From strictly a reliability standpoint, they're junk. I know, I own one.
The problem is removing the emotional attachment many owners have, the majority of who seem to be youngsters who crave the attention.
The car's looks may be distinct and thanks to Lotus it handles decently, but its a piece of crap otherwise. Poorly built, high maintenence, gutless, an electrical nightmare, I could go on and on. One must love it to own it and thats the problem. Remove this bias and its a piece of junk compared to many other cars of its era.
Pour money into it becomes reliable enough (barely), but the design
and build quality as it came from the factory is atrocious. It's a cult car, plain and simple, appealing to emotions. As a decent daily driver or a performance vehicle, it's a joke.
It is fun to drive though but that comes from ego, not good car design.