Speed chanel is showing the Barret Jackson auction this weekend. Those cars go for some big bucks. If you are looking for a weekend toy and you don't want your purchase price to go out the window in 4 or 5 years, the 1970s, and 1980s exotics might be a good choice. I think they are fully depreciated. The question is, will they go up in value enough to pay for the maintenance costs when you finally sell it? Of course, if you want to keep it forever, then it really doesn't matter and buying new might make just as much sense.

 

I've owned two Esprits - a 94.5 S4s and a 2002 V8. The S4s was problematic. It was blazingfly fast, but indeed was "lots if trouble - usually serious." One day the shift linkage fell out as I was sittit at a stoplight

The V8 was somewhat better, but had a recurring problem with overheating and an idling issue that sometimes caused it to stall out at full stop on occasion.

Do NOT buy a car like this unless you are prepared for sometimes serious repair/maintenence bills (I know you said you are aware, but I want to reiterate.) The S4s, when I finally got rid of it for the V8, was running me 2K /month in repair costs for 3 months straight.

All that said, I loved all my lotus cars, as evidenced by the Elise I currently have

If you decide to go for the Esprit, despite my experience, the S4s is the 4 cylinder to get. GENERALLY SPEAKING they are better built than mine would indicate. But expect to pay for an S4s and be prepared to spend awhile looking.

If you go v8, try to go for the 2000+ model - the 98's as first year changeovers are supposed to have a few issues.

Finally - consider that either Lotus will spank any ferrari up to a 355 (which will still run you 80K plus).

Check out www.lotusespritworld.com for more info.

 

It would be nice to have the financial wherewithall to own one of these as a second or third car. Even if I could come up with the maintenance and repair costs, I would still be dreading the blow to my insurance.

I would have to get rid of my existing "fun" car and replace it with a Kia if I wanted to own a car like this. NO way could I leave a 308 or an Esprit parked at the mall.

 

Unfortunately my cable co. dosen't carry the Speed channel but I've been reading some threads on Fchat regarding the F-cars sold there and they are WAY out of whack. A 308Qv went for the high 50's while I realise this is with a 8% commision included that is still way out there that is a high 30's car at best.
The 308 has gone up a little in value over the last year with the other V-8 models coming down a bit 328-355. IMO the 308,328 will hold their values over the coming years and we will see the 355,360 dropping in value the most and the 348 falling somewhere in between.
Tritium Pie if you haven't already check out Ferrarichat.com. There is a wealth of info. there.

 

No I see your point. I was just saying "to me" I wouldn't be comfortable. I'd like a car that isn't as high maintance.

I saw a TR around 6 months ago. I still remember where I saw it, what state tags it had on etc... I walked around it twice and peeked inside the cockpit. I could walk by a Z06 that was on fire and not give it a second look.

So I know what you're talknig about.

My friend just sold a 1969 Aston Martin DBS. That car wasn't a car you could drive every day. He sold it for $45K He bought it for $40K but 6 months later had to put $28K in it to repair the engine.




That's where I'm comming from for $45K you can buy a boxster that as fast as the DBS and you can put 100K miles on it if you want.

I'm glad some people want to hold onto and restore classics but I don't have it in me.

 

I'm sensing, by the 3 choices you pictured, that you're looking for cars that go for all the gusto their name is associated with.

Would perhaps a 944 or 968 be out of the question? I know they aren't quite the same thing visually as a 911, but they are better exotics than most people give them credit for. They're also likely to be cheaper to fix than a 911.

As far as Ferraris go, there's also the 400/412. It's very sedan-looking, but they are reliable, according to one 412 owner I talked to. They have a V12 with 340hp. They made the car (from what I can find) from 1976 through 1987. I'm sure there were some changes over that time period to its mechanical makeup, but I wouldn't know what specifically. Ferrari makes few cars that stay in production for 12 years. Anyhow, they tend to be inexpensive for being a used F-car, between $20-40k from what I've personally seen.

What about an used Maserati, or BMW M6/M5? M6s hold value very well (well-kept examples still sell for around $20k), and would be cheaper than either a P- or F-car to fix. A Jag XJS coupe maybe?

I know most of my suggestions do not carry their nameplate's greatness as well as the ones you listed, but they could be equally rewarding to own.

 

It's hard to put a price on owning the thing that you lusted after in your youth. For me, fortunately, a 935 is about the only car I drooled over every day and night for years straight--if and when I ever decide to buy one, well, at least 911s are relatively bulletproof when compared to 'exotics' and you can wrench on 'em yourself.

What would make it tough for me to buy a 'classic exotic' is that one of the main reasons I lusted after Countachs, 308s and Esprits was the performance. But now that you can get 80s supercar performance for ~30K (plus reliability, safety and warranty!), it'd be really tough to actually pull the trigger on, say, a 308. Ok, so you don't get the good looks, but, well, I'd rather marry an average-looking woman who is happy and well-adjusted than a psychotic supermodel that had an emotional breakdown once a month (and no health insurance). The nice thing about supermodels (and exotics) is their best attributes (looks) are free!

 

Wow. I've never heard it put that way before. Bravo!

 

Yes, but there's a big difference between actually being inside one -vs- just fantasizing about it. Sometimes you've just gotta be in the driver's seat... even if only for a test drive.

 

Damn good responses. You're on a roll!