Searching Craigslist for interesting cars is an addiction for many of us auto enthusiasts. Sometimes, even when your goal is finding a reliable and sensible daily driver, you end up buying a backyard turbocharged Lotus Esprit.

At least that's what happened to Reddit user brad2274, who was chasing down a daily driver to get him around while in college and now finds himself the owner of a 1977 Esprit. It's no concours car, but it was a deal too good to pass up at a mere $4,500. In 1980, the 2.0-liter Lotus I4 was fitted with a Callaway turbo system, which was fed by a carburetor. The owner tried to move to electronic fuel injection -- and that's where things stalled.

Gallery: Lotus Evora Sport 410 tries to be a Lotus Esprit
Lotus put together a one-of-a-kind nod to the Lotus Esprit S1 from the James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me."

The most logical choice? Hell no! But we probably would have done the same thing. The Lotus isn’t currently running, and the new owner isn’t sure how much it’ll take to put an LS motor in it get it back on the road. However, it also doesn’t seem like brad2274 will lose too much money if he has to put it up for sale in a pinch.

Check out the post on Reddit for more pictures and maybe for inspiration to buy the car you like, which might not be exactly what you need. Especially if that car is an Esprit.

Headshot of Wesley Wren
Wesley Wren
Wesley Wren has spent his entire life around cars, whether it’s dressing up as his father’s 1954 Ford for Halloween as a child, repairing cars in college or collecting frustrating pieces of history—and most things in between. Wesley is the current steward of a 1954 Ford Crestline Victoria, a 1975 Harley-Davidson FXE and a 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie. Oh yeah, and a 2005 Kia Sedona.