Buyin Esprit maybe?

[wantesprit]

Hi all, my name is Ray and I am 19 years old. I am new to the forum and looking to gain some useful info on this beauty of an esprit I have been looking at to trade my current car with, a 2006 Corvette Convertible.

After searching the internet for hours i haven't found too much info on exactly what these cars are all about other than the basic specs.

If I were to buy an Esprit (any year between 02-04) can it be a Daily Driver that is just as reliable as my corvette is? I know many people dont drive these around daily but I will want it as a daily commuter if possible because if it cant be a commuter than its a definite no to the idea of buying the car.

Can anybody please give me some ideas of how much maintenance the car needs compared to a corvette?

I do have other cars that I can take in certain situations requiring more space so that luckily isnt an issue.

Thanks for reading my post. Hope to be a fellow member someday if all goes well.

[Clark]

Hey Ray, I'm 19 as well but I can't say I've owned anything as new or as fast as an '06 Vette. That is too cool. I am on my second Lotus though if that counts for something.

I'm not familiar enough with the late model V8s to speak for their reliability, although daily driven Esprits are not unheard of.

And I'm not 100% sure on this as well, but the Esprits you're looking at are a little bit more expensive than your Vette. I think they're around in the $50-65k range???

At any rate, Esprits are great cars and I'm sure you'd get along great with one as I'm sure the Vette has gotten you used to scraping on speed bumps, paying for premium gas and getting stared at a lot.

Edited March 17, 2008 by Clark

[MPx]

Esprits can be really good as daily drivers, as long as you dont skimp on the services etc. Many of us have experience of cars going better when used regularly and siezing up a bit if just kept under cover in a garage. I've only experience of a 4 pot, but my guess is if you buy a decent one, and you budget on spending $1000 (service/repair) for every 3000 miles driven then you should just about keep up with it. If you cant afford to run it properly (and would be finished by an unexpected big bill) then its probably not right for you as a daily driver. Good luck with it.

Mike

[Tony K]

If I wanted a daily driver Esprit, I'd buy an S4 or S4s. As the finest evolution of the 4-cylinder model (GT3, too, but they're not available in the States!), they have proven themselves to be the "toyota" of Esprits. The eary V8s had cylinder liner issues, and I don't know if the later V8s are old enough and have had enough miles to have proven themselves. Given the choice between a relatively new Lotus engine and a Lotus engine that has been through decades of revisions, I'd go with the latter. Not to mention half as many valves to adjust, etc., when it comes to maintenance.

Just my wretched early Esprit loving opinion; I'm sure some V8 guys will beg to differ!

[wantesprit]

Esprits can be really good as daily drivers, as long as you dont skimp on the services etc. Many of us have experience of cars going better when used regularly and siezing up a bit if just kept under cover in a garage. I've only experience of a 4 pot, but my guess is if you buy a decent one, and you budget on spending $1000 (service/repair) for every 3000 miles driven then you should just about keep up with it. If you cant afford to run it properly (and would be finished by an unexpected big bill) then its probably not right for you as a daily driver. Good luck with it.

Mike

$1,000 every 3k miles sounds ridiculous. I think ill just move on to another daily driver if this is how u state it will be with. Even with the newer esprits they need this much babying?

[beagleair]

Go for it! I have a corvette and an esprit and i gotta say they have very simular qualities! The esprit is as reliable as the vette and gets driven more and harder (the cost of fuel here is a little higher)

My esprit though is an s2 though so there isnt much on it to go wrong, unlike the vette that has needed plenty recently and rewarded me with a head gasket on one bank go duff, never mind.

Anyway, thats my opinion for what its worth, and for sure the esprit must have some european class to it in the states in the same way my yank stands out here!?!

good luck with the decision B)

[lotustt]

Don't get it as a daily driver.

[jfitz981]

Yes, you could use it as a daily driver. Not a problem there, but the maintenance will cost you. Budgeting $1000 for every 3 thousand miles sounds about right. You may not use it all but on average that is what it will round out to be for the cost of ownership.

Good luck in your serch!

Jason

[s4simon]

You have to make the choice.

Either a cheap and cheerful daily runaround - The Vette

or

Exotic Supercar - Esprit

For some it's an easy decision.

[fmxa]

I've had a few Corvettes over the years, they are totally different animals from the Esprit which has no cup holders, no electric seats, no climate control etc. Bottom line it's not a daily driver and the costs people are saying while a little on the high side are not unheard of. It's a hand built exotic, not a mass produced vehicle and needs extra attention.

Edited March 18, 2008 by fmxa

[talon]

I've had many Corvettes in the past, and the recent ones have been great daily drivers. The older ones could have not been used iny any way shape or form as a driver.

Regardless, I would not use a V8 as a daily driver. First of all, it's not the most comfortable to get in and out of. Compared to an '06 vetter, there is no storage space to speak of. The running costs on the Esprit can be horrific, although it works out to be much cheaper than having to repair the car if you don't keep up with the running costs. When you think maintenance on these cars, don't think Chevy - think Ferrari.