've never seen one before) and has lower miles, whereas the Calypso red car is more of a common Lotus colour and has higher miles. 

I'm in Scotland and both cars way down south, if they were closer I'd travel down and view both but one is in Cambridge and the other Devon! 

Thanks! 

[jep]

Colour is the least of your concerns. Mileage verification and quality service history is the priority. 

Justin 

[pete]

whohas serviced the cambridge car?

[Monty400k]

It's for sale at Stocks sports cars, they have listed all the work that has been done on it recently, I assume by them

[pete]

thats Chelmsford! Sparky on here sometimes works on his cars

[Sparky]

Sorry, can't comment on this one as I haven't touched it!

[pete]

personally thought gt3 a better buy

[Monty400k]

If you mean the gt3 they are selling I'm not keen on the colour

[Monty400k]

Do Stock sports cars have a good reputation? 

[Bazza 907]

Agree with Justin. Of the two the better one to go for will probably be the one with better service history that has been better maintained by specialists. Others will argue differently but in my view a lower mileage car, all other things being equal, would be a better bet. 

As a rule of thumb, with Esprits, buy the best one you can afford.

In terms of colour the ruby red one is probably Silk red and does look fantastic in the flesh and is potentially less likely to fade to 'Calypso pink' as it is sometimes called

[TAR]

22 minutes ago, Monty400k said:

Do Stock sports cars have a good reputation? 

They do and they are on this forum  @lotuseaters  

[tomcattom]

Something a bit funny going on with the exhaust on the Stocks car. Seems to be a bit droopy but shouldn't be too difficult to correct; hopefully just some knackered hangers.

13 hours ago, Monty400k said:

Do Stock sports cars have a good reputation? 

I bought my S4s from there, but mine was very much a fixer-upper and sold as such; that said I had no complaints about my dealings with Mark.

[Monty400k]

16 hours ago, pete said:

whohas serviced the cambridge car?

 

2 hours ago, tomcattom said:

Something a bit funny going on with the exhaust on the Stocks car. Seems to be a bit droopy but shouldn't be too difficult to correct; hopefully just some knackered hangers.

I bought my S4s from there, but mine was very much a fixer-upper and sold as such; that said I had no complaints about my dealings with Mark.

Noticed the exhaust too, I'll drop them an email to get some more information on history and condition

[JNW3]

Mark at Stocks sold me both my cars and IMO is great to deal with 😊

[Gareth44]

I'd recommend an independent inspection on either. The one I had got me £7k off the price IIRC. Having said that, there is a limit to what they can show up and I still ended up spending much more than that over the next two years to get it to the condition it should have been in, in the first place.

The most expensive job, to date on my S4s, was the aircon. To replace the condenser is a front end off job (see elsewhere for how much fun that is) then the condenser, chargecooler rad and normal rad are all connected, plus you will likely need two oil coolers as well (the connectors and the coolers are different metals, so they fuse).

Steve Williams said it is the second worst job on an Esprit, after taking the engine out! So, check the aircon.......

Edited September 6, 2023 by Gareth44
Extra info

[Monty400k]

I've paid for independent inspections in the past and it was a waste of time, just someone expressing an opinion, no liability, and in that instance their advice was to purchase the car, whereas based on the pictures they supplied there was no way I was going ahead with it. 

 

[JNW3]

My one pennies worth - unless you’ve got a proper Esprit specialist (looking at you @Sparky!) I tend to agree with your sentiment 😊

[Sparky]

The last inspection I witnessed, the guy (RAC or AA, can't remember) said he knew nothing about Esprits and the customer was pretty much wasting his money.  So yes, find someone that properly knows the cars.

Also be aware that you are buying an old car.  It's going to look old here and there, it's not going to be perfect, and it will still command a substantial price because of what it is.

[Steve V8]

I would do what I didn't do and ask to have the cars put on a ramp, the chassis is galvanised so there shouldn't be any rust (though the left hand engine cradle tube closest to the exhaust is worth checking).

The general condition of suspension components and other parts underneath can indicate how well it's been maintained.

Check for gearbox oil leaks from the drive shaft seals, those are common failures and difficult to fix, engine oil leaks from the front crank seal, rear crank seal (oil leaking from the bell housing), and cam towers.

If there's no clear winner after that, follow your heart and go for the Ruby red one.

[Gareth44]

Totally agree, the inspector needs to know his onions, I should have been more clear.

[Monty400k]

Can anyone recommend someone with good Esprit knowledge who could carry out a impartial inspection, likely on the car in Chelmsford? 

[pete]

hanger111 used to do inspections

[Monty400k]

Hanger111 are not available to inspect the car for a month, anyone other recommendations for someone in the north London area? 

[paulbrown22]

If the car is in Chelmsford try Dave and his team at Rapid Mechanical Services in Romford - they are Esprit experts.