This 1988 Lotus Esprit SE was reportedly purchased from the single longtime owner in 2012 with just 23,000 miles on the clock. Since then, it has been in the care of one family, so it hasn’t changed hands much since new. While it does have some cosmetic flaws, it seems to be indicative of a car that was actually used rather than put away and treated like a paperweight. The Esprit remains an attainable supercar despite being seen far less frequently than its contemporaries from the same era, and with bidding to just over $16,000 here on eBay with no reserve, this one could be going home with a new owner for very reasonable money.
The Esprit never seemed to rise to the same level of desirability as a Porsche 911 or Acura NSX. Was it the four cylinder powerplant, or perhaps the reputation of British car being unreliable? It’s likely a combination of all those things and other factors that keep the Lotus more of a poster car for British car fans rather than an object of desire for anyone who follows 1980s sports and exotics. The good news is we often complain about how far out of reach many of these iconic cars have gotten, so the fact that a limited production supercar like the Esprit can still be bought for under $30,000 makes it a tremendous value for anyone seeking to add one to their collection.
The tricky thing about the Esprit is that it can look quite tired without too much effort. The interiors always seemed a bit thrown together to me, so any level of neglect inside the car tends to be magnified by a fair amount. The interior of this Esprit isn’t bad, and while it still looks somewhat tired in places, you can tell this is a Lotus with under 30,000 miles. The seller reports there are a few electrical faults inside the cabin, including a horn that doesn’t work and two dead window motors. One would hope the air conditioning still blows cold if you can’t put the windows down, but I wouldn’t count on it. The Esprit is also missing its factory radio.
The Esprit comes with an assortment of other flaws, including a headlight with a dead motor and paint damage in multiple locations. I can’t help but wonder if the Esprit was darn near mint when the current seller got his hands on it and then it started to deteriorate. At least, when I see photos in the listing of a young driver standing next to it, I start to wonder if the “family ownership” means the kids got to wring it out once in a while. Regardless, it’s an Esprit SE Turbo with under 30,000 miles and listed with no reserve and bidding lower than the cost of a new Camry – what’s not to love? Be quick, however, as the auction ends Wednesday afternoon.
The duct taped interior is an interesting touch. Without all the needed repairs these are nice cars. They finally got the engine glitches out of them in the late 80s and the interior didn’t look like a kit car. We worked on a few for the dealer and learned quickly that repairing crash damage was a lengthy process. Wouldn’t put much more than the 16K into it with all the repair work needed.
Is that “Standard” Lotus fit on the passenger side door? Duct tape on a Lotus is Nature’s way of saying “Beware”
I don’t see duct tape? It’s a shadow of the rear view mirror.
I don’t see any duct tape on the interior. The lighter colored areas are part of the original upholstery. What is of greater concern is one picture showing the empty radio slot with a bundle of wires hanging from the dash in the passenger’s footwell. Another picture has some white cardboard hiding whatever disaster is lurking behind it.
The price is over $17K now which seems a lot for a car in need of so much TLC. A friend of mine 3 years ago sold his 2, a turbo 4 and a V8. They were perfect and he got around $20K for each.
While mine is a slate blue the interior is an exact copy of mine. Lotus are highly stressed cars which makes them delicate mechanically. The lights are not that big an issue as are the window motors. I have found over the years with mine and the Esprits of others it is more often the wires or the switches that are the problem. But even if it is the motor that is not that expensive just a major pain in the ass to correct. I would hope that they have all the parts for the radio but I would not consider the replacement of the cassette radio with a newer version to be a bad thing.
If you purchase this car you should consider that the cost for repairs would be in the $3500 range for parts and labor. Considering the looks and performance you are getting a good value. I have put many miles on mine and have yet to have anything but the headliner fail and that is more a problem of poor product choice as it is a soft cloth over a thin foam that will deteriorate over time. I have seen the same problem on Bentleys, Maseratis and others. This stuff is good for about 15 to 20 years at best and depending upon heat, humidity it will tend to fall apart.
I always wanted one of these, but tall people with big feet are out. For the year this is a great price, lets see what it sells for.
These cars do their very best when not moving. Attractive, excellent designed body and there are very few of them here in the USA. Potential buyers need to understand the electrical and all related peripherals are subject to failure. You need to have an “electrical guy” who absolutely loves troubleshooting gremlins and has the patience of Jobe, in your back pocket. Join a Lotus Club so you can reap the benefit of therapeutic phycological support and an inside source of parts. I believe this model has the Lucas electrical system, remember many Australians own Lucas refrigerators, that is why they drink a lot of warm beer.
Ok, Ike. Blew up the picture. No tape. Was still on first cup of coffee.
Maybe duct tape would not be a bad idea to add some structural reinforcement.
Sold. $19,200.
Huh, these pics were taken in front of the bar down the street from my house in Milwaukee, definitely not a Lotus-intensive neighborhood.
Ended: Aug 25, 2021 , 1:51PM
Winning bid:US $19,200.00
[ 36 bids ]
Located in:Milwaukee, Wisconsin