Faults:

Car started leaking oil.

Idle was rough.

Problems with the indicator lights coming on during high speed driving.

Car was running hot.

Had difficulty getting parts.

Was losing boost pressure, had to get the turbo redone at 17,000 miles.

Had to replace the fuel lines, the car was smelling of fuel in the cabin.

Interior trim started fading, driver's seat bolster was getting worn down, dash was taking a beating.

General Comments:

For the first 5,000 miles the car ran great.

At about 12,000 miles I started having problems one after the other. Every time I took it out it wouldn't be too long before I had something that needed repairing.

At 130+ mph you can tell it's not solid, lots of rattles.

I was disappointed, I looked far and wide for a Lotus S4S with the lowest miles I could find, I figured I would get at least 20,000 miles out of the car before I was going to get major problems.

Faults:

Front left shock leaked.

Horn collected dirt and rust, and failed.

Woodruff key on the accessory drive sheared.

Clutch hose expanded in 100+ heat, and caused the clutch to work poorly.

Tires became hard and needed to be replaced.

General Comments:

Super fast when on the boost, with distinct mid-engine handling dynamics (i.e. quick turn in due to low polar moment).

Excellent handling with understeer at the limit, although it is fairly easy to induce controllable oversteer by lifting or using the throttle.

Compared to other high performance cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Porsche, this car is fairly inexpensive to maintain. Expect maintenance costs equal to about twice that of a BMW M car.

The Connelly leather interior and burled walnut dash impart a classic British sports car feel.

If you are under 6' tall like I am, this is a very comfortable car.

For very complete information on Esprits, www.espritfactfile.com

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

The car runs as reliable as my 2000 Mercedes S-Class. Now, that's saying a lot.

I often trade my cars in every 6 to 12 months for something else. Not this time. The only car this Esprit would be getting the trade on is another one.

Faults:

Replaced front wheel bearings at 26,000 miles.

Recharged A/C at 36,000 during routine "C" service.

General Comments:

This is the most sophisticated and reliable of the six Lotus cars I have owned (never more than one at a time)... I characterize it as being "Toyota reliable" although I recognize that this is not always a characteristic of Lotus cars.

The car is beautiful, exquisitely finished, and a reward to drive and be seen in. It draws favorable comments from a huge variety people everywhere I drive it.

Faults:

Catalytic converter replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

Wonderful car. Superb exotic looks and the performance to back it up. Small displacement turbo engine requires lots of RPMs to produce power and exhibits typical turbo characteristics. Car handles like a dream and feels just as steady at 170mph as it does at 25mph.