Noble...Esprit ?? Advice

[egomes]

I've owned an 89SE and V8 Esprit('00). I love the Esprit but have been falling in love with the Noble now. Can owners give me a bit of avice on Esprit ownership vs Noble. Less on performance and more on day in and day out life with the Noble cars. Reliability, etc... I live in the US and would like to get into one by next year, unless they are difficult to service, etc...

THANKS in advance,

EG

[ashp]

Welcome - it's worthwhile searching some of the threads in this forum, as this topic has come up before.

[m12_nathan]

Get in touch with 1 g racing in the states - I don't know how far away you are from them but if you are near enough then a test drive will make your mind up

[egomes]

Thanks guys. I've contacted 1gRacing but have only spoken to the secretary. She sent me a packet of information. 1gRacing has not called me back regarding the more important information. She did mention that they were in the UK for the AutoShow.

I've searched the threads on this forum but still do not have answers to the following:

(In regards to the Ford Powertrain)
1) Where would I take my Noble for servicing?
2) What are the service intervals?
3) How does it run in heavy traffic (overheating?)
4) Cabin Temp after LONG drives?
5) Insurance in Cali?

Thanks for all of your support guys!

EG

[m12_nathan]

1) Where would I take my Noble for servicing?
I'd Guess any ford motorsport dealership although 1G will confirm

2) What are the service intervals?
Every 6000 miles or 12 months whichever comes first.

3) How does it run in heavy traffic (overheating?)
No problems with that but I'd guess it might be a bit hotter out there

4) Cabin Temp after LONG drives?
Fine with Aircon on, boiling with it off.

5) Insurance in Cali?
Not sure, when the owners club mailing list gets back on line you can ask some of the american owners who they got insured with and again I'm sure 1g can point you in the right direction.

[egomes]

Thank you all for your replies! I'll try to connect with US owners.

EG

[SpeedDemon]

EG: What part of California? (I'm a Noble owner, in Los Angeles). For servicing, I've been going to an independent Lotus mechanic located in Cerritos.

Insurance: You can go with Progressive or AAA for "daily driver" insurance, or a wide range of specialty insurance co's if you only plan on using the Noble for "pleasure/weekend" driving. I'd recommend AAA, they have the best rate I've found and since I've gone through the process of having them research & create a "Noble 3R" entry into their computers, it should be very easy for you to get the car insured.

Marc

[egomes]

Awesome Marc! I've used Harry Appleby in Costa Mesa for my Lotus servicing. How much servicing have you dealt with in the Noble? Could any good mechanic work on the car? I live in Fresno and would have to drive to Costa Mesa for service on my Esprit. My local repair shops would NOT touch my Esprit. They were afraid of doing more harm than good. I'd like to hear more about you experience with the Noble. Please email me if possible.

[e-mail]

Thank you for your time!

Ed-

[SpeedDemon]

Hi Ed,

I know who Harry Appleby is (I learned about him when I recently attended a Lotus drive in Malibu). You'd likely be able to have him service the car if you wanted to.

The Noble is a relatively simple car and void of lots of the complicated electronics you find on most new cars, so a good, performance-minded independent mechanic could work on it. The trick is finding someone who is 1) Good, 2) Willing, and 3) Local. I can't claim to have had success in this area, as Cerritos is typically a 1.5 hour drive for me with traffic, and that's the closest I've found so far.

Best,
Marc