What to get next?

[Rupert]

Being tall sucks when buying old houses, cool cars, and pants.

[Onslaught]

Being tall sucks when buying old houses, cool cars, and pants.

Being tall sucks for all kinds of stuff like that. But girls like tall guys so it helps with getting sucked.

[Byteme]

Espirits are beautiful cars.

With the Dino GT/4 (which I also recommend) as third and the earliest Countach (too 'spensive) as second, the Espirit is the most succesfully wedge design ever, IMO.

However, I believe they are a pretty tight fit for tall persons (like most Lotuses), so try if you fit first. The GT/4 is supposed to be better accommodating.

I looked a bit last night and suprisingly, it's a target rich environment out there.  Quite a few are for sale, including two at dealerships in the Houston area.  I may pop by one this weekend, take a look and sit in it.

I judged a couple of them at a concours about 10 years ago, but haven't paid much attention to them since.  It's probably time to take an in depth look.



See:  

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=71554011&listingRecNum=12&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20071%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D21094%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D77571%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=gogsema

and

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tracktype=usedcc&csDlId=&csDgId=&listingId=76436056&listingRecNum=20&criteria=sf1Dir%3DDESC%26mkId%3D20071%26stkTyp%3DU%26mdId%3D21094%26rd%3D100000%26crSrtFlds%3DstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3D77571%26rn%3D0%26PMmt%3D1-1-0%26stkTypId%3D28881%26sf2Dir%3DASC%26sf1Nm%3Dprice%26sf2Nm%3Dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3Dfalse%26rpp%3D50%26feedSegId%3D28705&aff=gogsema

[Onslaught]

God I miss pop-up headlamps.

[Byteme]

God I miss pop-up headlamps.

I see 'em every day from the driver's seat.    

I guess you do as well.

[Onslaught]

I see 'em every day from the driver's seat.    

I guess you do as well.

Yea, but I just love the way many of the cars from back then look. And I'm not a fan of modern plastic headlamps that you have to wax all the time to keep from looking like shit.

[Byteme]

Yea, but I just love the way many of the cars from back then look. And I'm not a fan of modern plastic headlamps that you have to wax all the time to keep from looking like shit.

Broken headlight for the Mazda 3 or 6; hundreds of dollars.

Broken headlight for the Miata; about 6 bucks. 

[omicron]

Esprit! What a fine idea. Buy this one:

1980 Esprit Essex Turbo

[Onslaught]

Broken headlight for the Mazda 3 or 6; hundreds of dollars.

Broken headlight for the Miata; about 6 bucks. 

Shit, you're lucky if it's only hundreds. Most of them are over 1K these days and the bulbs cost hundreds. And they don't come with the new headlamp.

[Tave]

The replacement bulb for my Aveo was $1.50

[SVT666]

Shit, you're lucky if it's only hundreds. Most of them are over 1K these days and the bulbs cost hundreds. And they don't come with the new headlamp.

A used HID headlamp assembly for my SVT is $500, and a new bulb was $150.

[Onslaught]

A used HID headlamp assembly for my SVT is $500, and a new bulb was $150.

RX-8's headlamp is over 1K. And that's without bulbs, wires or sockets.

[FoMoJo]

A Lotus Esprit sounds like fun.

Any particular series?  Reading from the web site, the S2.2 seems a very desirable, if rather scarce model.  The S3 still maintains much of the styling of the original, however, the S4 has lost much of that distinctive appearance.

[Eye of the Tiger]

Esprit! What a fine idea. Buy this one:

1980 Esprit Essex Turbo

Brilliant!

[NomisR]

Do get..

[SVT_Power]

Shit, you're lucky if it's only hundreds. Most of them are over 1K these days and the bulbs cost hundreds. And they don't come with the new headlamp.

Well at least they integrate the ballasts well into headlights these days...

[Payman]

Liked the Fiat Dino idea better.

[Byteme]

A Lotus Esprit sounds like fun.

Any particular series?  Reading from the web site, the S2.2 seems a very desirable, if rather scarce model.  The S3 still maintains much of the styling of the original, however, the S4 has lost much of that distinctive appearance.

1989-1991 range, perhaps a bit earlier. 

Liked the Fiat Dino idea better.

This is still very much in the speculative stage right now.  It'll be a year or so before we get something.  What triggered this is a 5 page article on the Lotus in Hemmings magazine.  My wife still likes the Model A idea.

[omicron]

?

[Laconian]

MAIS OUI

[sportyaccordy]

Shit, you're lucky if it's only hundreds. Most of them are over 1K these days and the bulbs cost hundreds. And they don't come with the new headlamp.

Broken headlight for the Mazda 3 or 6; hundreds of dollars.

Broken headlight for the Miata; about 6 bucks.  

How often are you guys breaking headlights for this to be a problem? Not to mention the new lights are plastic, which would basically take a crash to break, which would prob just damage a pop up headlight assembly.

Nitpicking, but I hate rose tinted nostalgia based on fallacies


I like pop up headlights too. The choice is obvious.

[Byteme]

How often are you guys breaking headlights for this to be a problem? Not to mention the new lights are plastic, which would basically take a crash to break, which would prob just damage a pop up headlight assembly.

Nitpicking, but I hate rose tinted nostalgia based on fallacies


I like pop up headlights too. The choice is obvious.

One of the headlight assemblies on the 6 is fogging when I wash the car; must have a small water leak in it.  Never wrecked, never damaged, 4.5 years old, 42000  miles.  If this were a sealed beam it would be a 15 minute replacement job for well under $10.  God only knows what's involved in removing the assembly from the 6 and then looking for a water leak.  

Plus a 5 year old plastic lens light starts to look sand blasted and cloudy.  Spend the afternoon "restoring" it with a $30 kit or spend $10 and 15 minutes replaceing a sealde beam bulb.

And I can virtually guarantee you a fixed in place sealed beam light assembly, including all mounting will cost less than these plastic monstrosities they are putting on cars today.

[Rupert]

Sealed beams are great, unless you actually want to see.

[SVT666]

I think he should skip the shitty Esprit and get an NSX.

[Byteme]

Sealed beams are great, unless you actually want to see.

All sealed beams are created pretty much equal; pretty good lighting.  Plastic lamps on the other hand run from sucks (a 99 Buick Century for example) to at really good (my 3 and 6).

[Rupert]

Sealed beams are equally terrible, sure...

[Byteme]

Sealed beams are equally terrible, sure...

Not really


Low Beam



High Beam

[SVT666]

After having HID, I could never go back.

[Rupert]

Not really


Low Beam



High Beam

Yeah, no. You can't use a photo to show how good or bad a headlamp is. There are way too many variables (camera type, camera settings, film type on an old camera, my monitor versus your monitor, etc.). Not to mention that that appears to be a snow-covered road, which is highly reflective.

[Laconian]

After having HID, I could never go back.

+1