marzman

Yeah parking is free. I've just got back, i was down for Friday, which imho is the best day as it's much quieter, you can actually get up close and see things. Saturday is okay but Sunday is way too busy for me.

Welcome to the forum... at least you live in an ideal place if you're getting an import! Who are you importing via? A reputable company? I've never imported a car myself, but the two zeds i owned were imports. From memory you'll have to get an SVA completed before it can be registered with the DVLA, and as part of this SVA there are a couple of mods required... 1. You'll need to get a rear fog light fitted. The 'standard' way to do this is to remove the drivers side tail light and hack in a generic fog light unit from Halfords or similar, and wire it to a new switch that needs to be installed in the dash... sounds a mess but is simple. 2. The headlights will be HID bulbs but the JDM cars dont have headlight washers, which is a pre-req to pass an SVA in the UK. Again the 'standard' way to overcome this is to bypass the HID ballasts under the headlights, and add wiring in for standard halogen bulbs instead. This can be reversed after SVA though and reinstate your HID bulbs. Lastly, whilst i dont think this was an SVA pre-req, it used to be the norm to convert the clocks to MPH by installing an HKS Speed Limit Defencer, and also opening the clocks up and putting a tiny square of electrical tape over the 'K' on the display so that it displays 'M/H' rather than 'KM/H'. The HKS unit will also bypass the 112mph speed limit on the JDM cars. Maintenance-wise... just take a look at it when it lands and decide what needs doing and in what order. If the rubbers are fine, leave them. If the underside is in good shape, leave it, etc etc. I cant remember service intervals but i think they were 12k miles from memory. When's it due to land?

This won't be to everyone's tastes, but i did my first mod yesterday - a private plate. I've had this on retention for a couple of years, but never had a car new enough to put it on. Tbh i'm not sure I like it - I think it makes me look a bit of a bell end. 😭 I'll will run it for a couple of months and see how I feel. My name is Chris, btw. 😐

Thanks everyone... some good info here. I should have clarified my objectives - i'm not trying to protect against stone chips here - i just want the car to look as good as possible, and to reduce the frequency of, and effort required when washing. Sounds like ceramic is 100% the way to go...

Yeah i've been considering ceramic coating but i dont know enough about it... i pinged my local detailer a message to see if he does it, and he says he doesn't, but also tried to talk me out of it saying there are better things on the market nowadays, such as graphene, or alternative hard coats that are much cheaper and don't require the ongoing maintenance? I need to do some research, but if anyone has any advice please share!!

Double post

Interesting reading your feedback... In terms of the light front end - i used to have a 911 (a 996 - the crap one) and I really didn't like how light the front end was in that - i found it quite disconcerting and it took me a long time to trust it... but the Emira - i'd had mine a week before it dawned on me that I hadn't noticed a light front end at all, i think it's quite neutral. Speed-wise... on my test drive i was pretty underwhelmed too - it didn't feel especially quick - but once i'd collected it and i was on my own (without a dashcam 😅) i was suitably impressed... it's got a very narrow power band, 5k-7k revs for the peak power - it sounds like an F1 car and propels you at silly speeds... upshifting from 2nd to 3rd at the red line feels brutal. I had a 5.0 Mustang a few years ago which was 4.8 0-60, 420bhp, and that felt alarmingly sedate in retrospect... I can really feel the 0.s less it takes the Emira...

Cheers guys... Nice weather this weekend so i washed and waxed it, and took it to my usual spot where i take car photos...

I said goodbye to my '68 Mustang this week after a couple of years of ownership. The experience wasn't for me... I thought it was my dream car but it turns out i don't like old cars Later the same day I took 3 trains to collect my Lotus Emira. Registered in Dec-22, its done 3.5k miles. The 1 owner bought the car with the expectation of being able to sell it for a profit but it didn't work out for him, so he decided to cut his losses, much to my benefit. It's a well specced car, in Seneca blue, V6 manual with the Sports suspension, full black pack, driver pack (track mode, switchable exhaust, LSD, Ice Grey Napa leather, KEF Premium Audio pack, Convenience Pack (parking sensors, camera), Diamond Cut Alloys, Yellow Calipers, Privacy Glass, Premium Mats, Scorpion Tracker, 20" alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2's. List price a shade over £92k. It was glorious weather the day i got it, although was a monotonous drive home on the motorway. The next day the weather was atrocious, but i couldn't leave it at home so tiptoed to work in it... wading through what felt like extra deep puddles was no fun. Today was marginally better, dry by the afternoon so i got to stretch its legs on the way home from work somewhat. Its terrifying. 😂 There's not much low down torque, so you have to be wringing its neck to get the most out of it, by which time you're doing silly speeds. The exhaust is quiet and reserved until you hit 5k revs, and then it sounds like an F1 car - i love this. As you change between Touring, Sport, and Track mode, the exhaust gets a little louder and the lift-off burbles become more prominent, but thankfully there's no Golf-R obnoxious pops and bangs... The manual gear box when driving at speed is a little breathtaking - when lifting off at 6k revs in 3rd to dip the clutch and change up, it feels like you've slammed on the brakes, before being thrown back in your seat when you engage 4th. I've become too used to seamless auto-boxes in recent years. Pictures do not even remotely do this car justice, for either its colour or more so it's shape. It's so wide and low it really does look like a much more exotic supercar in the flesh. I have CCTV at home and have watched 4 or 5 people walking past the house and stopping to take pictures.🙂 The afternoon i picked it up, literally the first pedestrian i saw gave a chef's kiss as i pulled out of the junction. My favourite thing so far is the steering wheel. Alcantara with a square bottom and it's oh so chunky... it really adds to the occasion. With the notchy little gearbox it feels like i'm in the arcade playing Sega Rally. The only downside so far is that it is an effort to drive... i've been bored of my Range Rover for the last 6 months, but after 2 days of driving this it felt incredible to get back into the Range. 🤪 Here's a couple of unimaginative pictures from on my driveway... i'll get some better shots soon.

Picking up tomorrow hopefully... fingers crossed! Just sorted my insurance.... hadn't done a quote until today as i didn't want to know what it'd cost, but pleasantly surprised it's only £488!

Tasty! Any details?

Oh interestingly, i looked up the dimensions yesterday compared to the 350z... it's 11cm longer, 17cm wider, and 9cm lower!

Yeah i love the colour - when these were first announced back in 2021 this was the colour on all the promos and is what first caught my attention. Very similar to my Mustang... 'British Gas Van' Blue as my friend likes to remind me. 😂 The guy ran a specialist dealership from his house... mainly in Maserati's but the odd bit of other exotica.

Had an email from Lotus this morning cancelling my test drive today... great. But no drama as i wasn't planning to buy from them anyway. I've had my eye on one in particular on Autotrader, so gave them a call and it was still available, and i could test drive today. Only an hour from me too. Second hand but only 3k miles. Long story short... i loved it. Had a decent test drive, got to stretch its legs. Looks, sounds, feels awesome. Surprisingly high build quality... the door shut feels better than my range rover! Absolutely loads of leg and headroom. Deposit paid. Picking it up likely 1st June as i'm on holiday and then when i get back the dealer is on holiday... it's going to be a long month. 😭 Here she is... I wasn't sure about the frost leather beforehand, but in person the contrast against the blue is stunning.