[smoseley]

I am going this afternoon to place my order. I've decided on the following:

1. Saffron Yellow
2. Sports Pack (I'll have the wheels painted black myself if I have to).
3. One of the following:
   • Hard top
   • Touring Pack.

I'm going to be using this car primarily for the street. It'll probably be a daily driver for a couple months after my S2000 lease is up until I find another second car. I like the idea of MP3s... I have a huge collection of them... but I can get my own MP3 player if I need to. Leather is nice, but the standard car comes with leather / cloth, which also nice in my opinion.

The following are questions I need answered before I can make a choice:

• How do the Hard Top and Touring Top compare in sound deadening? Anyone have any estimates based upon experience?
  
• How good are aftermarket hard tops?
  
• The Order Guide promises "best color matching" if the HT is painted at the time of manufacture. How "off" do you guys think the colors would be if ordered at a later time?
  
• I like the idea of the sound deadening, but exactly how much weight does the Touring Pack add?
  
• Would lack of power windows significantly hurt the resale value of the car?

Any help is really appreciated. I'm leaning a little toward getting both the hard top AND the touring pack, but that would put me over $50k out the door for a $40k car.... a 20% increase in price!

 

[ivan1]

I can't imagine any slight difference in color in the hardtop would be very noticeable. Since most people will keep the HT in storage most of the year it will probably end up looking slightly off in color anyhow. Personally I think the power windows add more to the resale value and if I had to choose one I would pick the touring pack. For what it is worth that is my 2cents. Now if they let us get stripes, then there is no question I would order the hard top....

 

[Derek]

I am going this afternoon to place my order. I've decided on the following:

1. Saffron Yellow
2. Sports Pack (I'll have the wheels painted black myself if I have to).
3. One of the following:
   • Hard top
   • Touring Pack.

I'm going to be using this car primarily for the street. It'll probably be a daily driver for a couple months after my S2000 lease is up until I find another second car. I like the idea of MP3s... I have a huge collection of them... but I can get my own MP3 player if I need to. Leather is nice, but the standard car comes with leather / cloth, which also nice in my opinion.

The following are questions I need answered before I can make a choice:

• How do the Hard Top and Touring Top compare in sound deadening? Anyone have any estimates based upon experience?
  
• How good are aftermarket hard tops?
  
• The Order Guide promises "best color matching" if the HT is painted at the time of manufacture. How "off" do you guys think the colors would be if ordered at a later time?
  
• I like the idea of the sound deadening, but exactly how much weight does the Touring Pack add?
  
• Would lack of power windows significantly hurt the resale value of the car?

Any help is really appreciated. I'm leaning a little toward getting both the hard top AND the touring pack, but that would put me over $50k out the door for a $40k car.... a 20% increase in price!

I have yet to see any of the tops in question so I cannot address this concern. Your query about the added weight of the touring Package is a good one. I would also be curious to know how much more the car would weigh.

In the US market I would presume power windows would be desirable.

Do you think you will want the roof off a lot? If so you may find the hard top to be impractical as you would have no place to store it if you went out.

I have a question for you.

Are there any pictures of the interior in its different trim levels in that order guide?
I am very curious to see how each package will look.

 

[mikester]

Yes Transio, would you please post the ordering guide, for us, the order-deprived ?

Thanks, Mike

 

[smoseley]

There are photos, but I don't have 'em. I suggest going to your dealer to check them out.

The standard trim package includes:

• Leather/cloth seats (cloth outside, leather inside)
• Partial carpets on the floor
• Stereo/CD

The touring pack includes:

• Full leather seats (perforated inside, solid outside)
• Full carpets on the floor and extending up door sill
• Stereo/CD/MP3
• Stowage net

Personally, I think the standard package will "look" just as nice as the touring pack... if a little rawer.

Really, the only thing of value in the touring pack (for me) is the power windows... and I don't think that's worth $1350 to me (or for resale). How well do aftermarket power windows work? Maybe I'll just skip them altogether... the stock rollers look really nice in their aluminum trim.

As for the sports pack.... It'll be fun, but I probably won't get my money out of that when I resell the car, either. And since I don't foresee racing the car much (only thing close to me is Moroso... woohoo, 1/4 mile runs . ). So now I'm even questioning that. How soft are the Yokahama A048 tires? If I'm gonna be streeting this car a lot I don't want to have to swap out $1000 of tires every 6 months!

Ugh. The more I think about it, the harder all the choices become

 

[babak]

My biggest problem with the hard top is that it is not storable in the car. I'd hate to head out on a trip to colorado to go hit some roads and get stuck with the top on. I'd rather have some of the creature comforts of the touring package and the peace of mind of knowing that the targa top is stowable.
Just my $0.02

 

[xxxotic]

You can always get a hardtop later, the touring pack adds insulation that might be difficult to have done as a dealer install.

What is the Sports package? Do you mean the Lotus Sport Suspension? Or are there more pacakages that we are not aware of.

Transio: PS Let me know if you go to Moroso. I am not getting the sport suspension and it might be interesting in doing a side by side comparsion for others. I think I am #6 so I should be getting my car in the first batch if I'm lucky.

 

[JonOrangeElise]

Transio: What is the deal with the sports exhaust? Was this discussed at all? Something the dealer may have at some point in the future?

And in an earlier post you wrote that only ardent red and saffron yellow are baseline colors, and that all other colors are options... any more info on this, and what do optional colors cost?

As for your decisions: I think I read somewhere that the manual windows have caused rattles. Between that possibility and the convienence factor of electric windows, I'll be opting for the touring package. My current E36 is the only car I have ever had with electric windows, and I now know that is a luxury I will always want.

As for weight, I believe electric windows weigh less, and I don't think an upmarket Mp3 player will weigh more than a standard CD player... so the real question is how much weight is added by carpeting and insulated soft top. Interesting question, but I think by simply not stowing a heavy overcoat in the trunk, I can compensate for any weight added by the luxury items. <grin>

Also, I've read before that the hard top actually causes more noise than the stock soft top... No personal experience; it's just what I've read.

Finally, the hard top seems utterly impractical to me: I will only be driving the car during the best weather; ergo: top will always be down unless I encounter a freak storm. The soft top, meanwhile, can be put up or down at whim; the hard top cannot; once it's on, it's on until you reach some type of home base. For what it's worth, I'll simply be carrying one of those "shower caps" to keep out bird **** when I'm parked.

 

[smoseley]

Jon,

Thanks for all the input. Now I'm more confused than ever!!

P.S. - I don't think the sports exhaust has been spec'd yet. Even so, I will probably wait 'til the aftermarket catches up until I decide on performance upgrades.

 

[Arno]

Also, I've read before that the hard top actually causes more noise than the stock soft top... No personal experience; it's just what I've read.

Yup.. Not wind-noise and noises like that, but (unless it's lined/padded then it's a bit less) you usually notice an increase in 'mechanical' noises like engine, gearbox, chassis noises in the car as it gets reflected off the hardtop and around the cabin.

Added carpeting helps to cut down on at least some of the higher frequency (aka. irritating ) noises..

The car is basically at it's quietest with respect to noises like these with the top completely off. (but of course wind-noise is the main source of sound once the speed picks up..)

Bye, Arno.

 

[smoseley]

Bleh. So what I WANT (sound deadening, power windows) means getting crap I DON'T WANT (leather seats, stereo upgrade).

What I like (hard top) makes what I hate (noise) worse.

I am pulling my hair out over here !!!!

 

[zvezdah1]

Steve,
Whatever options you get, I bet you still get a thrill out of it everytime you hit the starter button!!
Chris

 

[atyclb]

the only thing that concerns me about the Touring pack is the additional sound deadening in the body and the full carpet.

I've heard that the carpet is only held in place by velcro and can easily be removed.

Can anyone confirm/deny that one?

Will the interior underneath the carpeting be identical to the non-Touring pack cars?

 

[atyclb]

The standard trim package includes:

• Leather/cloth seats (cloth outside, leather inside)

I would have hoped for the opposite.

cloth inside, leather outside makes a lot more sense to me.

 

[atyclb]

also, since the standard car comes with partial carpet, can this also be easily removed and still look nice underneath?

 

[OneFastLotus]

I went for cloth seats and manual windows.

Ive never owned a "race" car with leather or power windows, I figured why start now. I prefer simple, less to go wrong, and less to worry about IMHO. I dont want to worry about leather seats getting ruined from sweaty days at the track etc. Im just weird that way. Cloth is simple and I like that.

I have leather and power in my tow vehicle and thats ok with me.

 

[smoseley]

OneFast,

Did you opt for LSS? Or are you going to upgrade yourself w/ aftermarket parts?

Steve

 

[OneFastLotus]

I opted for LSS from the factory.

Ardent Red.

LSS.

Black Cloth

Hardtop.

 

[stuttgart]

Dose the stardand cloth/leather seats have 2 tone? or we only get plain black for stardand seats?

 

[smoseley]

black