355 or Noble???
Discussion
Hi All,
Im a new member to PH, so i thought id start with an easy one for you all!! My M12 3R has to go due to mileage and some quite scary servicing/repair bills. I have looked long and hard at a new M400 against the 355 B. with a Fiorano handling pack. My question is quite simply this......Which one?? Im a life long Ferrari fan and have wanted one since i was able to say it. yet ive been so spoilt with the performance aspect of the Noble that i dont want to spend £55/60k+ and feel like ive taken a step backwards and kill the dream! (and i here the M12 and M400 are due for a face lift anyway 05/06??) Any opinions and veiw points gladly welcome as ive thought about it for so long i cant see the wood for the trees!!!
Im a new member to PH, so i thought id start with an easy one for you all!! My M12 3R has to go due to mileage and some quite scary servicing/repair bills. I have looked long and hard at a new M400 against the 355 B. with a Fiorano handling pack. My question is quite simply this......Which one?? Im a life long Ferrari fan and have wanted one since i was able to say it. yet ive been so spoilt with the performance aspect of the Noble that i dont want to spend £55/60k+ and feel like ive taken a step backwards and kill the dream! (and i here the M12 and M400 are due for a face lift anyway 05/06??) Any opinions and veiw points gladly welcome as ive thought about it for so long i cant see the wood for the trees!!!
hmmm my opinion... well, the 355 won't be that far shy of your current noble in terms of performance, I'd imagine that if you are doing high miles it will also cost as much or possibly more to service than the noble though.
personally I would have the ferrari, being as I absolutely adore them but as I say - this is IMHO
edit: judging by the post below it looks like i'm totally wrong on the servicing front - so in that case, do it! get the ferrari!
>> Edited by minimax on Thursday 3rd March 10:05
personally I would have the ferrari, being as I absolutely adore them but as I say - this is IMHO
edit: judging by the post below it looks like i'm totally wrong on the servicing front - so in that case, do it! get the ferrari!
>> Edited by minimax on Thursday 3rd March 10:05
But hey, that's what gears and revs are for 
and depreciation will be a lot less.Stuh should be along in a minute (edited to note that this is what happens when you start a reply and get sidetracked ).
They can facelift the Noble as much as they want (nice cars BTW), but it will still be nowhere near a 355 in terms of aesthetics.
On the public road there's little between them (or any high performance car really) in terms of performance. I would expect the Noble to be much quicker on track though.
From what I'm hearing about running costs, you may find yourself saving money with a 355!
If it's always been a burning ambition, buy a 355. Even if you don't like it, if you buy/sell sensibly you shouldn't lose much money over a 12mth period.
For comparison, I've owned a Caterham 7 for getting on for 9yrs now. In performance terms it obliterates the 355 in every respect apart from top speed (largely irrelevant in the UK as the 7 will hold the 355 to over 100mph in a straight line anyway).
Was I disappointed in the 355? Not one little bit. In many respects it drives like a big 7 (aside from the steering which is a bit light for my tastes), sounds (with a Tubi fitted) like nothing else this side of an F1 car and is still one of the most beautiful shapes ever made IMO.
It simply feels special when you're driving one, and I have never been able to say exactly why. It's possibly, in part, due to my boyhood dreams not being let down by the experience.
Go and have some test drives, but try and make sure you try a car with either a Tubi or Capristo fitted. The noise alone is worth seconds off your acceleration times!
PS I'm fortunate enough to be able to have kept the 7 for days when I need a pure shot of 110% proof adrenalin
>> Edited by murph7355 on Thursday 3rd March 09:33
). They can facelift the Noble as much as they want (nice cars BTW), but it will still be nowhere near a 355 in terms of aesthetics.
On the public road there's little between them (or any high performance car really) in terms of performance. I would expect the Noble to be much quicker on track though.
From what I'm hearing about running costs, you may find yourself saving money with a 355!
If it's always been a burning ambition, buy a 355. Even if you don't like it, if you buy/sell sensibly you shouldn't lose much money over a 12mth period.
For comparison, I've owned a Caterham 7 for getting on for 9yrs now. In performance terms it obliterates the 355 in every respect apart from top speed (largely irrelevant in the UK as the 7 will hold the 355 to over 100mph in a straight line anyway).
Was I disappointed in the 355? Not one little bit. In many respects it drives like a big 7 (aside from the steering which is a bit light for my tastes), sounds (with a Tubi fitted) like nothing else this side of an F1 car and is still one of the most beautiful shapes ever made IMO.
It simply feels special when you're driving one, and I have never been able to say exactly why. It's possibly, in part, due to my boyhood dreams not being let down by the experience.
Go and have some test drives, but try and make sure you try a car with either a Tubi or Capristo fitted. The noise alone is worth seconds off your acceleration times!
PS I'm fortunate enough to be able to have kept the 7 for days when I need a pure shot of 110% proof adrenalin
>> Edited by murph7355 on Thursday 3rd March 09:33
The problem with the speed thing is you can never have enough - you get used to whatever it is you are driving - I used to own a Supra TT years ago that started off stock, and got more and more modified as time went by. As performance increased, I got used to it and wanted more, this went on ad infinitum.
The I swapped for a 993 C2 - WELL down on power, when I first got it it felt pedestrian. HOWEVER - your perception of speed changes. Over time I adjusted to the performance, and after a while it felt every bit as quick as my ex Supra. Then went up to the 355 and felt a significant performance gain. Now I have had it a year could I subjectively tell you it still feels a lot quicker than the 993??? Absolutely not - my perception has changed again.
As for Noble v 355 - as Andy said, if you have always wanted one this is what you should go for. I should imagine if you get the Noble M400, you will still have the itch for a 355 - and end up selling the M400 in 12 months, lose a shed load of money, and end up with the 355 you would have bought now!
I can absolutely say without a shadow of a doubt the 355 has lived up to, and exceeded all my expectations of what owning a Ferrari would be like. Its the only car I have owned where I have not been looking to change to something else after 6 months. I still feel the same magic when getting into it as I experienced on the first day I got it. The feelgood factor it gives you is immense.
The I swapped for a 993 C2 - WELL down on power, when I first got it it felt pedestrian. HOWEVER - your perception of speed changes. Over time I adjusted to the performance, and after a while it felt every bit as quick as my ex Supra. Then went up to the 355 and felt a significant performance gain. Now I have had it a year could I subjectively tell you it still feels a lot quicker than the 993??? Absolutely not - my perception has changed again.
As for Noble v 355 - as Andy said, if you have always wanted one this is what you should go for. I should imagine if you get the Noble M400, you will still have the itch for a 355 - and end up selling the M400 in 12 months, lose a shed load of money, and end up with the 355 you would have bought now!
I can absolutely say without a shadow of a doubt the 355 has lived up to, and exceeded all my expectations of what owning a Ferrari would be like. Its the only car I have owned where I have not been looking to change to something else after 6 months. I still feel the same magic when getting into it as I experienced on the first day I got it. The feelgood factor it gives you is immense.
Had a '94 355B several years ago and great as it was, had more road/track fun in the Exige that replaced it. But every drive in the Ferrari was an event and handling/noise was excellent. Only disappointment was the light'ish steering but that comes alive much more when you're pushing on.
Probably be replacing my Radical with a Noble M400 - hope it doesn't cost a fortune to run/track.
Probably be replacing my Radical with a Noble M400 - hope it doesn't cost a fortune to run/track.
poorcardealer said:
Wasnt aware Nobles cost telephone numbers to run.......give me some examples of servicing /repair prices??
355 B Fab car...£40K will buy you a peach(LHD), just have it inspected.
ECU and loom went tits up after 14 months, out of warranty £3k
12k service, no tyres or pads - £1800
18k service, no tyres - £2k
24k service, no tyres or pads - £2300
My 3R's never cost much to be honest. Service every 6K miles @ £800ish. As with any maker you can get bad ones and the pre 3R's can be a problem...but not always.
I take it you've driven both? As stuh said low down torque is the overriding difference. Both are quick enough thank you.
Me? I wanted something different. Ferrari's are positively common compared to Noble's.
You? Buy the Ferrari if you've always wanted one. You'll either love it and keep it for ages, or try an M400 a bit later and want the track speed. You won't take as big a hit on a 355 as quite a bit of the pain has been taken be the previous owner.
I take it you've driven both? As stuh said low down torque is the overriding difference. Both are quick enough thank you.
Me? I wanted something different. Ferrari's are positively common compared to Noble's.
You? Buy the Ferrari if you've always wanted one. You'll either love it and keep it for ages, or try an M400 a bit later and want the track speed. You won't take as big a hit on a 355 as quite a bit of the pain has been taken be the previous owner.
ThatPhilBrettGuy said:
My 3R's never cost much to be honest. Service every 6K miles @ £800ish. As with any maker you can get bad ones and the pre 3R's can be a problem...but not always.
I take it you've driven both? As stuh said low down torque is the overriding difference. Both are quick enough thank you.
Me? I wanted something different. Ferrari's are positively common compared to Noble's.
You? Buy the Ferrari if you've always wanted one. You'll either love it and keep it for ages, or try an M400 a bit later and want the track speed. You won't take as big a hit on a 355 as quite a bit of the pain has been taken be the previous owner.
Mine was a heart breaker
But as Phil says, the later cars are much more solid. An M400 is on my short list for a track car later in the year, along with a GT3 and CSL. I won't buy another new Noble until they joing the 21st century and give a 3 year warranty..........
I've just gone from Noble to CSL for cost,practicality & reliability reasons - looking forward to the £300 every 14k miles servicing.
I will miss the grunt of the Noble, as I think you will, the 355 is *much* slower than a 3R, doesn't handle as well but makes an awesome noise and you've always wanted one which counts for a lot. Just do it, you can always change again, variety is the spice of life and all that.
>> Edited by m12_nathan on Thursday 3rd March 23:07
>> Edited by m12_nathan on Thursday 3rd March 23:08
I will miss the grunt of the Noble, as I think you will, the 355 is *much* slower than a 3R, doesn't handle as well but makes an awesome noise and you've always wanted one which counts for a lot. Just do it, you can always change again, variety is the spice of life and all that.
>> Edited by m12_nathan on Thursday 3rd March 23:07
>> Edited by m12_nathan on Thursday 3rd March 23:08
When people say they are buying "track cars", what do they mean?
Is it like Stig on TG where they like listening to the radio whilst going round?
Stuh - thought you'd know better about track cars
Just don't fully understand why people wanting a "track car" don't buy a Radical, Caterham, Atom etc...track use shags cars generally, more so "road" cars.
Is it like Stig on TG where they like listening to the radio whilst going round?
Stuh - thought you'd know better about track cars
Just don't fully understand why people wanting a "track car" don't buy a Radical, Caterham, Atom etc...track use shags cars generally, more so "road" cars.
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