Evora market watch, for discussion and to help those searching!

[Jonathan Ashcroft]

The more time goes by the more impressed I am that I seem to be on my original clutch after 60k miles and I don't see it having any issues. 

[tim_marra]

I have a MY12 S, ordered in Feb that year and delivered in Sept 12. All during the Bahar dismissal saga. Lots of mates thought I was mad ordering the car at such a time, but I was ok with it. The good folk at Hethel must have spent an age building it as to this day it is spot on with 33k miles covered on road and track(s). Original clutch here too 

[jep]

Yep, most are fine on clutch. The failure rate was notable on a part that should last min 50,000 miles and is an expensive fix on Evora. Even 5% failure is too many but Lotus fixed the issue and certainly MY12 appear to be as it should be. I have no issue with a brand new model having some teething problems.  

I had a clutch failure on Ford GT (05) at 23,000 miles. Ford replaced FOC without hesitation saying it was a part failure from new. I was surprised at this generosity.

Justin 

 

[Benny90210]

3 hours ago, Sharpey said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-evora-/165493595447?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Seems to be a few cropping up

I wonder if the cost of living squeeze is forcing a few more onto the market? If so may see a slight drop in premium car market.

[exeterjeep]

Also potentially some selling their Evora a few months before an Emira delivery? May hope to get more selling now than doing a p/ex with Lotus/BCA. 

[Rambo]

5 hours ago, Sharpey said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-evora-/165493595447?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Seems to be a few cropping up

Looks like a dealer? Hope the car is in better nick than his punctuation 😅 I found the advert a bit frustrating to read. Good MOT history though

[hamza]

8 hours ago, Sharpey said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-evora-/165493595447?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Seems to be a few cropping up

This seems pretty cheap no? £25k. Not much detail and no idea on the service history so hard to say for sure.

[Ba55uma]

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/13406334

Low mileage NA. Although it was originally registered in Jersey 

[Ba55uma]

4 hours ago, exeterjeep said:

Also potentially some selling their Evora a few months before an Emira delivery? May hope to get more selling now than doing a p/ex with Lotus/BCA. 

Evora is a cult car, I doubt there might be many who want to swap Evora with Emira. 

Yes, emira might be faster and has up to date gizmos, but Evora will have its own fanbase. 

[Rambo]

6 hours ago, Ba55uma said:

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/13406334

Low mileage NA. Although it was originally registered in Jersey 

That's the one Justin just lost out on. 

15 hours ago, jep said:

Can be lack of use, I've had a few cars needing new clutch due to previous low mileage (judder). And early Evora had known clutch failure issues on a small but significant %, so it's not surprising.

The car is now sold. I was second in line as I was attracted to a lower miler.

Justin 

 

19 hours ago, exeterjeep said:

On AT.

Description

Two owners from new | Great Service History Including Clutch Replacement | 18" Black Front and 19" Black Rear Alloy Wheels | Recaro sports seats | Tech pack | Upgraded Pioneer Touch Screen Stereo | Cruise Control on Steering Wheel | Rear Parking Sensors | Tire pressure monitoring system | Sytner Select Warranty | Sytner Select Vehicle | This Evora was registered in Jersey and returned | To the UK in 2020 with all tax's paid | 1000's more BMW's available, visit sytner.co.uk/bmw/ to view our full range. Grey, £30,000

 

This car comes with

• Reserve Online
• Two owners from new
• Great Service History Including Clutch Replacement
• 18" Black Front and 19" Black Rear Alloy Wheels
• Recaro sports seats
• Tech pack
• Upgraded Pioneer Touch Screen Stereo
• Cruise Control on Steering Wheel
• Rear Parking Sensors
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Sytner Select Warranty
• Sytner Select Vehicle
• This Evora was registered in Jersey and returned
• To the UK in 2020 with all tax's paid

 

[LotusLeftLotusRight]

9 hours ago, Ba55uma said:

Yes, emira might be faster

Only faster than the older Evora models on paper. I reckon the Emira will be on a par with the Evora 400, whereas the various 410 and 430 models will be quicker than the Emira.

[Jonathan Ashcroft]

9 hours ago, Ba55uma said:

Evora is a cult car, I doubt there might be many who want to swap Evora with Emira. 

Yes, emira might be faster and has up to date gizmos, but Evora will have its own fanbase. 

I think if you have a newer Evora 410 etc and bought it to have the latest Lotus an Emira may make sense as it will be in many ways a better Evora in terms of proper handling sports car but with more refinement and up to date styling. 

If you're in an Na or an S I think the difference in price, speed and looks will be a bigger adjustment. 

I've heard a few of existing older Lotus owners talking about getting the Merc engines Emira as it offers the most usable alternative Lotus experience to that of an Elise/Exige or classic. 

I'd have to drive an Emira before I considered swapping. I love how the Evora drives and even a 570s I drove made me appreciate what it does more. 

[Rambo]

Can't see me changing the Evira for an Emira any time soon. It's not the money but the hype. I'll wait until after all the excitement dies down, all the little niggles are revealed and after all the recalls have been carried out

For me, the Evora is a lovely drive, totally different to my M100's, which are good in many other ways

[C8RKH]

At the end of the day the Evora has sold in small numbers so it is a niche car, that still, to this day, many, the vast majority, do not really know about, and that includes many self professed petrol heads.  The people who know about the Evora, are predominantly Lotus owners or people who know an Evora owner or have been in one and then bought one.

Those lucky enough to own an Evora, whether it is an NA, S, 400, 410 or 430 ALL KNOW what a cracking car it is where it matters - in how it drives and how it makes you feel. They are all "special" cars, and to me all Lotus cars have been special in their time for the way they drove and how they connected with and engaged with the driver.  

The Emira will hopefully follow this trend. We'll soon find out, but I am pretty confident it will.

The Evora will appeal to new owners on price and scarcity. Not everyone wants to drive the same car as everyone else and there will always be a couple of thousand people out of the 65m in the UK who want to be different. 

The Emira will I think be an unmitigated success, but it will also bring a different type of new owner to Lotus. The "old guard" will buy an Emira as it is the next Lotus and they have bought into the brand - a bit like a Porsche driver will always buy the next Porsche model.  However, I think the new Lotus owners are proving to be more fickle, more dare I say it "fashion conscious" and see the Emira as the latest cool toy to have. How "sticky" they will be for the brand is something that will be up for debate for some time. Once the "novelty" of the latest cool thing rubs off, how many of these Emira owners will be looking to flip in say 12, 18 or 24 months? How many will flip to another Lotus? And what will a larger than usual "pool" of new and used Emira's mean for residuals? 

The Evora was residually bomb proof because of its anonymity. Always a scarce model to buy for a small pool of prospective owners. Mass production is likely to bring mass depreciation, or at least, the threat of over supply. Add that to the fact that the strongest selling point for the Evora was the +2 capability, something the Emira cannot compete with, and I don't think the future for Emira depreciation will be anything as good as the Evora's. Then, add in the "base" model price point for the Merc engined cars and I think the case for residuals, especially for First Edition V6 cars, for the first 5 years, looks on the ropes. 

Lotus is chasing the Porsche model, however I am not sure how many 911's have been sold to a first time to the brand Cayenne or Macan owner. Not many if you look at the figures and the 911 has a 50 year long tenure, cult and fan base built around it. The Emira does not have this base. The Emira will face massive competition for owners now, who will also be looking at models like the Taycan, the Audi e-Tron etc as these offer the "novelty" and "prestige" of premium EV vehicles which brings me back to my earlier point re new (to the brand) Emira owners being more fickle and fashion conscious than traditional owners - the lure of the next new thing will be strong for them.

The closest example we have really is McLaren.  MP4-12C and 650s values have declined steadily, but slowly, over the past 10 years. The launch of the 540 and 570 did not significantly change that depreciation curve and in fact if you look now, the values of MP4-12C/650S are moving downwards slower than 540/570's to the point were the lowest priced 540/570 is LOWER by quite a way than the highest priced MP4-12C/650s.  Why is that?  Well, from what I know (which is not everything), the MP4-12C and 650S is just a better drive, more pure, a tad more hardcore, and has the wonderful but complex suspension that the 540/570 does not have, oh, and I believe it is faster and lighter too. So the problem for the 540/570 (which I love and would have one in a heartbeat) is that they are sandwiched between a lower priced, older but faster more focused MP4-12C/650S and an even more hardcore, much faster, and more expensive set of models that look more rad and extreme.  I would argue the Emira will find itself in a similar position, sandwiched between the Evora and the next gen faster and more rad looking Electric Sports car from Lotus.  Once these cars come out, I believe the hype over the Emira will die down and it will be seen for what it really is, the next generation Evora. Whilst that may offend some prospective owners of an Emira, it is in my humble opinion the cold reality of what the Emira actually is.

So the point of this piffle is that I do believe that whilst later Evora models will soften on price, especially the 400 and GT410 cars (Sport 410's already seem to have softened a lot and are a bargain right now in my opinion - shows the effect of the +0 to the greatest effect on Evora attractiveness in my opinion) I don't expect that demand will fall away, it will always be a very limited edition car to own, and as such the arse will not fall out of the bottom of the prices, instead, the Emira will depreciate faster the more successful its sales are.

There's a lot of crap written on here and the rest of the internet re Clutches (I'm on my second Evora and neither my first one - to this day - or my second one has needed a new clutch and the majority, by far of owners I know have NEVER needed a new clutch), LE's, MY12, Series 1 NA v S, 400's, Sport 410/GT410 and GT430's etc.  There is a lot of love for the S1, including from me as I owned one for several years, but believe me, as a Sport410 owner the build quality between Series 1 and 4xx is night and day, (though personally I loved my S1 pre MY12 interior with the metal trims but hated the post MY12 revision with its tacky black plastic finish, but ingress and egress from an S1 is much harder than a 4xx due to the high S1 sills). The majority of the comments you receive though are usually based on "get yourself an Evora (insert model here that the person talking to you owns) as this is THE BEST Evora to own".

You'll get bullshit around how the S1 NA is underpowered (it is a sub 5 second car and it is not by the way), the S1 S is better (well, it is faster, but not as good handling as the NA so maybe it is better depending on what "better" means to you), the 400 is crap and unloved (this comment from just about every S1 owner who has never owned a 400 model and so is about as informed as Jon Snow but more prejudiced), the Sport 410 is the sweet-spot (see my "insert model here you own" comment above  - I still drool all over the carbon and every time I open the garage my knees still wobble - but then they do when I see pictures from @Kimbers(who is the current caretaker) of my previous S1 NA, the GT410 is better than the 400 (it's a Sport 410 with a different front and rear bumper - that's it really, until you get to the GT410 that doesn't have the carbon which is a 400 with a different front and rear bumper) and the GT430 is the Lotus equivalent of a halo car like the Enzo, or P1, GT3RS, etc - it isn't, but it is a damn fine car).

If you want an Evora, the time to buy is when a car comes up that is CLOSE to your ideal specification and price point. If you wait for your ideal car (spec, colour etc) then be prepared for a long wait and don't whinge or whine about how long it is taking - you made the choice to be picky so get over it.

So, get your budget sorted, get on the internet, and find the best damn Evora you can for the money you have available. They are pretty bullet proof (yes, they have minor irritating niggles but then so do Tesla's), only one big ticket maintenance item (the clutch at £3k), proven and reliable engine and gearbox, the bodies and chassis don't rust (everything else attaches to them does though lol), different to almost anything out there at the price point, rare as hen's teeth, and everyone who see's them on the road waves, points and smiles as it's not a Porsche or Ferrari and looks and sounds cool, so therefore the driver must be cool too.  What is anyone waiting for?

 

[Celica]

What’s the metal round thing which looks like a metal pop pin in the middle of the black one on eBay rear hatch? 

[Jonathan Ashcroft]

Good question??? Looks like an aftermarket lock like those fitted to vans 😂.

[tim_marra]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

personally I loved my S1 pre MY12 interior with the metal trims but hated the post MY12 revision with its tacky black plastic finish

I know you've said it before, but Lotus have always stated the dark finish is actually machined aluminium. It does feel colder to the touch than plastic trim too 

[C8RKH]

Apologies, I should have been clearer - it is the tacky black paint/plastic/whatever it is finish over the top of what was brushed aluminium.  So to be clear, it is the black finish that i do not like and think looks and feels tacky. However, each to their own of course (usually based on what they own, so in your case a post MY12 with the black finish?)

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by Bravo73

[tim_marra]

Oh, ok. I've no idea how the dark finish is achieved but I like it on mine. Our differences is what makes the world go round. Well, that and too much alcohol 🍺 

[tim_marra]

Having had a bit of a think about it, it is probably anodised (to achieve either finish)?

[Conceptwho]

9 hours ago, Celica said:

What’s the metal round thing which looks like a metal pop pin in the middle of the black one on eBay rear hatch? 

Yes I wondered this too.  Any ideas anyone?

So how much of a pain in the backside is it if you have an Evora that is completely wrapped?  I heard wraps need refreshing every three years.  Myth of fact?  What about removing the wrap - does this cause damage to the paint underneath?  This is a black wrap on a factory white.  

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, Conceptwho said:

I heard wraps need refreshing every three years

Cannot understand why anyone would wrap (not including PPF in that) a car fully if it needs re-doing every three years. It would be cheaper. Look better. And last longer to just get  quality respray done.

In terms of damage to the paint underneath, then does that not surely negate the point of a wrap as a temporary (as it needs to be refreshed every three years) colour change?

And finally, if a quality wrap (guess the word quality is key) really did damage the paint then no one would do it, especially not to £100k supercars which seems to happen a lot.

So, feels like a lot of the usual internet bullshit around this and as always, rather than asking people who have read one more google search item than you for advice, you're best to go and talk to a specialist painter or wrapper (not the Eminen type of wrapper!) as the answer would be determined by the condition of your paint.  In terms of buying a car that was wrapped, I would suggest you get the current owner to get the wrap removed so you can inspect the paint before you buy it. Otherwise, you might be facing a bill bigger than a clutch change and we know how that scares people away from an Evora.

[r3nault]

I had wrap removed from my roof, sills, spoiler and mirror, as my car came like that from its original owner but I didn’t like it. I’ve been told the life is more like seven years, and it was on my car for 8-10 with no I’ll effects. One issue, though, was whomever did the wrap cut it on the paint at the splitter, which is a sh**house cheapo thing to do and when I eventually find out who it was, they’ll be getting  the one star review they deserve. As @C8RKH says, this is best identified by having it removed prior to purchase. Other than that, paint was in excellent condition underneath, even in the harsh Australian sun. But I’m still not a fan of wrap!

[Celica]

I’m not a fan of wrap either. 
my wife’s mini has a wrapped roof, and wet leaves stuck on it marks it. You can’t polish it either. Hence why I paid more to prep the roof and have it gloss black painted on the Evora. 
 

my friend years ago bought a m3 with a carbon wrap roof, it left weave marks underneath on the paint! 
 

a high quality wrap for short term, just to change colour for an event or something I can understand (if money wasn’t a deciding factor to consider), but otherwise having a nice detailed paintwork with the old fashion polish and wax is my preference 

[Cdm2018]

I had my roof and sill and mirror wrap on for 4 years don’t know what paint is like under roof but I think not great however I probably Wrap again 

TBH I didn’t really research how long these wraps last but I go back to the original guys as they seem to have done a good job so far ! 
Happy with my wrap make it my own version personal to me I guess 😁