Discussion
Hi Guys,
I'm new to PistonHeads (just joined this morning) and looking for a bit of advice and opinion from you experienced Noble lovers.
I'm thinking seriously about taking the plunge and buying my first Noble. A local dealer has a 51-plate M12 GTO, in yellow, with just over 33,000 on the clock and up for a whisker under £24K.
I drove the car yesterday and was blown away by the experience, although it was so unlike anything I've ever driven before that I was nervous and didn't explore anything like the real performance I suspect was on tap. However, a few things bother me slightly and I'm canvassing opinions from those much more experienced than I am.
1) I noticed when the car was started up a little oil blew out the back of the exhaust. Is that normal?
2) The car apparently has a FSH and the last service is in the book a month ago. However, the handbrake barely holds the car on a slight hill and the air-con appears not to work. Wouldn't those things have been covered in a service?
Also, if I buy a Noble it will be to be used at weekends and in the dry only, so I wouldn't expect to put more than, say, 5,000 miles a year on the car. How badly do they depreciate with usage like that? What sort of mpg do you get on a decent run?
Any opinions would be very welcome!
Thanks.
Tim Kearsley
Northamptonshire
I'm new to PistonHeads (just joined this morning) and looking for a bit of advice and opinion from you experienced Noble lovers.
I'm thinking seriously about taking the plunge and buying my first Noble. A local dealer has a 51-plate M12 GTO, in yellow, with just over 33,000 on the clock and up for a whisker under £24K.
I drove the car yesterday and was blown away by the experience, although it was so unlike anything I've ever driven before that I was nervous and didn't explore anything like the real performance I suspect was on tap. However, a few things bother me slightly and I'm canvassing opinions from those much more experienced than I am.
1) I noticed when the car was started up a little oil blew out the back of the exhaust. Is that normal?
2) The car apparently has a FSH and the last service is in the book a month ago. However, the handbrake barely holds the car on a slight hill and the air-con appears not to work. Wouldn't those things have been covered in a service?
Also, if I buy a Noble it will be to be used at weekends and in the dry only, so I wouldn't expect to put more than, say, 5,000 miles a year on the car. How badly do they depreciate with usage like that? What sort of mpg do you get on a decent run?
Any opinions would be very welcome!
Thanks.
Tim Kearsley
Northamptonshire
g4wft said:
1) I noticed when the car was started up a little oil blew out the back of the exhaust. Is that normal?
They All Do That Sir (TADTS). My M12 always blew out a small puff of smoke when you started it, particularly if you stopped it and then started it again. Oil gets through the breather system which pushes it back through the air inlet (to meet emission specifications) and collects so that when you start it. The M400 is better, but not imune. As long as the smoke goes within 5 seconds the there isn't much to worry about. However, if it looks like 'mist' and hangs around for any longer than a few seconds it generally shows that one of the turbos are on the way out. Turbos are cheap (£300 or so for a refurb) but if it's the front turbo that's gone (it is the most prone one as it's so tightly squeezed inbetween the engine and the rear bulkhead) then the labour can amount to another £300 or so as it's a right bitch to get at.
The dealer aftermarket warranties will cover turbos so for peace of mind ensure you get one of them.
g4wft said:
2) The car apparently has a FSH and the last service is in the book a month ago. However, the handbrake barely holds the car on a slight hill and the air-con appears not to work. Wouldn't those things have been covered in a service?
Handbrakes are a bane on M12s. Depending if it is a major or minor service it may have been fixed, but they can easily go out of adjustment within a few weeks. It is quite simple to fix yourself (there are instructions on here - just search for "handbrake adjustment" in all the posts in this forum) or it's a 10 minute job for a dealer to do.
The air-con should work, but isn't covered in the service schedule as there is nothing to 'service' in it. What was wrong with it - M12s are prone to having the gas leaking out as the seals aren't that great so it could just need a gas recharge. Both are simple for an authorised service centre to sort out (you don't say if the dealer is a Noble or just general sportscar one?)
g4wft said:
Also, if I buy a Noble it will be to be used at weekends and in the dry only, so I wouldn't expect to put more than, say, 5,000 miles a year on the car. How badly do they depreciate with usage like that? What sort of mpg do you get on a decent run?
Depreciation is hard to judge, but they do seem to be levelling now. However, remember it's a £55k car and hence will suffer the same fate as other £55k cars. Also, M12s are very seasonal, it's a good feeling car, and hence trying to sell it in the depths of winter is going to hit values rather than just now (like you
) There are quite a few Noble peeps around Northampton - Obes will be along soon to give his views, and as he has an old 'leggy' M12 (
) can add some more good advice. J
Thanks J for the comments - very much appreciated. The oil I referred to coming out of the exhaust was just that - a few drops of liquid oil. I didn't notice much in the way of smoke. Not being very knowledgeable (understatement!) about high-performance cars I wondered if it was a sign of something dire and expensive brewing up.
If I'm sensible about this I need to save up a few more pennies before I jump, but it's hard to listen to your head when your heart is screaming "buy" at you.....
Cheers,
Tim.
If I'm sensible about this I need to save up a few more pennies before I jump, but it's hard to listen to your head when your heart is screaming "buy" at you.....
Cheers,
Tim.
g4wft said:
Thanks J for the comments - very much appreciated. The oil I referred to coming out of the exhaust was just that - a few drops of liquid oil. I didn't notice much in the way of smoke. Not being very knowledgeable (understatement!) about high-performance cars I wondered if it was a sign of something dire and expensive brewing up.
Hmm - not quite sure what you mean. There should only be water coming out of the exhaust, although if it mixes with the soot (most M12's are quite 'sotty' in the exhausts in normal drving) then it might look like oil? g4wft said:
If I'm sensible about this I need to save up a few more pennies before I jump, but it's hard to listen to your head when your heart is screaming "buy" at you.....
Cheers,
Tim.
You haven't said if it's a dealer sale or not? If it isn't, then I strongly suggest you get a pro to look at the car for you. Matt Faulks does this (Owen will be able to put you in touch), as do most of the service centres (your way I'd suggest Vegantune or Roush). Cheers,
Tim.
J
Sorry, yes it is a dealer sale. We have a small sports-car specialist within a mile of my home and he currently has three Nobles (2 X M12 and an M400) for sale!
It could well be water for all I know J! All I know is that spots of dark liquid spurted out when the engine was started up. It could certainly be sooty water.
There's one other, really silly, thing that's bothering me and which I forgot to mention. I'm not very tall (only 5 foot 6 I'm ashamed to say!) and I was struggling to comfortably reach the clutch fully depressed with the driver's seat as far forward (I think anyway) as I could get it. If I buy a Noble I might need to get a bone graft into my legs!!!
Cheers,
Tim.
It could well be water for all I know J! All I know is that spots of dark liquid spurted out when the engine was started up. It could certainly be sooty water.
There's one other, really silly, thing that's bothering me and which I forgot to mention. I'm not very tall (only 5 foot 6 I'm ashamed to say!) and I was struggling to comfortably reach the clutch fully depressed with the driver's seat as far forward (I think anyway) as I could get it. If I buy a Noble I might need to get a bone graft into my legs!!!
Cheers,
Tim.
OK, I assume they aren't a Noble dealer then? In that case I would absolutly get it inspected by an independant person.
As to the height/clutch issue, the rails for the seat can be moved forward to solve that problem. I had it done to my M12, and Owen's just done his (as have many other people)
J
As to the height/clutch issue, the rails for the seat can be moved forward to solve that problem. I had it done to my M12, and Owen's just done his (as have many other people)
J
Ash!!! 
g4wft
the yellow car may actually be a damaged repaired insurance write off
so make sure you know what you are buying - if may be perfectly fine, but you may have trouble selling it in the future
if you want somebody to take a look at it - drop me a line I may be able to help out
Mike_J_Gurney@hotmail.com
the yellow car may actually be a damaged repaired insurance write off
so make sure you know what you are buying - if may be perfectly fine, but you may have trouble selling it in the future
if you want somebody to take a look at it - drop me a line I may be able to help out
Mike_J_Gurney@hotmail.com
williams f1 said:
hi Tim
im only 5ft 5inch short ar** and i can reach the pedals ok
it seems like you are trying to talk your way out of getting one
just go for it you wont regret it
Simon
im only 5ft 5inch short ar** and i can reach the pedals ok
it seems like you are trying to talk your way out of getting one
just go for it you wont regret it
Simon
I'm 6'0" which is completely irrelivent but I agree with F1's comment about getting one. You even get used to people stareing at you (though pedestrian crossing are still a bit odd for me!).
I know what you mean about the heart and head thing. I just went to the dealer to drool and ended up buying the thing. I sware to god it was wispering "Buy me. Buy me. You know you want to".
Oh and the soot thing. I had my M12 checked out soon after getting it because of this. The little black sooty patches all over the drive where a little worrying but normal. The manual mentions that it goes though about a 1L of oil every 100 miles and that oil has to go somewhere.
Edited by Timbo_Mint on Tuesday 19th September 19:49
Edited by Timbo_Mint on Tuesday 19th September 19:52
g4wft said:
Sorry, yes it is a dealer sale. We have a small sports-car specialist within a mile of my home and he currently has three Nobles (2 X M12 and an M400) for sale!
It could well be water for all I know J! All I know is that spots of dark liquid spurted out when the engine was started up. It could certainly be sooty water.
There's one other, really silly, thing that's bothering me and which I forgot to mention. I'm not very tall (only 5 foot 6 I'm ashamed to say!) and I was struggling to comfortably reach the clutch fully depressed with the driver's seat as far forward (I think anyway) as I could get it. If I buy a Noble I might need to get a bone graft into my legs!!!
Cheers,
Tim.
It could well be water for all I know J! All I know is that spots of dark liquid spurted out when the engine was started up. It could certainly be sooty water.
There's one other, really silly, thing that's bothering me and which I forgot to mention. I'm not very tall (only 5 foot 6 I'm ashamed to say!) and I was struggling to comfortably reach the clutch fully depressed with the driver's seat as far forward (I think anyway) as I could get it. If I buy a Noble I might need to get a bone graft into my legs!!!
Cheers,
Tim.
As much as it's bad to reach for pedals, you don't really want to be pushing the clutch flat to the floor in any car. It forces the clutch plates appart further than necessary which fatigues them and will age it prematurely. You only want to push it in far enough to disengage it. Not sure that helps but it might...
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