Gareth44
-
Posts
53 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
1
Content Type
Profiles
Calendar
Forums
UPGRADE
Gallery
Blogs
Posts posted by Gareth44
-
-
Hi @Chillidoggy
My S4s is current undergoing work (at a reputable indie, details can be provided), including investigating the failed Delco Moraine ABS.
I am not technically minded at all, although I have looked through this thread. He has asked me, so I am asking you:
1) Do you have any left?
2) What is it you get?
3) How much is it?
Appreciate that you may prefer to PM me, I've never done that or received one either but am sure it will be obvious when/if you do send me one.
Thanks in advance.
-
My wife is 5'4, I am 5'10 and sit forward and I would have to say that she does not fit, not with her head upright anyway, legs were OK. On a test drive she did nothing but moan and all I could see in the rear view mirror was a sideways head!
I do keep mine outside all year, it is fine although water ingress to the window motor meant a new one of them (c.£500). As others have said, wash the bird poo off asap.
Also, as others have said, what concerns me most is the heat on the dash and airbag cover, so I do use a sunscreen on the windscreen if it is anything above 20 degrees.
-
2
-
-
I'll be there on 13th and will certainly come and have a look.
-
1
-
-
I think I read a long time ago that the orange one was very high mileage, probably why it isn't mentioned on the advert, worth checking though.
I'll also add that I, like you, wanted the newer interior look, until I saw them in the 'flesh'. Whilst the older interior does look dated, in my opinion now, it feels far more special, premium, unique-even, than the more modern looking arrangement. Once I'd reconciled that with myself, it opened up far more cars.
It's all subjective when it comes to looks of course.
-
2
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Hi
I recently took the plunge with an Esprit and went for an S4s, having been looking at later models like you.
I am absolutely no expert but, as far as I found, of the V8s, the later ones are the 'ones to have' and that came from my Lotus mechanic, however the whole V8 maintenance and scary stories put me off those. I'm sure others with argue to the contrary though.
So for me it came down to the GT3 or S4s and there were, and still are, a few GT3s about but no S4s's. I held on though as I just preferred the look of the S4s and found that the low down torque, with the extra BHP I guess, made the S4s feel faster, although I'm sure in the real world there is next to no difference.
I understand that the GT3 is better for handling but I'm not going to be pushing a 25 year old car much in that regard, especially with my lack of talent!
At the end of the day, they are all fantastic wedge-shapes, have pop-up headlights and look like the cars I drove on my Atari ST in the 90s, so drive a few, see what you think and I'm pretty sure you will enjoy whatever you decide.
Good Luck.
-
4
-
Thanks @Barrykearley but unfortunately I don't understand a word in your first paragraph 🙂
-
2
-
-
@tomcattom - my technical knowledge goes as far as tapping the dial to see if anything happens, so you may well be absolutely right. I'll find out in due course but I see, from the paperwork, it has already had one oil pressure gauge in the past, albeit some time ago. Oddly that gauge looks a little worse for wear anyway, so I'll probably change it anyway.
@Barrykearley hopefully we are both sitting on a good investment. Although not the reason I bought it, it is nice to buy and car and (hopefully) not have it depreciate.
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Sorry for the slow reply, picked it up on Saturday and then went straight out to an Oktoberfest do, so yesterday was a right-off!
Happy to share, I paid £32k in the end, which I am happy with given the model and its rarity. If you read the adverts, basically most of that was not true (mileage, previous owners, immaculate paint) and what wasn't outright wrong, was mis-leading (£20k spent by previous owner on uprated parts, or words to that effect. In reality it was £20k over 20 years in general maintenance. )
As I say though, happy with it and actually quite looking forward to doing it up over time. It is going into Steve shortly for a cambelt (not due until May, but for peace of mind), full service and proper check over on the ramp. It also has a coolant leak, probably the water pump, so that can be done at the same time.
The oil pressure gauge and the fuel gauge don't appear to be working, so they can be changed, along with a replacement for a cosmetically worn headlight button. They can be done in one with the binnacle off.
Other than that, it needs a new front splitter (the black bit), the interior is OK for a 25 year old, 64k miles car but can be made better and, at some point, it will need a respray due to many scratches/chips and 'swirly' paint but the paint hasn't faded or anything.
If all was well, in my opinion, it would have been worth what I saw it advertised at (£37k), to me anyway. Having bought at £32k I can now spend on it to get it how I want it, I have no doubt I will spend more than the £37k in the end but it doesn't all have to be done now, with me doing it I know it has been done and done properly and given it is exactly what I wanted, can you put an exact price on that?
-
5
-
1
-
I shall oblige as soon as I get it, apparently there is a fuel crisis 🙂
It is still on Autotrader and Royston's own website - although the write ups need to be taken with a bucket of salt.
@BibsAs Steve said he has said to you many times, he just doesn't do forums 🙂
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
After two visits, including an inspection by the wonderful Steve Williams of Maidenhead, who I can't speak highly enough of, I am now fully qualified to contribute to the Evora and Esprit sides of this form, having taken the plunge yesterday!
-
5
-
Thanks @fflyingdog off to see it today at Roystons Classics before getting a specialist involved if all seems well.
On at £37k
-
On 16/01/2021 at 18:47, NiallEvo said:
Apparently they have a red car with OZs coming on:
Hi - new to the Esprit side of this forum.
Does anyone know anything about the above car?
Thanks in advance.
-
Good to see you too, a good day out all in all, apart from the rain. Nice to see the Essex Esprit take a prize home too...........
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
My manual Daytona Blue SR S will be part of the Stonor Park Supercar Sunday display, this coming Sunday (4th July), in Henley
Come and say hello if you are there, as I'll be there from 10am (opens at 11) until past 5pm so, even with all those lovely cars to look at, I'll be glad of the company!
I know other Lotus' will be there, with plenty of other exotica, I should imagine I will positioned at the back behind a tree, next to the loos!
-
3
-
1
-
On 07/05/2021 at 18:10, C8RKH said:
Craig Moncreiff. Hugely reputable. Very experienced. Was a couple of years back mind.
Thanks, he had actually serviced my car the year before I bought it, however I live in SE England, perhaps the geography and mine being done only in 2019, explain such a large differential?
-
3 hours ago, C8RKH said:
Have a look at the Evora clutch pole on here. Not everything you read on the internet is true.
Far more cars still on original clutch than not. A small number of people have had issues with their clutch, but far more have had no issues.
At around £2k to fix from a good independent, it is a big bill for sure. However, some "service bills" for other marques could be that every year.
I'd love to know which independent quoted you that/did that for you, mine was the best part of £4k with a few other bits at the same time, from a very reputable (on here and elsewhere) independent. Although that was for a 400 clutch and flywheel into my S SR.
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
I flew to Aberdeen from London and drove mine home all the way to Berkshire, 550 miles and over 11 hours, as they closed the M6 with me on it!
I got home in the small hours of the morning and was ready to turn round a go back again, just for the drive.
Definitely drive it.
-
4
-
I think I've found the answer on another forum:
Lotus engineer: “we’ll use a Toyota engine because they’re reliable”
Lotus ceo: “yeah but people expect exotics to be quirky”
Lotus engineer: “oh yeah, dont worry about that, we got it covered.”
Lotus Ceo: “we do?”
Lotus engineer: “totaly, we’ve hired a tribe in the Amazon to design and build the wiring harness in the car, and we’ve hired an Italian appliance repair shop to build the window regulators”
Lotus CEO: “they know how to do that!?”
Lotus Engineer: “they’ll figure it out...that should give us plenty of quirks”
Lotus Ceo: “good job” -
Just bumping this thread to see if anyone has any further information, I'm going to need a window regulator shortly...…….
-
I'd be interested to know in the cost of the window regulator @Smapmap as I'm going to need one myself at the service/MOT in a couple of weeks.
-
On a not unrelated point, and I'm not really sure this is something to be pleased about, but I had an average of 30.3 mpg in my S, on my Xmas Eve drive home from Reading to Essex, with Sport mode on all the way!
100 traffic free miles: M4, M25, A127, I didn't use cruise control and had the radio on but not the AC/heating.
Soon ruined that when I go there though as my brother hadn't seen the car...…...
-
1
-
-
Re. the above comments and those on the warranty thread, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I'd been looking for about 6 months for the right spec (SR, manual, S, one of a few colours etc.), this one came up privately and I got excited with money to burn!
As one poster commented, I did set up a 'Lotus Account' for such future costs (as the clutch was on 30k miles when I bought it) which has obviously been immediately decimated and now rebuilt, so it doesn't feel quite like spending real money 🙂
@paranoidandroid On the insurance, I'm 41 but don't have a garage, wife is under 40 c.£600 a year was the best I could get in Reading, which is about what I expected but £300 for you sounds excellent! Be good to meet when it's not so biblical outside, I've never met an Evora owner in real life!
-
1
-
-
Also had mine a year, as of 6th Dec, although unlike the OP and @paranoidandroid I haven't exactly had no costs...…..from memory:
- £120 - for a sensor change as sport mode wouldn't stay on
- £1k - for new clutch slave and master cylinders with associated fluids
- £4k - for new clutch and flywheel
Currently experiencing engine management light issues with the code indicating bank 1 is running lean, so the above sum will grow in the new year as we throw parts at it to see what the problem may be, starting with the cheapest...….
Known costs when I bought it but also to add to the total are: 4 x MPS4S (c.£800), 2 x insurance policies (£1.2k) and 2 x road tax (£1.1k).
Expensive year but I still love it...……...
-
Definitely fits the S, I think I have read it isn't suitable for the n/a but I have absolutely no technical knowledge about why that might be.
Evora Insurance
in Lotus Insurance
Posted
Interesting to see what people pay but really, a pointless exercise. There are tens and tens of questions to answer for motor insurance and one different answer from your next door neighbour of the same age, with the same car, for example, will wildly affect the premium, terms and even which insurers will quote for you.