[jay_tuck]

Rare for our town anyway. A very nice Lotus Esprite:

 

[MichaelXi]

No "e" on the end of Esprit, but
DAMN that's a SWEET car!

 

[kyknphokuz]

very nice. i just saw one a couple weeks ago in seattle. my friend is actually thinking of getting one. that or a '99 996. i hate him soo much...

 

[andrew d b]

I raced one in my Mustang GT before I had modded it out... at every shift, there is a loud "POP"... would freak the crap out of people on the freeway. He left me in the dust (ran a high 12, I think).

Andrew

 

[DEWbEATZ]

Originally posted by andrew d b:
I raced one in my Mustang GT before I had modded it out... at every shift, there is a loud "POP"... would freak the crap out of people on the freeway. He left me in the dust (ran a high 12, I think).

Andrew

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Uh Oh

 

[RKZX2]

it's amazing that the body style has been the same since 88. the only change is the bumbers, skirts & wheels. my dad has an 88 & it's sill a head turner. amazing performance from a 4 cyl. i was surprised to hear the v8 tt. sounds nothing like american v8's.

 

[P-51]

Yeah, that's a car I'd love to own someday... <sigh> It's not quite a "Lightness at Any Cost" Lotus, but I think it's still under 3000lbs.

I'd love to buy a nice Esprit Turbo with the 4 cylinder.

Main problem with those cars (as with any "supercar") is the cost of maintenance. A friend of mine had one (or rather, his father) and it was stupid expensive. Apparently his gas tank rusted out or something, needed to be replaced, and it was going to cost something like $8000. I'm sure the mechanics who know how to work on it charge an exhorbitant hourly fee. But also the tank was expensive, and it required like 20 hours of labour because you had to remove the entire engine or something to get to the tank.

Instead of paying for the work, he ended up trading it in on a nice Lotus Esprit V8.

<sigh> Must be nice to have more money than you know what to do with.

Dude also had a really nice Cesna. 4 seater, 220hp turbocharged engine, retractable landing gear, no wing struts, 200+ mph cruise speed...

 

[H2Oboy]

I was at a customers house yesterday and he opened the garage so I could get to what I needed. Lo and behold there is a brand new Cayenne, a BMW 7 series, an '87 944 with original EVERYTHING, a 2 door convertible Mercedes S series ( apparently one of 1500 produced, and 1 of 900 for that year), a Porsche Sportster with 5k original unmolested miles, and the topper: A '33 Ford with a Lingenfelter 454, Hildebrand (sp?) one off rear end, one off Boyds wheels, a hand made billet suspension, custom leather interior, and a one off body. It's for sale if anyone is interested. Asking price:87k... No, that it NOT a mistake....

 

[TXFO]

sounds like a wannabe porshe guy. no real porsche enthusiast would own a 944, 915, or cayenne. another case of all the money in the world and you're still a hack.

 

[andrew d b]

Wow, the guy's got 5 top-of-the-line grade A cars most of us would kill to have, and you find a way to give him a thumbs down.

Andrew

[ 05-30-2003, 08:51 PM: Message edited by: andrew d b ]

 

[WanabeRS]

World's cheapest full on hot mofo supercar! shame they changed over to the V8's in 94 though. That 4cyl was very impressive. Ford do make good engines you know!

who gives a guy a thumbs down for that wonderful collection of cars? Oh and any self respecting porsche enthusiast would have a 944... they don't make front engine porsches any more so it's pretty much a collectors item!?

[ 05-30-2003, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: WanabeRS ]

 

[TXFO]

you think a 944 is top of the line? I have one so I guess I'm cool now. I bought a pristine 944 for my wife. Its in perfect shape and runs like a dream. know what its worth? 3500 TOPS. Its valued low just like the 914 becaue its front engine. Porsche enthusiast wont touch anything that isnt a mid or rear engine sportster. which is why the guy gets a thumbs down. because he is a wanker. HJe has a ****load of money and tries to have the all time car collection, but he's a poseur buying the wrong stuff. the cayanne is an SUV

, and the 944 is front engine. I love my 944 but I'm not a porshe guy. I bought it because I could afford it and it was the best car in my price range. If I was a wannabe porsche collector I'd do a little research first.

 

[TXFO]

its only a collectors item if you collect outdated company flops. Look the resale vcalue compared to other porsches of the same years. No porsche enthusiast evere accepted the front engine models and they never will. good car but certainly not a collectors item.

 

[proxemac]

Originally posted by TXFO:
sounds like a wannabe porshe guy. no real porsche enthusiast would own a 944, 915, or cayenne. another case of all the money in the world and you're still a hack.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">No real Porsche enthusiast would own any Porsche made since the last air cooled 911. Everyone has different standards.

 

[GreyZX3]

Okay, so at what point did H2Oboy say "I was at this customer's house and the guy said "I'm the world's greatest Porsche enthusiast! Kneel before me!"

Believe it or not, you can buy a Porsche, regardless of engine placement or method of cooling(yes, even an SUV), even if you aren't a "Porsche guy." You can still be a "car guy."

Frankly, being a "Porsche guy" sounds like you spend alot of time getting your ass beaten for being a jerk.

Man!

Some people just aren't happy unless they're pissing on someone else. Get a life!

I think it's entirely possible that he bought the car because he LIKED it. Maybe it has sentimental value? Or maybe, just maybe, he's a Car guy. And true car guys just like cars. Even if they ARE porsches.

And on the note of the actual topic, I've always loved the Esprit. I think I might be a little big for it,(not enough head room in the 911 PORSCHE I sat in once, so I'd imagine the Lotus to be as bad).

 

[Wallflower]

Who would have thought you could make any money flipping burgers for a few years?

My mom's boss has some sweet rides. Out in Arizona, he drives a 2000 Boxster S, his wife has a 1998 540i Sport. Here in town is the bigger garage filled with a 1998 911 Turbo (AWD red beast), 2002 X5, 1999 745iL, and the wife has a 2002 540i. Mom said he was talking about turning in the X5 for a new one, which my guess will be for an X5 4.6is.

 

[C2Cab95]

Originally posted by TXFO:
sounds like a wannabe porshe guy. no real porsche enthusiast would own a 944, 915, or cayenne. another case of all the money in the world and you're still a hack.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">First of all, I think the 915 you are referring about is actually a 914, and all it was is a VW. Actually sold as a VW in Europe (and was mid engined)... those cars also, though very rare could be had in an air cooled flat 6, and with that light weight body, made it very scary in speed, and handling. The front engined Porsches... well, started with the VW based 924 and through "evolution" the 944, and 968. IMO, the 968 with 240 HP was the epitome of the front engine 4 cyl. Porsches, and is VERY sought after. 928 came out in the late 70's and are very popular with club racers, and Porsche enthusiasts. My dad has a 1995 911 "993 series" and I know many people with those cars, hanging around too many PCA events I guess!

But I know a little bit about that company, and my dad probably owns over 50 Porsche books and I have read through a few of them. ANYWAY, I think GreyZX3 put it best!

 

[TXFO]

listen dammit. the guy gets the

not the cars. its obvious from his choices that he started a porsche collection with no idea what to get. the classic roadster is the shining example. he bought the cridibility car and then moved on without a clue. whatever. point is he his a wanker. 915, yes I know 914. it was a typo I corrected in another post. buger flippin? if your talkin to me than STFU son, you have no idea.

The esprit is a tight ride. nice pics.

 

[Wallflower]

Originally posted by TXFO:
listen dammit. the guy gets the

not the cars. its obvious from his choices that he started a porsche collection with no idea what to get. the classic roadster is the shining example. he bought the cridibility car and then moved on without a clue. whatever. point is he his a wanker. 915, yes I know 914. it was a typo I corrected in another post. buger flippin? if your talkin to me than STFU son, you have no idea.

The esprit is a tight ride. nice pics.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Excuse me .. but who the hell are you to judge? I AM A CAR GUY. Given the opportunity, I would purchase a 928S in a heartbeat. But I guess that makes me a wanker because it's not rear engine.

What is it that I have no idea about?

 

[H2Oboy]

In reference to the original topic: Sorry I hijacked youtr thread. Lotus makes a nice car. There are boatloads of them in Central Ohio. See them daily. Still sweet, but very common here.

Easy TXFO. Take it easy. He has the 944 because it was his first Porsche, and keeps it for the sentimental value. BTW, it took first OVER the Sportster by 1/2 point at the Concourse because it is so clean. I'm not a 944 fan either, but this car was immaculate and original right down to the battery. Not a restoration, but an original, rolled off the assembly line OE car. Words cannot do these cars justice. If I only had a camera with me. Maybe next time.....

Anyway TXFO, don't you have some dyno runs to make for us in the SPI forum?? You shouldn't be here wasting your time when you've got work to do.

[ 06-01-2003, 08:54 AM: Message edited by: H2Oboy ]