High delivery mileage on new order.

[Tomwa]

My car had less than 20 miles on it when I picked it up. This HAS to be a demo car, and very low chance those 327 miles were kept under 4000rpm and in tour mode. So, not a standard break-in

Read the lotus break-in again. Yes, it says to avoid going outside Tour Mode, and it says (paraphrasing) "do not sustain drive above 4k rpm". In the first 1k miles you should absolutely be going through the full rev range. You should take to red-line and engine brake, and spend time varying the revs.

I know my dealership was "bad" about stating as you have, I thought it was a weird thing to say, and the owners manual backs up. You should be seeing revs over 4k, just don't drive on the highway cruising at 4k+ rpm.

I think OP has plenty of info at this point telling him that he should not buy that car without a substantial discount, but unless the dealership was completely negligent engine damage is unlikely, and certainly not because the car saw 5000 rpm before it was out of break-in period.

 

[cyanmauve]

Been there done that and they couldn’t get it

That stinks.

 

[cyanmauve]

I think I’d have to call the deal off and look for a used Emira with similar spec.

 

[1swift1]

Read the lotus break-in again. Yes, it says to avoid going outside Tour Mode, and it says (paraphrasing) "do not sustain drive above 4k rpm". In the first 1k miles you should absolutely be going through the full rev range. You should take to red-line and engine brake, and spend time varying the revs.

I know my dealership was "bad" about stating as you have, I thought it was a weird thing to say, and the owners manual backs up. You should be seeing revs over 4k, just don't drive on the highway cruising at 4k+ rpm.

I think OP has plenty of info at this point telling him that he should not buy that car without a substantial discount, but unless the dealership was completely negligent engine damage is unlikely, and certainly not because the car saw 5000 rpm before it was out of break-in period.

You are correct...I edited my response. Thank you

 

[Superdavelotus]

I would reject too, it's a used car. Find another and you'll be glad you listened to our advise!

 

[hagen111]

On the paint: it is known that the original paint on the cars is very soft when it arrives from factory. I have seen and heard that even after the first wash, cars can be full of swirls - like in really bad! So I had my car first polished, then protected with glass coating and ppf on some parts. It looks magnificent.

Reading your story. I would decline the car, as it is clear it has some 'history'. Most likely something was wrong or somebody took a 'weekend test drive' in it, cracked the underside and washed after the weekend to tick the boxes on delivery inspection as all ok.

On the comments on mileage on a new car. It is very common for low production numbers hand build cars to have decent mileage on them. For those familiar with this market, most owners even insist there are enough miles on it, before taking ownership on the car. They have learned that 0 miles, means lots of small issues.

 

[Nova]

Waiting for @Emmy to come give us an update.

 

[Hargy]

After about 8 months our Hethal yellow Lotus Emira has finally arrived at the dealer! Absolutely excited, but the first visit to see the car in person has dampen the mood quite a bit. The salesman was completely up front when we arrived and said the car needed quite a few things done to it before they passed it through PPI;

Rear bumper is missing paint. They are still working on getting a quote to respray the bumper.
Side guards are cracked (not significantly but there are hairline fractures).
Front splitter has a hairline crack.
Under side trim pieces missing.
The entire exterior paint is completely marred as if they washed it with steel wool.

The dealer apologized profusely and said that it was all being covered by Lotus, but that it was going to take some time to remedy. Before leaving they insisted we start it up to hear that great engine to remind ourselves what to look forward to. Well, upon doing so the odometer popped up and to my surprise read 327 miles. I faked enjoyment, then left afterwards without mentioning the mileage.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but what in the world is going on with this car? Is this normal? I can't help but feel something is very off. I tried looking around to find a similar spec car out there, but nothing comes close. I'd hate to walk away from something I've waited so long for with this level of personalization, but I'm honestly at a loss for words. Any advice would be appreciated and is this worth escalating or would Lotus even care?

I had the most awful experience ever with Lotus customer care after the car went back to Lotus to amend paint issues for 5MONTHS!!!! and then faulty ignition issues for over 4MONTHS!!!!! which they could not resolve. I had to chase everything up with Lotus ( absolutely fucking no) Customer care. They were a disgrace!!!!! and eventually I handed the car back under warranty. I had to engage legal representation and threaten them with court before they finally reimbursed me. No compo for 11 months of incompetence and inconvenience!! Not even a notification that they had reimbursed me and not even a ‘sorry!!’ Disgraceful company!! I will never deal with them ever again and I would urge everyone to steer well clear of them!! Total shambles. Matt Einfle ought to hang his head in shame as boss of this terrible, terrible totally amateurish and uncaring company!!

 

[Finbarqs]

10 on mine from Naples lotus in FL

 

[JonFuller]

0 miles, when picked up from Hethel.

 

[Tomwa]

0 miles, when picked up from Hethel.

LoL "I walked into the factory and they fit the seat with me in it"

 

[Finbarqs]

0 miles, when picked up from Hethel.

-1453 miles 3 years ago when I pre ordered it! Beat that!

 

[Emmy]

Update: The car finally finished its PDI so I went in to go see it and inspect the work, but mainly to talk about the overall condition of the vehicle when it arrived and my hesitations with buying it as is. Well long story short I walked.

When I got to the dealership all the issues to the naked eye were resolved and the car looked great, with the exception of the paintwork being swirled all over. I asked to start it up to get one last look at the odometer, which had an additional 8 miles added. The salesman wanted to go work out the numbers. He presented the MSRP, sales tax, deal doc, etc for a total price of 121,358. Just below that the mileage was disclosed as being 9. I told him that was incorrect and that when I turned the car on just now it read 335. He stated that the mileage is just written that way because that's what they put on all the new vehicles paperwork. I pushed harder and ask why exactly does this car have this many miles on it because that just seems like an unacceptable amount on a new car. He then responded with "So you don't want to accept the car?". I said I would still be willing to accept it I just need an explanation. He literally shrugged at me and said it's not an issue, new cars come in with varying miles on them all the time. I said it was an issue for me and he responded with no problem, these are very rare and they will probably sell it instantly as soon as I reject it and repeated that the mileage for a car like this is a non issue. I said then I can't accept it for its MSRP with this many unknown miles. He said no problem and walked me out the door.

So yea, I wish I could have gotten more information as to why this car had so many miles on it and whether it was actually my order or not, but the dealer had no inclination to tell me anything. So I'm sure in the next few days a Yellow Hethal will be posted in California with 335+ miles on it. I didn't even get a VIN for the car, in hindsight I wish I took a picture of the windscreen, but I was already amped going into the dealership. I'm starting to suspect they found a similar car at another California dealership and drove it there in an attempt to move their orders. Not sure where to go from here. Will probably take a few months off trying to find another car and clear my mind. If it's something I still want from now then maybe I'll buy one from a lot, but I don't think I will order another car again. What a hassle it has been. Once again thanks for all the support and responses from the community. Everyone was very helpful here and its been a pleasure.

Emmy

 

[Tteape0]

Update: The car finally finished its PDI so I went in to go see it and inspect the work, but mainly to talk about the overall condition of the vehicle when it arrived and my hesitations with buying it as is. Well long story short I walked.

When I got to the dealership all the issues to the naked eye were resolved and the car looked great, with the exception of the paintwork being swirled all over. I asked to start it up to get one last look at the odometer, which had an additional 8 miles added. The salesman wanted to go work out the numbers. He presented the MSRP, sales tax, deal doc, etc for a total price of 121,358. Just below that the mileage was disclosed as being 9. I told him that was incorrect and that when I turned the car on just now it read 335. He stated that the mileage is just written that way because that's what they put on all the new vehicles paperwork. I pushed harder and ask why exactly does this car have this many miles on it because that just seems like an unacceptable amount on a new car. He then responded with "So you don't want to accept the car?". I said I would still be willing to accept it I just need an explanation. He literally shrugged at me and said it's not an issue, new cars come in with varying miles on them all the time. I said it was an issue for me and he responded with no problem, these are very rare and they will probably sell it instantly as soon as I reject it and repeated that the mileage for a car like this is a non issue. I said then I can't accept it for its MSRP with this many unknown miles. He said no problem and walked me out the door.

So yea, I wish I could have gotten more information as to why this car had so many miles on it and whether it was actually my order or not, but the dealer had no inclination to tell me anything. So I'm sure in the next few days a Yellow Hethal will be posted in California with 335+ miles on it. I didn't even get a VIN for the car, in hindsight I wish I took a picture of the windscreen, but I was already amped going into the dealership. I'm starting to suspect they found a similar car at another California dealership and drove it there in an attempt to move their orders. Not sure where to go from here. Will probably take a few months off trying to find another car and clear my mind. If it's something I still want from now then maybe I'll buy one from a lot, but I don't think I will order another car again. What a hassle it has been. Once again thanks for all the support and responses from the community. Everyone was very helpful here and its been a pleasure.

Emmy

Good for you for standing your ground. Dealership in Florida and a few in Texas are actually discounting 2500-5000 below MSRP on new inventory because they’ve been sitting. Let them sit on this. If this is how the sales department is imagine the headache of their service department, I think you dodge a bullet. Sketchy dealer behind a nice product trying to be bullies. Especially when someone goes to cars.com and sorts by price and they see 30+ under 99k compared to this dealer trying to charge 110k or more. There’s a “used” one with 410 miles for like 92k currently for sale on cats.com

Edit: I see I typed cats.com instead of cars.com but I’m leaving it

 

[centerpunch]

Update: Well long story short I walked.

Just below that the mileage was disclosed as being 9. I told him that was incorrect and that when I turned the car on just now it read 335. He stated that the mileage is just written that way because that's what they put on all the new vehicles paperwork.

So yea, I wish I could have gotten more information as to why this car had so many miles on it and whether it was actually my order or not,

You have to put down an additional $7500 ish nonrefundable deposit above the initial $2500 to lock your specification when the dealer actually places the order. So it was not “your car.”

Misrepresenting the mileage is illegal, but if you had signed the paperwork you would have been agreeing that the car had 9 miles. What a sleazeball dealer.

You or a friend should go see the vin and post it here. Only need the last 6 digits I think.

Congrats on not letting yourself be taken advantage of.

 

[Porter]

Update: The car finally finished its PDI so I went in to go see it and inspect the work, but mainly to talk about the overall condition of the vehicle when it arrived and my hesitations with buying it as is. Well long story short I walked.

When I got to the dealership all the issues to the naked eye were resolved and the car looked great, with the exception of the paintwork being swirled all over. I asked to start it up to get one last look at the odometer, which had an additional 8 miles added. The salesman wanted to go work out the numbers. He presented the MSRP, sales tax, deal doc, etc for a total price of 121,358. Just below that the mileage was disclosed as being 9. I told him that was incorrect and that when I turned the car on just now it read 335. He stated that the mileage is just written that way because that's what they put on all the new vehicles paperwork. I pushed harder and ask why exactly does this car have this many miles on it because that just seems like an unacceptable amount on a new car. He then responded with "So you don't want to accept the car?". I said I would still be willing to accept it I just need an explanation. He literally shrugged at me and said it's not an issue, new cars come in with varying miles on them all the time. I said it was an issue for me and he responded with no problem, these are very rare and they will probably sell it instantly as soon as I reject it and repeated that the mileage for a car like this is a non issue. I said then I can't accept it for its MSRP with this many unknown miles. He said no problem and walked me out the door.

So yea, I wish I could have gotten more information as to why this car had so many miles on it and whether it was actually my order or not, but the dealer had no inclination to tell me anything. So I'm sure in the next few days a Yellow Hethal will be posted in California with 335+ miles on it. I didn't even get a VIN for the car, in hindsight I wish I took a picture of the windscreen, but I was already amped going into the dealership. I'm starting to suspect they found a similar car at another California dealership and drove it there in an attempt to move their orders. Not sure where to go from here. Will probably take a few months off trying to find another car and clear my mind. If it's something I still want from now then maybe I'll buy one from a lot, but I don't think I will order another car again. What a hassle it has been. Once again thanks for all the support and responses from the community. Everyone was very helpful here and its been a pleasure.

Emmy

The fact that they were so ready to walk you out and scuttle the deal, tells me they know exactly what went on with that car and would be ashamed to disclose it. 100% deflection / avoidance behavior.

I agree with the comments above about the VIN, if you have it on any paperwork please post it up so we can cross reference.

 

[scc.131.fe]

Update: The car finally finished its PDI so I went in to go see it and inspect the work, but mainly to talk about the overall condition of the vehicle when it arrived and my hesitations with buying it as is. Well long story short I walked.

When I got to the dealership all the issues to the naked eye were resolved and the car looked great, with the exception of the paintwork being swirled all over. I asked to start it up to get one last look at the odometer, which had an additional 8 miles added. The salesman wanted to go work out the numbers. He presented the MSRP, sales tax, deal doc, etc for a total price of 121,358. Just below that the mileage was disclosed as being 9. I told him that was incorrect and that when I turned the car on just now it read 335. He stated that the mileage is just written that way because that's what they put on all the new vehicles paperwork. I pushed harder and ask why exactly does this car have this many miles on it because that just seems like an unacceptable amount on a new car. He then responded with "So you don't want to accept the car?". I said I would still be willing to accept it I just need an explanation. He literally shrugged at me and said it's not an issue, new cars come in with varying miles on them all the time. I said it was an issue for me and he responded with no problem, these are very rare and they will probably sell it instantly as soon as I reject it and repeated that the mileage for a car like this is a non issue. I said then I can't accept it for its MSRP with this many unknown miles. He said no problem and walked me out the door.

So yea, I wish I could have gotten more information as to why this car had so many miles on it and whether it was actually my order or not, but the dealer had no inclination to tell me anything. So I'm sure in the next few days a Yellow Hethal will be posted in California with 335+ miles on it. I didn't even get a VIN for the car, in hindsight I wish I took a picture of the windscreen, but I was already amped going into the dealership. I'm starting to suspect they found a similar car at another California dealership and drove it there in an attempt to move their orders. Not sure where to go from here. Will probably take a few months off trying to find another car and clear my mind. If it's something I still want from now then maybe I'll buy one from a lot, but I don't think I will order another car again. What a hassle it has been. Once again thanks for all the support and responses from the community. Everyone was very helpful here and its been a pleasure.

Emmy

Well played. I can't imagine you'll ever regret that. You gave them every chance to be real about it.

 

[Finbarqs]

Sounds like Galpin Lotus in CA. I’ve walked away from my deposit from them, and placed it with Lotus of Naples, FL on to find that they never cancelled my order and had to prove to Lotus that I cancelled my original order from Galpin when it came time to spec out my car. I’m thinking Galpin tried to get one anyway thinking these cars will sell like hotcakes.

Good for you, not sure which dealer you went to, but they sounded like they wanted to bully you. That car with 328 miles would not sell for MSRP unless they found a sucker who doesn’t know what it is…

 

[morphious]

Sounds like Galpin Lotus in CA. I’ve walked away from my deposit from them, and placed it with Lotus of Naples, FL on to find that they never cancelled my order and had to prove to Lotus that I cancelled my original order from Galpin when it came time to spec out my car. I’m thinking Galpin tried to get one anyway thinking these cars will sell like hotcakes.

Good for you, not sure which dealer you went to, but they sounded like they wanted to bully you. That car with 328 miles would not sell for MSRP unless they found a sucker who doesn’t know what it is…

I and another got our cars through Galpin and had no issues that I know about. I paid MSRP for my FE 1.0 with 11 miles.

 

[Beachbum]

Would love to know what happens to that car. Would make for an interesting discussion with Lotus.