I am looking at purchasing a Lotus Emira (on the wait list) when they become available in the US. Should be around Mid - Late 2024;



And thus have joined several Lotus Forums to learn more about the brand in general and the new Emira in particular....

One of the best things I like about Porsche Ownership is being a member of the Porsche Club of America. I find the people friendly, engaging, willing to help, and my wife and I like to attend the Treffen's, Parade's and other PCA gatherings around the country. We have made many "Porsche Friends" from around the USA and Canada that we see each year at these different events. In general I have a positive view of other Porsche owners based on my personal experiences, yet realize there may be "one" not so nice person in every group.

Now this takes me to the limited impression I have made about Lotus owners, based on my interaction with them on 2 different Lotus forums. I have read several post stating very negative views about "Porsche Owners" and much of my inquiries about Lotus have been responded with a sense of disdain.

I understand the tendency when you are an owner/supporter of a specific brand to overlook some of the brands quirks & deficiencies, yet I think Porsche owners are mostly upfront about issues with Porsche vehicles, and discuss them openly. However, I am developing some concerns that the general Lotus Owner crowd will be a very different group, with the tendency to justify Lotus quality/reliability/performance issues as just "part of the Lotus Brand experience".

I also am getting the impression that Lotus owners are not as inviting and friendly versus the PCA members we have enjoyed and like so much. My local fellow Porsche owners (PCA members) give me positive feedback and show interest in my investigation of the Lotus Emira - yet the Lotus crowd gives me the impression of negativity towards anything Porsche related.

Is this just the Forum Mentality I am perceiving and the Lotus Crowd will be more friendly like the PCA members I have experience?

 

Personally as a 77-year old fellow the following has been my experience with owning a huge number of different makes & models over the years.

Internet Sites generally speaking all are Very-very similar with most members.
Especially if your on a Ford Internet Site and mention your looking into possibly buying the Newly released Corvette C-8, Z06 with the Z07 Performance package what's your guys thoughts ???
Get ready because here it comes !!!

Same if your on a BMW Internet Site and mention your considering looking into the New Mercedes AMG.
What's your guys take ???

Your on an Audi Internet Site and ask what do you guys think I'm looking into the Newly released, whatever ????????????
Same thing will take place ..............

I'm saying Internet Sites once again in General are all the same.
Some members will have a much more Open-Mind but on EVERY Internet Site there is and will always be the (Hard-Core) Loyalty-Brand *** Holes.

Good-Luck with the Lotus if you do go that direction,
Terry Honaker

 

@tigerhonaker Thank you for your insight....

I fully understand the Brand Loyalty, yet having never owned a Lotus, thus of course I have a fair amount of questions. And my questions are more of "I'm buying a Lotus, yet I see their Warranty is 3yr/36K miles... Hmmm, Audi, BMW, Porsche, are all 4 yr/48K miles, & Corvette Power Train is 5Yr/60K miles...Lotus is not inline with their competition. Should I be concerned and/or buy an extended Warranty?" I was thinking in line of how most folks view a Porsche CPO Warranty car or an extended Warranty as a positive, to cover the "what if's that could happen, yet usually don't happen".

So I'm not saying to the Lotus crowd... "I'm thinking of buying a non-Lotus vehicle".... Yet OMG,.... a Porsche owner has questioned some part of the Lotus brand, we will have none of that!! I guess its just not what I expected, as many Rennlist members have provide honest and valued feedback to non Porsche owners looking to buy a used Porsche.....

I enjoy the Car Club social aspect with PCA, and had thought I could expand with other car Brands that I find to my liking. I guess I will just have to see how this all plays out, and I might find the actual local Lotus folks are more amiable than the Lotus Forum group.....

 

I love the idea of it, but I would advise not to purchase the first year of any new model vehicle... let alone a Lotus. It reminds me of when Alfa came out with the 4C, definitely a Boxster/Cayman alternative, but fit and finish was a big issue and the model was discontinued. I've seen all of Harry's Garage video on his order process and the delivery of his, not a bad car by any means, but I'd wait to see if any other customers are having issues with theirs, and like Lotus of old, there could be some huge savings potential for a slightly used example.

 

I know 2 people who own Elise's, one a former 997 GT3 owner. Inalado guess that internet warriors are a bit different. I experienced the same with my Abarth and Mini GO. Emira seems to be getting great reviews in lhe UK. ( not surprisingly).

Last year I put a deposit on a Lotus Eletre for the wife. By the time it gets to US, hopefully the first batch glitches should be fixed by that time. Made in Wuhan, and, as of this week, Lotus' electric car company will be partly owned by Louis Vuitton (actually by its owner). Let's see. So far, it looks good.

 

When I owned my Evora GT I reached out to the Carolina Lotus Club and found a very friendly and accepting group of folks. I was never able to make a meet-up but they seemed about as cool as most Porsche folks I have encountered. I sold my Lotus because I was not happy with the interior quality and dealer network. The car was the final production version 2021. Evora parts would be harder to come by with the new Emira coming out. And the nearest dealer was 400 miles away. My Porsche friends warned me about buying the Evora but it was just something a had to do. Now that I have my 718 Spyder I would consider another Lotus but only a drastically discounted used model. From the reviews I’m watching the Emira is performing similarly to the Evora GT if equipped with the V6. So other than a fancier interior and new bodywork I would expect it to be about the same quality as the Evora. I don’t know if Lotus has updated their production methods or instituted new quality control measures but if they haven’t then the Emira will see similar “Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious” issues as previous vehicles. But I hope not because it looks like a great car at a reasonable price.

 

I hear you and fully agree! Lotus is having it share of initial production issues with the Emira, and if you follow it on the Emira Forum it sounds very concerning. Yet you have to realize that these forums amplify the issues as you hear only the problems and none of the cars with no issues.

In any event, I'm on the Emira list, yet pretty low, so I do not expect a production slot until mid to late 2024. I hope Lotus would have sorted out any production quality issues by then, yet as other have said.... Lotus = "Lots Of Trouble - Usually Serious". I will be keeping my 2015 Cayman for a while after I get the Emira as a safety net, just in case the Emira is a Lot of Trouble - Usually Serious.

Thanks to all for your input and experience. I really appreciate your feedback! Thanks.

 

981KMAN,

I read your comments (Twice and Slowly) so I fully understand what your saying.

Here's exactly what I think and also what I'd do myself and My-Money if I were purchasing a New Lotus.
Purchase the LONGEST Lotus {Extended} warranty available !!!
That way you will be Fully-Protected if anything does happen to it while you own it.

Be SMART buddy,
Terry Honaker
USA

 

So, I have three Porsches and a Lotus Elise SC and I think I am an unwelcoming jerk and I also have the air and water cooled internal conflict....what am I to do?

30+ years of playing with European and mostly British vehicles including two Lotus, I will say that IMHO the Brit car community is generally more welcoming of other marques than the Pcar crowd. I will also say that the Elise crowd is also a bit different than the typical Brit owners, at least some are. I have met more than a few who seem to have purchased the Elise as a cool/fast car w/ little appreciation for the marque. I would expect a typical Europa or Esprit owner to appreciate a Porsche and its owner, assuming they appear to have bought said Porsche for more than a fashion accessory.

Alas, the Lotus is on the block, I will miss her...enjoyed every mile.....

Good luck w/ your Emira!

 

I also have an Emira deposit and am on the Emira forum. Never owned a Lotus before (almost bought an Evora) and currently own a 991 and previously owned a 996. I see some of the slight negativity on the Emira forum but none of it directed towards Porsche owners. There's bad apples in every car genre. Most of what I see is people saying what good cars Porsches are.
I dont expect the Lotus community to be quite as helpful as Porsche. Mainly due to numbers and support available. Lotus is no where near the company with resources that Porsche has nor the number of owners.
I'm slightly apprehensive about what to expect from Lotus ownership as well but hopeful so far.

 

Many "Thank You" to all for your input and experiences. Thank you.

aero z's reply above comes close to my current thoughts having spent more time on this topic.

I am on two different Lotus forums, "Lotus Talk" and "Lotus Emira", and find them quite different.... I find the Lotus Emira forum to be active, friendly, and generally welcoming to non-Lotus owners who are asking questions or have concerns about owning a Lotus for the first time.
My experience on the Lotus Talk forum has been different, and what caused my initial concern and prompted the question that started this thread. As aero z reminded me; "there's bad apples in every car genre".... I also realize that it only takes a few "bad apples" on a forum to give a poor impression to a general group of people, and that a few bad apples should not negatively taint my overall experiences with Lotus owners as a whole. With that said, I also realize that I have pretty much stopped going to the Lotus Talk forum, and have been using the Lotus Emira forum 99% of the time. This has given me a very different, and much more positive view of Lotus owners in general.

I am staying with my deposit on an Emira, even though it will probably be a late 2024 build. And hope to build some new friends in the Lotus car community moving forward.

Thanks again!

 

aero z,

I have watched on YouTube Many-many videos of the new Lotus Sports Cars.
And some were long distance videos in Europe.
From what I have observed all the people doing the driving were impressed with the cars.

Good-Luck with your's once it arrives,
Terry

 

Interesting on the POWER increases if purchased in China !!!

Lotus PRIORITISES CHINA for Emira Performance Over Europe! (Here's Why!...)

Only 1-Hour ago on YouTube .............


Terry
USA

 

Yes, another twist on the Emira saga. I got tired of the delays and the quality issues being reported in the EU and other markets where the Emira was being delivered. This on top of not having a Dearer for warranty service less than 2 hours from home added to my concerns. So when a Porsche 992 Carrera S allocation came available, I jumped on it and cancelled my Emira deposit.

Maybe a used Emira will be in my future, yet I don't see the Emira being worth $100K, when compared to other more mature and developed vehicle offerings.

 

I'm still in and have been told my car is being built finally. Hopefully it arrives just as the CARB fiasco is approved and they can sell them. We're planning to take our 991C4S to go pick it up. Also the cars you see online at dealers are customers cars mostly (dumb to list those). There may be a few rare ones were people cancelled after their build was submitted.
Gonna make it frustrating for someone that wants to buy one of those impossible to distinguish between the two.