Web
Analytics Made Easy - Statcounter
Thinking about getting an Evora - advice needed - Evora Chat - The Lotus Forums - Official Lotus Community Partner Jump to content


IGNORED

Thinking about getting an Evora - advice needed


Xisthos

Recommended Posts

Hey guys, current 16' Sport 350 owner here and I've decided to sell my 17' M3 for an Evora. 

I've only test driven the 400 and 410 Sport, and I have found the difference of the two seemingly bigger than what is written on paper. The 410 felt a lot more responsive than 10hp largely due to the gearbox feeling like it had a software refresh. So either that is true, or the 400 I tested was not what it should have been. Of course let's get the obvious out of the way and I'll say that you do feel the 70kg or so weight difference as it's certainly more agile, aside from the suspension tuning being the obvious upgrade.

Here are my options now though:

1) There's a 400 at the dealer that hasn't been sold yet, so I suspected that they'll let it go for about for about 140,000 Euros (take note that I got my Exige for 150k.)

2) Order a new 430 at about 250,000 Euros. 

Given that the new 430 much more than the price of the 400, would you say that it's worth going for that, or taking the 400 instead and upgrading it along the way? I will be tracking the car, no different from my Exige, so I wanted to get the Komo Tec 460 upgrade right away as I felt that the 400 I tried needed more power, which I should note that I felt differently about the 410, I was okay with it. But given the price of the Ohlins TTX upgrades and the other CF and lighter bits, I might just end up getting close to the price of a newer unit. Would love to hear from you guys especially those who have upgraded between the 400/410 to the 430.

Thanks in advance :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Upgrade today to remove Google ads and support TLF.

Lovely 410 Sport that. Love it...

I came into this world screaming and covered in someone elses blood. I'll probably leave it in the same way. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By the way, I just wanted to make it clear, that I'm not moving from an Exige to an Evora, I'm still keeping it and the only way I would sell it if I was upgrading to something like the 430. It's the M3 that I am selling for it :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Gold FFM

100,000 Euros will be plenty to fix whatever you feel is wrong with the Evora 400. Carbon bodywork aside it is fairly easy to change most things on the car for ones closer to or better than the 430 - especially with that kind of budget I'd think.

James Martin (JayEmm)
Director of Photography & Car Enthusiast

Follow my Lotus adventure online! www.jayemm.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok sorry it was to similar Exige and Evora :lol:

Everybody say the GT430 got amazing Ohlins suspensions, I can talk about that next week.

I'm more fan of à stock car than an upgraded one, it depend or what you like. And the 430 is a limited edition 

Why be classic when you can be unique

Link to comment
Share on other sites

All Lotus cars are "limited editions" if you think about it due tot he volume of cars Lotus produce.

I mean, for Christ's sake, Audi owners go on about the R8 RWS being a limited edition, yes limited to 999 of that one model - well that's nearly the entire output of lotus across ALL models for a year!

996 GT3RS - only 140 RHD cars made - Lotus world wide distribution of the Evora Sport 410 was less than that!  Which car is rarer?

997.1 GT3 - 1,000 of these sold in the US and Canada alone - more than Lotus made of the Evora's for all markets in the same time period

997.2 GT3 - 600+ sold in the US and Canada....

 

Need I go on. EVERY Lotus car is special and unique.

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

I came into this world screaming and covered in someone elses blood. I'll probably leave it in the same way. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes she's from Geneva, but drive it often on France to go to circuit (sadly her husband Drive Porsche :cry:)

Yes all Lotus are limited, but some are more limited again (even if with the plate 1 of X we can't know if they sell less or more than planned)

Why be classic when you can be unique

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apologies to Ryan for the deviation but the idea of spending €250k on an Evora is quite shocking to us, most here are freaking out about the UK price. Makes it harder to advise. €140k for a 400 is also nearly twice what they sell for here. Very unfair for you guys but presumably the obvious alternatives are also taxed up to this crazy level? When it comes to the Philippines it supports Andy's point that all Lotus are rare and special. If you get a 430 it might be the only one in the country but how many 400s and 410s, less than 5? Suddenly the limited tag means very little.

Could a GT430 be worth twice an Evora 400? Objectively it can't be but if you can afford it and massively prefer the way it looks then sure why not. You'd have to really want one for that cost though.

I also share your view that there is a bigger difference between the 400 and 410 than some would have you believe.

991 GT3RS is -10kg+20bhp+downforce over a 991 GT3. Most would insist that there is a big difference in performance.

Evora Sport 410 -70kg+10bhp+tyres+downforce+carbon over a 400 and the difference is ignored.

GT430 is -96kg+30bhp+250kg downforce+tyres+Ohlins+jhook brakes+carbon over an Evora 400. So it's definitely the ultimate spec Evora to date, how long it will remain so is anyone's guess so assume that it will be updated on the day you pick yours up and then work out if it's still worth paying €250k for the next best Evora out there. I don't take the view that the older cars are suddenly redundant every time there's a update. A Sport 410 is still a hugely desirable and intoxicating car to drive, as is the 400. There are also some advantages to the 400 and 410, I'm certain that I would have been very happy with a 410 had the 430 not shown up. I'm not even sure I'd have bothered with the GT410 Sport either given the choice. The original one still looks absolutely fantastic, its barely 2 years old! The 430 is not better in all regards but sports cars are meant to engage emotionally and the 430 certainly does that. You do get a bit more back from the 410 (and 400) on the road. You take a corner quickly and feel the suspension working to control the mass so masterfully and feel it generate massive grip. They are deeply satisfying to drive. However the 430 offers a slightly different kind of enjoyment, you take a corner fast and you feel amazed by how much more there is to come. The two words that sum the car up for me are 'grip' and 'precision'. Both taken to a whole new level for an Evora. Forget the downforce for road use, it only really starts becoming obvious at 120mph. The 430 motor is really strong too (at all rpm) and has way more character than you could ever imagine from a 'Camry engine'. The Ti pipe contributes to that but as I'm sure you will have read you lose the exhaust button so the GT430 is remarkably quiet and civilised up to 4500rpm. I like that you can overtake people without making their windows shatter but for some the noise is everything and for them perhaps a 410 with the Ti pipe is the way to go. You can activate the 430 exhaust button but not sure how easy that would be to achieve in the Philippines?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all your inputs. Yes the pricing here is pretty terrible as we have 100% import tax and excise tax on top of that. There are probably 5 400 owners and 1 410 owner, no one has the 430 yet. Just for reference, the M3 was around 175k Euros as well, so you can imagine how much people are paying for their Macca 720s and the new GT2RS (620k). 

Anyway I digress, yes the spread is 100k but if I was going to spend more than 30-40k in upgrades to make it feel better and as good in terms of looks and performance, I think I wouldn't be doing it properly, since if I just ordered a 430 then it would accordingly exactly to my spec. Plus I am planning a trip to Goodwood anyway so it would be rather special for someone who lives so far to see the car on the production line! Anyway, what bugs me is the risk of the 400 not becoming as special as the 410 that I tried, and I can only imagine what the 430 feels like. Another dilemma is that if I'm going to be spending that much, then maybe I better wait for the very last, "ultimate" iteration of the chassis. The reason why I'm tempted is of course, because of the rather large discount they're willing to give. 

You are completely right in saying that I would have been perfectly happy with the 410. It's just that if I have to order a new unit, then it would only make sense to add a little more for the 430. Regarding the exhaust, there are pretty much no one enforcing speed limits here anywhere (even in school zones, I know it's crazy), so you can imagine how no one cares all the more about noise regs. My exige runs without a cat in fact, so that's a non-issue to me. It has crossed my mind to get the 400 and just immediately avail of the Komo tec 460hp kit, but how that will fare in our tropical weather is anyone's guess. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I run a 400 and test drove a 430 a few weeks ago, the 430 was fantastic and if I found £60k down the back of the sofa I would upgrade. However for me the biggest difference between the two cars on the road was the Ohlins suspension, in your shoes I would probably go for the 400 and spend circa £5k on suspension, on the other hand if you are the kind of guy who will be looking at the 430 and regretting not buying it.........

Great position to be in, there isn't a wrong decision to make!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In theory a 400 with KT460 kit ought to be faster than a GT430 in a straight line though we need to remember power:weight which is often forgotten. If speed is the priority then I’d suggest giving Nissan a call. Never mind 460bhp, you could have a GTR with over 700bhp for the price of a 430.

410 with Ohlins and Ti exhaust would be a bit special but 430 was worth the extra for me. Not sure what your roads are like but they can’t be much worse than UK ones currently. 400 is the most compliant Evora for sale currently but I think might need some mods to make the most of 460bhp. GT430 could handle 460bhp no sweat straight out of the box. But as with Exige if you’re planning to modify it makes more sense to start with a lower power model as you’ll end up with 460bhp either way.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Gold FFM

Point of interest, is there a price yet for a set of TTX dampers if bought as a "spare"? I know they are 5k or so as an option, but I suspect they'll be a lot more to buy after the fact - that is usually the way with these things.

James Martin (JayEmm)
Director of Photography & Car Enthusiast

Follow my Lotus adventure online! www.jayemm.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ohlins TTX upgrade fore the Exige V6 are £4k from @Seriouslylotus on here.  When the time is right I fancy this upgrade for my Evora 410. Then the KT 430 kit and I think that would do nicely.

I came into this world screaming and covered in someone elses blood. I'll probably leave it in the same way. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Bravo73 said:

The aftermarket price for TTX is approximately £5k (+VAT +fitting) or approx £7k (+VAT +fitting) if you include the Mechatronics kit. 

@Gm77... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I understand it, the 430 suspension is not just the Ohlins dampers, the other bits are different too. 

GT410 Sport with Ohlins? How much cheaper than a GT430?

Edited by SFO
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Hey guys, thank you for all the inputs. After spending weeks with two different 400's that my dealer generously lent me, and after looking at a V12s Vantage and and R8, I have come to the conclusion that it won't do it for me unless it'll be the GT430. I haven't tried one yet of course, but I can only imagine how good it is, especially after seeing the difference between the 410 and the 400. As mentioned here, power is good to have, yes but it isn't high on my priority list. There's only so much enjoyment you can get from that. Each driver is different and I really value steering feel and chassis feedback over anything else. I can't wait to see what the car will feel like with the Ohlins TTX. 

The other deciding factor was that I just had to have a MT, despite the incredibly bad traffic around here sometimes. The shifter in my Sport 350 just adds another dimension to the enjoyment of the car, and no offense but I feel that the IPS makes the car obsolete right away, as I plan to keep the car for a long time. So my only problem now....is which color to get it with!

By the way in case you're wondering, I'm still keeping my Sport 350!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking " I Accept ", you consent to our use of cookies. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.