A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Originally Posted by AnsisK
And Exigent, you're boycotting Lotus because their dealer sold you a car that wasn't right for you instead of another car that was even less right for you? It seems as if your money woes would've been worse if you had waited for the S.
You sort of missed the point. I didn't need to buy the Exige when I did. It was a timing issue. I really wanted to wait until Spring '07 anyway. Fear that there would be no more new Exiges anywhere made me act. Only 300 for '06? Exemptions expire so no one knew if there would even be an '07 car. No doubt that I'm partly to blame. I admit it.
The fact that the car may or may not be totally right for me -- that's another issue entirely. But I also figured "Well, if I don't like it, I'll just sell it. There will only be 300 made, so I'm sure selling it won't be a problem." Now the car is somewhat less desirable because most people looking at adding an Exige to their garage would likely just order a new '07 supercharged edition.
I still think the '06 Exige is a cool car. I still like mine. But I have other priorities and I can part with it now --- because if I ever miss it, I'll just buy an Exige S. Looks like there isn't any rush to get one....and I bet there will be new ones in '08 or even '09. The '06 Exige just isn't the limited edition specialty car it was made out to be. Heck, I am disappointed that there will be more than 300 Exiges in the U.S. -- normally aspirated or not.
Less is more when you already own one.
A:
Originally Posted by Exigent
...Now the car is somewhat less desirable because most people looking at adding an Exige to their garage would likely just order a new '07 supercharged edition...
...The '06 Exige just isn't the limited edition specialty car it was made out to be...
Yup yup yup.
A:
Originally Posted by Exigent
You sort of missed the point. I didn't need to buy the Exige when I did. It was a timing issue. I really wanted to wait until Spring '07 anyway. Fear that there would be no more new Exiges anywhere made me act. Only 300 for '06? Exemptions expire so no one knew if there would even be an '07 car. No doubt that I'm partly to blame. I admit it.
The fact that the car may or may not be totally right for me -- that's another issue entirely. But I also figured "Well, if I don't like it, I'll just sell it. There will only be 300 made, so I'm sure selling it won't be a problem." Now the car is somewhat less desirable because most people looking at adding an Exige to their garage would likely just order a new '07 supercharged edition.
I still think the '06 Exige is a cool car. I still like mine. But I have other priorities and I can part with it now --- because if I ever miss it, I'll just buy an Exige S. Looks like there isn't any rush to get one....and I bet there will be new ones in '08 or even '09. The '06 Exige just isn't the limited edition specialty car it was made out to be. Heck, I am disappointed that there will be more than 300 Exiges in the U.S. -- normally aspirated or not.
Less is more when you already own one.
This is another reason why I am increasingly angry over this whole ordeal. How many people are looking for Mitsubishi 3000 GT SL's? none! The VR-4 on the other hand is HIGHLY desirable. It's really a load of hooey and I feel misinformed and misled by my dealer. I remember going to the dealer and telling a guy in the showroom (Elise owner waiting for his car from service) that I was getting an Exige and he said "DON'T, They'll be supercharging it in the next few months, wait for that!" and moments later I asked the dealer and he told me "no, it won't be street legal." I found out months later that the way that fellow customer found out was from the mouth of THAT SAME PERSON. That is misleading and is NOT how you treat a customer.
A:
The thing that is worth repeating is that Lotus kept saying it wasn't coming.
Every freaking quote: "No, not coming to America" .
Not a "maybe". Not a "we are considering it."
Not a "if it happens, we'll sell an upgrade to those with N/A's"
Nothing, nada, zip. That's bull****.
A:
Amen Don. That sounds like deception to me.
A:
That's the thing.
I personally can't prove that the dealers I worked with knew and didn't tell me.
And I think they are good people, and I wouldn't accuse them of it.
But Lotus...those guys knew. They had to to get the paperwork done.
If I would have had to choose between Elise, N/A Exige and Exige S, I would have picked the Exige S.
Would I have had to buy my wife a better Pcar? Most likely.
All in all it's not as much anger as it is disappointment.
What kinda car is that?
(Proudly) A Lotus!
Who makes a Lotus?
(Proudly) Lotus!
A:
Attention conspiracy therorists: maybe Lotus just changed its mind?
A:
lol. Really? Seriously?
How long do you think it would take them to get all the paperwork filed?
I'm not in the industry, but I'm guessing it's not an overnight deal.
And that's not taking into account their low production capacity.
I'm sure they have that stuff scheduled way out.
A:
Does anyone know what it would take to convert a standard exige? I realize there are the obvious like the charger and plumbing, but what about the wiring harness and ECU. Is there any chance that one could plug in the new ecu or a cup car ecu, upgrade the fuel injectors and make one run (assuming you bolted it up right, etc)? I would do the upgrade in a second, who needs a warranty on a crappy toyota motor?
Also, I heard the price difference would be more like $10,000+ did i miss something in the post that implied less?
A:
derailing the conversation a bit:
At what price is it still worth buying an FI Exige ( cup or S ) versus buying something like a Noble? It seems to me that the price of a used M12R might be getting too close to a new Exige to make sense anymore? please discuss..
A:
How does anyone know, that the next model with bumpers,and more power won't piss off todays buyer ?
A:
Originally Posted by Allan Gibbs
So, the next generation Elise/Exige can have 240hp. Do throw all your technology in one product year or you'll have to spend more money later to give customers more power.
I'd been told two years ago that Lotus had a RELIABLE 240hp out of the supercharger they were testing at the time, so that's certainly reasonable to expect the next model year.
A:
Originally Posted by NtflBlueLiz
derailing the conversation a bit:
At what price is it still worth buying an FI Exige ( cup or S ) versus buying something like a Noble? It seems to me that the price of a used M12R might be getting too close to a new Exige to make sense anymore? please discuss..
But would it really be fair to compare the price of a NEW exige versus a used Noble, seems more reasonable to compare a new Noble or in a bit a used exige FI and a used Noble.
Didn't see it in the article, I assume the exige S is street legal?
A:
Originally Posted by NtflBlueLiz
At what price is it still worth buying an FI Exige ( cup or S ) versus buying something like a Noble? It seems to me that the price of a used M12R might be getting too close to a new Exige to make sense anymore? please discuss..
Nobles are HIDEOUSLY unreliable. Exige S will have a warrantee and still have the ultra-reliable Toyota motor.
A:
Originally Posted by master
How does anyone know, that the next model with bumpers,and more power won't piss off todays buyer ?
Well I think we've nailed down that it isn't worth the 35 cents to try calling Lotus on it.
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My life would be really depressing if it wasn't for the new S. They even extended the release date of the Esprit so I actually have a chance at that. I love you Lotus!
A:
Originally Posted by Donbecker
Go back at the threads debating whether the S was coming...how many times did Lotus go on the record saying it was never going to happen?
They didn't say "We're not sure" or "We can't comment" it was always "No."
A company - especially a small one - can't afford to admit their future products while they are still selling the current one. If all of the people that bought an Exige would have waited for the Exige S, then no Exiges would have been sold, and Lotus wouldn't have had the money to create the Exige S.
There are quite a few people on this forum that bought their Elise because they weren't going to make a US Exige. Only to sell their Elise to buy the newly available Exige.
Heck, I bought my Miata because Lotus was never going to bring the Elise to the US - do they owe me an upgrade on my Miata?
There is more than one company that has gone out of business because they made an early announcement about their up coming product and suddenly their sales dropped to zero becaue buyers were waiting for the new product.
Ever bought any other car, only to have the new model be better? Ever bought a new computer only to have a similar one available a short time later that was faster/cheaper/better (or all three). It happens. It's business. It's how companies stay in business.
A:
Originally Posted by TimMullen
A company - especially a small one - can't afford to admit their future products while they are still selling the current one. If all of the people that bought an Exige would have waited for the Exige S, then no Exiges would have been sold, and Lotus wouldn't have had the money to create the Exige S.
I agree.... There is no way to keep up with the "new and improved" without paying more $$. I think that it's awesome that Lotus has stepped up and made the SC version of the Exige available for the US.
What excites me is that the S version although only boast an extra 28-30 hp... with mods it will be even faster. Closer to 45-50+ That's not even taking into consideration the modifications to the pulleys on the SC.
This is the best news I've heard all year!
Tim
A:
I would assume it's good because you haven't bought one yet?
So it's better if they know the S is coming to tell everyone it isn't to get rid of the N/A ones INSTEAD of being upfront about it, or discounting them, or giving people an upgrade path.
"There is more than one company that has gone out of business because they made an early announcement about their up coming product and suddenly their sales dropped to zero becaue buyers were waiting for the new product."
Yeah if they didn't give people a reason to buy the one already out. Who wants to own something that is 'behind' by the time they break it in?
The better alternative is to leave paying customers in the dark, giving them a track history to second guess their purchase against?
By implying that telling people it was coming would slow or diminish sales, you imply that the N/A is less of a value than the S.
That having known it was coming, people would have waited.
In that case, by your own definition, do you think the N/A buyers got screwed over, or at least deceived?
"Ever bought any other car, only to have the new model be better? Ever bought a new computer only to have a similar one available a short time later that was faster/cheaper/better (or all three)."
Yeah, and all the time computer companies are telling you what's coming out and the timeframe.
Take Intel for example. They have a friggin' roadmap. Do they keep some cards close to the chest? Yeah, but you can still plan for things.
(Reporter): "So will the Pentium IV be released in the US?"
(Intel): "No, it will be Japan only, we won't bring it to the US." "They will only have the Pentium III."
(later)
(Intel) "We decided to bring it to the US."
Blah.
A:
Originally Posted by Donbecker
By implying that telling people it was coming would slow or diminish sales, you imply that the N/A is less of a value than the S.
Nope. Not me. the people in the post above that are "pissed off" are the ones that have been saying that they wouldn't have bought the Exige - they would have waited for the Exige S...
That having known it was coming, people would have waited.
Read the posts above - that's what people have been saying.
In that case, by your own definition, do you think the N/A buyers got screwed over, or at least deceived?
Nope. Nor do I think that they were screwed over or deceived. I think they bought a good car that was worth the price. The fact that there is now an option out there that they may have wanted is just the way things go. Lots of people with '05 Elises wanted the LED tail lights of the '06s too. I still like my early '05 just fine. I didn't pay for the LED tail lights, I didn't pay the extra for the Exige, and I'm certainly not going to pay extra to upgrade to the Exige S. I was happy with the car when I bought it, and I'm still happy with it.
For those that bought the Exige: Were you happy at the time that you bought the car?
If so, then you should still be happy.
It happens all the time. A few weeks ago, we bought my daughter a new laptop so she could go off to grad school. A week after she left, the same laptop was on sale for $150 less and it had more memory - imagine that, it had been upgraded and improved. Oh well, , she has her laptop and it's working just fine.