[Abe]

For those in the market for a Lotus Evora and particularly those looking to buy from a Lotus dealer be it local or on the other side of the country, hopefully these steps will assist you in ensuring you have a happy and positive experience.

Let me preface by stating I truly believe the Evora is a great car regardless of the price purchased at and whether purchased new or used. That said, the following tips are guidelines ensuring the purchase of these great vehicles go without a hitch and while these tips are no guarantees, at least it minimizes the hiccups.

As great as these vehicles are, we all know it’s no quite flying off the shelf which means these beauties tend to sit on the lot (hopefully in the showroom floors but most likely not), expose to all the elements which is not good for ANY car let alone a Lotus. Therefore, when purchasing an Evora that’s been sitting on the lot for a while, make sure the selling dealer performs a PDI (pre-delivery inspection) before you take delivery. The dealer already performs this service when they first received the car from the factory however that could have been months or years ago before its last PDI, chances are some bulletins/campaigns or recall haven’t been addressed. This is a perfect time for the Lotus dealer to address this. Worst case scenario, you’ll have to wait for parts to come in but trust me, it’s worth the wait.

A good and thorough PDI will check fluids, diagnostics, tire pressure and any physical flaws due to sitting for long periods of time such as head light peelings, Lotus badge fading or cracking, A-pillar cracks, star shield peeling etc. If you must take delivery before a PDI can be performed by selling dealer then this would be a good time to introduce yourself to YOUR local dealer (assuming you have a local dealer) and familiarize yourself with them as chances are you’ll be requiring their services.

In the end, I think there’s room for improvement for dealers, self included and anything I can do to assist in that, I’m open to.

Hope this helps just a bit.

PS-There are plenty of great dealers that already do this so to them I say "KUDOS" :bow:


Best regards,
Abe Reyes

 

[Allan Gibbs]

As great as these vehicles are, we all know it’s no quite flying off the shelf which means these beauties tend to sit on the lot (hopefully in the showroom floors but most likely not)......
Abe Reyes

Ah, which is why, almost exactly a year ago, you made it a point to tell me my car was always kept in the showroom.

Also, there's no reason for the selling dealership NOT to want to do the PDI. They'll be paid for warranty issues they find and resolve.

 

[TXBRIT]

As great as these vehicles are, we all know it’s no quite flying off the shelf which means these beauties tend to sit on the lot (hopefully in the showroom floors but most likely not),

.......However if you purchase from John Eagle Lotus in Austin TX they are all typically in the showroom. Those that do get to see daylight are put back in the showroom every night.

 

[Abe]

As great as these vehicles are, we all know it’s no quite flying off the shelf which means these beauties tend to sit on the lot (hopefully in the showroom floors but most likely not),

.......However if you purchase from John Eagle Lotus in Austin TX they are all typically in the showroom. Those that do get to see daylight are put back in the showroom every night.

+1 along with Gator Motorsport and a few other dealers hense my PS comments.

 

[low2ground]

My 2012 sat unsold so long in the Florida sun that the leather began to curl up along the edges of the dash. The car was sitting in a dark garage awaiting a new dash from England when I made the decision to buy.

Thanks, Abe, for all your input, here and everywhere. You're a true asset to this board.

 

[LionZoo]

Hi Abe,

Did the service staff from Newport remain with the dealership or did any of them make the move to West Covina?

 

[Abe]

Hi Abe,

Did the service staff from Newport remain with the dealership or did any of them make the move to West Covina?

They were smart and decided to stick with Rolls-Royce instead.

I'll have a younger, tech savvy, freshly trained crew, shortly though and I'll be sure to let everyone know once the new place opens. Meanwhile, we'll be utilizing the facility of our Nissan store and the advantages are that service would be open on Saturdays and they also have a loaner car program

 

[zymotix3]

Meanwhile, we'll be utilizing the facility of our Nissan store and the advantages are that service would be open on Saturdays and they also have a loaner car program

Hi Abe, will these advantages including loaners be carried over to lotus once your side is officially opened as well?



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[tbd_Evora]

Abe, a great message to all potential buyers. We've just seen a few threads recently from buyers that had issues come up within a few days of taking delivery of the car. Picking up a car without a thorough PDI is just negligent and in my mind anyone doing so forfeits his right to complain about any issues he has afterwards.

Also a good point, these issues are not specific to Lotus. ANY car left standing still for a considerable time period will have issues to resolve before pick up. Only difference is that the turnover rate on a Lotus is lower, so they will tend to be standing a bit longer.

On the upside, if your Lotus has gone through a thorough PDI before you take possession you'll have one of the greatest cars in the world and it will be just as reliable as any other.

 

[EFE EVS]

Sports and Specialty Cars Inc. in Hopewell NJ sold me my new 2012 Evora S a couple of months ago. They said they checked the car out completely before shipping it to me 2000 miles away. When I received the car, the cruise didn't work, the subwoofer didn't work (burned out), a rear fender LED light was burned out, a bottom oil pan bolt was missing and the car had a few chips on the rocker panels. All I asked of the dealer was to send me the missing bolt for the oil pan as well as a small bottle of touch up paint. I even offered to pay for the paint. After a month passed and I received neither, I called the dealer to ask where the only two things I requested were? The manager said he forgot and would send the bolt out right away, but didn't have the paint in stock. Dah, I know they don't carry paint but he could have offered to order it? Anyhow, this manager salesman sent the pan bolt in a normal letter envelope, I received it a week later with a hole in the envelope and the bolt missing. Cheeeeeez, didn't he have a enough sense to put the bolt in a bubble package? Normal letter envelopes pass through roller machines at the post office hubs, never should something that's chunky be put in an envelope! I called the dealer when the empty envelope arrived and told them of how ridiculous putting a bolt in a regular envelope was, again asking about some paint. I was told it would be better to find a dealership and let them keep care of my concerns. In other words, don't bother us anymore! It's over two month later now and I never even received a thank you card or note from them in appreciation for spending over $72k with their dealership?!?!

Bottom line, I would never recommend this dealer to any Lotus buyer, their attitude after the sale is terrible and they obviously don't PDI their cars very well! Scratch this dealer when you go shopping for an Evora! :no:

 

[DominusFL]

EFE EVS - Thanks for the detailed and honest dealer report. They just shot themselves in the foot for something very simple to fix.

The counter example is my experience with Park Place Jaguar Lotus of Plano, TX. They were very good over the phone, everything was arranged in a stress free manner. I flew out with my son to get the car, it was stored indoors and they had gone through it carefully. They spent time with me making sure everything was right. They even showed me the trick to move the fader to the rear speakers to check if the subwoofer is working properly. We even test drove it with the Lotus Specialist before signing anything, including testing the cruise control. Car was perfect, everything worked as expected. Salesperson texted me and followed up through the drive back to Florida.

Arriving at Florida we had two minor issues. We figured out the blackbird plug-in module was missing from the stereo. They apologized profusely for the oversight and fedexed it out with the most massive bubble wrap possible. Nothing was happening to that unit. The second thing is the driver door lock developed a rattle. Not an unheard of issue. When I took it to local dealer they replaced the lock mechanism under warranty.

Weeks later the salesperson has followed up more than once to make sure everything has worked out as expected. I highly recommend them any time.

I also can't say anything but good things about my local dealer in Orlando. They did my initial service without problems or delay, fixed the glove box string that I broke, and solved my door lock warranty issue. Very professional and thorough. If they had had my car in stock, I would have definitely bought it from them.

 

[KCZ]

Likewise, I have only good things to say about AMNE-Lotus Motorsports in Waltham. Their salespeople were great, the car was all checked out before delivery, and they went out of their way to help me with delivery itself (out-of-state). Naturally, a list of warranty issues arose after I'd owned the car for a while, but their service dept has been top-notch and made everything as painless as possible, including once sending a closed carrier to transport the car to Mass and back at their expense. Kudos to this dealership too.

 

[rpolin]

I have the same to say about Secor Lotus of New London, CT. Top notch when it comes to treating the customer right.

 

[Allan Gibbs]

Hi Abe, will these advantages including loaners be carried over to lotus once your side is officially opened as well?



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Saturday hours and/or loaner cars are a major advantage -especially for the Lotus folks on the West Side. That's probably a 2 1/2 hour commute in rush hour or 45 minutes off peak hours.

 

[Ravenred]

thank you for this info! I got my evora in Jan (originally you listed it in CA) but i got it from Plano....I did not ask for the PDI and wish i would have....after receiving the car, (i'm in AL) i had to then pay to ship it to the nearest dealer in ATL for warranty work (window index inop/door handle coming off/vent hose in cracked condition) AND it had two software updates due...disappointing to say the least. Round trip cost right after buying the car that to me, all of these items should have been done at the plano dealer..i won't buy from them again for sure...
Thanks for your info, hope it will help others in the future!!

 

[Abe]

Hi Abe, will these advantages including loaners be carried over to lotus once your side is officially opened as well?



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Yes, I've spoken to the service director on the Nissan side who will also oversee service on the Lotus side and he agreed we should extend the loaner car service to Lotus clients as well.

On a lightly different note, our Lotus store will have a small service department with 2 scissor lifts and only light service will be performed there such as oil change, brakes etc however we will have a set up there for track day inspections corner balance and our sister store will be able to perform wheel alignments or any major service job.

 

[zymotix3]

Yes, I've spoken to the service director on the Nissan side who will also oversee service on the Lotus side and he agreed we should extend the loaner car service to Lotus clients as well.

This is suuuper great news. Losing a local OC dealer and the news of downshift stalling issue lingering about, I was on near edge jumping ship to Aston of Newport for a v8 vantage there (already test drove it and it is absolutely marvelous, different beast, but to me, it's the next best thing to the evora). I don't mind the 1.5 hour drive to west covina, but having that loaner program in place definitely will help me feel much less stressful owning a Lotus.

 

[Allan Gibbs]

Hi Abe. Would Saturday services still be available? Some motorcycle shops have service on Saturdays but are closed on Monday. Would that be an option?

 

[Ron Avery]

I ordered and bought my Evora from Galpin Lotus (North Hills Ca). It was a good experrience. And now that I am out of warranty, I still will mostly go to them for service. I get a free loaner car (a Jaguar) and there are many other amenities. I know I will pay more for all of these things, But to me it is worth it.
Ron

 

[Abe]

Hi Abe. Would Saturday services still be available? Some motorcycle shops have service on Saturdays but are closed on Monday. Would that be an option?

Allan, it appears that service will be opened from Monday thru Saturday.