[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by baege

I had a similar debate, especially since I've had 2 prior 981S so wonder how different will the gts 4.0 be?

but in the end the unknowns about the reliability of the lotus kept me away...for now...

is this a second car for you or is it one you need to rely on to get you somewhere when you need to get there?

It will be a second car for me, and third for the house (counting wife's). Now if it breaks down when I am driving in Mexico...

Originally Posted by CDN-AWD

Lotus has an ownership status (Geely) that is an issue for me. Lotus reliability issues vs Porsche is night and day.

I have thought about that as well, but Geely owns 51-49 and seems to be mainly there as a cash injection. Also, I haven't heard terrible things about the Evora, and that was before they built their new state of the art plant. From what I understand, everything is hand built and also scanned with machines that check for tolerances. A couple of guys on the Emira forums that have visited Hethel claim that it blew them away. Screens developed in Germany. Toyota makes the engine and transmission and so on. I don't think Geely is making anything except the innards of the key fob (but the design and cover are developed in house at Hethel). With that said, maybe I have a little bit of wishful thinking...

[gameson]

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

With that said, i own an Elise and it has been trouble free for me. It has its quirk, but i love it.

[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by gameson

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

With that said, i own an Elise and it has been trouble free for me. It has its quirk, but i love it.

That is not ideal, lol. How is Lotus service department regarded?

[gameson]

If you are comparing after sales service between the two, it’s no contest, Porsche wins.

You buy Lotus if you are somewhat mechanically knowledgeable to do your own service such as oil change, brake pad change, etc.

Rely on Lotus service only on TSB and recall.

[dgoldenz]

If it makes any difference the Cayman will be way easier to resell later on. The Emira is cool and looks great but I’d have a hard time taking it over a Cayman GTS or GT4

[gameson]

Originally Posted by dgoldenz

If it makes any difference the Cayman will be way easier to resell later on. The Emira is cool and looks great but I’d have a hard time taking it over a Cayman GTS or GT4

Nah, while it can be easier to resell, but lotus will retain most of its resale value.

If i am to sell my lotus today, i would get most of the msrp back while i enjoy the car… you can’t do that on a regular cayman…

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by gameson

Nah, while it can be easier to resell, but lotus will retain most of its resale value.

If i am to sell my lotus today, i would get most of the msrp back while i enjoy the car… you can’t do that on a regular cayman…

Sure you can. 2015-16 Cayman GTS are still selling near their original MSRP. We’ll ignore the 718 4 cylinder because nobody wants those. Flat 6 will always have great resale. Porsche are the masters of raising prices and keeping older models desirable.

I don’t know about the Emira but trying to shoehorn myself into an Elise was a joke. Couldn’t imagine trying to get in and out of one of those every day.

[baege]

[QUOTE=Der_Wolf;28516400] It will be a second car for me, and third for the house (counting wife's). Now if it breaks down when I am driving in Mexico...


well if it's a third car in the household, I would say go for the emira

in terms of driving experience, I suspect the only thing the cayman would have over the emira might be the engine character (NA flat six over supercharged v6), that porsche wail above 5000 rpm is pretty special

but other than that, the emira offers more road presence, hydraulic steering, superior handling (not that the cayman is a slouch), more of a focused drive
each drive will be more of an event

if I were in your shoes I'd go for the emira, but would never take it to mexico

[Alfisti]

I am starting to follow Baege's logic. 3rd car, maybe get the mosr focused machine? The big issue for me is the supercharger, but that's just me.

[TXSTYLE]

Lotus. End of discussion.

Now if you're stepping up to a 911...

[KennyFSU]

Another vote for Lotus purely based on aesthetics and rarity.

[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I am starting to follow Baege's logic. 3rd car, maybe get the mosr focused machine? The big issue for me is the supercharger, but that's just me.

I think the GTS is the most focused machine. Its impossible to say because no one really knows how the Emira will perform. It is such a fantastic looking car though and I really want it to be great. Hard to beat a 4 liter NA with PDK though...

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by baege

I had a similar debate, especially since I've had 2 prior 981S so wonder how different will the gts 4.0 be?

but in the end the unknowns about the reliability of the lotus kept me away...for now...

is this a second car for you or is it one you need to rely on to get you somewhere when you need to get there?

That and the lack of dealer support are what kills it for me.
I sure wouldn't like being locked in to one dealer in S.Ontario.

I do really like the car though, assuming it lives up to the hype.

[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

That and the lack of dealer support are what kills it for me.
I sure wouldn't like being locked in to one dealer in S.Ontario.

I do really like the car though, assuming it lives up to the hype.

Yeah, and I have been perusing Lotus forums to get a better idea and some of the stories from Evora GT owners are really off-putting. One guy waited 12 months to get his headlamp replaced. Under warranty. At the dealer... That's unacceptable as far as I am concerned. You pay 100k for a car and you can't even legally drive it at night for a year because the headlamp is out.

[///MPhatic]

I personally wouldn't buy any first-year product from Lotus unless you really want to spend a lot of time at the dealer. I know the Emira is a re-worked Evora, but much of the car is new, and untested.

If both cars had been out 3 years, then maybe it's a closer match, but a this point the 718 GTS gets my vote.

[racerbruce]

The Lotus....hands down.
The visceral reaction when seeing both cars clearly goes to Lotus.
Both have world-level professional motorsport success.

My ultimate dream car is a 2008 Lotus Exige which featured the first supercharged 1.8L 4 cyl Toyota power and weighing 2,000 lbs.

Porsches are a dime-a-dozen on the street....Lotus enters the realm of exotic.

It's a third car....it's obvious you have expendable income....Lotus is the choice.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by ///MPhatic

I personally wouldn't buy any first-year product from Lotus unless you really want to spend a lot of time at the dealer. I know the Emira is a re-worked Evora, but much of the car is new, and untested.

If both cars had been out 3 years, then maybe it's a closer match, but a this point the 718 GTS gets my vote.

This.

I'll NEVER understand lots of ppl wanting to be the first to get new model cars. weird psychology there. Be the guinea pig, I guess haha.

GTS is great, but I hate that they will never let it be superior to the 911 even though it's supposedly on the better platform.

I would personally wait a year or so to see if there are any kinks and if not get the Lotus.

[Fined]

Originally Posted by tranquility

This.

I'll NEVER understand lots of ppl wanting to be the first to get new model cars. weird psychology there. Be the guinea pig, I guess haha.

GTS is great, but I hate that they will never let it be superior to the 911 even though it's supposedly on the better platform.

I would personally wait a year or so to see if there are any kinks and if not get the Lotus.

For plenty of owners the well spec'd Cayman are superior to 911. It completely depends on what you want. The cars setting a laptime set by a professional driver is irrelevant to the ownership experience. For the purpose of a non professional racecar driver a Cayman is plenty equal to a 911 for driving experience. Now you can get them with a powerful 4.0 liter with choice of gearbox. I found my Cayman nearly equal to my 911 that I owned at the same time, the only way it wasn't equal was my personal preference for rear engine handling.

[nicholasn]

I don't think anyone has mentioned that the Emira will also be offered with an AMG-sourced turbocharged inline four cylinder engine coupled to a DCT. The supercharged V6 is sourced from Toyota and comes standard with a manual (don't even consider the torque-converter automatic because this is a Lotus).

Porsche's dealer network is much much better than Lotus.

Mechanically I think it's a wash. Porsche engineering vs either AMG or Toyota engineering...you won't go wrong with either.

Overall quality definitely goes to the Porsche. However, from everything I have read, the Emira is a pretty significant step up inside from the final Evora 400/GT models, which themselves were much better than the earlier Evoras.

Everything else is pretty subjective until people are able to start driving the Emira.

Kind of a head vs heart decision. The "smartest" buy is probably the Cayman GTS with 6MT, and I love Porsche but I would take the Lotus every day of the week.

[AlexFL]

If Emira, I would take the AMG engine that is mated to the AMG 8-speed. It also saves weight compared to the Toyota V6. For cars like Emira, weight is the single most important parameter as it directly correlates with “tossability” and fun.

[Fined]

Originally Posted by AlexFL

If Emira, I would take the AMG engine that is mated to the AMG 8-speed. It also saves weight compared to the Toyota V6. For cars like Emira, weight is the single most important parameter as it directly correlates with “tossability” and fun.

Strongly agree. For a car focused on weight the DCT with 4 cylinder would be the only direction for me (I think). I can understand someone going a different direction, but the Emira seems like it would be far too much car for only canyon carving. I'd rather take this kind of package to the track where the DCT and lighter weight would add to the fun even more.

I also find the combination of DCT and hydraulic steering to be a charming mix of old and new that I love in my 911.

[Alfisti]

No fucking way, laggy high boost turbo vs a 6, the car is light enough, the engine can't be that much heavier jeez.