Mid 80's Lotus Turbo?
03-08-2005, 11:35 AM
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Mid 80's Lotus Turbo?
Just wondering if anyone here has driven owned a 84-88 lotus turbo. I have a very nice 84 turbo on the line. 39K miles. New turbo and top end, very good shape cosmetically. Its a carb'd turbo car and I have always liked the look of both them and the 308 and the lotus has a cheaper entry point then the 308 and would be cheaper to maintain. (Starting to dump the kit cars)
Would be trading in the Cobra and getting lots of cash back which would go towards my impending wedding.
Also thanks to those who were helping me decide between the XLR and the SC430. I sat down and crunched some numbers and more importantly took a look at how much I use my truck for "truck" activities. Towing, dump runs, home depot stuff. Turns out I use it a lot more then I was thinking so I am holding onto the truck, selling the cobra the riot and the 308. The Lotus would be stored above my fiances civic in the underground garage, covered and locked up. The cobra is just to much car for street driving, it is really no fun to go out in and the gas mileage limits how many longer trips that I can take.
I am reasonably sure that I can take care of all of the mechanicals on the lotus, real familiar with the carbs. No fancy electronics getting on the way. I was also looking at getting a real 308, but the fact that the dealer maintiance is tied to the resale value scares me. I like to work on my cars, and parts cost are a little higher on the 308 as lotus was stealing lights and other bits and pieces from other manufactors.
Would be trading in the Cobra and getting lots of cash back which would go towards my impending wedding.
Also thanks to those who were helping me decide between the XLR and the SC430. I sat down and crunched some numbers and more importantly took a look at how much I use my truck for "truck" activities. Towing, dump runs, home depot stuff. Turns out I use it a lot more then I was thinking so I am holding onto the truck, selling the cobra the riot and the 308. The Lotus would be stored above my fiances civic in the underground garage, covered and locked up. The cobra is just to much car for street driving, it is really no fun to go out in and the gas mileage limits how many longer trips that I can take.
I am reasonably sure that I can take care of all of the mechanicals on the lotus, real familiar with the carbs. No fancy electronics getting on the way. I was also looking at getting a real 308, but the fact that the dealer maintiance is tied to the resale value scares me. I like to work on my cars, and parts cost are a little higher on the 308 as lotus was stealing lights and other bits and pieces from other manufactors.
03-08-2005, 01:00 PM
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A friend of mine had a mid 80's turbo Esprite and I drove it enough to get a pretty good feel for it. It was his daily driver and with well over 100,000 miles on it it was still fast and still drove very well. It also had something of a kit car feel to it. Handling was good as long as you kept a little speed up. The steering was godawful heavy in slow tight turns and the car was not at all suited to autocrossing. Spend some time driving the car to see what you think. The driving position is odd but not bad. They're different beast and can be a PIA but...
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