Word is that Lotus will be spraying cars of like colors in batches. Common logic is that red and yellow cars will get delivered first as these are the most popular colors. So what does this mean for the dealer demos? Not all the demos are red and yellow. So will dealer demos not be delayed?
Dealer demos and color delay
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And that's the way it should be, no? It's not like Lotus needs a bunch of Demo cars anyway. I think most everyone at spot 20 or lower, would have purchased the car even without a picture of the car. Can you image if we actually had a demo to drive 2 years ago??babak said:
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Demos also help, so that they can get ~ 40 Federal cars made as "practice" before they start making cars for customer consumption. It's not as big of a help as the 111R run has been, but I guess it helps them to get everything running smoothly.
That's my creative way of looking at the bright side, if there is one.
That's my creative way of looking at the bright side, if there is one.
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The biggest advantage to Dealer Demo cars is that they can be fully broken in and driven hard on test-drives.
Think of it as one less "nobody has to know" drive on your Elise before you pick it up. :no:
Think of it as one less "nobody has to know" drive on your Elise before you pick it up. :no:
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Demo cars become customers' cars eventually so I don't believe Lotus thinks in those terms.Vantage said:
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Well I'm as anxious as the next guy to get my car, but I don't have a BIG problem with the demo coming first. This will give all the other guys on the waiting list a chance to at least drive the car, at this stage a few weeks one way or the other won't kill me, I guess.....
I'm realistically not figuring to be in my car until sometime in July.
Chris
I'm realistically not figuring to be in my car until sometime in July.
Chris
I'm with you Chris, besides there have been a lot of comments about not being able to drive a Fed. Elise before putting a deposit down, well problem solved for the next batch of potential owners. The logic seems good to me, everyone who was going to buy sight unseen has likely put their money down. The next batch of deposits will likely come form people who will read the road tests starting to come ou, will wonder down to a Lotus dealer, test drive an Elise and make a decidison based on that.
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i intend to take advantage of the demo cars by looking at my top color choices and making a final decision after seeing them. also i HOPE to get a drive in the LSS and non LSS. i anticipate getting LSS and touring packages but a test drive or 2 will tell for sure. that is my creative way of making the best of the demo car situation and trying to bide time until a wait list number of 44 or 88 comes around. i am guessing 5 to 10 months wait :huh:
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Demo cars are very much needed in the dealerships. In order for Lotus to stay viable they need to start selling to an audience more than hardcore car fans, but to create more of them. I'm in the second batch and have yet to actually see one in person, it would be nice to at some point get my hands on one for a couple of hours while I wait.
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I always thought that the dealers using the first car as a demo was a great idea. Primarily because I'm worried about customer cars being used for test drives otherwise. The dealership employees should also get a chance to drive an Elise in anger.
And even though the incoming cars are already sold for quite a while, they need to get more future buyers excited about the car. I know plenty of people who will line up at the Lotus dealership as soon as there's word about test drives in an Elise. Most of them won't have the budget to buy one right now. But they will tell everybody they know how great the car is. There's no better promotion than word of mouth from car enthusiasts.
And even though the incoming cars are already sold for quite a while, they need to get more future buyers excited about the car. I know plenty of people who will line up at the Lotus dealership as soon as there's word about test drives in an Elise. Most of them won't have the budget to buy one right now. But they will tell everybody they know how great the car is. There's no better promotion than word of mouth from car enthusiasts.
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I think that the demo cars will serve as the only eye candy Lotus is currently offering here in the states. The Esprit is essentially dead, and new models are not fully developed yet. I think that it is a little silly that everyone up to who knows what order number is essentialy locked in to their purchase, so the demo acts to help determine the value of dealer installed options, and help people decide about this car after order number 30. Wi will conceed that having an accurate color to see in person would have helped in my color choice, all I really wanted was Laser Blue, and the dealer did not give me the option of ordering it . I have the understanding that once a customer gave his "final" order to a dealer, he was locked into buying the car, or at least losing his deposit. I almost wish all dealers had two demo cars, so that we could tell the difference between the stage 1 exhaust or stage 2 and the stock unit. I am also curious about the clear film that is supposed to protect the cars from chips in the paint, and the intensity of the stock headlights compared to the addition of the driving lights. Oh well, all of the problems could be solved once Lotus doubles their output of this car and makes us all happy by air freighting them directly to our front doors.:clap:
. I have the understanding that once a customer gave his "final" order to a dealer, he was locked into buying the car, or at least losing his deposit. I almost wish all dealers had two demo cars, so that we could tell the difference between the stage 1 exhaust or stage 2 and the stock unit. I am also curious about the clear film that is supposed to protect the cars from chips in the paint, and the intensity of the stock headlights compared to the addition of the driving lights. Oh well, all of the problems could be solved once Lotus doubles their output of this car and makes us all happy by air freighting them directly to our front doors.:clap:
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Hmmm interesting. My car is exactly the same as the dealer demo at Rothrock (Bordeaux red, touring, hardtop). I suppose that means my car should ne be delayed by a block of colors deal. Well, I can hope, anyway. So far Rothrock has been good to deal with. I have high hopes.
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Demo cars are good for the factory as well. Since they're driven with a lot less care than you would your own car, the problem areas in the design can be identified quickly.
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