Possible New Evora Owner - help?

anthonyyule · Post by **anthonyyule** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:08 pm

Hi guys,

Hows it going? Ive been a member here for years but since selling my Exige I haven't been active.
However after reading Justins Buying Guide (!) in Evo, and also having the opportunity to possibly buy a used Evora S from MMC - I really thought I should really come back and ask for some advice.

Im looking at a 2011 S. It looks like a lovely car, and on the strength of "first opinions" I was ready to do the deal. However, after spending last night doing some research I am a little concerned about the car if it isn't the MY12 updated model...

Should I be concerned about the interior quality/ leather seats and SAT Nav - or am I really just being sucked into the hype that has been written about the older model? The car looks awesome, I think it would suit my needs well. You know, I could always change out the Sat Nav if it comes to it, but I wouldn't be able to do anything about the seats/ interior/ quality.

I would really appreciate any advice..... Im in Inverurie, so getting to MMC for a look isn't all that convenient. So Im doing my best to try and do my homework before I go down the road.

Cheers guys, Tony

andyc · Post by **andyc** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:24 pm

I have no advice to offer but shall look forward to seeing it around the town if you get one

Post by **C7Steve** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:35 pm

Hello Tony,

Welcome back.

If I was in your position, then I would not be worried about buying the car you have your eyes on down at MMC. Craig the service manager will look after you, before, during and after you decide to buy the Evora. Check out the comments in this section for proof; http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/vie ... 20&t=24739

It is always nice to have the newest model, but if you tell Craig your concerns, then he will help you along the way and will make sure that your happy with your purchase.

Go for it, the car might be gone soon.

Steve.

Justin · Post by **Justin** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:44 pm

Tony, I've replied to your PM.

I wouldn't read too much into the journo's about the pre MY12 cars, its still a great place to sit.

The MY12 is definately better, but only you will know if some nicer seats and trim justify the extra outlay.

j2 lot · Post by **j2 lot** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:51 pm

Try the old and new back to back and see if its worth the extra money to you

flyingscot68 · Post by **flyingscot68** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:54 pm

Is the MY12 worth paying the extra for? Not sure, depends on your budget.

The driving experience will be the same, interior obviously is improved. I've got a 2010 model and although the interior isn't up to Porsche standards it's really not as bad as some of the magazines will have you believe, it's a nice place to be.
One thing I would want though is the MY12 gear change cables. I've got them on and they make the gear change spot on in my opinion.

As everybody says, Craig will look after you very well. The guys at MMC make Lotus ownership even more of a pleasure than I ever thought it would be.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sendmyusername · Post by **sendmyusername** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:36 pm

Ask the guy in the 'ohh no I cancelled my exige' thread.
I'm sure he said he had the older version on test while waiting for exige, and then decided to buy the evora instead and got the my12 one. So he will have experience of true real world back to back tests

twisted2fit · Post by **twisted2fit** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:59 am

If it were an only car I'd go for a newer one as it is without doubt better. If its a weekend toy at the current price point the earlier ones are amazing value for money and just as much fun to drive:-)

Mikie711 · Post by **Mikie711** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:20 am

Easy answer is no the MY12 car isn't worth the £25k price difference. Guessing that you will be paying somewhere around the 40k mark for a 2011 S. Yes the interior quality is vastly improved over the earlier cars but that doesn't mean they were bad to begin with. The seats are essentially the same just better leather and higher stitch count in later cars same with the dash etc, pioneer instead of Alpine gear change cables and gear lever support, beyond that the rest of the car is exactly the same.
If you are planning on keeping the car for 3+ years then maybe I would be looking for a MY12 or newer.

Save even more and buy an NA. In the Evora I don't think the SC brings an extra 5-6k to the party and changes the character of the car. But maybe that's just me.

Al. · Post by **Al.** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:17 pm

I am on my 3rd Evora with only the first from new and have done various mileages on them all but in all weathers and all times of year. All have had Sports Exhaust and latest one has decat as well.

I'd not be too worried about the Alpine Sat Nav side as it works fine. It is the damn radio that I've always had issues with. I generally use the i-pod connection or USB stick port and work that way. It is annoying. The logic of the buttons takes some getting used to but like all these things if an experienced user tells you how it works it isn't that difficult - eventually. It is without doubt the worst part of the car for me

so leave the music off and then it doesn't wind you up. Listen to the engine

Even the model year 11 car has changed significantly from the very first cars as there were literally hundered of improvements made over the first year of production and is always ongoing even although not always noted or made public as a step change as such small production run. I had one of the Launch Edition cars and would say to stay clear of them for any number of reasons too many to go into here, although some forum members (inc. TLF) haven't had that many problems I couldn't say the same. My next 2 were/are early 2010 registered cars and are much better from any number of points of view. In NA cars there was a gearbox option for standard or close ratio and I've had both and each have their attractions. Make sure you have the newer gearchange cables for sure but I think you do on a 12 S.

As Mikie711 says I am not convinced the S is worth the extra money if you wanted a newer NA. You would not be disapointed. I know that an S while it may keep up easier it would never get past on anything other than a long stupid speed motorway blast or a racetrack with long strait. Not to say anything wrong with an S but keep a very open mind that more of everything isn't always best. Particulary if £ coming into equation.

As somebody said it isn't as bad as the press although nobody would ever suggest it was Porker or Audi build quality. It is just different, and much rarer so you only ee yourself coming the other way on a Lotus gathering.

Anyway as long as you are dealing with Craig at MMC after the purchase you will be fine. A true gent and cares about aftersales. It isn't just talk.

If you haven't been over on The Lotus Forums yet then do so as lots of similar threads and all broken down by car model and areas of interest on each model. If you have any specific questions then just PM me with them.

anthonyyule · Post by **anthonyyule** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:15 am

thanks guys for your replies so far.
Very confused now...but heading to MMC on Monday for a look at the S, and we can discuss possible other options too.
Ill report back!

SAJ · Post by **SAJ** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:33 pm

Just got around to replying to this thread, been out busy putting the miles on the Evora this weekend - managed to clock 450 so far so run-in service won't be too long away

So differences between the MY10 I had and the MY13 I have now:

Gear change is so much slicker - not just by a little bit , the difference is substantial
The build quality is much better, things like the door handles open nice and smooth, the boot doesn't close with a cheap clunk sound
There are kick plates on the door sill where I found my shoes would quite easily scuff against - they look real nice too
The interior as everyone knows is significantly better material wise and I know people say it is not worth the extra but it really is a very nice place to be now and I've had no end of comments on how lovely it is inside
There is an arm rest now, makes driving long distance much more comfortable
The exhaust is excellent now, the MY10 I was driving had the sports exhaust and although it had a nice tone it still didn't sound all that but I'm told de-cat would make all the difference
The pedals are spaced out better, on the MY10, the accelerator pedal and the brake were a bit too close, something my brother also commented on. On the MY13 they are spaced apart a bit more which is much better and they don't look like a cheap after thought now even though most people will never see them
There is little to no draft coming into the drivers foot well anymore, in the MY10 my feet and legs would get cold unless I put the heat on and directed it to my feet - on Seloc Wiki there are steps to resolve this if you can be bothered tinkering about down there.
When you switch the DRLs on the display no longer auto dims - I found this quite annoying but again on Seloc Wiki there is a way to sort the wiring to resolve this
I don't know if it was faulty on the car I had but the rear parking sensors got confused easily and acted like they weren't sure if you were getting too close as the beep tone that goes constant when you are supposed to stop would go beep beep beeeeeep then beep beep again, gave me no confidence, in my car it works as it should
The MY13 car has a Pioneer Sat Nav system (if speced) which has bluetooth, rear camera. My Xperia Z paired up no problem. Not sure how much better it is over the Alpine setup but I'm happy with it so far.
i-Phone connection in MY13 is much longer than MY10 which was a pain because it really is so short you it won't stretch over even for the passenger to sit an use while connected.
In the boot there is now a proper cover to access the battery so no need to pull all the liner away to get to it. Also I noticed in the boot of many Evora's that the boot lining was quite poor with it coming away

I think it is unfair to compare a 40k used car to a 65k new car, yes on a pre MY12 car you will save a huge amount but then you would save loads buying any car used. I know I'm going to loose a massive chunk in the first year but I really don't care (I wish it wouldn't - but that's life). What I do think though is MY12 cars onwards will hold their value better than pre-MY12 cars as they will be more desirable or pre-MY12 will drop further when more MY12s come on to the market.

Regardless of which year of car you buy the driving experience is brilliant, I really love the Evora and what I really love about mine is that every time I sit inside it, it feels really special.

Good luck with which every way you go

it's a great car

anthonyyule · Post by **anthonyyule** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:36 am

Ok - so car is bought

i went for the white Evora S as I suspected I would. I got a deal and I'm very happy. Ok so the interior could definitely be nicer - but have to agree that it's not all that bad. All of my misconceptions have pretty much evaporated. My phone and iPod work fine. The sat nav got me home. The interior is in good condition (and obviously cares for by previous owner). And as it was a lot cheaper than a MY12 I can't really complain - I was at my budget ceiling anyway.
Car is awesome to drive and I'm very very happy. Can't wait to get on some fun Aberdeenshire roads now we have established that it can eat up miles on the motorway with ease

flyingscot68 · Post by **flyingscot68** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:51 am

Congratulations!

Sounds like there's a growing number of Evora's up in Aberdeenshire these days.

Enjoy your new purchase

Dominic · Post by **Dominic** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:27 am

Congrats on the new car!

Scottish Elises