[rskdsk]

Lotus Evora | eBay

I just do not get it ... these cars are extremely rare with less than 1000 in the USA ... they look fantastic ... great handling ... solid drivetrain ... and yet the dealers have to discount them by 10-20K ... yiikkkkes

 

[lotus90]

I agree. To me evora is great deal. I hope it catches on like Exige has and start selling.

 

[4380r]

As has been pointed out in the Elise value thread, the Elige has no true comparable competition. If someone wants the light weight, minimalist, raw go cart quality of the Elige, except for something even more extreme like a Caterham or Ariel, there really is nothing against which to cross shop.

The Evora on the other hand does have cars that offer comparable performance, styling, ergonomics, and pricing. Buyers have more to choose from.

 

[driftwood]

As has been pointed out in the Elise value thread, the Elige has no true comparable competition. If someone wants the light weight, minimalist, raw go cart quality of the Elige, except for something even more extreme like a Caterham or Ariel, there really is nothing against which to cross shop.

The Evora on the other hand does have cars that offer comparable performance, styling, ergonomics, and pricing. Buyers have more to choose from.

spot on... the evora just simply doesn't set itself apart from others in its category/price range... thus the poor sales

doesn't mean its not a great enthusiast car with a fun experience, but had it offered something special to separate it from the others outside of a little exclusivity it would have sold much better

potential owners who aren't partial to Lotus look at an Evora & probably think "why would I buy this over an M series/cayman/911/vette/GTR/ect"

had lotus found a way to secure the 2UR-GSE as the power plant from toyota instead of the 2GR-FE... i think we would be looking at a 'special' car with significantly better sales along with a value that isn't plummeting

 

[CFRP_King]

As mentioned by Driftwood I think this is the main issue "M series/cayman/911/vette/GTR/ect"

Now those are the reasons why I purchased my Evora; I just wanted something different and I didn't care about HP and topspeed

 

[phaphaphooey]

I imagine part of the problem is it being a manual since the IPS take rate on 12-13 cars has been pretty high

 

[4380r]

Doesn't mean its not a great enthusiast car with a fun experience, but had it offered something special to separate it from the others outside of a little exclusivity it would have sold much better

And the exclusivity it a double edge sword, and is actually a deterrent for many.

New cars depreciate quickly. One value that new cars have is a warranty. Who wants to spend that much money on a brand new car, but have the nearest dealership hours away to perform warranty and recall work? The inconvenience for some isn't worth it.

I had an S220 Exige that I bought new (dealer had discounted it nearly $20K). I still had a year left on the warranty when the only dealership at the time near me dropped Lotus. To use my warranty, I'd have to travel to a dealership at least 3, closer to 4 hours away.

That contributed greatly to my decision to sell the car when I did.

 

[ItsThaMonsta]

Its still a simple answer. Horsepower. All other reasons are just excuses. 450 - 500 and there wouldn't be any on the lot ever. Lotus is no longer a mystery. Years ago with the Elise I always got the what is that comments. Now everyone know what lotus. And although a lot of high priced car use engines, lotus is the only car that is called out for it. The perception is a negative stigma to the majority. 20k mustang has more hp than 80k base Evora. 30k mustang has more hp than 95k Evora S. This is what the masses care about. Porsche gets away with low hp because they have a legion of followers and the build quality is better.

 

[lotus90]

my hope is limited numbers, better looks than most sports cars Toyota drive line. If every one only cared about HP and numbers no one would ever buy a M series/cayman/911/GTR"

because a Corvette beat them everyday in terms of performance for the price to own and "maintain"

 

[jet37ski]

That is a crazy good deal for someone looking for one. Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I would be really interested to know if a sale will actually go through at that price. I have zero evidence that this dealer would intentionally list this in a dishonest way, but I am definitely curious.

No accusations or anything, but here's the last line from the listing:

Listing In Error - While we do not plan on having to retract a sale, errors may happen. If a car is listed in error for an amount below our cost or market value on a vehicle, we reserve the right to cancel the transaction if a reasonable selling price can not be reached.

 

[rhoyle]

This car is listed as a 2013, but has the Lotus details on the side sills, I thought they stopped doing that???

 

[ItsThaMonsta]

my hope is limited numbers, better looks than most sports cars Toyota drive line. If every one only cared about HP and numbers no one would ever buy a M series/cayman/911/GTR"

because a Corvette beat them everyday in terms of performance for the price to own and "maintain"

Its not all about hp if you have adequate hp to begin with. The vette may have more but no one is complaining about gtr power because it still has a lot.

 

[rickj]

Lotus Evora | eBay

I just do not get it ... these cars are extremely rare with less than 1000 in the USA ... they look fantastic ... great handling ... solid drivetrain ... and yet the dealers have to discount them by 10-20K ... yiikkkkes

actually, I don't think that's a smokin deal. I know of one new manual that went for around 61-62 same configuration.

as a guy that's been looking hard for one, I'd have to agree that 1. there's alot of competition for people willing to spend 50-85k on a car with limited utility (ie not a 4 door sedan or suv). The other major two factors which makes the cars not competitive are lack of easy access to dealerships for many buyers (I"m close to two hours away in traffic to the nearest dealer and perceived lack of build quality which appears to result in even new owners visiting dealers repeatedly. who needs that.
I also agree that the lack of horsepower is a factor. porsche can get away with it, but lotus isn't porsche as a company (financilally) and lotus doesn't have the quality build of porsche products.
Maybe another factor is the uncertain lifespan of the evora with the upcoming expiration of the air bag exemption. Seems tight lipped, but next month the could announce that no more evoras will be imported. That might be good a la elise and exige, but that might make other dealers rethink the value of carrying the brand.

finally usually the market finds its level, absent other factors, like dealers holding on to new MY 11s and not letting the market tell them what they're worth.

when you getting your car?

 

[driftwood]

As mentioned by Driftwood I think this is the main issue "M series/cayman/911/vette/GTR/ect"

Now those are the reasons why I purchased my Evora; I just wanted something different and I didn't care about HP and topspeed

i totally get it! im also not one to judge cars on paper #'s alone... for enthusiasts like us there is so much more to a car than horse power or straight line numbers

& its one of the main reasons I bought an elise & not a c5 zo6 or something within the price range that has better overall performance.

but I know purists are a very niche group to specific brands, & to convert them is tough & are ultimately the minority. so in my opinion in order for Lotus to be successful at not only maintaining its current owners interest, but expanding out to other potential owners they need to create something special. & i dont think the evora at its original MSRP really did that which is why they dropped so quickly in price

I suppose its beneficial to those of us who want to stick with the lotus brand, but not so much for a company that is struggling financially & publicly...

 

[driftwood]

Its still a simple answer. Horsepower. All other reasons are just excuses. 450 - 500 and there wouldn't be any on the lot ever.

wouldn't even need that much...

hell, a base model naturally aspirated v8 with high 300-low 400hp (which toyota has!) would have been more than enough to change the perception of the Evora... even if it hiked the original price from 60-70k to 90k they still would have sold better because of the 'v8', or because of the '400 hp'. that would have been a difference maker, or a Porsche killer. that would have resurrected the brand imo

instead they essentially sold a sleek looking mid engine 350z for double the price because it has a lotus badge & is made of aluminum. it was a business decision that was destined to fail from the get go & it did just that

ultimately they should have fitted the elige with the v6 years ago (like they only recently did) & never went forward with the evora until they were ready to create a true successor to the esprit. but Lotus offered a happy medium that nobody asked for rotfl

 

[Julian73]

... had lotus found a way to secure the 2UR-GSE as the power plant from toyota instead of the 2GR-FE... i think we would be looking at a 'special' car with significantly better sales along with a value that isn't plummeting

Lotus had access to the 2UR-GSE but Danny took his own path for development of the Espirt V8 .. as to fitting the 2UR into the Evora, that would have required a total redesign of the car, longitudinal mount would have eliminated +2 configuration .. what would you have but an Espirt in the +100k range. There is nothing wrong with a V6 sports car and the 3.5L can put out adequate power, an i4, V6, V8 lineup would be great but in and of itself would not get the brand to critical mass. It needs, quality, a dealer web etc. more upscale cars will bring in higher margins but the typical Lotus owner/looker seems more intent of a bargain and bases the Evora as overpriced compared to what was paid on an Elise.

 

[driftwood]

Lotus had access to the 2UR-GSE but Danny took his own path for development of the Espirt V8 .. as to fitting the 2UR into the Evora, that would have required a total redesign of the car, longitudinal mount would have eliminated +2 configuration .. what would you have but an Espirt in the +100k range. There is nothing wrong with a V6 sports car and the 3.5L can put out adequate power, an i4, V6, V8 lineup would be great but in and of itself would not get the brand to critical mass. It needs, quality, a dealer web etc. more upscale cars will bring in higher margins but the typical Lotus owner/looker seems more intent of a bargain and bases the Evora as overpriced compared to what was paid on an Elise.

f*cking Bahar...

seriously though, i think it would have sold well even if it hovered around that 100k mark... it would have gave lotus a car in the stable that would have been understandable to put in that price range. you have your elise/exige between 50-80k & your highest tier model at 100k

right where lotus should be slated honestly.

 

[docjay]

You have to be a Lotus fan to put up with the build problems.
I am on my second Evora (8th Lotus overall) and I sold my first one partly because of little annoying issues.
The one I have now is on its third door sensor. Car only has 1900 miles.
Battery was going dead with prior owner and now has new battery.
Also new dash is on its way....
Washer fluid bottle leaking....
Steering wheel donut "recall" being done.....
Trunk latch repair...
Front lotus badge chipping and going to be replaced.....
Most people would not put up with this. The car will be at the dealer for 2-6 weeks! And to make matters worse they buggered up the nose. See my other thread:
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f170/dealer-buggered-up-my-evora-205594/
When I was at the dealer, another Evora owner spoke with me about having had similar issues. He was extremely frustrated as he knows nothing about Lotus and thought he was all alone with the many issues. He said he is so ready to get rid of the headache but really loves the drive. Most other sports car owners would not accept these hassles.
My dealer is part of Cadillac. The main service manager and I joked, "Imagine if GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, etc. had the same issues?" Just think if every person that bought a new car expected to have a "punch list" of issues that need to be dealt with at the 1000 mile service. When we bought our Honda Odyssey, I would have been shocked if the dash had to be replaced, trunk would not open, battery drained, door sensor/latch did not work, washer fluid bottle leaked, windows leaked, stereo did not work well, steering wheel loose due to missing donut, transmission crunchy, and the Honda badge peeled off all before 1000 miles!:facepalm

But yet I still love Lotus:UK:

 

[rpolin]

when you are only selling around a 1,500 cars a year, the only way to work the bugs out is by people driving them. Honda sell probably a 100,000 cars a year so the bugs are worked out pretty quick.

However, i think we would all agree there's a big difference between driving a honda and a lotus

 

[docjay]

when you are only selling around a 1,500 cars a year, the only way to work the bugs out is by people driving them. Honda sell probably a 100,000 cars a year so the bugs are worked out pretty quick.

However, i think we would all agree there's a big difference between driving a honda and a lotus

Very true....and the Lotus is 3x more $$. So one would hope that more $$ might mean better overall build quality. I have had some rare, low build sport cars, '13 GTR and '11ariel atom (a hand-built Honda at heart). Neither had issues nor were there others posting/blogging about recurrent issues. Atom has 5000 race miles to boot so it has been abused! My Evora has 1800 street miles.......