Anyone thinking twice about buying Emira?

[Nova]

They are definitely not shifting and on the way down. I've witnessed a 10% drop on some cars I've been looking at and they still aren't selling

Is this the used car market you are looking at?

 

[GetawayDriving]

Agreed… they set out to compete with Porsche, but ended up with an MX5 level product

As a recent MX-5 owner, who has driven both my ND and Emira on track, come on now. It’s a valid criticism to say they didn’t reach Porsche levels of polish. Personally I don’t think that was ever realistic. The Stuttgart factory is a small city. It’s impressive how close they’ve come, given how far Evora was. but the Miata feels like a child’s toy in comparison.

 

[Leonard]

Is this the used car market you are looking at?

Yes and thats predominantly Porsches that are usually fast movers.
2nd hand Lotus not moving either. Whether that is more due to the Emira launch who knows

 

[Lotustoronto]

The Emira, to me, still has amazing looks, no question. But when it actually starts getting delivered to us in the next 6-12 months, there will be a lot of used cars dropping in price, and being tempted to stray to an AM, McLaren, Porsche etc. is going to be hard to resist.

Really, Lotus' timing couldn't have been worse to launch this car.

 

[Green]

Paying cash so no second thoughts. The gt3 keeps trying to tempt me but remaining Lotus for now.
R8 is keeping me smiling for now so not as bothered by delays.

 

[Jon_N]

As a recent MX-5 owner, who has driven both my ND and Emira on track, come on now. It’s a valid criticism to say they didn’t reach Porsche levels of polish. Personally I don’t think that was ever realistic. The Stuttgart factory is a small city. It’s impressive how close they’ve come, given how far Evora was. but the Miata feels like a child’s toy in comparison.

I was talking more about the overall build quality… also a little tongue in cheek, but I still think Emira is heading backwards from original expectations

 

[VTECMatt]

In terms of build quality, Porsche is very good, but to be honest it isn’t amazing, they have the same bolster issues many manufacturers have, the interior of the GT4 is as standard pretty awful. You have to tick a number of boxes to improve it imho. Whilst I have yet to sit in an Emira the picture make it look more modern than the 718 series for a start.

 

[GetawayDriving]

I was talking more about the overall build quality… also a little tongue in cheek, but I still think Emira is heading backwards from original expectations

Oh in that case I read your comment as a compliment. Aside from a few early explodey transmissions, MX-5 is a very well-built vehicle.

That would be an improvement for sure, Lotus has never had amazing build quality. Let’s get a raise of hands of anyone who has experienced a headlight housing pop out of its socket on an Elige, and flop around in the front clam tethered by the headlight wiring

 

[Magicman]

Lotus have a habit of launching a car at the wrong point, anyway good point borrowing now, 25k is what I’ll need is £559pcm over 4 years.

That doesn't add up?

 

[Tonyshepp]

They are definitely not shifting and on the way down. I've witnessed a 10% drop on some cars I've been looking at and they still aren't selling

Seen a few Astons dropping in value these past few weeks too.

 

[Tonyshepp]

I'm lucky that my financial situation means my car buying isn't impacted by the changing economic environment. My only borrowing is on a low fixed rate against assets with a modest loan-to-value and the funds used for other investments. I would have considered borrowing to fund the Emira if the rates were low enough for me to use the equivalent cash to greater benefit, but will probably pay cash now.

My other consideration is about the car itself. As I said on a previous thread, I really need a test drive to convince myself it ticks enough boxes for me. Seeing the demo car at B&C today I still have concerns about a few things (including quality of some components and the precision of the build) but am holding on until I see a final final version. I also want a drive, to be reassured it's not been slightly compromised in order to appeal to a wider audience of daily drivers.

Similar to Wake, I may run my Emira for 6-12 months then possibly modify it or switch to an Evora GT410 or GT430, or a McLaren, and maybe wait for a Base or GT version later.

@TomE what items are you concerned about you’ve seen the cars more than most of us (I’ve seen it only once)?

 

[NicolasB]

Paying cash so no second thoughts. The gt3 keeps trying to tempt me but remaining Lotus for now.
R8 is keeping me smiling for now so not as bothered by delays.

GT3, R8 and Vantage are my backups, maybe 570S...

 

[lion shf]

My back up plan is to buy the best 718 I can find for low $50s I’m hoping I can steal a T

 

[dgrace]

The Emira will be exceedingly rare and lovely, which should keep its resale up at least for the first year. Sure it’s not the fastest thing on the road but it’ll sure turn heads. If they ever manage to get production up to full speed the rarity might wear off but I don’t see that happening until 2024+ at least.

 

[TomE]

Tbh the only thing that's making me hold to my reservation is that the car looks different from everything that's out there the exterior car styling but other than that everything about the car seems to be starting to get bland engine to the interior to the sound of the car up to the speakers it's seems generic nothing new really the longer it takes the car to be available a lot more cars comes with something new and has more to offer so makes the Emira feel even more old and generic although they don't have the car styling the Emira has .

What new sports cars are you seeing being launched since the Emira that you see as moving things forward? Genuinely interested, as all I see coming out are fast mainstream saloons and coupes, not sports cars.

 

[TomE]

Yes and thats predominantly Porsches that are usually fast movers.
2nd hand Lotus not moving either. Whether that is more due to the Emira launch who knows

I’ve been following a few used Evora GT410 and GT430. Several have sold in the last 3 weeks and a couple within a week of being advertised.

 

[TomE]

The Emira, to me, still has amazing looks, no question. But when it actually starts getting delivered to us in the next 6-12 months, there will be a lot of used cars dropping in price, and being tempted to stray to an AM, McLaren, Porsche etc. is going to be hard to resist.

Really, Lotus' timing couldn't have been worse to launch this car.

The timing was fine for launching it. The issue is the delayed deliveries. If there had been a flow of customer cars from May/June, as originally planned, then there would be a groundswell of positive customer support and test drive feedback.

Instead they’ve got growing frustration amongst several deposit holders, alongside them now worrying about their finances.

 

[TomE]

@TomE what items are you concerned about you’ve seen the cars more than most of us (I’ve seen it only once)?

My list of things not yet proven from what I’ve seen and because I’ve not had a test drive yet:

• Ride and handling: to what extent has it been compromised compared to the Evora to make it more “daily driver” (may be able to fix this with geometry changes)
• Paint: surface finish, consistency across panels
• Panels: alignment and gap tolerance
• Seats: bolster support when cornering briskly
• Displays: visibility in sunlight and usability while driving
• Gear change, clutch and brake feel
• Exhaust noise (fixable with after market mods)
• Switchgear: solidity (some wobbled on the pre-prod cars) and use while driving (AC controls are behind the shifter, steering wheel controls apparently over sensitive)
• Low speed transmission noise (a weakness on the Evora)
• Wind noise

None of these individually are deal breakers, it’s more about whether they’ve been improved from pre-prod to prod cars.

 

[emiraspain]

I'm probably just here for the flip now, unless it blows me away. In the last 6mth delay, my car has devalued 10k, my mortgage has doubled, my home fuel bills have doubled, business is down, investments are down 100k plus and the Lotus Apr has gone up. Its all a very different scenario

Cheers Lotus

sounds like you need a drink!

 

[Tonyshepp]

My list of things not yet proven from what I’ve seen and because I’ve not had a test drive yet:

• Ride and handling: to what extent has it been compromised compared to the Evora to make it more “daily driver” (may be able to fix this with geometry changes)
• Paint: surface finish, consistency across panels
• Panels: alignment and gap tolerance
• Seats: bolster support when cornering briskly
• Displays: visibility in sunlight and usability while driving
• Gear change, clutch and brake feel
• Exhaust noise (fixable with after market mods)
• Switchgear: solidity (some wobbled on the pre-prod cars) and use while driving (AC controls are behind the shifter, steering wheel controls apparently over sensitive)
• Low speed transmission noise (a weakness on the Evora)
• Wind noise

None of these individually are deal breakers, it’s more about whether they’ve been improved from pre-prod to prod cars.

Comprehensive list, thanks for sharing. Some of these are important to me too, build and finish. I need to be objective when I see it and drive it rather than focus on looks alone.