Prospective Evora Owner....Help Needed! :)

[C8RKH]

I never said the ride / handling on the S was bad, just that the NA was better!

I have also never said the S is a bad car.

If you want the sweetest handling and driving Evora, then buy the S1 NA. If you want the easiest to tune and seriously ramp up the powa, buy an S.

A BTCC driver actually changed from an S to the NA as it was the better handling car and he got more enjoyment from it.

All Evoras are great, great cars and have different strengths.

As for the Italian jobs, well, if its tge fuel then hardly a Lotus issue is it?  If not the fuel then why only in Italy?

However, back on track. Hass - don't be put off the NA till you've driven a good one. Even his highness @Bibs has gone for an NA and he's driven all Evoras.

[Bravo73]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

Right. Get to it. By one of the little feckers and don't ever complain about the lack of a cup holder. Not ever.

Why would he? It’s got two, one in each door pocket. 

[andyj007]

like to add also,

firstly Ive never driven an S  as it was out side my budget.. 

my s1 N/A   has a fantastic gear change explained very well by C8RKH it really is one of the cars highlights, i love the mechanical precise feel...   

"The gearshift on my 2010 NA is like a rifle bolt. Lovely, sharp and precise."

i changed my knob for a polished steel ball type, combined with the feeling noted above it now feels in your hand much better and has looks to match. it works really well with the s1 brushed aluminium interior trim, which was phased out on later cars..

the N/A tyres are cheaper as 18" 

my s1 has the   best road compliant suspension of many cars, ive owned, the recaro seats are wonderfully supportive and comfy..

the driving position is just magic .. and i mean perfect, outstanding, type of magic. 

my car has the lotus  factory sports exhaust, Janspeed stamped  (not just the sports  blue tips ) it sounds fantastic inside and out, and also the sports ratio gearbox. i would thoroughly recommend any exhaust over  the standard version

i test drove a LE which had a normal exhaust and box..  whist the gearbox was a little long once you hit 3rd  its not a defining factor..  but i walked away from that car because  iI felt it lacked drama..

when i test drove the second car with the exhaust i was sold....  it just felt as a package more complete..

the S1 does suffer from a little leather stretching on the dash, as noted in previous thread, its actually softer higher quality on the earlier cars but is prone to stretching if left in full sun for weeks on end...  

performance wise its not lacking, in the slightest its already a very very quick car...  i imagine in real life driving performnace between the S & N\A say  30-80mph in 3rd would be virtually identical... i would be interested to know if anyone has them to hand..

its  a pleasure to own, pleasure to drive,  kicking myself i didnt buy one 3-4 years ago...  

Edited October 9, 2017 by andyj007

[Colin P]

9 hours ago, C8RKH said:

Indeed on the Isle of Man in June this year I had no issues anywhere on the road keeping up with a 400 and an Exige 350 sport etc. 

I can vouch for that, but then Dave and I drive like old women 

I too am a fan of the N/A, my first Evora was an N/A and I did look a couple of times at changing to an "S" but just couldn't see the point. I suppose it is a bit different buying your first rather than trading up, but as above I never had an issue staying with the "S" on the IOM, the running costs, fuel economy, not having to find Vpower and knowing that the engine is understressed all made an N/A make sense to me.

8 hours ago, Bravo73 said:

Why would he? It’s got two, one in each door pocket. 

The 400 is over endowed with storage as well. You can fit an entire pencil in each of the door pockets. 

[C8RKH]

The 400 does sound immense Colin and the auto blips on your ips make you sound like a driving god. Looking forward to being behind you again in the IoM next year. The sound is immense.

[Hass]

12 hours ago, C8RKH said:

On the road there is basically no real difference between the S and the NA with a CR box. Indeed on the Isle of Man in June this year I had no issues anywhere on the road keeping up with a 400 and an Exige 350 sport etc. Plenty of S owners will try to convince you otherwise but it is only after they have been to Komotec for the 430 or 460 kit that there truly is a massive difference. On the track, yes, the S has the edge but only where longer straights allow it to stretch its supercharged lungs.  Lee on here upgradred from an N A to a beautifil Essex Blue 400, a big jump, and yet at Spa was from memory less than two seconds a lap quicker. So on the road.....

The NA has a sweeter ride than the S as it is better damped and does not have the additional weight higher up of the SC kit. The smaller wheels (18 and 19 versus 19 and 20) help here too.

As an onwnership proposition my NA has been tremendous. Bought it 2.5 years ago at 15k miles for £31k.  Now just done 25k miles and I'd expect to get £31k for it. I have done several upgrades though including ICE (mine was a non tech pack car so had single din radio that I upgraded to double din satnav and added reversing camera and added cruise). Haven't missed anything else from tech pack. Wanted the TPMS but having heard about all the issues glad I don't have it. Bought a PACE TPMS 77kit from Amazon that I use on my VX220 and Evora and it works like a charm and can be swapped between cars in 10 minutes max!  Not bad for £85 new. The only must have pack for me is the sports pack (same as a DB9 - you need the sport pack!).

I got the chance of some brand new SR seats so bought those from Lotus and got Allan White to do an OEM look retrim to better than sports premium interior ( this is what the SR has). Selling the old Recaros makes the seat change practically self funded. Thread on here with pictures for my retrim.

The NA is cheaper to tax, insure, tyre and fuel and cheaper slightly to maintain.  I have never regretted not getting an S in 2.5 years of spirited driving on the road.

The gearshift on my 2010 NA is like a rifle bolt. Lovely, sharp and precise.

MY12 bought some trim enhancements, notably a thin layer of foam under the leather dash trim to make it feel softer. However, it also meant you lost the natural brushed aluminium trim for a cheap black plastic  looking and feeling effort. Also the leather on the seats is thicker to counter bolster wear on the earlier cars were the leather was actually a softer higher grade!  Having said that I have seen LE cars with oyster that still look like new. As ever, some owners are harder on wear items than others.

The most noticeable trim improvements were to the door pulls. MY12 can be retrofitted to earlier cars and I would recommend it and did it myself. They feel so much better.

Mechanically, a lot of stuff was announced but little of it was delivered in reality for MY12.

The basic and well proven advice is to buy on condition and provenance first. Spec second as most things can be added or upgraded as required (e.g. my dealer fitted cruise as part of my buying deal but it is only £250 as a retrofit). As a further example the folding mirrors (a £250 option when new is a £5 ford switch from ebay and 15 minutes max to fix!). Parts bin cars do have some advantages and even Ferrari used humble fiat tipo bits on their cars! No body complained about that....

You will hear and read a lot of bullshit re gearchange and clutches.  Almost every car is different, some old ones have great gearchanges some newer ones crap. It is basically car dependent so check it out on the actual car BEFORE you buy it to see if you can get on with it.

Clutches are a scare story largely as if they do go (and so far not many have in reality) it is an engine out job so budget circa £1800-£2000 for a good independent to £3k for a dealer. You'll get a lot of people giving you doom and gloom and prattling on re the clutch, just ask them when they changed theirs and the answer will likely be they haven't !(either through no need or more probably as they have never fooken well owned an Evora and just read it somewhere on the internet so it must be true!).

The earlier cars are coming up for 7/8 years old. Get the aircon unit checked as it may now be starting to corrode externally as well as internally and is expensive to fix/replace. 

Suspension should be fine and no play in the steering should be felt.

To be honest, most issues with the cars are minor but irritating to owners.  Window motors can fail and are about £350-£400 fitted. Most common issue is the window plays up and needs a simple reset. Search on here for how to do it. A few squeaks and rattles that can be sorted oh and the double din ICE units supplied as OEM are just crap. Just swap it out, Alpine do some nice units that are plug and play and can work with, or you can add, the reversing camera. Boot release can fail and is a pita to fix but not impossible. Some aircon units can overflow water into cabin if the drain pipe is blocked (simple service item really). Apart from that, not much to report. Unlike the Cayman people are trying to get you to buy, the engines are bullet proof and to date we are not aware of one failing if i recall correctly.  Super engines really. And when accelerating hard and the cam changes, oh my, it really is heaven. Getting goose pumps just thinking about it. When driving hard the ecu changes the engine and it just, well, it just responds like a women being fettled in the right places. Sorry but no other explanation for it!!! It's immensely satisfying and you get a truly great growl instead of a groan hahaha.... oh my, did I mention I have 2bular headers. Oh my god, going weak at the knees at the thought of them.

Oh, final point is that the transmission can whine and sound like a tractor at slow speeds. I'm afraid they all do that Sir but not an indicator of impending doom.  Some clutches can be stiff, but very stiff and a high bite point means it could be worn and you need to reflect that in the price. But I must stress some very good clutches are stiff.

Sports exhaust and decat pipe are well worth having and desirables extras (sports exhaust part of sports pack).

So. After all that, what the freaking hell are you doing waiting and have you bought that grey LE with the paprika interior? Looks yummy..... Shame it's not an Ardent Red one though as that and MSG and Persian Blue and Orange and Ice White and well, lots of colours really, make the Evora look a million dollars.

Right. Get to it. By one of the little feckers and don't ever complain about the lack of a cup holder. Not ever.

Happy driving...  

Thanks so much....so much great advice for me to digest. I hadn't considered the differences in the gearbox....think I need to get behind the wheel and drive a couple to get a real feel. I know as soon as I do, I will want one immediately!!

The value really appeals to me and again makes this car a sound purchase....they just do not seem to drop massively and there is always a ceiling in my opinion that they will not go under. I regretably sold my Elise 8 years ago and its now worth more then when I actually sold it....Evora seems to be going the same way!!

When I purchase one (fingers crossed) I will reach out if that's ok to get some tips around customising and pricing if thats ok.

Thanks again for such a detailed message....appreciate it.

11 hours ago, mik said:

What Andy says is true - a driving buddy  had an NA Evora for a couple of years, so I know how quickly they can cover ground. If you try one on a road where you can push the dynamics- you are unlikely to be disappointed. Even their ability to perform high-speed overtakes belies their on-paper power to weight ratio.

In saying that I wanted an S, so I got an S. (SR as I wanted an SR). 

And.... one of our dogs has been in the Glasgow Vet School Small Animal Hospital for a week. Back from deaths door thankfully, I got the call advising that she could come home today.  After eldest son had left with his Swift, and mrs mik had left with her F-Pace. Ah. 

No way was I going to leave her another night, so practical sports car to the rescue. Try that in a Cayman. 

Thanks Mik...I need to get out there and drive one I think....and soon!! What's SR?

Great news about your dog; looks happy as Larry in the back of your gorgeous car!!

[mik]

Sorry - SR is Sports Racer. The run-out version of the series1 Evora before the 400 was released. About 100 cars total, with around half of them supercharged with manual box (the combo I wanted). 

PS - for clarity - the S is quicker in a straight line - no question. NA and 'charged cars wouldn't be the same in a 30-80mph 3rd gear drag as mused above. The Evora demonstrates however that cross country pace relies on far more than straight-line capability, and the two cars are same-same other than the power outputs. 

[Stratton Motor Company]

Hi Hass,

I may be bringing in a 2011 Lotus Evora N/A in Ardent Red with 32k on the clock Full Lotus History, lovely condition would this be of any interest? Its quite a rare model being the IPS variant.

 

 

[Hass]

10 hours ago, andyj007 said:

like to add also,

firstly Ive never driven an S  as it was out side my budget.. 

my s1 N/A   has a fantastic gear change explained very well by C8RKH it really is one of the cars highlights, i love the mechanical precise feel...   

"The gearshift on my 2010 NA is like a rifle bolt. Lovely, sharp and precise."

i changed my knob for a polished steel ball type, combined with the feeling noted above it now feels in your hand much better and has looks to match. it works really well with the s1 brushed aluminium interior trim, which was phased out on later cars..

the N/A tyres are cheaper as 18" 

my s1 has the   best road compliant suspension of many cars, ive owned, the recaro seats are wonderfully supportive and comfy..

the driving position is just magic .. and i mean perfect, outstanding, type of magic. 

my car has the lotus  factory sports exhaust, Janspeed stamped  (not just the sports  blue tips ) it sounds fantastic inside and out, and also the sports ratio gearbox. i would thoroughly recommend any exhaust over  the standard version

i test drove a LE which had a normal exhaust and box..  whist the gearbox was a little long once you hit 3rd  its not a defining factor..  but i walked away from that car because  iI felt it lacked drama..

when i test drove the second car with the exhaust i was sold....  it just felt as a package more complete..

the S1 does suffer from a little leather stretching on the dash, as noted in previous thread, its actually softer higher quality on the earlier cars but is prone to stretching if left in full sun for weeks on end...  

performance wise its not lacking, in the slightest its already a very very quick car...  i imagine in real life driving performnace between the S & N\A say  30-80mph in 3rd would be virtually identical... i would be interested to know if anyone has them to hand..

its  a pleasure to own, pleasure to drive,  kicking myself i didnt buy one 3-4 years ago...  

Thank you; great advice and good to hear as my budget may not stretch to an S so great to hear what you are both saying about the NA model.

Have you had many issues with your Evora at all?

The exhaust and sound is important to me so I may well pick your brain about that after I have made a purchase!

Now time for my lack of knowledge....what is "LE" and what is "S1"?

The thing I loved the most about the Elise was the acceleration and the way it felt on country roads around tight corners.... 

34 minutes ago, mik said:

Sorry - SR is Sports Racer. The run-out version of the series1 Evora before the 400 was released. About 100 cars total, with around half of them supercharged with manual box (the combo I wanted). 

PS - for clarity - the S is quicker in a straight line - no question. NA and 'charged cars wouldn't be the same in a 30-80mph 3rd gear drag as mused above. The Evora demonstrates however that cross country pace relies on far more than straight-line capability, and the two cars are same-same other than the power outputs. 

Thanks Mik. The thing I loved the most about the Elise was the acceleration from a standing start and the way it felt around tight corners on country roads...the feeling and thrill were amazing and I want that again with the Evora!!

28 minutes ago, Stratton Motor Company said:

Hi Hass,

I may be bringing in a 2011 Lotus Evora N/A in Ardent Red with 32k on the clock Full Lotus History, lovely condition would this be of any interest? Its quite a rare model being the IPS variant.

 

 

Thanks Alex. The colour is ideal for what I am after however I want a manual ahead of IPS. What will it be going for?

[pete]

Is there any need to keep repeating all the long posts???

[Bibs]

I went past an Evora 400 twice around Silverstone last Monday, it's not all about power by a long shot. In my experience (this is my 7th Evora) the NA & S cars are all similarly paced through the country roads and as stated above the only time the higher power comes into play is on the straights, and that isn't where 99.9% of Lotus owners have their fun. 

1 minute ago, pete said:

Is there any need to keep repeating all the long posts???

No. @Hass, if you want to reply to someone type @ then their username and select if from the list that appears. Keeps the conversation easier to read mate

[mik]

The N.A. does 0-100 in something like 12.1 secs : very respectable and probably quicker than your Elise was (?).

And yes - they corner.

[Hass]

sorry @pete ...new to the forum!

Thanks @Bibs ....appreciate the advice. The thing I loved about the Elise was the way it felt from a standing start and the feeling around tight country roads....sounds like the NA and "s" handle quite similarly around tight bends?

[pete]

Where is @Dave Eds when you need him.Has probably driven an n.a. as much as anybody

[Hass]

It is indeed faster than my Elise was @mik!!! 

[C8RKH]

I have had a couple of issues with my car @Hass.  First one I mentioned above was my driver window motor failing. Replaced under used warranty by my dealer.

Second issue was again with the window not opening closing properly. There is a fix to reset the window (window switch down, hold, up, hold) and no issues since.

That's it in 2.5 years as the falt battery was me being stoopid!

My car came with the decat pipe and Lotus Port Exhaust. Sounded ok. But then I added the 2bular headers (deletes the two stock cats and adds a single sport cat) to the mix and oh my, she now sounds beautiful. Music to my ears. Effing great!

Ask away anytime.

Here's the link to the pictures for my new interior. Went from non premium charcoal tho this. I love it but then I am biased.....

 

[Hass]

You may be biased @C8RKH but I'm not and you've done a great job; looks awesome. 

Was the change in exhaust to the 2bular headings cost; was it expensive?

Thanks again for all of your help and information; helps me massively...I'm a complete rookie!!  

[plenty]

13 hours ago, andyj007 said:

the N/A tyres are cheaper as 18" 

...

the driving position is just magic .. and i mean perfect, outstanding, type of magic. 

My S has  the same cast wheels as the NA: 19" rears and 18" fronts.

Re: driving position, I feel like a boring stuck record as have posted this a few times now, but it's the one thing that lets the car down for me - the pedal box on the S1 is skewed to the left as the wheelarch takes up a lot of space on the right.  My right leg invariably hurts after 20 mins and I'm slightly put off from taking longer journeys for this reason, particularly as my car doesn't have cruise control.

However we are of course all shaped differently so my woes may not affect others (and clearly don't as many others report no issues).

The only other concern I have about the Evora as an ownership proposition is the lack of availability of spares, a historical Lotus shortcoming.  I've currently got parts on back order for months with no stock availability in view.  I've got two LEDs out in one headlight and the only solution is a new headlight for >£1k except you can't actually buy a new headlight.  (Fortunately Lotus Silverstone are close to coming up with a fix).

I am paranoid about getting rear-ended as I am reliably informed by my Lotus approved body shop that new S1 clams (front and rear) are unavailable.  For this reason I'd personally never daily drive an S1.

However I can (more than live with) all of the above as it really such  a special car, that imparts such a feeling of well-being when you drive it, at any speed.

[Bibs]

Evora clams are made to order, Lotus don't hold stock as they don't get through many of them. Lead time is a couple of months at worst. 

[C8RKH]

If the clams are no longer available then maybe @YvoTuk can talk to winace re getting replacements made up.

Bit like you can get aftermarket oem quality clams for the elise, exige and vx220.

I think lotushardtops could be asked too.

Anything that helps keep these lovely babies on the road.

I'm planning a mini restoration of mine over the winter. Clams off. The mild steel brackets and screws underneath all checked and either replaced or powder coated and a general replacement of anything that needs it. Might as well start now as I don't see me parting with it for a while. Whilst the clams are off might as well get them repainted to remove stone chips too.

Hopefully by the spring she will be like factory fresh.

@Hass the headers were not cheap. Around £2k fitted but they really open up the mid range, the engine is noticeably more urgent. Did I mention the noise ? The pops and gurgles whilst not being in the same league as the 400 are giggle inducing good.

A by product is that they also remove the main cats that sit on the engine block literally cooking it. The engine then runs cooler which is great for power and engine longevity.

My S1 Evora is turning into a long term keeper. Still keep looking at that fire red 410 in Silverstone though! Would love the fire red GT430 but just cannot bring myself to spend over £100k on a car. Any car! But if I did. The GT430 means it WOULD be a Lotus

 

 

 

[plenty]

Good to know about the clams.  And hopefully once Geely get their teeth into the business the spares situation will improve.

As if by kismet I've literally had an email from DeRoure since I wrote the above, stating my part should be in stock next week.  Happy days.

[C8RKH]

I ordered an obscure part - the rubber seal on the fuel flap. Came in 48 hours. Was most impressed.

Ordered a few things from Deroure over the last 2 years and everything was quick. Quite slick really.

[andyj007]

44 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

I'm planning a mini restoration of mine over the winter. Clams off. The mild steel brackets and screws underneath all checked and either replaced or powder coated and a general replacement of anything that needs it. Might as well start now as I don't see me parting with it for a while. Whilst the clams are off might as well get them repainted to remove stone chips too.

 

 

 

looking forward to a nice photOgraphic step by step unbuild and rebuild thread  will make a nice winter read....

[Hass]

@C8RKH are you a mechanic or have you picked things up over time? Just wondering as you have done so much work to your Evora...!

[gregs24]

1 hour ago, Bibs said:

Evora clams are made to order, Lotus don't hold stock as they don't get through many of them. Lead time is a couple of months at worst. 

Which is exactly the point - hardly daily driver material if a clam keeps you off the road for 2 months. Amazingly, I am having a windscreen replaced this week and it only took a couple of weeks to arrive !

As for other parts - service items are OK but most other parts are 'factory order' for the S1. I couldn't even get boot struts and had to go third party (cheaper and better)