Andre Cezanne's 1996 & 1996
Andre Cezanne from Perth, Australia owns a 1996 S4s in Black & Yellow, with a Raven interior.
Model: |
S4s
|
S4s
|
Year: |
1996
|
1996
|
Colour: |
Black
|
Yellow
|
Interior: |
Raven
|
Raven
|
Driving Style: |
Fast
|
Very
Fast
|
Miles per year: |
6,000
|
5,000
|
Owned Since: |
10th
December 2001
|
30th
January 2003
|
Purchase from: |
Lotus
Dealer
|
Lamborghini
Dealer
|
Serviced at: |
Lotus
Dealer
|
Lotus
Dealer
|
Other Cars: |
1996
Esprit S4s Yellow, lots of Kia Rio fleet cars
|
1996
Esprit S4s Yellow, lots of Kia Rio fleet cars
|
Previous Lotus': |
'89
NA Esprit Series 5
|
'89
NA Esprit Series 5
|
Why an Esprit: |
Dream
car. Owned my first one, a '89 NA Esprit when I was 25.
|
Dream
car.
|
Upgrades: | Stainless Steel exhaust - loud. SS clutch hose. Dark window tint. Talking Viper alarm with motion sensors, $15,000 stereo, talking reverse sensors, built in talking radar detector | Stainless Steel exhaust, ss clutch hose, dark tinted windows, talking Viper alarm with motion sensors, talking reverse sensors, built in talking radar detector |
Problems: |
Battery died. Replaced with stronger battery. Temperature sensor died.
No other problems that were the car's fault.
|
Car had very low mileage when I bought it (7,000 since new), so I had
to replace all fulids, hoses and belts. Fuel pump failed. Battery died
and was replaced with a stronger one.
|
Website: |
This
is build #46. My yellow S4s is build #47
|
This car is build #47. My other black S4s is build #46. This is actually
my fioncee's car, Jodie. I am not really allowed to drive it :) She
drives this one quicker than I drive my black one. We both regularly
drive both cars on the track racing each other.
|
My current Esprit is a 1996 S4s. Black with charcoal leather and rosewood woodgrain. It has every possible option that the S4s had plus a A$15,000 stereo system and a high performance exhaust with a large pipe that makes it sound glorious. As well, it has built in it, a talking alarm, talking reverse aid that tells you the distance of objects behind you and a talking radar detector. Windows are tinted to the maximum legal limit.Soon it's getting a new chip put in it that will increase it's power from the standard 300hp to 350hp.
My previous Esprit was a 1989 NA. It also had every option available, including a SE wing. It was white with blue leather. This was my first Esprit. Ever since I was a teenager I always said to myself that I would buy an Esprit by my 25th birthday. The day before my 25th, I picked this one up from the dealers. It took me 3 months to learn how to drive it properly though. Once I did learn it, it felt like an extension of me. The car would do exactly what I wished it to do when I wanted it to do it.
Overall, driving the NA was more 'fun' than the S4s. Although having much less power, the NA would do exactly what I would tell it to. All I had to do was turn the wheel and point the nose into a corner and the car would comply without any fuss. The S4s on the other hand, feels much more like a 'car' than the NA. The S4s has to be 'turned' into a corner. Corners that the NA would take without any fear, the S4s can only do them at 15km less, before the end would spin. I guess the extra weight of the S4s over the NA has something to do with it plus the fact that the S4s's rear wheels are MUCH fatter than the NA's. Also, the NA's breakes felt so much nicer than the S4s. The S4s brakes feel temperamental compared to the NA's, despite having ABS.
That being said, the S4s accepts road bumps much nicer than the NA used to. Although the S4s lacks the beautiful steering feedback that the NA had. Plus the S4s has much nicer lines and nicer, more functional interior.
All in all, the NA was the more fun car but the S4s still wins due to the fact that it is/feels/looks much more modern.
|