One thing i cant understand about Lotus Dealers

[hueandcry71]

Is the way their prices fluctuate for the same model cars??

If you look in the classifieds for a particular model you xan sometimes see variations of almost £5k. There must be a perfectly good explanation i am sure?? To someone like myself who doesnt know a touring pack from a six pack it can be a little confusing.

[Zebede29]

All down to spec my friend. Touring pack and Super Touring pack adds about £4k to the car, metallic is £500+ and air con £1200 or so.

Soon adds up!!!

[NathanE]

This happens in all dealers not just Lotus Option packs are where they make their big bucks!

[hueandcry71]

Zebede29 said:

All down to spec my friend. Touring pack and Super Touring pack adds about £4k to the car, metallic is £500+ and air con £1200 or so.

Soon adds up!!!

I have seen cars with the same spec at massively different prices.

The one im getting has all of the above, except Super Touring, plus a Hard Top and is still a few £K cheaper than others.

[hueandcry71]

NathanE said:

This happens in all dealers not just Lotus Option packs are where they make their big bucks!

You`re right mate,what i was trying to say (it didnt come across very well) is that if you look hard enough and are prepared to travel then you can get a realy good deal.

[NathanE]

hueandcry71 said:

NathanE said:

This happens in all dealers not just Lotus Option packs are where they make their big bucks!

You`re right mate,what i was trying to say (it didnt come across very well) is that if you look hard enough and are prepared to travel then you can get a realy good deal.

Yep I think I saw Stratstone selling a R the other day, brand new, about 3k below what everyone else was selling them for!

[hueandcry71]

NathanE said:

hueandcry71 said:

NathanE said:

This happens in all dealers not just Lotus Option packs are where they make their big bucks!

You`re right mate,what i was trying to say (it didnt come across very well) is that if you look hard enough and are prepared to travel then you can get a realy good deal.

Yep I think I saw Stratstone selling a R the other day, brand new, about 3k below what everyone else was selling them for!

Stratstone always appear cheaper but the spec is always basic.I have also foud with them that they offer peanuts in part exchange compared to their competitors. I suppose its all relative.
Lipscomb have an offer on the 111R which is 3k cheaper than the one im buying but im not sure what the spec is. I know it doesnt have a hard top or air con though so that is probably where the difference lies.

[NathanE]

It had the touring pack if I remember correct. TBH I don't know any dealers that stock new R's without the touring pack.

But yeh I guess it's all swings and roundabouts now you mention Stratstone don't offer good p/x.

[miro]

hueandcry71 said:

NathanE said:

hueandcry71 said:

NathanE said:

This happens in all dealers not just Lotus Option packs are where they make their big bucks!

You`re right mate,what i was trying to say (it didnt come across very well) is that if you look hard enough and are prepared to travel then you can get a realy good deal.

Yep I think I saw Stratstone selling a R the other day, brand new, about 3k below what everyone else was selling them for!

Stratstone always appear cheaper but the spec is always basic.I have also foud with them that they offer peanuts in part exchange compared to their competitors. I suppose its all relative.
Lipscomb have an offer on the 111R which is 3k cheaper than the one im buying but im not sure what the spec is. I know it doesnt have a hard top or air con though so that is probably where the difference lies.

My Car was from Stratstone and has touring pack, Lifestyle paint, black wheels and aircon so isnt base model and I got what I was looking for private for my car as part exchange cant grumble with it realy

[hueandcry71]

miro said:

hueandcry71 said:

NathanE said:

hueandcry71 said:

NathanE said:

This happens in all dealers not just Lotus Option packs are where they make their big bucks!

You`re right mate,what i was trying to say (it didnt come across very well) is that if you look hard enough and are prepared to travel then you can get a realy good deal.

Yep I think I saw Stratstone selling a R the other day, brand new, about 3k below what everyone else was selling them for!

Stratstone always appear cheaper but the spec is always basic.I have also foud with them that they offer peanuts in part exchange compared to their competitors. I suppose its all relative.
Lipscomb have an offer on the 111R which is 3k cheaper than the one im buying but im not sure what the spec is. I know it doesnt have a hard top or air con though so that is probably where the difference lies.

My Car was from Stratstone and has touring pack, Lifestyle paint, black wheels and aircon so isnt base model and I got what I was looking for private for my car as part exchange cant grumble with it realy

I stand corrected Sir.

What i meant was that the adverts at the top of the page that look really cheap are for the basic cars.

Edited by hueandcry71 on Friday 19th October 18:53

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

If it's the unregistered one at Lipscombe, then it's an MY05 AFAIK, just not been registered, hence why it's cheaper.

Same sort of thing with mine, similar spec and low mileage (<4k) was going for £1-2k more than I paid, plus I got decent part-ex.

[S Works]

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

[Beachbum]

Surely the Topic of this thread should end
"......................is how they stay in business"

[London Lotus]

S Works said:

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

By the sound of this you have had some bad experiences with dealers.

I am not going to bore you with reasons why we are not like other dealers, suffice to say we do care about our customers and whilst we are a profit making organisation sometimes the right thing can be to do the right deal to get the customer into your brand.

If customers didn't buy from dealers you would have no used market, the manufacturers would then be classed as the 'stealers', as you put it

Edited by London Lotus on Saturday 20th October 11:22

[tricky 100]

London Lotus said:

S Works said:

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

If customers didn't buy from dealers you would have no used market, the manufacturers would then be classed as the 'stealers', as you put it

Edited by London Lotus on Saturday 20th October 11:22

Very true , im happy for everybody to buy brand new cars from dealers because it puts lots of cars into the secondhand market for me to buy with much less depreciation .
So go then Londonlotus , are you the teaboy or MD ?

[London Lotus]

tricky 100 said:

London Lotus said:

S Works said:

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

If customers didn't buy from dealers you would have no used market, the manufacturers would then be classed as the 'stealers', as you put it

Edited by London Lotus on Saturday 20th October 11:22

Very true , im happy for everybody to buy brand new cars from dealers because it puts lots of cars into the secondhand market for me to buy with much less depreciation .
So go then Londonlotus , are you the teaboy or MD ?

Valeter. No, I'm the Sales Manager.

[miro]

S Works said:

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

ended up not being a option for me this time round but i feel that my next one will be bought private not unhappy with my car or the price i paid . bought knowing that i could have bought similar cheaper privately but PITA shifting my corolla

[S Works]

London Lotus said:

S Works said:

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

By the sound of this you have had some bad experiences with dealers.

I am not going to bore you with reasons why we are not like other dealers, suffice to say we do care about our customers and whilst we are a profit making organisation sometimes the right thing can be to do the right deal to get the customer into your brand.

If customers didn't buy from dealers you would have no used market, the manufacturers would then be classed as the 'stealers', as you put it

Au contraire my friend, I've never had a bad experience with a dealer because I simply don't feel the need to lose thousands in depreciation for that "new car feel" by driving it off the forecourt.

I know a lot of people love that, and fair play to them, I also think that people like to think that they're getting a nice cast-iron warranty and premium service for buying a new car and a premium brand, but sadly I've heard too many stories of nightmares for me to ever go that route.

The used market in Lotus cars is very lively, and we're lucky that there are a lot of very good independents around who will check and service the cars, and frankly, won't pull your pants down in the process.

Everyone's running a business, and I'm not going to tar every dealership with the same brush, but I don't feel the need to pay what I perceive to be 'over the odds' for something that I can get elsewhere for a keener deal.

Best of luck with the franchise though. Like you say, it's a necessary part of the chain, and for some, it's exactly right for them

[S Works]

Anyway, back to the OP...

hueandcry71 said:

Is the way their prices fluctuate for the same model cars??

If you look in the classifieds for a particular model you xan sometimes see variations of almost £5k. There must be a perfectly good explanation i am sure?? To someone like myself who doesnt know a touring pack from a six pack it can be a little confusing.

... everyone's running a business, and each dealership (I imagine) will have different numbers around any particular vehicle. Depending on how much they've had to spend getting the car onto their forecourt, will depend on how much margin they need to make to cover themselves and turn a profit.

Lets be fair, they have to source and prep the car, warranty it, pay for the wages of staff, the premises cost etc... all of which can vary greatly depending on a number of fixed and variable costs.

Best thing you can do is get clued up on all the options and trim levels, see how much they were new etc. and compare like-with-like as best you can.

A simple excel spreadsheet and a bit of research goes a long way!

[hueandcry71]

S Works said:

London Lotus said:

S Works said:

Er, don't buy from stealers and get the same car (ish) at a nice discount.

By the sound of this you have had some bad experiences with dealers.

I am not going to bore you with reasons why we are not like other dealers, suffice to say we do care about our customers and whilst we are a profit making organisation sometimes the right thing can be to do the right deal to get the customer into your brand.

If customers didn't buy from dealers you would have no used market, the manufacturers would then be classed as the 'stealers', as you put it

Au contraire my friend, I've never had a bad experience with a dealer because I simply don't feel the need to lose thousands in depreciation for that "new car feel" by driving it off the forecourt.

I know a lot of people love that, and fair play to them, I also think that people like to think that they're getting a nice cast-iron warranty and premium service for buying a new car and a premium brand, but sadly I've heard too many stories of nightmares for me to ever go that route.

The used market in Lotus cars is very lively, and we're lucky that there are a lot of very good independents around who will check and service the cars, and frankly, won't pull your pants down in the process.

Everyone's running a business, and I'm not going to tar every dealership with the same brush, but I don't feel the need to pay what I perceive to be 'over the odds' for something that I can get elsewhere for a keener deal.

Best of luck with the franchise though. Like you say, it's a necessary part of the chain, and for some, it's exactly right for them

What i will say, and i have a fair bit of experience about changing cars as you all know, is that London Lotus (even though the salesman is a Liverpool supporter) have been superb as were CN when i bought from them. I would have no qualms about buying a car from either of them again.
When i originally posted this post it was basically to ask a question why prices fluctuate so much between dealers for cars with the same spec. This has been aswered quite well by various people on here and my question has, in essence, been answered.