Lotus Esprit (84-03) - Review

Review by Parkers on
The Esprit, with its distinctive wedge shape, seems to have been around forever. It first went on sale in 1976, but has been successfully re-styled for each generation. The last UK cars were sold during 2002, though the production line carried on until 2004, to cater for US demand. Prices are seriously tempting, and for the generation that grew up with Roger Moore's amphibious Union-Jacked Esprit, now could be the ideal time to buy.
4 out of 5

Other Lotus reviews

1.5 out of 5

Safety

No Euro NCAP test. Deadlocks and immobiliser on latest cars but only top V8 models have an alarm.

NCAP Test

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Provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.

Visit Euro NCAP for more info

2 out of 5

Reliability

Not famed for its reliability - all suffer from minor niggles and cars that aren't well cared for punish their owners with lots of problems. Not a supercar you can use everyday. But look after it and it's capable of long trouble-free rewarding drives.

Car check problem points

Body

Damage to wheel arches, spoiler, airdam, general paintwork

Engine/Gearbox

Don't risk without specialist history

Other

Don't buy without a thorough professional inspection. Esprit problems can be common...and costly.