Get your rating cards and hold them up! The seller of this 1989 Lotus Esprit tells prospective buyers that his British baby averages an overall rating of 8 out of 10 – though he rates the condition only as “good”. We’ll need to take a close look at this Lotus and see if we can sort it out. It is located in San Francisco, California and is available, here on craigslist for $21,900. Thanks to rex m for this tip!

The Lotus Esprit had a long run (1976-2004) encompassing six different series and a multitude of models. This sale example is known as an “X180”, was in production from 1988 until 1994 and yielded a total production volume of about 1,900 cars. All told, about 10K Esprits, of all different stripes, were produced over its 29-year run.

This example is known as an SE which means it is powered by a 264 HP, 2.2 liter, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine. Being a mid-engined car, the motor drives through a transaxle, in this case, a five-speed manual unit. The seller ups the ante on his Esprit’s mechanicals by rating them as a 10 out of 10; he further adds, “all work has been done to it. Can take it to any professional shop and get it checked“. Additional mechanical improvements include a new exhaust system and an ATS Racing intercooler.

As for the exterior’s 8 out of 10, it looks great. I’m not sure what demerits it may have, just age and 52K miles of use, more than likely. The fit and finish are just right and the slightly off-white finish works perfectly with the gold BBS wheels (the original wheels are included in the sale). There is no evidence of damage to the spoilers or body skirts/fairings, items that sometimes suffer from road rash. This Esprit has been clearly well cared for.

Moving inside is a very clean buckskin environment, a tough shade to keep clean. And, it has been enhanced with Lotus Elise seats. The original, very worn, Esprit seats are included in the sale. The new seat upholstery shade may not match perfectly but it is similar and certainly works well enough. From the two included images, the interior, much like the exterior, appears to need nothing. As is often the case with British sports cars, there is a very purposeful instrument panel in place; we’ll have to assume that the multitude of gauges work as they are supposed to. Considering what we know and can observe, it makes me wonder why the seller only rates the inside as a 6 out of 10?

The listing opens as follows, “PRICE IS FIRM. Do not contact me unless you have the cash and are ready to buy”. And it closes with, “Price is FIRM. Lowballers and time wasters will be ignored. Serious inquires ONLY.” OK, I get it, the price is firm. But the marketplace is usually the deciding factor – it will depend on someone, with the cash, turning up and agreeing to the list price. Maybe that will happen and maybe not. Besides that, craigslist seems like an unusual medium to advertise a car like a Lotus Esprit. With the mechanicals being a 10 out of 10, the exterior an 8 out of 10, and the inside only garnering a 6 out of 10, I suppose averaging this car as an 8 is fair. So, what do you think, will the seller get an 8 out of 10 price or not?