marzman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 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. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Lovely 😍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Very nice mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormtrooperZ Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Stunning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Congratulations. Enjoy the ownership experience. Can I have a fiver for every time you walk away and then turn back and look at it ?. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEADPHONES Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Proper supercar silhouette and colour The type of car that school kids would have posters of in their bedroom. In years to come you'll be reading posts online of a petrolhead that read "My love of cars started when I was a young teen and I'd see this bloke in the neighborhood driving his blue Lotus Emira......" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 3 minutes ago, HEADPHONES said: Proper supercar silhouette and colour The type of car that school kids would have posters of in their bedroom. In years to come you'll be reading posts online of a petrolhead that read "My love of cars started when I was a young teen and I'd see this bloke in the neighborhood driving his blue Lotus Emira......" Unfortunately that'll never be the case. Marzman isn't allowed within 100 yards of any school 😂 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted May 26 Share Posted May 26 Stunning thing. Many happy motoring miles 💙 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The G Man Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 That looks stunning! Reminds me of the new corvette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Very Nice ... Enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Ooooffftttt, this is mega. Congratz mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Muxlow Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Very nice looking car buddy. Love the colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Cheers guys... Nice weather this weekend so i washed and waxed it, and took it to my usual spot where i take car photos... 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 Stunning 💙 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 Stunning. I would get that fully ceramic coated if it was me, if it isn’t already. Best thing I ever did to my car . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marzman Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 On 03/06/2024 at 08:33, Payco said: Stunning. I would get that fully ceramic coated if it was me, if it isn’t already. Best thing I ever did to my car . 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!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShortPaul Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 I would go for PPF 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Payco Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 (edited) 7 hours ago, marzman said: 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!! Ceramic coating is honestly the answer. It will lock that colour in and it will look like the paint is wet and glossy for 5-7 years. Won’t scratch and your cleaning process will be done in twenty mins. No need to polish the car. No brainier..Here’s mine. Original 1989 paint ceramic coated. Stays like this. Wash, beads like hell and dries off in a few mins to look like this from dirty . All I’ve done is wash it. No polishing . Think what your stunning car will look like it . Standard photo , no photoshopping or clever stuff. look up ceramic coating on YouTube. Edited June 8 by Payco 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 PPF if you're likely to get stonechips. You won't have the same look but the protection is unrivalled against other ceramic coating or waxing. My dad has it on his F8 and it still looks great. I've always been a wax by hand person until last month where I used a snow foam applied si02 coating from auto finesse called lavish. It's not as long lasting as a ceramic coating and only last up to 6 months they say. Tried it as a quick cheap test (£16 per bottle and last 2 washes). But OMG it's amazing and if a ceramic coating is much better and longer lasting then I'm definitely doing that once I've got my stone chips repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Oh and research which ceramic coating you're getting. Gtechniq is widely offered at car showrooms but not as great as others from my research. I'll be getting Kamikaze Enrei applied on mine. From the person I'll be getting it done from... "This is an accredited pro only two part coating, consisting of a primer and top coat. Its a tough, durable coating and offers the best looks I have ever seen. Extremely hydrophobic too. This is an expensive product and takes a lot of time to apply correctly." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 Shocker, seller bigs up his own product 😉 PPF will protect the paint, but never looks as good as naked paint. Coatings will look the best, but can still chip. Personally I’d go coating every time, avoid the ultra cheap but anything after a certain price is much of a muchness. It’s all about the prep (so machine polishing before is a must, even on a brand new car) and how it’s applied, it’s really not that difficult to do no matter what professionals say. I’ve done a Gallardo Spider and a Skoda Supervb, both very different vehicles with very different paints but the application was the same, and the results equally as worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted June 8 Share Posted June 8 (edited) Ah, my favourite topic! Coating or PPF, the same advice applies: look into the product as they can very significantly, and find someone experienced with the products you want to use for the sme reason. Graphene coatings are still in theit infancy and still don't deliver on the many promises. I've not found one that I would use over an SiO2/Quartz/Ceramic coating. And everything, absolutely everything, is going to need some maintenance. My preference is still very much Gyeon (Syncro Evo, for those interested, but Mohs Evo and Pure Evo are both pretty awesome in their own rights) but DIY products are not hugely dissimilar so stick to any of the respected brands and you'll be fine. As Dan says, proper prep is essential to getting the most out of any coating so if you're doing it yourself spend the time there. If you're not confident enough to do the prep yourself, get a detailer to do it all for you - just find a new detailer @marzman, your local guy isn't the right guy for this job! Accredited Pro only coatings are, to some extent, a bit of a gimmick in as much as anyone could use them properly with the right amount understanding, but they are much easier to get wrong and experience does go a long way to getting the best out of it - think of it like painting, anyone can do it but experienced professionals are probably going to do it better. Are they worth paying extra for? It depends. Personally, if the same person was offering two products, one an off-the-shelf product and the other an Accredited Pro only for a premium, they would need to justify the premium to me beyond just being formally recognised as able to use it. Don't get me wrong, some (although not all!) do offer benefits and others (although much fewer) don't necessarily come with a premium. Edited June 8 by ilogikal1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy james Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 Ceramic coating brings the colour out and beads water the size of grapes! This my Trophy 2 years on after gtechniq coating. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GranTurismoEra Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 (edited) On 08/06/2024 at 00:36, ShortPaul said: I would go for PPF PPF can be expensive £1500 up to £3800 for a whole car over here. It will protect against stone chips but the paint wont look as HD as it could. It will look reflective but the colour would be dulled somewhat because of the film. Polish, prep, Ceramic coat it. Stone chips Will Happen if you tailgate or get caught on the motorway while behind an hgv or salt truck. Tbh youd probably need to be close to beyond quarter of a mile behind anyone to avoid bouncing stones. Edited June 9 by GranTurismoEra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted June 10 Share Posted June 10 For the front end ceramic coatings and PPF aren't comparable in terms of protection, speak to an actual detailer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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