How bad will the Emira depreciation be?

[EspritGuy]

A car is not an investment

My view is that it is, in terms of fun and memories.
There are many kinds of ROI. This one is an investment in joy.
The value lies in its meaning to you.

 

[Beachbum]

I always tell myself if you buy used , great price but just do not know how it was taken care of....But you buy New its yours and you control how you want the car to stay new or abused for the length or ownership..At 73 yrs old this will probably be my last toy..Not worried how much I will lose on depreciation but value the fun factor I will enjoy..

73 !!! All credit to you Sir. I'm hoping my hips hold out to that age, so I can still into a car, any car

 

[Fasttoys]

Give some perspective of the current UK market
An I4 FE is £85K, I bought a 5 month old 1300mile car for £65K. Thats a big drop is a VERY short amount of time. I have had the car 6 weeks and in that time other older V6s are now asking lower £60s and there are now 1 or 2 in the high £50s
If this sort of depreciation continues, you'll be buying an Emira for £30K in about 18 months

Sports Cars in the EU are not holding values compared to last year but in America is seeing a drop but GT3 are still higher than they should be, thanks to Covid FOMO. But we are starting to see them drop. My timing on my 2024 Z06 was off, but I paid 3k less than 2025 but still think some can get 5 to 10k off on a new 2025 build. For those that paid ADM over MSRP, they will feel the depreciation big time.

 

[Sandalwood]

Sports Cars in the EU are not holding values compared to last year but in America is seeing a drop but GT3 are still higher than they should be, thanks to Covid FOMO. But we are starting to see them drop. My timing on my 2024 Z06 was off, but I paid 3k less than 2025 but still think some can get 5 to 10k off on a new 2025 build. For those that paid ADM over MSRP, they will feel the depreciation big time.

I ordered my Emira during Covid, so at the time I was just hoping to avoid ADM. I'm reminding myself of that when I see the orphaned cars going for cheap.

 

[EspritGuy]

Sports Cars in the EU are not holding values compared to last year but in America is seeing a drop but GT3 are still higher than they should be, thanks to Covid FOMO. But we are starting to see them drop. My timing on my 2024 Z06 was off, but I paid 3k less than 2025 but still think some can get 5 to 10k off on a new 2025 build. For those that paid ADM over MSRP, they will feel the depreciation big time.

ADM - a dumb mistake

 

[Rupes]

My view is that it is, in terms of fun and memories.
There are many kinds of ROI. This one is an investment in joy.
The value lies in its meaning to you.

Sort of like kids. Pretty sure that will never produce a positive financial return.

 

[Totally Average]

A car is not an investment

Well, it's a terrible one, lol. Even supposed "good investment" cars, once you factor in maintenance and most importantly, opportunity cost. Buy a car you want to drive FFS!

 

[boisecrawfords]

Give some perspective of the current UK market
An I4 FE is £85K, I bought a 5 month old 1300mile car for £65K. Thats a big drop is a VERY short amount of time. I have had the car 6 weeks and in that time other older V6s are now asking lower £60s and there are now 1 or 2 in the high £50s
If this sort of depreciation continues, you'll be buying an Emira for £30K in about 18 months

Not seeing that in the States, at least not yet. This one just came available at the Seattle Lotus dealer. I wonder what they'll actually end up selling it for. And I agree with Nick Sticks, if we see a 65% drop in prices within 18 months, I'll buy another Emira for my wife.

 

[Speedy Emira]

Not seeing that in the States, at least not yet. This one just came available at the Seattle Lotus dealer. I wonder what they'll actually end up selling it for. And I agree with Nick Sticks, if we see a 65% drop in prices within 18 months, I'll buy another Emira for my wife.

I will take a bet with anyone the prices won't keep dropping that fast because Evora are still fetching 50-65k depending on the model. I don't think the blistering has helps but I ma sure once they have all been fixed the prices will slow right down. To be honest I would not buy a Emira built before the doors were upgraded unless it had replacements because they are ticking time bombs.
I am not worried at all and still feel they are worth the money.

Lets hope the Lotus carbon parts come soon because I think we could add £5k on the value by fitting £20k carbon body kit.

 

[KCDarkV]

The more I drive my Emira, the more I’m thinking it’s a keeper. So I don’t care about depreciation.

 

[marc1adrien]

As an investment, a car is a terrible idea. It's generally a straight-up depreciating asset.

That said some things you can't really think of in purely financial terms. For example: I did great as an investor in sewer bonds in a local county. But I never enjoyed being an owner of sewer bonds. I couldn't drive them around the twisties on a Saturday morning with the windows down. I shall not look back on my sewer bonds with fondness and tell wistful stories of our adventures.

I've lost some people close to me recently. Regret is a very powerful thing, and this journey ends. I get that addressing that comes with a cost and I'm fortunate that the Emira is a reasonable cost relative to the enjoyment it brings, given my financial state and my age.

I don't think it's going to plummet. I think we'll see a short-term correction with the orphans and teething issues, and then used values will sit in a zone for some time, perhaps at 70-80% of original cost, before climbing again.

 

[harleyujoe]

73 !!! All credit to you Sir. I'm hoping my hips hold out to that age, so I can still into a car, any car

Here is the other toy I climb into .2016 Turbo Slingshot Custom I built..this is harder to get out of than any car..LOL

 

[idleuser]

You can drive this car for 10+ years, and it may only depreciate to around $50k at most. Just look at models like the Elise, Evora, and refreshed Evora, which should give you a good idea of where the market bottoms out. If you're planning to keep this car beyond 2035 in California, its value likely won't drop as much as you'd expect.

If you're overly concerned about depreciation, this type of purchase might not be for you. These cars are meant to be driven and enjoyed. Enjoy the car while you still can!

 

[Rainier]

 

[netsinah]

I don't get it. Didn't he purchase an older ALREADY DEPRECIATED "new-to-him" McLaren? So why is he criticizing the Emira depreciation, from the cost of a new Emira? And isn't the McLaren's cost (acquisition and maintenance) MANY TIMES that of the Emira? I'm confused about his point on the Emira and don't see him comparing "apples and apples".

I realize that sport cars in general are depreciating these days, due to the economy and world-wide uncertainty, but I'm focusing on his comments in relation to a NEW Emira he purchased, versus a USED McLaren. And although he acknowledges enjoying the Emira ride, I don't know if anyone can be surprised that a McLaren "supercar" which costs many times more than an Emira, would drive better, especially for someone who's now invested in one and has long wanted one. Good for Harry he's found his dream "supercar" at the right price point, but I question him criticizing the Emira's pricing and justifying that criticism with his McLaren.

Perhaps I'm missing something?

 

[Cwolf]

Look at it this way. I think depreciation will be less in America. Big country with less Emiras around. People love how it looks. In a few years, you won't be able to get a new mid engine sports car with a manual. Think about that. No one will make them anymore! Not counting some 3+ million pagani or something like that. So you will have something that is pretty unique. It won't make you money, but I wouldn't worry about depreciation. In ten years, it might be highly collectible, might not, but again, there will one be so many of them out there. Just enjoy it.

 

[netsinah]

I agree and don't care about depreciation, since I'm ++ enjoying the Emira drive and plan to keep it for many years. Even so, I'm wondering if others share my view of Harry's initial "I sold my Emira and bought my McLaren dream car!! Yippee!" video, plus this more recent one Rainier posted above.

BTW: thank goodness Rainier hails from the planet earth. I have an inflexible policy of only reading posts done by fellow earthlings rather than those pesky off-worlders (lol).

PS to Rainier: I'm not knocking your location description; just going along with its same sense of humour.

 

[David s]

Not seeing that in the States, at least not yet. This one just came available at the Seattle Lotus dealer. I wonder what they'll actually end up selling it for. And I agree with Nick Sticks, if we see a 65% drop in prices within 18 months, I'll buy another Emira for my wife.

If you see a 65% drop in 18 months, you probably won`t have a job, which means your wife will get your car. Careful what you promise.

 

[Tomwa]

Hilarious that guy is talking about depreciating Lotus with 2 jaguars, one of which being an F type there. Haha my mans should never have bought it new if he was going to feel like depreciation was going to knock him about

 

[harleyujoe]

I look at this way ...You purchased a Lotus not for value but the way it looks different than a Porsche or a Corvette..
Any one can own one of them..But the few Evora's I had just a few years never passed or saw one other than
a dealership or show ..My only thing is over time after I get the Emira it is a pretty sound car and can give me years of enjoyment in looks and handling... Not looking for 750 HP for NJ traffic will never use it..
And people with money can say what ever they want but with all those cars in garage ,but are they happy.