Thinking of selling Supra for a Lotus Emira - Opinions?

[R1Outcast]

Which do you think looks like which?

I THINK he's referring to the engine setup (front vs mid). But objectively, neither looks like a Corvette.

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[exe36m3]

Was in a somewhat similar thought process... Supra, Jaguar, Lotus Evora.

We all want something special.
But what can kill the ownership experience is service, parts, and maintenance.

For me, Jaguar was stupidly beautiful. But service and parts stupidly expensive. The Lotus, even more so. Yeah, I did the research and even had my Jaguar HQ friend suggest the Supra.

So, I went Supra with an 8-10 year mindset, because it's 90% BMW, parts are moderately cheap and getting service is easy.

But I'm old (GenX), and I get a bigger thrill when my Nvidia stock goes up in price than my car making me all giggly.

 

[J29DB03]

Which do you think looks like which?

Kind of think that’s obvious, but based on the “compliments” I’ve gotten from Boomer husbands and Boomer wives, the Supra gives them warm and fuzzy C7 feelings.

 

[J29DB03]

I THINK he's referring to the engine setup (front vs mid). But objectively, neither looks like a Corvette.

First thing that goes through my mind when they say it.

 

[puzzled]

The general public don't care about sports cars these days nor see any special attractiveness towards them or the drivers, so keep that in mind if you're going for the wrong reasons.

 

[Loco38SUP]

The general public don't care about sports cars these days nor see any special attractiveness towards them or the drivers, so keep that in mind if you're going for the wrong reasons.

The EV plague has killed car culture in general. Very few of the current generation care about cars.

-RJM

 

[R1Outcast]

The general public don't care about sports cars these days nor see any special attractiveness towards them or the drivers, so keep that in mind if you're going for the wrong reasons.

I get what you're saying, in the sense that the op shouldn't make his decision based on whether others think it's "cool".

But I disagree that people don't notice sports cars. I get SOO many more stares and points in my Supra than when I'm in my company RAM (which gets zero stares or points).

People do still notice nice and unique looking cars.

 

[FLtrackdays]

I get what you're saying, in the sense that the op shouldn't make his decision based on whether others think it's "cool".

But I disagree that people don't notice sports cars. I get SOO many more stares and points in my Supra than when I'm in my company RAM (which gets zero stares or points).

People do still notice nice and unique looking cars.

It is odd how many people think the Supra is some kind of exotic, or at least act that way. I honestly wasn’t expecting this much attention from her. Even when the exhaust isn’t screaming & she’s sitting still. Just the other day I pulled into the barber ? shop. Oh boy…. Did that strike up the conversations. Is it hard to get in and out of? Yes. Do you like it? Yes ?

Reliability, parts & price = McLoving ? it!!

But if a Lotus is what OP wants, absolutely go for it. You’ll never know unless you do. Hopefully there’s a Lotus dealer and/or shop nearby that knows how to service it. That’ll make ownership much more worth it.

 

[AustexSupra]

It is odd how many people think the Supra is some kind of exotic, or at least act that way. I honestly wasn’t expecting this much attention from her. Even when the exhaust isn’t screaming & she’s sitting still. Just the other day I pulled into the barber ? shop. Oh boy…. Did that strike up the conversations. Is it hard to get in and out of? Yes. Do you like it? Yes ?

Reliability, parts & price = McLoving ? it!!

But if a Lotus is what OP wants, absolutely go for it. You’ll never know unless you do. Hopefully there’s a Lotus dealer and/or shop nearby that knows how to service it. That’ll make ownership much more worth it.

I do get thumbs up all the time when driving it!

I am testing the waters now by putting it up for sale on FB marketplace. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1249940236916323

 

[concept]

I'm assuming you're getting the V6 which is a supercharged Toyota motor, so you won't be lacking in parts for that specifically, but Lotus has other quality control quirks and electrical gremlins. If you're planning on keeping it for a while, make good friends with your local Lotus dealer or use the Lotus forums to figure out what aftermarket or DIY garage fixes work.

The Supra (stock for stock) is quicker in a straight line, and has more aftermarket support, but doesn't share the exclusivity.

I'd choose the Lotus if you have a lot of windy roads in the Austin area, but if you're looking to be the quickest car on the highway, look elsewhere.

I agree. I had a $2500 deposit on an Emira but backed out due to the constant quality issues posted in the UK Lotus forum.
The nearest dealership to me is 80 miles, so....

And while the Emira is more rare than our Supra's, the Supra's are not far behind. When I was visting relatives in CT, I did not see one Supra, and we traveled quite a bit while there. Here is CA, they are are more numerous, but I rarely see any until I attend a meetup and or cars & coffee event.
Supras have been very reliable - another plus.

 

[AustexSupra]

I agree. I had a $2500 deposit on an Emira but backed out due to the constant quality issues posted in the UK Lotus forum.
The nearest dealership to me is 80 miles, so....

And while the Emira is more rare than our Supra's, the Supra's are not far behind. When I was visting relatives in CT, I did not see one Supra, and we traveled quite a bit while there. Here is CA, they are are more numerous, but I rarely see any until I attend a meetup and or cars & coffee event.
Supras have been very reliable - another plus.

Thanks for the perspective. I have a Lotus dealer about 3 miles from my house, so tempting to buy one.

 

[Kujiwara]

Considering if there are no one else around to comment or judge what you drive, which car would you want to have? I actually feel like it's because you had a Supra for a while, if it's just manual you're looking for, there are much better cars around that allows you to keep the Supra as well. I would suggest renting an Emira for a few days, and use it how you would use the Supra, and then see how you'd like it. If you love it, you wouldn't care too much about servicability.

Few other things to consider, depending how you want to weigh them:
Community
Aftermarket
Running costs (Service, Insurance, Fuel)
What are going to use it for primarily
Are you going to want to get back into a Supra

 

[concept]

Considering if there are no one else around to comment or judge what you drive, which car would you want to have? I actually feel like it's because you had a Supra for a while, if it's just manual you're looking for, there are much better cars around that allows you to keep the Supra as well. I would suggest renting an Emira for a few days, and use it how you would use the Supra, and then see how you'd like it. If you love it, you wouldn't care too much about servicability.

Few other things to consider, depending how you want to weigh them:
Community
Aftermarket
Running costs (Service, Insurance, Fuel)
What are going to use it for primarily
Are you going to want to get back into a Supra

In my situation, I already had an NC PRHT Miata with 6 speed manual, so I opted for an auto transmission Supra, which is both faster and thriftier on fuel compared to a manual version.
Storage: The Supra had a pass-through hatch area where I can store groceries without their being cooked by the engine.
Number of dealerships and independent BMW service shops in the US: No comparison.
Electronic safety features: Not a deal breaker but I admit that I am spoiled in this regard. Going on a trip with radar cruise and a ZF - 8 auto transmission can be very handy when heavy traffic is encountered.
Looks: Win for the Lotus, for sure

 

[AustexSupra]

In my situation, I already had an NC PRHT Miata with 6 speed manual, so I opted for an auto transmission Supra, which is both faster and thriftier on fuel compared to a manual version.
Storage: The Supra had a pass-through hatch area where I can store groceries without their being cooked by the engine.
Number of dealerships and independent BMW service shops in the US: No comparison.
Electronic safety features: Not a deal breaker but I admit that I am spoiled in this regard. Going on a trip with radar cruise and a ZF - 8 auto transmission can be very handy when heavy traffic is encountered.
Looks: Win for the Lotus, for sure

I've been a big time Miata guy with the last one being an AVO Turbo'd 6-speed ND.

This is the Emira I'm considering purchasing: https://www.mcofchicago.com/vehicle-details/e82527805ee84603ad50248df97acfb4

 

[concept]

I've been a big time Miata guy with the last one being an AVO Turbo'd 6-speed ND.

This is the Emira I'm considering purchasing: https://www.mcofchicago.com/vehicle-details/e82527805ee84603ad50248df97acfb4

Gorgeous car! Do you know if there were any issues with the car? Often, issues that occur early in a vehicle's life can be a harbinger of future problems, especially if the issues were fairly common with other owners.
Also, if there were dealership-installed replacements, were they updated versions?

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