Looking at a Noble

[cc_newboy]

Hey, been a while since i was looking 4 a Noble - i think i might have a look at a couple of cars with a view to buying (hopefully get a good deal at this time of year and garage her up!!).

There are 2 cars that i might go and see on Autotrader - they're both Blue. 1 is at Claremont Corvette and the other at The Wright Car Centre. I know some of the questions to ask about the ECU, LSD etc, but wondered if anyone on here knows any of the cars historys etc? Is there anyone that would be willing to meet me to look over these cars as i really dont want to buy something thats had a bash or will need a lot of work!

I see 1 of the cars has 40k and the other 4.5k - the 4.5k car seems cheap for this sort of mileage? The 40k car also has LSD and track day sump but doesnt mention ECU.

Can anyone here please give me some info / guidance? To be honest, Lloyds car looks fantastic and has all the right bits but unsure about the green - i know its down to personal prefference and all that. I had agreen Impreza Turbo a few years back and with gold wheels, slight window tints etc it actually looked really good. I know i would be buying a great car aswell - too much thoughts rushing through my head!!

All help and advice much appreciated - hopefully i will be joining you guys soon!

Chris

[mgbond]

It's only the 2.5's I think that you need to worry about the ECU. If the ECU after 40k is still the originaL then I dont think there is anything to worry about Matt Faulks told me this some time ago. Mine just about to hit20k on the original.

Bondy

[Son of Quatto]

'they're both Blue. 1 is at Claremont Corvette'

Its done over 40k and on for 25k plus not much feedback on the car. i wouldn't go near it unless it was nearer the 20k mark.

[LJM]

Although the car with 4.5K miles may look attractive at first glance you must consider the fact that any problems with the car may not have come to light due to lack of use. however if it has all the right upgrades then it is prob a good buy.

I have heard a lot of good things said about gary Reynolds on hear of late, I believe he can also provide an inspection service, although I'm not sure how much he charges!!

HTH

Lloyd

P.S I don't think gold wheels would suit the noble!!

[cc_newboy]

Ha ha!! There is no way i'd put gold wheels on the Noble!!

If its done over 40k though, and had the necessary upgrades, then surely any problems will have come to light already and should've been fixed? If i was to look at it, and put in an offer, it would be below the 25k mark thats for sure.

Any more info appreciated - does no1 on here no any history / former keepers of these cars?

Chris

[LJM]

Ask the garage for the chassis No or the last 3 digits. This is the build No. If you then give Noble a ring on 01455844052 they will tell you all the info on the car e.g servicing / factory upgrades etc.... They were very usefull when I was looking for mine.

HTH

[cc_newboy]

Guys,

With the GTO3 version, do i still need to worry about ECU, diff and TDS issues or were these sorted out after the 2.5 version? What about radiator issue aswell?

Chris

[plipton]

GT03s (unless bought as an option) do not have LSD or the 6 speed box. There's nothing wrong with the 5-speeder but the standard diff is not as strong as the LSD and MAY break if mistreated (i.e.. light up the inside wheel on a damp roundabout then hit a dry patch - the force might just pop the diff).

Ditto early 3Rs - LSD was an option. There's some writing on the gearbox (permanent marker - very professional looking) which tells you if the car has LSD or not.

ECU on 3 litre cars is not the same as the 2.5 so should be fine. Not heard of any radiator problems.

Sorry I can't comment on the rest.

Cheers

Edited by plipton on Sunday 10th December 19:22

[mgbond]

My understanding is that the radiator issue was on early 2.5's.

Bondy

[D_G]

My GTO-3 had a radiator fan upgrade which was recommended by Noble.

Cheers

Dave

[joust]

There are two radiator issues.

Some early cars suffered from a poor radiator core from the OEM supplier (my 2.5l car was one of these apparently). All of these should have been replaced.

The second is that the fans should have been upgraded so they sit on a 'shroud' rather than being bolted directly to the core itself.

Before


After


More info here www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm

J

[obes]

cc_newboy said:

Guys,

With the GTO3 version, do i still need to worry about ECU, diff and TDS issues or were these sorted out after the 2.5 version? What about radiator issue aswell?

Chris

I believe there are some early 3's with the Marelli ECU

[cc_newboy]

Sorry obes, what is the Marelli ECU? Is this the same as the one in the 2.5?

[LJM]

cc_newboy said:

Sorry obes, what is the Marelli ECU? Is this the same as the one in the 2.5?

The Marrelli ECU is the original ECU which people have had problems with, the ECU when upgraded by noble will be an MBE. Others such as OBES have upgraded to Aftermarket ECU's such as Omex.

HTH

[obes]

Yep, the original ECU's were supplied by Magnetti Marelli. They were certainly in the 2.5's but I just can't remember how many 3's were made with them.

[joust]

obes said:

Yep, the original ECU's were supplied by Magnetti Marelli. They were certainly in the 2.5's but I just can't remember how many 3's were made with them.

Can't be many - my 2.5 replacement engine was one of the last 2.5's and it had a MBE as standard, so I'll be surprised based on that if there was more than a handful.

J

[JimNoble]

Obes, sure you're not thinking of the earlier MBE ecu? There were two (more?) generations of MBE ecu on the 3l. One of them was described as a "green top" IIRC, but can't remember if that was the old or the new...

Jim