Ouch! New '05s without a warranty at Valenti.

[Brian 111]

Valenti Lotus is a small dealer in CT operating in the shadow of HRM. A couple of years ago they had almost 20 cars in stock, now their website is down to 5.

2 of them are '05s and are now out of warranty. A friend of mine sent me these links:

http://www.automotive.com/2005/65/lo...Result&index=1

http://www.automotive.com/2005/65/lo...Result&index=2

The silver one was their demo and has a Stage II exhaust.

Are they out of their minds? How long do you think these will sit there on MSO? These guys were still aggressively pricing over sticker in the summer of '05 when cars were finally plentiful, and they had over 15 in stock. Based on their pricing, the owner is still a greedy guy. Who will pay that without a warranty? And my bet is that the data dump on the demo will look pretty bad.

[Vangman]

That's awesome!

[Ian]

I wonder why they wouldn't still be under warranty if they have never been titled. Usually the warranty starts when the car is registered.

[Icedog_16]

Originally Posted by Ian

I wonder why they wouldn't still be under warranty if they have never been titled. Usually the warranty starts when the car is registered.

+1

[Brian 111]

Originally Posted by Vangman

That's awesome!

No Sh*t!!

I think everyone who endured their initial order list would love this!

[Z-dculus]

Originally Posted by Ian

I wonder why they wouldn't still be under warranty if they have never been titled. Usually the warranty starts when the car is registered.

+2

[TimMullen]

Originally Posted by Brian 111

2 of them are '05s and are now out of warranty.

Why would you think they are out of warranty? The warranty starts when the cars are first "put into service" (i.e. first sold or first used as a demonstrator). If the cars are still "new", the warranty should start when then sell.

Edit: Looks like several of us all think alike.

[Brian 111]

Originally Posted by TimMullen

Why would you think they are out of warranty? The warranty starts when the cars are first "put into service" (i.e. first sold or first used as a demonstrator). If the cars are still "new", the warranty should start when then sell.

Edit: Looks like several of us all think alike.

Since the ads said "not under warranty", I assumed it was correct.

I called them and they told me that it was an error and thanked me for bringing it to their attention.
Then I got a song-and-dance about how they were an incredible value. The guy (not Bill) told me that he'd drop the demo another $1k, but the green one was firm.

Warranty aside, these are three years old and have been sitting outside.

[Icedog_16]

Originally Posted by TimMullen

Why would you think they are out of warranty? The warranty starts when the cars are first "put into service" (i.e. first sold or first used as a demonstrator). If the cars are still "new", the warranty should start when then sell.

Edit: Looks like several of us all think alike.

I checked the links and I know why he thinks they're out of warranty. It says that on the page. Whether that info's right? GIGO

[tesprit]

Originally Posted by TimMullen

Why would you think they are out of warranty? The warranty starts when the cars are first "put into service" (i.e. first sold or first used as a demonstrator). If the cars are still "new", the warranty should start when then sell.

Edit: Looks like several of us all think alike.

Yep, that is why my '05 is still under under warranty--the warranty went into effect when I bought it brand new in 2006.

As to the pricing on these cars at Valenti, I paid much less than they want for either of these two cars back in 2006! Looks like they will be hanging onto them for quite some time.....future low miles, never titled museum pieces?

[DragonRider1]

I wonder if this has been linked to the guy in the Fire Sale thread. He ought to take note and start acquiring some birthday candles for his inventory...

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by tesprit

Yep, that is why my '05 is still under under warranty--the warranty went into effect when I bought it brand new in 2006.

As to the pricing on these cars at Valenti, I paid much less than they want for either of these two cars back in 2006! Looks like they will be hanging onto them for quite some time.....future low miles, never titled museum pieces?

Yup...

[Jeff and Pamela]

Originally Posted by Ian

I wonder why they wouldn't still be under warranty if they have never been titled. Usually the warranty starts when the car is registered.

I thought "dealer" mileage was also a factor when warranty started even if they have never been titled, but I could be wrong?

[Icedog_16]

Here's the official answer from the warranty:

1. WARRANTY PERIODS
(a) LIMITED WARRANTY - Cars.
The Company warrants each new car to be free from defects
in material and workmanship for a period of thirty six (36)
months or 36,000 miles, whichever first occurs, after the first
occurring of the following dates:
i) date of delivery of the car to the retail original owner;
ii) registration as a dealer demonstrator.
CONSULT YOUR SALES DOCUMENTS TO DETERMINE
THE WARRANTY START DATE ON YOUR CAR; SPEAK
TO YOUR DEALER OR LOTUS CARS USA IF YOU ARE IN
DOUBT.

[wallabyguy]

technically, any car that has over 50 miles placed on it must be "punched" and have the warranty clock thus started. The demo would be such a case.

[Bavarian Motorist]

I inquired about buying one of their cars and they wouldn't budge on the prices. It's not that the product is bad (obviously) or that the dealership isn't in a good location necessarily. It's simply that they over-value the cars.


I can't imagine how much they've paid for floor planning....

[Ave]

I went for a test drive there before I had much of an idea about the Lotus. The demo battery was shot and they had a really hard time starting it. I was discussing one of their other cars with them, but they were about 5K above market, about a year ago, and claimed they'd have no problem selling it when the weather warmed up, so I wished them all the best. After getting familiar with the lay of the land I'm even happier I stayed away.

[ChrisB]

Valenti is the dealer that Ridgemanron was always trying to get the early depositors to switch to. Whatever happened to Ridgemanron anyway? Anybody know?

[ivan1]

he had back problems and had to sell his car

[ace10]

search "valenti"

the results will tell you all you need to know about this store.