Just a friendly question from a Noble fan!
Discussion
Hi Guys
I don't own a Noble - if I had the money an M12 would be one of my considerations but sadly my budget wouldn't stretch £20K+.
Whilst in dreamland I was just wondering 2 questions really -
I imagine this one has a fairly obvious answer, but are they catagorically weekend cars or do any of you run them as daily drivers if so, what are they like to live with every day?
Do they require a lot of TLC compared to similarly aged and priced perfomance cars like 996 Turbo's etc?
I'm just a little curious!
I don't own a Noble - if I had the money an M12 would be one of my considerations but sadly my budget wouldn't stretch £20K+.
Whilst in dreamland I was just wondering 2 questions really -
I imagine this one has a fairly obvious answer, but are they catagorically weekend cars or do any of you run them as daily drivers if so, what are they like to live with every day?
Do they require a lot of TLC compared to similarly aged and priced perfomance cars like 996 Turbo's etc?
I'm just a little curious!
You could use one every day, though they can be a bit warm in the heat of summer (that 1 week a year!).
The reason people always seem to be working on them (mainly) is not because they broke but for the joy of messing with it. Mods can give more power, change the looks, improve some minor aspect, or just be cosmetic to amuse the owner.
But, it makes more power than a standard ford engine, so it's more highly stressed.
SO regular oil changes and general servicing and should be no problem.
The reason people always seem to be working on them (mainly) is not because they broke but for the joy of messing with it. Mods can give more power, change the looks, improve some minor aspect, or just be cosmetic to amuse the owner.
But, it makes more power than a standard ford engine, so it's more highly stressed.
SO regular oil changes and general servicing and should be no problem.
when I first bought mine I ran it as my company car doing 15k a year in it with 100% reliability... just going to the garage for the book services and I never turned a spanner on it for that period.
did 30mpg, servicing was cheaper than my M3 (that it replaced) as were tyres AND insurance.
Of cause I am talking about 5 years ago and the car only had 11k on it when i bought it so was relatively new... Its only since heavily modifying the car that mine has become temperamental... ride is nice, seats are comfy on long trips, it was a comfy place to be on long journeys and it was only the getting in and out in tight supermarket car parks that was a pain (less so than the VX220 i had though).
after close to 7 years I still love what is left of my noble
did 30mpg, servicing was cheaper than my M3 (that it replaced) as were tyres AND insurance.
Of cause I am talking about 5 years ago and the car only had 11k on it when i bought it so was relatively new... Its only since heavily modifying the car that mine has become temperamental... ride is nice, seats are comfy on long trips, it was a comfy place to be on long journeys and it was only the getting in and out in tight supermarket car parks that was a pain (less so than the VX220 i had though).
after close to 7 years I still love what is left of my noble
Had mine nearly 6 years now. First 2 years was my only car, though the gf did have a car we'd use for the weekly big shop etc. Was 100% reliable. Since modifying a fair bit, the car has constantly had little niggles, and for the past 18 months has been a bit of a ball-ache. But when it works its awesome!
Hi
Firstly I don't recommend buying a Noble for less than around 30k really with low mileage and with a fantastic service history. When I went to buy mine I drove from the north to the south coast over 3 months and viewed almost a dozen that were available at the time.
The 20-25k ones from my experience had to much chassis rust, had not been looked after and needed far to much TLC. One of them had missing service history for 4 years. Good lord I walked quickly out of that dodgy garage.
When it comes to driving daily. No
I generally leave mine locked up at my showroom unless the weather is nice then I might try to drive it home daily 3-4 times a week but its not really made for that. Its better to leave locked up and just use for event days, driving days and summer days. Also without any luggage space you can't take them out with your wife for picnic's or anything please there really isn't enough room for a hamper. So your going to need something else for pretty much anything you want to do apart from driving days.
Firstly I don't recommend buying a Noble for less than around 30k really with low mileage and with a fantastic service history. When I went to buy mine I drove from the north to the south coast over 3 months and viewed almost a dozen that were available at the time.
The 20-25k ones from my experience had to much chassis rust, had not been looked after and needed far to much TLC. One of them had missing service history for 4 years. Good lord I walked quickly out of that dodgy garage.
When it comes to driving daily. No
I generally leave mine locked up at my showroom unless the weather is nice then I might try to drive it home daily 3-4 times a week but its not really made for that. Its better to leave locked up and just use for event days, driving days and summer days. Also without any luggage space you can't take them out with your wife for picnic's or anything please there really isn't enough room for a hamper. So your going to need something else for pretty much anything you want to do apart from driving days.
G_Sleigh said:
Hi
Firstly I don't recommend buying a Noble for less than around 30k really with low mileage and with a fantastic service history. When I went to buy mine I drove from the north to the south coast over 3 months and viewed almost a dozen that were available at the time.
The 20-25k ones from my experience had to much chassis rust, had not been looked after and needed far to much TLC. One of them had missing service history for 4 years. Good lord I walked quickly out of that dodgy garage.
When it comes to driving daily. No
I generally leave mine locked up at my showroom unless the weather is nice then I might try to drive it home daily 3-4 times a week but its not really made for that. Its better to leave locked up and just use for event days, driving days and summer days. Also without any luggage space you can't take them out with your wife for picnic's or anything please there really isn't enough room for a hamper. So your going to need something else for pretty much anything you want to do apart from driving days.
I disagree with this, higher mileage cars have lots of things fixed. Brought mine with low miles and spent thousands on it etc. mine if sold (although a 2.5) would be in the 20-25 bracket due to mods and although mine is only car number 16 it doesn't have a rusty chassis. Firstly I don't recommend buying a Noble for less than around 30k really with low mileage and with a fantastic service history. When I went to buy mine I drove from the north to the south coast over 3 months and viewed almost a dozen that were available at the time.
The 20-25k ones from my experience had to much chassis rust, had not been looked after and needed far to much TLC. One of them had missing service history for 4 years. Good lord I walked quickly out of that dodgy garage.
When it comes to driving daily. No
I generally leave mine locked up at my showroom unless the weather is nice then I might try to drive it home daily 3-4 times a week but its not really made for that. Its better to leave locked up and just use for event days, driving days and summer days. Also without any luggage space you can't take them out with your wife for picnic's or anything please there really isn't enough room for a hamper. So your going to need something else for pretty much anything you want to do apart from driving days.
G_Sleigh said:
Hi
Firstly I don't recommend buying a Noble for less than around 30k really with low mileage and with a fantastic service history. When I went to buy mine I drove from the north to the south coast over 3 months and viewed almost a dozen that were available at the time.
The 20-25k ones from my experience had to much chassis rust, had not been looked after and needed far to much TLC. One of them had missing service history for 4 years. Good lord I walked quickly out of that dodgy garage.
Please don't post sweeping generalisations like that, it serves only to offend those with "lesser cars" than yourself and isn't very community spirited. We should absolutely recommend people buy on condition and history / knowledge of owner, but don't tar all cars at a certain price/mileage/age with the same brush. There are a number of very nice, very well looked after cars out there at all price points and generally the more you use them the more you find to improve.Firstly I don't recommend buying a Noble for less than around 30k really with low mileage and with a fantastic service history. When I went to buy mine I drove from the north to the south coast over 3 months and viewed almost a dozen that were available at the time.
The 20-25k ones from my experience had to much chassis rust, had not been looked after and needed far to much TLC. One of them had missing service history for 4 years. Good lord I walked quickly out of that dodgy garage.
There are also plenty of low mileage cars out there I'd recommend steering clear of simply because the usual hasn't broken and been replaced yet. Didn't we find a "stunning low miles original car" for sale some months ago and agree it probably needed about £7k spending on it to get it reliable and usable? Original doesn't always mean better.
I'm sure, yes, generally the newer, less used cars have been easier to keep in a nicer condition but the older ones are by no means to be completely disregarded. They're mostly enthusiast's cars owned by enthusiastic people. Some are showing their age but many have been maintained well and have wanted for nothing. The problem is you can't really just go out and buy a Noble because they're all a little bit different by now. A recommendation would be, if you ever want to buy one, come here first, talk to some dealers, Jetstream, come to some meets (trackdays), see the range, see the little differences, get some people to take you out in a couple and then try to buy the best you can find.
Edited by Chapppers on Sunday 10th August 22:55
Chapppers said:
Please don't post sweeping generalisations like that, it serves only to offend those with "lesser cars" than yourself and isn't very community spirited.
(Mr.) Chappers, you make a fair point about modifications (which fits for all cars, not just Nobles) but we're all entitled to post our opinions here. It's the reader's choice to decide on "generalisations" and "community spirit". As for offending anyone - really, come on! 
In fairness, Chappers is right,it was a sweeping generalisation from someone who thought they'd done their homework and has ended up with a a couple of unforeseen bills. There are many on here( including yourself of course) who've had years of experience with these cars who would disagree almost entirely with that post.In fact the only reason I didn't reply directly to it was that after nearly 10 years of ownership over 2 cars myself there was so much wrong it with it I didn't know where to start!
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Edited by sjc on Monday 11th August 18:05
In hindsight I wish I could of bought one that was all modified correctly by the likes of Jetstream for instance. On the other hand I've enjoyed the progression of the last four years or so to get my car were it is today albeit a financial drain but worth every penny as my car is near exactly were I want it to be plus enjoyed many immense track days & trips with fellow Noble owners in the UK & Europe.
Finally, once these cars are correctly modified to the best they can be there are very few road cars that can compete against them on track. I seriously doubt I'd ever sell mine even with a Big Euro lottery win....
Cracking cars.
Finally, once these cars are correctly modified to the best they can be there are very few road cars that can compete against them on track. I seriously doubt I'd ever sell mine even with a Big Euro lottery win....
Cracking cars.
Very interesting topic & very timely also as I'm working towards making a decision on what my next car will be in the coming weeks. Maybe a little disturbing in places for me to read but it's also good to see a balanced appraisal of Noble ownership.
Past experience has taught me (I think!) though that there are just so many variables when you step into ownership of an unfamiliar car/brand all you can reasonably do is spend plenty of time doing your homework on a case by case basis.
Once satisfied with making a decision there is always going to be an element of risk which I'm convinced regardless of mileage/history/price/condition more often than not involves a large slice of either good or bad luck that then tends to define your ownership experience.
Ever the optimist though I'm hoping my next decision is a lucky one!
Andy
Past experience has taught me (I think!) though that there are just so many variables when you step into ownership of an unfamiliar car/brand all you can reasonably do is spend plenty of time doing your homework on a case by case basis.
Once satisfied with making a decision there is always going to be an element of risk which I'm convinced regardless of mileage/history/price/condition more often than not involves a large slice of either good or bad luck that then tends to define your ownership experience.
Ever the optimist though I'm hoping my next decision is a lucky one!
Andy
You can do all the research / homework in the world and still have bad luck!
I spent 6 months looking for the prefect car and found a minted GTO3 with reasonable mileage (32K), bags of history, all the correct mods and spec I was looking for, track sump / LSD / fuel pump wiring upgrade etc. I contacted the two previous owners who both confirmed the car was faultless during the period they owned it. Even paid to have an ex Noble engineer with 10 years experience give it a full inspection.
Within 6 months it needed a gearbox rebuild and new turbos!
I took the opportunity to upgrade and now the car is exactly how I want it however my bank account took an unexpected beating!
I spent 6 months looking for the prefect car and found a minted GTO3 with reasonable mileage (32K), bags of history, all the correct mods and spec I was looking for, track sump / LSD / fuel pump wiring upgrade etc. I contacted the two previous owners who both confirmed the car was faultless during the period they owned it. Even paid to have an ex Noble engineer with 10 years experience give it a full inspection.
Within 6 months it needed a gearbox rebuild and new turbos!
I took the opportunity to upgrade and now the car is exactly how I want it however my bank account took an unexpected beating!
G_Sleigh said:
Also without any luggage space you can't take them out with your wife for picnic's or anything please there really isn't enough room for a hamper. So your going to need something else for pretty much anything you want to do apart from driving days.
Agree no space for a classic big hamper, but last weekend we went to Oxford for a few hours punting and a picnic. Had cooler bag with champagne, bread and Brie, and a whole host of food. With the fitted luggage we also had enough space for clothes etc. to stay overnight at a lovely pub near Banbury, the car cover, and oh, yes, enough space to take our lovely Irish Terrier, Scruff along for the ride. This is in a car with little space behind the driver's seat due to the sub-woofer situated there. We, along with others have previously gone to Europe with everything needed for several days away, all clothes etc, but including full toolkits etc. it's not THE most practical car, but you can fit a remarkable amount in if you pack it carefully"Cheers,
Conrad.
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