Beady

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201903135852728?radius=1501&advertising-location=at_cars&make=LOTUS&postcode=ox331nx&model=EVORA&transmission=Manual&price-to=45000&sort=sponsored&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly New&onesearchad=Used&page=1 help - whats wrong with this one ? something doesn't quite look right.. the interior seems to be a mix of SR and early pre MY12 cars...very confusing. shame about the corroded wheel nuts too lovely colour though

David - YES the 111R is in fact for sale although not advertised yet....it is booked in for a front clam respray to get rid of the stone chips etc then it will be advertised after Easter, when I get back from hols - pm me if you are interested, it had new shocks all round pre-winter.

I am pretty sure it was owned for a short time by a guy on here who may speak up. He is a serial lotus owner with a couple of elises, and an early NA evora - he sold the 400 about 12-15 mths ago when he bought my S IPS. He had only owned it a few months but found it a bit harder / less comfortable ? than his earlier NA so wanted to go back to an earlier model. Pretty high spec from what I recall

so we all should buy a 911 then ?

I had a warranty from Auto Protect on car bought from a main dealer. Needed to claim and they refused to pay out. In the end I referred to matter to the FSA who investigated and decided in my favour....but it took well over 6 months to eventually get resolved. Read the small print in the warranty and make sure you do everything it says (service dates, reporting the fault etc)

Lee, Like many I have watched your thread with sadness over the last week. My deepest condolences and stay strong for yourself and the girls.

Idiot question - can they be sprayed to match body colour or do they have to be replaced with new ones (that are presumably then sprayed the right colour) thanks

we are an LLP, so we are Partners (Members) and yes VAT registered. if we lease a car through the business, we can claim back 50% of the vat anyway, the rest of the costs (lease and remaining vat) are tax deductible subject to the total amount being reduced by 15% if the car is over the set emissions figure (which our chosen cars will be) and deducted by an appropriate % based on how much personal use we use (likely around 15-20%).

We have deceived to lease a couple of cars via our Company (an LLP). due to apparent tax benefits for the partners. likely a Range Rover sport plus either a discovery sport or a Macan. 3 year lease ideally and happy to pay a hefty intial payment with circa 12k miles pa does anyone have any experience of leasing cars through a company / things to look out for ? Can you recommend any leasing companys to try or ones to avoid any help much appreciated to prevent potential schoolboy errors.

Agree 100%. Took my new 111r out for a blast at the weekend. It has possibly taken over the mantle as my favourite car ever. The rush when it opens up at high revs is addictive.

Magnetic blue. Hope all goes well for you Lee

After looking for another Evora S for a while I recently decided on a change of plan. So the lotus history so far has been: Elise S2 111s Evora LE Evora S IPS and now this:

Collecting new toy today all being well ... will post on intros later

My man maths is simple - i like to buy cash not credit. ideally my target is under £50k but could go to £55k for the right car. Yes i sound perfect for a 50/50 interest free deal but i bought my original LE Evora from new so i have done the new car thing once and I am now quite happy with something a couple of years old or more. I want some thing a little unusual and good to drive; doesn't have to be the fastest thing on the road just good handling. Evora is still the perfect choice on this criteria but having been in a mates Exige 350Sport recently that has to be the best option for a pure toy at this price point. With the target budget, this leaves me clearly in a 13-14 plate Evora S (ie same as the last one but a Manual) or 15-16 plate Exige (poss a 350) and with some money left over. I would probably stretch to £55k for a 400 but above that the alternatives start to open up a bit more, for example. under £50k: 10 plate AM Vantage 09/10 plate R8 V8 wild card 15 plate F Type S are very low £40's these days (i know this is not really comparable to an Evora but for 12-18 months ownership might just be an option). However in the £55-60k bracket this then opens up to: 13-14 plate AM Vantage R8 V10 (albeit an early 10 plate) Stretch to £70k and you can have an 15/16 plate Merc AMG GT.....probably a bit marmite but personally i think they look awesome and still quite rare Note lack of Porkers mentioned but you can have one at any price cant you. I am tempted by a 911 for a year or two simply because of the back seats (have 2 kids under 7) but it really is a last choice. Great cars but just a bit too many of them on the road to feel special. Maserati ruled out as they are only in auto. Any other inspirational ideas welcomed eg - BMW i8 - anyone tried one? No need for GTR playstation suggestions thanks.

We have all had or heard of stories of third party warranty companies or other insurers wriggling out of their responsibilities. I would like to share my story that has finally now concluded but has taken 9 months to resolve (and is why I have been a little off grid all this time). The purpose of my post is really to highlight the potential pitfalls and try and highlight the care you need to take to enforce a warranty and ensure you don't inadvertently void the warranty. In summer 2016 I purchased an S IPS, 3 yrs old and 7k miles. All well until March 17 when the engine light came on and the car went into limp home mode. A visit to Silverstone revealed a misfire on 2 cylinders but no clear problem. All systems reset and change of spark plugs (due very soon at 4 yr service anyway) and all seemed ok. However as this was a potential future intermittent problem I was advised to notify the warranty company just in case, which I did immediately. I carefully explained the potential intermittent nature and asked if there was anything else I should do. Fault now recorded with the warranty company I thought all was good. A few weeks later in early May 17 later the fault came back; engine light on, limp home mode activated. I immediately contacted Silverstone again but due to workload at that time of year they were unable to look at the car for another 3-4 weeks. By now the annual service was also due and so was booked in at the same time. When Silverstone finally looked at the car they eventually uncovered 2 damaged pistons and a third on its way out (circa 11k miles now on the clock)....replacement short motor being the solution. Well at least I had put the warranty company on notice (I thought). The warranty company then declined the claim. The warranty requires the car to be serviced as per manufacturers recommendations (ie every 12 months). When the fault was first recorded in March, this was before the annual service was due but when the fault reappeared in May this was just over 12 months since the last service. They tried to rely on the date of the fault reoccurring. However it is worth noting that the Lotus Service book states '12 months plus 1 month' so the actual maximum duration between service intervals is actually 13 months. Over the next 10 weeks, both the supplying dealer (B&C) and Silverstone spoke with the Autoprotect to try and convince them that their stance was unreasonable; both failed and they eventually issued a final decision rejecting the claim on the grounds that the service interval had been exceeded. So I had to pay to get the car repaired with a replacement engine. Having discussed the situation with a couple of friends to gauge if I was being treated harshly or 'life just sucks' I referred the matter to the Financial Services Ombudsman (its free and easy to use by the way). They appointed an adjudicator, asked lots of questions, asked for copies of emails and other evidence. In November they decided in my Favour that the warranty company should pay up. But the warranty company rejected the adjudicators decision and asked for the matter to be reviewed again by an ombudsman (more senior than the adjudicator). During the Ombudsman's review the warranty company then tried to rely on a number of other exclusions in their warranty policy including gems such as: you must notify them of a fault within 14 days of it first occurring (fair enough but don't rely solely on a previous notification of a recurring fault - call them up everytime?) repairs must commence within 14 days of the warranty company being notified of any fault (if the garage is too busy to look at it in that timescale then get proof of this) you must not continue to drive the car if doing so might cause the problem to get worse (unclear how a layman would know if driving could make it worse - maybe ask the warranty company when you report the fault) One by one the Ombudsman considered the evidence and rejected each exclusion as I was able to demonstrate what I had done at every stage with clearly documented evidence. The final Ombudsman decision came through very recently in my favour and the warranty company have now paid up (plus interest) so whilst it has taken 9 months the story has a happy ending. The real take-away from all this is: read the warranty wording very carefully as soon as you get it (done wait for a problem to occur first). Make a note of anything that could be used against you in the event of a claim make sure you follow up any calls with emails as this records dates / times etc, and keep the electronic copies of these, just in case. Service intervals often have an extra grace period (either extra time or extra miles) Report every fault and get a garage to inspect it every time If you feel you are in the right, use the Ombudsman service - it is easy to use and free. Finally a special mention to Lotus Silverstone who were amazingly helpful at every step of this painful journey and sorted the car out with new engine at a very fair price. Now.....still looking to find a new Lotus......and I now have a little extra in the kitty.....