USA/Canada Delivery Thread

[Twin Cam]

On a side note, Your EPA Seems to have it in for any performance upgrades as well, FMF are no longer making pipes for some motorcycles due to being threatened and I heard today that a certain brand of performance enhancing ECU’s manufactured in the USA are becoming unavailable, seems the clock is ticking on having fun

 

[Porter]

On a side note, Your EPA Seems to have it in for any performance upgrades as well, FMF are no longer making pipes for some motorcycles due to being threatened and I heard today that a certain brand of performance enhancing ECU’s manufactured in the USA are becoming unavailable, seems the clock is ticking on having fun

Yeah the temperature got raised on all of that because of the belligerent diesel truck crowd. Those people decided that a smart thing to do was to create a mini-fad around "coal rolling" innocent people on foot or on bicycles using huge heavily modified diesel trucks, and screaming politically charged insults at them out the window of the moving vehicle. The whole point of the thing isn't to make the truck run better, it's literally just to make it emit the maximum amount of black smoke possible as an anti-environmental political statement, and use those emissions to literally attack random strangers in the street.

This full tilt belligerent douchebag behavior finally triggered a government action. So EPA are putting the unholy smack down on pretty much anyone modifying emissions equipment on automobiles. Can't say they are playing favorites if they are going after everyone.

 

[Magma]

Yeah the temperature got raised on all of that because of the belligerent diesel truck crowd. Those people decided that a smart thing to do was to create a mini-fad around "coal rolling" innocent people on foot or on bicycles using huge heavily modified diesel trucks, and screaming politically charged insults at them out the window of the moving vehicle. The whole point of the thing isn't to make the truck run better, it's literally just to make it emit the maximum amount of black smoke possible as an anti-environmental political statement, and use those emissions to literally attack random strangers in the street.

This full tilt belligerent douchebag behavior finally triggered a government action. So EPA are putting the unholy smack down on pretty much anyone modifying emissions equipment on automobiles. Can't say they are playing favorites if they are going after everyone.

I can't tell if you're kidding here or not. The "coal rolling" diesel guys single handedly set the EPA into motion to change all of the environmental restrictios surrounding all new vehicles? Seems regulations are much more strict in other countries. We just have to keep up so we don't look bad

 

[JohnHoward]

- Paperwork DOES take up to a year even from the self-certification.

Wow, that is a long time, it seems that the US is similar to the UK with huge delays in some government departments. In the UK this is still blamed on covid and changes to working from home in some departments. I had to wait over 12 months for my medical driving licence renewal in the UK. The situation is so bad the UK government changed the law to allow you to drive on an expired licence! To make a ridiculous situation worse, if you didn't get your licence in 12 months, you simply resubmit your paperwork and the clock gets reset and they get another year to give you a new licence! They supply you with a letter to give you permission to drive on an expired licence if you get stopped by the police.

 

[Porter]

I can't tell if you're kidding here or not. The "coal rolling" diesel guys single handedly set the EPA into motion to change all of the environmental restrictios surrounding all new vehicles? Seems regulations are much more strict in other countries. We just have to keep up so we don't look bad

I'm not referring to emissions standards. I'm talking about EPA enforcement shutting down shops that do performance modifications to cars, and fining the owners huge sums. Have you not been following this? Cobb Tuning was targeted and completely discontinued selling the AccessPort.

Go back and look at the post I was replying to and you'll see the context.

 

[KCMO68_510]

I'm not sure this existed before, but the US website I think was updated to have an "Edition" selection that right now only shows FE. But seems like they are getting ready to have more than one edition selectable.

 

[Green]

New article on US deliveries:

MSN

 

[centerpunch]

Hey there, I know this discussion has shifted a bit from the original post, but I wanted to jump in and ask if anyone has any recommendations for car shipping services from Canada to the US?

I used TFX to ship a car from Vancouver to Ohio. Not cheap, but very professional.

Vehicle Shipping Across Canada & to the US | TFX International

TFX International offers vehicle transport in North America for manufacturers, race teams & beyond. Contact us if you're shipping a car from the US to Canada.

www.tfxinternational.com

 

[DerTheDer]

What are peoples interest rates looking like now? My usual go to is 8.99% for the lowest, anyone know anywhere to get better rates? Would like to have some in mind. Paying mostly cash but am financing around 30k.

 

[Davebeats]

I usually look at bankrate to see who has the best rates

Auto Loan Rates & Financing in January 2025 | Bankrate

Compare auto loan rates. See rates for new and used car loans and find auto loan refinance rates from lenders.

www.bankrate.com

Hoping the dealer/salesperson will assist at time of purchase to shop for best rate once that time comes

 

[GetawayDriving]

Hey there, I know this discussion has shifted a bit from the original post, but I wanted to jump in and ask if anyone has any recommendations for car shipping services from Canada to the US? I've been looking into options for getting a vehicle shipped, and I'm curious if anyone has had any good experiences with particular companies. I've seen some services that offer door-to-door shipping, but I'm not sure which ones are reliable. Particularly, I consider one company that offers car shipping door to door. I would like to ask for your feedback about it. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

I don't have an answer, only to say I've been drafted by multiple friends to drive their cars (including 2 different Lotus) cross-continent. I'm available

 

[Jabberwocky]

For anyone that was awaiting my update regarding verification of round 1 FE allocation from my dealer.

My dealer stated they were told not to share the lotus confirmation directly with the customers. However, he was able to provide his confirmation via email that I do have an allocation that will be delivered Q4 (per latest guidance), based on the spec I submitted last spring, at the original FE MSRP.

This helps with the wait and gives me confidence I'll have the car as soon as possible since I didn't really have anything in writing previously (all phone calls).

If you're like me and didn't get a written confirmation for FE allocation, I'd assume your dealer would be happy to confirm via email. Just not with an official lotus document.

 

[KCMO68_510]

What are peoples interest rates looking like now? My usual go to is 8.99% for the lowest, anyone know anywhere to get better rates? Would like to have some in mind. Paying mostly cash but am financing around 30k.

https://www.penfed.org/auto/new-auto-loans

Their rates are 4.9%-6.2% depending on how long of a term and the amount you are looking to finance. While I plan on buying this car in cash, I've used them for all my previous loans. I think to setup an account with them you have to donate like $25 or something to a veterans fund, but after that you get to use the credit union for whatever you want for as long as you want. We did our house refinance with them back when rates were like 2.5%, so we still use them to this day for that loan.

 

[Porter]

For anyone that was awaiting my update regarding verification of round 1 FE allocation from my dealer.

My dealer stated they were told not to share the lotus confirmation directly with the customers. However, he was able to provide his confirmation via email that I do have an allocation that will be delivered Q4 (per latest guidance), based on the spec I submitted last spring, at the original FE MSRP.

This helps with the wait and gives me confidence I'll have the car as soon as possible since I didn't really have anything in writing previously (all phone calls).

If you're like me and didn't get a written confirmation for FE allocation, I'd assume your dealer would be happy to confirm via email. Just not with an official lotus document.

Sorry to say it but this is sketchy. If they won't confirm your submission ID with Lotus in writing, then you don't have an order. And it's likely not Lotus telling the dealer not to share your submission id with you, but rather the management at the dealer telling their salespeople not to share it with you because they want more control in the transaction.

That puts you in a very different situation legally if they either fail to hold up their end of your agreement, or decide to unilaterally change the terms on you. They could even just sell your car outright to someone else who gives them more money because you have no legitimate order claim.

 

[Silver Storm]

That puts you in a very different situation legally if they either fail to hold up their end of your agreement, or decide to unilaterally change the terms on you. They could even just sell your car outright to someone else who gives them more money because you have no legitimate order claim.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if Jabberwacky paid his 2nd deposit to lock in his order and confirmed his build spec, doesn't that count as a legitimate order? Lotus HQ might delay his order due to production/certification issues, but the dealer can't just give his order to someone else if the car is inbound and meant for him to take delivery. I mean, that would be highly unethical.

 

[MPD]

What are peoples interest rates looking like now? My usual go to is 8.99% for the lowest, anyone know anywhere to get better rates? Would like to have some in mind. Paying mostly cash but am financing around 30k.

tons in the 5-7% range, lots of CU offering these rates for 60m and great credit. PenFed, NavyFed, USAA, GESA, Parsons .... banks will almost always be higher. Just google wont always show, search for CUs and then look for their rates. I found a couple in TX that I stumbled across and never heard of but had a 1.9% (last year) lined up before the car fell through.

 

[Porter]

Maybe I'm missing something here, but if Jabberwacky paid his 2nd deposit to lock in his order and confirmed his build spec, doesn't that count as a legitimate order? Lotus HQ might delay his order due to production/certification issues, but the dealer can't just give his order to someone else if the car is inbound and meant for him to take delivery. I mean, that would be highly unethical.

No, there's no required 2nd deposit in the United States, or in Canada to my knowledge. Some dealers have asked for that, but Lotus doesn't require it. I have a single deposit order with my own dealer, for example.

In the US franchise dealer model the dealer is technically the one placing the order with Lotus, they have an allocation of cars that they have been approved to order and they are free to do whatever they want with them. Ideally it's supposed to work by the dealer taking an order from a customer who finalizes a spec and secures it with a good faith deposit, then the dealer passes the order (along with customer details) through to Lotus on the customer's behalf. It should be recognized though that the dealer is technically the party buying the car from Lotus, and then reselling it to the customer as a new unit under their new car franchise licensure with the state. Lotus requires a customer's name on each order in order to prevent customers from being taken advantage of, but it's a difficult thing for them to enforce.

In a case like this where the dealer is refusing to give the customer their own submission ID, the dealer is essentially holding their ownership stake in reserve for themselves, as though they had placed an order with that spec entirely on their own initiative. Technically they've put a customer's name on the order with Lotus, but in the absence of the owner having any written documentation of the submitted order details tying them to that exact unit, the dealer doesn't have any obligation to honor that intended outcome once the car arrives from the manufacturer. They could have side deals going all along during the wait, with people possibly willing to pay a big ADM markup. Then the dealer would just tell the original guy "sorry" and return his deposit, and would expose themselves to almost zero legal risk unless a judge granted discovery in the context of a suit.

Yes, what I'm describing is unethical. But it's a car dealer. Unethical dealing is a normalized set of behaviors in easily 50% of the franchise dealerships out there. Hell, some of the people doing this stuff are just following other people's direction and don't even realize that what they are doing is wrong.


TL;DR Cliffs notes: Many auto dealers are unethical. Watch your back and demand everything in writing as you go, particularly if the dealer you're working with focuses on exotics. Their clientele often does shady stuff, and likely so do they. That which isn't written down, didn't happen.

 

[DerTheDer]

https://www.penfed.org/auto/new-auto-loans

Their rates are 4.9%-6.2% depending on how long of a term and the amount you are looking to finance. While I plan on buying this car in cash, I've used them for all my previous loans. I think to setup an account with them you have to donate like $25 or something to a veterans fund, but after that you get to use the credit union for whatever you want for as long as you want. We did our house refinance with them back when rates were like 2.5%, so we still use them to this day for that loan.

Thanks, that looks like a good one to bookmark for when the time comes. Happy to donate to a veterans fund or whatever they request. Ill go sling food at the homeless shelter for a week to get a good rate.

 

[Silver Storm]

No, there's no required 2nd deposit in the United States, or in Canada to my knowledge. Some dealers have asked for that, but Lotus doesn't require it. I have a single deposit order with my own dealer, for example.

In the US franchise dealer model the dealer is technically the one placing the order with Lotus, they have an allocation of cars that they have been approved to order and they are free to do whatever they want with them. Ideally it's supposed to work by the dealer taking an order from a customer who finalizes a spec and secures it with a good faith deposit, then the dealer passes the order (along with customer details) through to Lotus on the customer's behalf. It should be recognized though that the dealer is technically the party buying the car from Lotus, and then reselling it to the customer as a new unit under their new car franchise licensure with the state. Lotus requires a customer's name on each order in order to prevent customers from being taken advantage of, but it's a difficult thing for them to enforce.

In a case like this where the dealer is refusing to give the customer their own submission ID, the dealer is essentially holding their ownership stake in reserve for themselves, as though they had placed an order with that spec entirely on their own initiative. Technically they've put a customer's name on the order with Lotus, but in the absence of the owner having any written documentation of the submitted order details tying them to that exact unit, the dealer doesn't have any obligation to honor that intended outcome once the car arrives from the manufacturer. They could have side deals going all along during the wait, with people possibly willing to pay a big ADM markup. Then the dealer would just tell the original guy "sorry" and return his deposit, and would expose themselves to almost zero legal risk unless a judge granted discovery in the context of a suit.

Yes, what I'm describing is unethical. But it's a car dealer. Unethical dealing is a normalized set of behaviors in easily 50% of the franchise dealerships out there. Hell, some of the people doing this stuff are just following other people's direction and don't even realize that what they are doing is wrong.


TL;DR Cliffs notes: Many auto dealers are unethical. Watch your back and demand everything in writing as you go, particularly if the dealer you're working with focuses on exotics. Their clientele often does shady stuff, and likely so do they. That which isn't written down, didn't happen.

Interesting. When I first placed my initial deposit of $2,500 back in Jan/23, my local Lotus dealer told me its to get on the wait list. Then summer of 2024 I would pay a non-refundable deposit of $7,500 and have the ability to customize my Emira for a supposedly 2025 delivery date. But yeah, I would definitely request a firm confirmation when it's time to pay the 2nd deposit. Thanks for the heads up on requesting the submission ID. That's something that never occurred to me.

 

[Elisesquared]

Just got this email from my lotus dealer today. Pathetic... (see subject line).