Thinking of going from a 993 to an Evora...

[douglasgdmw]

richyd said:

Thanks chaps - I just asked a simple question, but I seem to have started a Lotus V's Porsche war of words.

As the owner of a 993 I am VERY aware of their weak points, which you can count on one hand. They are probably THE most reliable sports-car of character, with an air-cooled engine that incorporates 30 yrs of development.

My original question was all about driver enjoyment, rather than "my cars better than yours" type comments.

Richyd,

Please take the pistonheads forum's with a pinch of salt as there are a lot of non owner haters here. I have a Lotus Evora and also a Porsche 964 Carrera 2 Targa (my wife's weekend car when we want some top down motoring) so kind of get the best of both camps.

Just wanted to say that you would not be dissapointed with the Evora as far as driver enjoyment is concerned. It did not win the Evo Car of the Year for being rubbish.

The car (like most Lotus's) is really communicative from steering feel to the seat of the pants stuff. The car is capable at majority of driving- from very fast motoring, b-roads and even general pottering around as well.

Mine is a N/A (i.e. does not have the supercharger). I did have a drive of the supercharger (SC) but was not significantly blown away to part with my money after having had the Evora for a year. However if I was buying again I would have probably gone for the SC. The SC is a little bit more willing to slip the rear so definitely the choice to have if you want to get a little bit of slide out of the corners.

It will feel completely different to the 993 (especially with you having the 4 which I have hear is very neutral and prone to understeer). However you can really dig the car into the corners and feel the limit of what the vehicle is doing.

Also I would recommend that you try the following forums to get some other reviews: http://www.scottishelises.com/phpbb/ (Although Elise based there are Evora owners who have changed, Scotland also has a high proportion of Evora's compared to the rest of the UK)
http://www.thelotusforums.com/forums/

If you have any specific questions or things to look out for (if you are going for a 2nd hand SC) then feel free to give me a shout as more than happy to help :-)

George

[doggydave]

[quote=ravon But on the plus side you do get a very rare car which people look at , if you seek attention, this will be far better than your appreciating 993 .
[/quote]

If you seek attention you can just run down the high street wearing only your underpants. I'm sure that will get you noticed and much cheaper.

Now put all of your handbags away ffs.

IMO the Evora must be the buy of the moment. I wish my garage was bigger as I would have one in the blink of an eye. They are only just above 30k at the mo. They also have good luggage space for touring hols. I've never driven one mind you. I'd go for a na car myself that has been sorted and use it as a GT car.

Porsche are as bland as they come imo.

[Alfie Noakes]

The Pits said:

I'd expect a pensioner to be a bit more patriotic.
.

"Pensioner" was in quotes. And you can be retired without being a pensioner.

[The Pits]

Alfie Noakes said:

"Pensioner" was in quotes. And you can be retired without being a pensioner.

I don't see how that changes my point but there you go.

[The Pits]

doggydave said:

If you seek attention you can just run down the high street wearing only your underpants. I'm sure that will get you noticed and much cheaper.

Now put all of your handbags away ffs.

IMO the Evora must be the buy of the moment. I wish my garage was bigger as I would have one in the blink of an eye. They are only just above 30k at the mo. They also have good luggage space for touring hols. I've never driven one mind you. I'd go for a na car myself that has been sorted and use it as a GT car.

Porsche are as bland as they come imo.

and you can retro fit the supercharger should the need arise at a later date.

Still can't believe some of the deals out there, I'm starting to question the need for paying the extra for a new V6 Exige....

[Tuna]

The Pits said:

and you can retro fit the supercharger should the need arise at a later date.

Still can't believe some of the deals out there, I'm starting to question the need for paying the extra for a new V6 Exige....

I'm under the impression from talking with an independent specialist that the earlier models suffer a little from 'still in development' syndrome - particularly water leaks and aircon problems. There does seem to be a bit of a price step from those earlier cars to the more recent ones, which might reflect that.

The question is, are you better off going for a MY2012/2011 car, or a much cheaper earlier one that has been properly sorted?

[douglasgdmw]

Tuna said:

The question is, are you better off going for a MY2012/2011 car, or a much cheaper earlier one that has been properly sorted?

I think it depends on how good the dealer has been looking after their customers. Murray Motor Company in Scotland have been fantastic and you will find that the majority of cars up in Scotland have been upgraded to close to 2011/12 spec as far as mechanicals are concerned.

For example: my Evora is a March 2010 car but has a number of upgrades from 2011/12 (e.g latest gear linkages, ecu flash, door pins, A-line surrounds etc). All of these have been done when I have either had the car is for servicing, getting some enhancements done or warranty work.

Obviously it won't have the latest materials in the interior but that's about the only significant thing lacking from a 2011/12 car.

George

[The Wookie]

OP I think I'm in a fairly unique position to comment as I had a 997 Gen 2 for a year (won the use of it as a prize for winning a Porsche championship), I spend a lot of time driving Evoras and my mum has a 993 C4 cab.

For the month or so leading up to the 997 going back to Porsche, I lent it to my Dad and it was clear I wasn't going to be happy going back to driving my diesel 1-Series every day.

For my budget I had a choice between a Gen 1 997, a Cayman S, a nice 993 C4S and a year old Evora S bought from the fleet.

The 997 was pretty much out straight away as although it was a great everyday car I found the ride and handling to be pretty overrated and it wasn't a particularly exciting place to sit. The Cayman went out for similar reasons, although the chassis balance was better.

The 993 and the Evora were really the only ones in the running. I love the way the 993 drives and handles, in fact in a nice low mileage car like my Mum's I rate the ride and handling compromise ahead of the 997. I also love the looks, the solidity, and the fact that it's unlikely to lose much cash if not appreciate.

What put me off was the ergonomics and the NVH of an older car (I'm tall and do a lot of miles), and just generally the chance of things going wrong with it and the issues of having to find a convenient, trustworthy specialist up here in Norfolk, as I don't have the time or inclination to drag a car down to the guy I use for my 928 in Fulham.

What appealed on the Evora was the steering, ride and handling, the fact that it was a new car with two years of warranty left and all the useful bits of a modern car (xenon headlamps, fitted sat nav, ESP/TC), and the fact that even in battleship grey it stands out a mile in a crowd. What put me off was the gearshift (which as it turns out wasn't an issue as I got the later linkages fitted and it's decent now) and the lack of rearward visibility.

Personally, if I had a 993 and was happy with the way the car looks and drives and was comfortable with the convenience of it in terms of comfort and reliability, then I would stick with it. If you fancy a change then an Evora S is a fitting alternative to a great car.

Oh and don't worry about the clutch, it was an issue affecting launch edition cars that has since been sorted and cars affected fixed under warranty.

[richyd]

Wookie and George - thanks guys, great posts and basically what I was after.

My 993 is pretty neutral, but it doesn't understeer (got this dialed out when I had the geo done post suspension refresh). I love how it looks, people love 'em, and the exhaust is wonderful. It goes well enough too, plus it seems to be going up in value. Thing is I am drawn to an Evora - I love sweet handling cars, and it would be nice to get back into a mid engined rwd setup...

Got some thinking to do methinks!

[The Wookie]

richyd said:

Wookie and George - thanks guys, great posts and basically what I was after.

My 993 is pretty neutral, but it doesn't understeer (got this dialed out when I had the geo done post suspension refresh). I love how it looks, people love 'em, and the exhaust is wonderful. It goes well enough too, plus it seems to be going up in value. Thing is I am drawn to an Evora - I love sweet handling cars, and it would be nice to get back into a mid engined rwd setup...

Got some thinking to do methinks!

No worries

I don't know where the C4 gets this reputation for understeer, my 997 understeered big time, but my Mum's 993 C4 is nice and playful. Perhaps on a track things might be reversed and you'd be able to commit more speed to the apex in a C2 and cancel out the understeer by loading up the front, but on the road I generally find C4's to feel better balanced on the road.

[douglasgdmw]

richyd said:

Wookie and George - thanks guys, great posts and basically what I was after.

My 993 is pretty neutral, but it doesn't understeer (got this dialed out when I had the geo done post suspension refresh). I love how it looks, people love 'em, and the exhaust is wonderful. It goes well enough too, plus it seems to be going up in value. Thing is I am drawn to an Evora - I love sweet handling cars, and it would be nice to get back into a mid engined rwd setup...

Got some thinking to do methinks!

Happy to help, just make sure that you get yourself down to your local Lotus dealer and enjoy the test drive.

If there is anything specific then more than happy to answer any questions if I can :-)

Also thanks for dispelling the C4 reputation for understeer, just goes to show you cannot believe all you read

George

[braddo]

The Wookie said:

Oh and don't worry about the clutch, it was an issue affecting launch edition cars that has since been sorted and cars affected fixed under warranty.

So (just out of curiousity) when these cars do eventually come to have their clutches replaced in the years ahead, does anyone know roughly big a job it will be?

[doggydave]

The Pits said:

and you can retro fit the supercharger should the need arise at a later date.

Still can't believe some of the deals out there, I'm starting to question the need for paying the extra for a new V6 Exige....

I suppose it depends on what you are after. I would hope that the performance of the V6 Exige would be enough to justify the price. Even if it is overweight and not in the tradition of lightweight Lotus. Hopefully the power will make up for the weight.

[douglasgdmw]

braddo said:

So (just out of curiousity) when these cars do eventually come to have their clutches replaced in the years ahead, does anyone know roughly big a job it will be?

Considering the amount of miles you need to do before the clutch needs replaced, I suspect that a lot of the Evora's will be serviced by independant specialists rather than the dealers. Therefore I would expect you are probably talking around the same price as it would be for a Porsche 911 (maybe a bit more).

[Nightmare]

do you guys reckon all launch edition cars will have had various issues sorted/upgrades made? Im tempted by one simply cos you get all the stuff, so why not? and obviously they're cheapest!

[douglasgdmw]

Nightmare said:

do you guys reckon all launch edition cars will have had various issues sorted/upgrades made? Im tempted by one simply cos you get all the stuff, so why not? and obviously they're cheapest!

I think Murray's in Edinburgh has an LE in stock (Blue) so would advise you to give Brandon a phone to see if all the issues have been sorted out. Craig the service manager is very good so suspect everything should be spot on.


George

[doggydave]

Nightmare said:

do you guys reckon all launch edition cars will have had various issues sorted/upgrades made? Im tempted by one simply cos you get all the stuff, so why not? and obviously they're cheapest!

I remember someone on this forum saying that the press cars were always spot on and any issues were dealt with immediately. If the launch cars are as good it should be ok. No actual experience of this sort of car myself.

[Tuna]

doggydave said:

Nightmare said:

do you guys reckon all launch edition cars will have had various issues sorted/upgrades made? Im tempted by one simply cos you get all the stuff, so why not? and obviously they're cheapest!

I remember someone on this forum saying that the press cars were always spot on and any issues were dealt with immediately. If the launch cars are as good it should be ok. No actual experience of this sort of car myself.

I think it's the reason behind the wider spread of prices for earlier cars. Some early owners will have pushed to keep the car up to spec', others will have got frustrated with the ongoing development. It's Lotus' mistake, leaving uncertainty about the depreciation of a new model. The later cars seem to show much less variation, presumably because they're coming out with a far better and more consistent finish these days.

Still, pick up a bargain: just check what's been done and what's outstanding.

[jackal]

Nice car the Evora Richy. Impossible to compare to a 993 though of course. They are so different in every way.

If going for the lotus i would advise buying at the bottom of the market. Quite a few owners have reported lots of persistent niggles and warranty fixes so it might not all be plain sailing, but then as we know, the 993 isnt exactly fit and forget.

[richyd]

jackal said:

Nice car the Evora Richy. Impossible to compare to a 993 though of course. They are so different in every way.

If going for the lotus i would advise buying at the bottom of the market. Quite a few owners have reported lots of persistent niggles and warranty fixes so it might not all be plain sailing, but then as we know, the 993 isnt exactly fit and forget.

Shiiit - spotted! Just a flight of fancy at the mo Jackal. I really like the look of the Evora and that interior looks stunning. TBH, having spent the last 20 yrs spanking cash on cars, I'm also enjoying the 993 as it's the first car I've owned (since my mk 1 Golf GTi and Caterham) that doesn't depreciate like mad - Something I know that cannot be said about the Evora.

Having said that, The Evora does seem like good value right now.....