Car Finally Arrived… Now I’m Thinking of Walking Away. Need advice!

[Eugene]

medical bill isn't something you must pay on day 1 (if at all)

look into that. Negotiate with provider, reduce the amount, make payment plan.
you can sell the car later, your risk turns into 10-15% of its cost.

 

[Martin_S]

I was about to write something but it was the same as beefeater.
I was in a similar position, held off and ended up buying one after things had settled, with just 1000 miles on it for 28% under new price. Get sorted then go for it.

 

[ltullos]

FWIW, I was in a similar position in late 2024 when my slot opened to purchase 2024 FE. I didn't feel comfortable enough to eat up almost half of my liquid cash and certainly wasn't going to finance. I passed on placing the order, but let my dealer keep my $2500 refundable deposit. I finally ended up finding a slight used (2000 miles) one in Dec 2025 for $90K. Even after transport fee, taxes, powder coating silver wheels to gloss black full PPF & ceramic coat, and prepping it for track (auto downshift blip module, oil, brake fluid change, alignment) I've still have paid less than what I would have paid for new one and taxes. And my dealer fully refunded my deposit.

If you don't feel comfortable buying now, trust your gut, be patient and buy one later if able. One thing I have seen is that there are lots of people with plenty of money that bought one but are not committed to it. There are also plenty of good deals you can find if patient.

 

[lotus11]

100% with the others - if you depend on the job to pay for it, then don't do it. The car isn't worth it (I own one and love it) if you can't pay for it. This is just my take, everyone is different.

 

[whitewater]

Hi All, I just got the call from my dealership that my 2026 Emira is arriving next week. Super exciting news as I’ve been waiting for a long time but now two big uncertainties popped up at the same time:

- There’s a possibility I could get laid off in the next few weeks

- I’m expecting a medical bill in late June, and depending on insurance it could be pretty large (worst case ~75% of the car’s value).

I have enough savings for both but I’m trying to make a smart decision. I’m stuck deciding what to do. I see three options:

1) Just go through with the purchase and accept the risk.
2) Ask the dealership if I can revisit buying the car in early July, if it hasn’t sold, and ideally if it hasn’t been used for test drives.
3) Cancel/skip this one and place a new order for later delivery.

I’m mainly looking for advice on options 2 and 3:

- Is it unreasonable to ask a dealership to “hold” the car like that, even informally?
- If I back out now and place a new order later, would that hurt my relationship with the dealership or make them less likely to work with me?

For context, I still really want the car, this isn’t about losing interest, just bad timing and risk management.

What would you do in this situation?

 

[Vampyre]

hate to say, but hold off, there are plenty to choose from, so no worries about a future Emira purchase.

 

[GreyGhost_1776]

I would skid and go with option #3. Get your health & life back in good position. There will always be another Lotus or vehicle for that matter available. I also have no doubt you can order what you want once again, it's not like the Emira is a unicorn. Lotus needs business badly. Take care of life first. Best wishes.

 

[InvasiveSpecies]

I would hold off, but it's worth talking with the dealer and seeing if they would hold it or do anything. It doesn't hurt or cost anything to ask.