Lotus Secrets
Four ebooks · 64 pages · Instant PDF downloadBlack Friday launch price · ends in 
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Black FridayLaunch price on every edition through November 30, 2026. From December 1 the regular prices apply: $27 / $47 / $97.
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One guide. Two guides. Or the Complete Collection.

Start with what you need today. Or get all four volumes in one download.

The Lotus Buying Roadmap Black Friday · launch price
Volume I

The Buying Roadmap

Black Friday launch price: $24Regular price from December 1: $27Until Nov 30
  • The 7-phase inspection — paperwork to underside, in the order that matters.
  • The 20-minute test protocol — including the high-rev cam change check on the four-cylinder cars.
  • The cold-start decoder — what a tick, a rattle or a puff of smoke means, and what to do about it.
  • The word-for-word negotiation script — turn your findings into an offer.
  • Model cheat sheets, the fault decoder & 3 print-and-carry sheets — Elise, Exige, Evora, Emira, Esprit and Elan.
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✓ Instant download · one-time payment
The Lotus Playbook Black Friday · launch price
Volume II

The Playbook

Black Friday launch price: $42Regular price from December 1: $47Until Nov 30
  • The Six Lotus Killers — the radiator, oil lines, toe links, sitting, oil starvation and the Esprit belt — each with its cheap prevention.
  • The “lifetime” myths, decoded — fluids, the Toyota engine, gearbox oil and alignment.
  • The storage plan — six steps in fall, six in spring.
  • Fair prices for 40 common jobs + the dealer upsell decoder — read any quote like a veteran.
  • Cost-to-keep planner & 3 glovebox cards — fluids, symptoms and the service log.
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Lotus Secrets: The Complete Collection Black Friday · launch price
2 BUNDLE-ONLY BOOKS
All four volumes

The Complete Collection

Black Friday launch price: $87Regular price from December 1: $97Until Nov 30
THIS ONE PURCHASE INCLUDES ALL 4 BOOKS:
✓ Vol I — The Buying Roadmap
✓ Vol II — The Playbook
✓ Vol III — Best vs Worst YearsBUNDLE EXCLUSIVE
✓ Vol IV — The Lotus FilesBUNDLE EXCLUSIVE
You do not need to buy the volumes separately — all four are delivered together, instantly.
  • All four volumes — the buying method, the maintenance playbook & the two bundle-only volumes
  • Vol III & IV, only in this bundle: verdicts on every Lotus sold in the US since 2005, plus the Esprit and Elan — and the full story since 1948
  • 64 pages · four PDFs, one download
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✓ Instant download · one-time payment
✓Instant PDF download
✓One-time payment · no subscription
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How the library works

Four Volumes, One Job Each

The Buying Roadmap gets you the right car at the right price: seven inspection phases, a 20-minute test drive and a negotiation script that turns each fault you find into a number. The Playbook keeps it: what kills these cars, what to service and when, who should do the work and what each job should cost. Best vs Worst Years grades every model year, engine and gearbox before you spend a weekend driving to viewings. And The Lotus Files is the history behind all of it, from a London lock-up in 1948 to the Emira.

A front clam fitted and painted runs $7,000 to $12,000. Spotting the crack before you buy costs nothing — if you know where to look.

Instant & yours to keepDownload now, read on any device, print what you need.
Every modern LotusElise · Exige · Evora · Emira — plus the Esprit and Elan.
IndependentWe don't sell cars. No commission, no agenda.
The numbers from the Playbook

The prevention, or the cure.

Most Lotus cars that turn expensive do it while the engine is still healthy. Each cause has a cheap prevention and an expensive cure. These are price ranges printed in The Playbook:

◇ THE CURE

What it costs once it has failed

A split radiator: overheated engine$4,000–9,000
Oil cooler line lets go: replacement engine$6,000–12,000
Rear toe link fails: suspension and clam$8,000–20,000
Sitting: battery, tires, brakes, fuel system$1,500–3,500
Oil starvation on track: engine$6,000–12,000
Esprit timing belt breaks: engine rebuild$10,000–25,000
ALL SIX CURES$35,500–81,500
◇ THE PREVENTION

What it costs to stop it early

All-aluminum radiator before it fails$1,200–2,500
Oil lines inspected and replaced$400–1,200
Upgraded toe links and brace$500–900
Battery tender, fresh fuel, a monthly drive$60–120
Baffled sump or oil accumulator$400–1,200
Esprit belt service on time$1,500–4,000
ALL SIX PREVENTIONS$4,060–9,920

Indicative independent-workshop prices in US dollars, parts and labor. Not every car needs every item — the Playbook tells you which ones yours does.

Why it matters

Bought with the heart.
Kept with your head.

There's nothing like the first time a car this light changes direction, or the moment the engine behind your shoulders comes on song. A Lotus is the car a lot of us have wanted since we first saw one — and when it's right, nothing at the price talks to you the same way.

But the same car can quietly empty your account. A fiberglass body over a bonded aluminum tub hides its history well. Buy the wrong car, miss the wrong crack, trust the wrong seller, and the dream becomes an expensive lesson. The difference isn't luck — it's knowing what to look for.

These four volumes put the method in writing: what to check before you pay, what to service once it is yours, which years to chase, and where the car came from.

Know before you buyThe faults, the traps and the years to chase — model by model.
Own it without fearReal service costs and what to fix first, so nothing blindsides you.
Fall deeper for itThe full history — from a lock-up in London to the last gasoline Lotus.
Preview · Table of contents

Inside the Complete Archive.

Four volumes, 64 pages. This is what you actually download — the contents of each book, as delivered.

The Buying Roadmap

19 pages
The field manual
  • The 7-phase inspection you carry to every viewing
  • 12 questions for the seller, before you leave the house
  • The cold-start decoder and the 20-minute test protocol
  • The fault decoder: what each repair costs
  • Model cheat sheets, budget math, the negotiation script & 3 print sheets

The Playbook

18 pages
Own it without fear
  • The “lifetime” myths and the Six Lotus Killers
  • The service calendar, by mileage and by age
  • 40 jobs priced + the dealer upsell decoder
  • The DIY ladder, the storage plan & track-day preparation
  • Cost-to-keep planner & 3 glovebox cards

Best vs Worst Years

15 pages
Bundle only
  • Elise, Exige, Evora and Emira, graded year by year, plus the Esprit by era
  • The short answer: which Lotus for which buyer
  • Engines and gearboxes ranked
  • Four verdicts: CHASE / SOLID / CARE / IMPROVING
  • Budget ladders, the sleeper list & 30 rapid-fire verdicts

The Lotus Files

12 pages
Bundle only
  • 40 files in eight parts, each one a single episode
  • Colin Chapman, the Seven and the Elan
  • Team Lotus: Jim Clark, Indianapolis & ground effect
  • The Bond Esprit, the Elise and the road to the Emira
  • Timeline, decoder & a 12-question quiz
Before you buy

Questions, answered

How do I get it after paying?

Instant PDF download the moment you check out, plus a copy by email. Read on any device, or print it and take it to the car.

What's in the all-in-one bundle?

All four guides: The Buying Roadmap (19 pages), The Playbook (18 pages), Best vs Worst Years (15 pages) and The Lotus Files history dossier (12 pages). The last two are only available in the bundle.

Which Lotus models does it cover?

The cars sold in the United States: Elise (2005–2011), Exige (2006–2011), Evora (2010–2021) and Emira, plus the Esprit and the 1991 Elan. The buying and maintenance detail is deepest on the Toyota-engined cars most people shop for. For the Esprit and the older classics the guides tell you what to check and when to bring in a specialist.

Is this professional advice?

No — it's independent information for enthusiasts. It doesn't replace an inspection: always commission an independent pre-purchase inspection (PPI) before you buy.

What if it's not for me?

Every guide is an instant PDF download, so once it has been delivered it can't be taken back — take your time before you buy. What's inside each book is listed on this page under “Inside the Complete Archive”, and the regular prices are fixed: $27, $47 and $97. The Black Friday launch price runs through November 30, 2026 (11:59 PM Pacific Time); from December 1 the regular prices apply. If a file is faulty or not what this page describes, email us and we'll put it right. Full details are in the Refund Policy.

Stop guessing. Start knowing.

Get the whole library and walk into every Lotus viewing knowing what to check, what to ask and what to pay.

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Instant PDF download · Yours to keep

Black Friday launch price: the Complete Collection is $87 through November 30, 2026 (11:59 PM Pacific Time). From December 1 it is $97.