considering viper and esperante. Anyone have any experience with either? Especially the esperante.
Thanks.
Thanks.
other exotics/opinions
- Thread starter huckster
- Start date
Here is the review on Edmund's:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/pan...unds.n.prices.vdpheaderratingslinks..2.Panoz*
Sounds like a badass car.
George
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2003/pan...unds.n.prices.vdpheaderratingslinks..2.Panoz*
Sounds like a badass car.
George
ehh....I guess......personally....I would go for the 2004 Lotus Elise...they start importing them in June....35 MPG (city)....0-60 in under 5....looks kinda like a mix between a GT2 and a Panoz Roadster.....everyone will be asking you "What the hell is that?".....for an amazing deal of $42,000!!!!! YOU CANT GO WRONG WITH THAT!!!!!
just think of what else you can do to that car with $50k......you can just use it to buy a Subaru STI as a daily driver and upgrade the turbo (pushing about 420RWP) with AWD as a daily driver....
just think of what else you can do to that car with $50k......you can just use it to buy a Subaru STI as a daily driver and upgrade the turbo (pushing about 420RWP) with AWD as a daily driver....
Still have the Viper - '99 GTS - cool to look at, a beast to drive. Strictly a play toy. The Viper family is pretty big now, Gen I RT10, Gen II and the new Gen III SRT10. What are you looking for?
Spend some time over at http://www.viperclub.org/
Almost as much info as Prime
Spend some time over at http://www.viperclub.org/
Almost as much info as Prime
Elise are great cars, but 42k for a weekend car, with a toyota engine........hmmm............
People could say the same about the NSX....$90K for a weekend car, with a Honda engine....hmmm...polar said:
Osiris_x11
Gold Member, Moderator: Marketplace
Fur ELISE, hehe...
hmm... I am currently in London. Seeing an Elise here is about as frequent as seeing a Corvette in the States...
Anywayz, attached is my good friend's 2002 Elise. I've had the chance to ride in it alot. There is no comparison between the NSX and the Elise. Elise is more in the genre of the MX-5 (U.S. Miata), and other peppy enthusiast oriented roadsters; basically geared for owners who can afford to sacrifice nearly ALL comfort & refinement for short periods of spirited driving.
hmm... I am currently in London. Seeing an Elise here is about as frequent as seeing a Corvette in the States...
Anywayz, attached is my good friend's 2002 Elise. I've had the chance to ride in it alot. There is no comparison between the NSX and the Elise. Elise is more in the genre of the MX-5 (U.S. Miata), and other peppy enthusiast oriented roadsters; basically geared for owners who can afford to sacrifice nearly ALL comfort & refinement for short periods of spirited driving.
Attachments
I agree. Before I got my NSX, I was on the waiting list for the Elise. Lotus USA had a few cars circulating to dealers, and in April I got a chance to see one and sit in it.
All I can say is if you think it's difficult to get into and out of the NSX, you haven't seen anything!! I think you need to be double jointed to get into the Elise. The door sill is about 2-3 inches higher than the seat. Anyway, there is no way you could drive that car every day. I can't imagine trying to get into the Elise while it is raining. I would get soaked.
I had heard about the difficult of entry and exit, but I figured I am a young guy (30 years old) and this would not matter to me. Well, after seeing the car for 5 minutes, I realized how wrong I was.
Shortly after this, I asked for a refund of my deposit, and 2 months later I purchased my NSX.
All I can say is if you think it's difficult to get into and out of the NSX, you haven't seen anything!! I think you need to be double jointed to get into the Elise. The door sill is about 2-3 inches higher than the seat. Anyway, there is no way you could drive that car every day. I can't imagine trying to get into the Elise while it is raining. I would get soaked.
I had heard about the difficult of entry and exit, but I figured I am a young guy (30 years old) and this would not matter to me. Well, after seeing the car for 5 minutes, I realized how wrong I was.
Shortly after this, I asked for a refund of my deposit, and 2 months later I purchased my NSX.
the new viper is really impressing me. But ive got a lead on an esperante and it seems like a really fast car as well---very tuneable im guessing.
anyone driven/owned an esperante???
anyone driven/owned an esperante???
Esperante is a decent car. I have a dealer/friend that sells them. You're buying the powerplant from a $30k car and putting it into a $90k car with a race car chassis design. Like many low production cars, it will appeal to a select group of enthusiasts. Resale is extremely difficult which means high depreciation. The Viper draws more looks and holds value better. If you're seriously interested in a Viper, let me know. My father has the new 2003 with 400 miles and may want to sell it. The car is in Santa Fe NM.
Eric5273 said:I agree. Before I got my NSX, I was on the waiting list for the Elise. Lotus USA had a few cars circulating to dealers, and in April I got a chance to see one and sit in it.
All I can say is if you think it's difficult to get into and out of the NSX, you haven't seen anything!! I think you need to be double jointed to get into the Elise. The door sill is about 2-3 inches higher than the seat. Anyway, there is no way you could drive that car every day. I can't imagine trying to get into the Elise while it is raining. I would get soaked.
I had heard about the difficult of entry and exit, but I figured I am a young guy (30 years old) and this would not matter to me. Well, after seeing the car for 5 minutes, I realized how wrong I was.
Shortly after this, I asked for a refund of my deposit, and 2 months later I purchased my NSX.
well the getting in and out thing is true, but the Elise that they are importing into America has more commedities and a faster engine....and I hate to say it, but Im pretty sure it can out handle and perform the NSX in the low to mid speeds range....the only drawbacks I have about it is that the top speed is only going to be 150 and its a pain in the ass to get into...but I mean damn....the NSX looks awesome, but personally, I think that the ELISE is just absolutely amazing!!! If I had the money for a daily driver and a weekend driver I would have an Elise.......but thats just me.....A lot of people with the GTS and RT10 Vipers say that the car is too fast for the poor quality make (compared to others in its class), but the new Vipers are pretty complaint free.......Esperante........hey, if thats what you want then go for it.......but like someone else said...its gotta be EXACTLY what you want............otherwise you'll regret it.........plus they remind me a little too much of a Ford Thunderbird.....another idea would be the Porsche GT2.....those are pretty sweet....I've heard no complaints about them either.........all in all....get what you want....personally I dont see why you dont just get a new NSX and supercharge it.....good luck with your decision!!!
Osiris_x11
Gold Member, Moderator: Marketplace
2EliseOrNot2Elise...
hmm... To anyone who is seriously interested in an Elise- don't wholey (sp?) rely on pics/images. Stand by one, observe it from ALL angles, in-n-out. It's a SMALL, toy-like vehicle. Dare I say, Go-Kart s anyone?!?
Again- not in the same playing field, if even league as a NSX.
i am being subjective, but of-course.
subjective
adj 1: taking place within the mind and modified by individual
bias; "a subjective judgment" [ant: objective]
hmm... To anyone who is seriously interested in an Elise- don't wholey (sp?) rely on pics/images. Stand by one, observe it from ALL angles, in-n-out. It's a SMALL, toy-like vehicle. Dare I say, Go-Kart s anyone?!?
Again- not in the same playing field, if even league as a NSX.
i am being subjective, but of-course.
subjective
adj 1: taking place within the mind and modified by individual
bias; "a subjective judgment" [ant: objective]
Osiris_x11
Gold Member, Moderator: Marketplace
dunno about it's import-potential...
hmm... There is a British exotic, high-performance make "TVR." Pure exhilarating performance, stylish-unique looks (def' not dated) in their various range of models. And at fraction (less than half if not more) of the price of their contemporaries... Now the down-side: poor build-quality/dependabilty/reliability *sigh*
hmm... There is a British exotic, high-performance make "TVR." Pure exhilarating performance, stylish-unique looks (def' not dated) in their various range of models. And at fraction (less than half if not more) of the price of their contemporaries... Now the down-side: poor build-quality/dependabilty/reliability *sigh*
oooh.....TVR Cerbera.....beautiful AWESOME CAR!!! .....its in the movie Swordfish......those are definiately sweet.....can't imagine how you could get one into the states though.....
adamsacura said:
Have the money of john travolta.
He actually owns that TVR used in the movie.
The Elise has nothing to share with the NSX... here there are a lot of them and after you get used to the look it is not a better headturner than many other "strange" cars... like the Mini, Beetle or PT Cruiser were...
I think the Elise will be a rarer car here in the States, but still not near as rare as the NSX is currently. I like the idea of the Elise, but honestly I do not see it getting the attention the NSX gets, and I can tell you for sure that the opposite sex will not find it as appealing, especially if the have to enter/exit one while wearing a skirt! It is, as others have noted, a great weekend car for quick trips or autocross events, but not nearly the everyday car the NSX is. I think also, it is too expensive for many people, as $40K for a car many people will assume is a Miata and Mini competitor is a hard pill to swallow.
Esprit?
Any reason you haven't considered the Esprit? I have seen a few 2000's for around 60k. Seems pretty reasonable for the performance and exclusivity. I don't know the reliability of the V8 cars though; from what I've read, the 4 banger seemed to be a mechanical nightmare.
Any reason you haven't considered the Esprit? I have seen a few 2000's for around 60k. Seems pretty reasonable for the performance and exclusivity. I don't know the reliability of the V8 cars though; from what I've read, the 4 banger seemed to be a mechanical nightmare.
Have you ever sat in an Espirit? The Ergonomics on the last one I was in was worse than the old 308 GTS Ferrari's and the Airbag was straight out of the GM parts bin back when the covers on them were wavy and felt like they were made of cheap plastic as thick as a Glad bag. I find it hard to conceive that someone thinking about the NSX would also consider this car, but then again I feel the same way about a Viper. They are just apples and oranges to me.
Well then... I guess the Esprit is not on your list.... actually, I sat in a 2000 last week at a dealership in Pittsburgh... I sorta liked it, though it was no NSX from an ergonomic standpoint... I think what I appreciate are the aesthetics... for me it is a very good looking car with excellent performance at a reasonable price and exclusive... I would be concerned about reliability, but am unsure on the newer models... The 308 is just plain ugly and as slow as a miata, so the ergonomics don't really matter to me... the Viper is just not me, I don't have enough chest hair and no pinky ring....
Actually the Espirit could be on his list- I was only putting my .02 in (not that it matters). I guess they may have made some changes to the interior since I last was in one, but to me you need to be a compact person to feel comfortable, and I am not giant!
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