Know anything about this one?

[jamesey1]

Hi Guys

Newbie here looking at a GTO3 and wondered if anyone new anything about the following car:

www.petrolheads.co.uk/sales/726444.htm

Registration is GT03 UFO.

Thanks in advance

[lotus160sport]

Dont know of the history of the car but looks clean and at that price , if you buy it you will never look back!

[elenitro]

I looked at this car before I got mine......went for the 3R in the end though.
If it was that price at the time I would have bought it!

[gadgeroonie]

its priced to sell !


do an hpi check - you need to make sure its not a cat d

[AMG Merc]

Looks like a good deal. AFAIR that's Larch Silver which is quite a rare colour.

[CTO3]

looked at this car over 3yrs ago before i bought my first noble. was clean + well maintained with good history at the time. only reason i didn't go for it was it was a private sale and i needed to part ex an m3 at the time. that was in july/aug '05, guy was asking about £32000 at that time.

conleth

[Naso Grande]

It's been on for over a year either through his dealership or privately depending where you look. If you can check another one in the flesh as well for comparison.

[jimbooo]

looks like a good deal, i just bought a chipped 2002 GTO 2.5 with 28k miles for £23,000 so that price is great. i like the tints as well, they look good against the silver. the guy i bought it from did the 30k service for me prior to sale as well good for peace of mind. my manifolds are like teabags though, just had them welded back together and the driveshaft grease had gone all lumpy causing a knocking sound resembling buggered bearings so had to get it stripped down and regreaced which seems to have solved the problem.

7 weeks and 1000 miles in and it has been up on ramps twice already so be carefull to check it out properly before you buy. especially as the price is so good. mine is running about 350bhp as opposed to the original 310bhp so that might have something to do with the manifold probs, i'm not really sure just have a peek i dont know if thats a common thing but it sure is a tricky job to fix it.

although it has put a bit of a hole in my pocket i still dont regret it. it really is an awesome car.

[NickyTwoHats]

Price is great. It's done enough miles to have had the problems ironed-out..check TDS and LSD (and possibly fuel pump mod though the price of this is trivial). Then buy you won't regret it.
N2H

[jamesey1]

Thanks very much for the useful advice guys. To follow your advice are there any guides on how to check the manifolds (or is it obvious). Also whether the car has LSD and TDS (what is TDS but the way).

I think the price is testament to the market at the moment but will undertake the necessary HPI checks etc. Another thing is there a service (or someone) who can provide an inspection service to check for the common problems?

Thanks again for very helpful responses.

James

[Son of Quatto]

I remember enquiring about this car a few years back but it seemed to be up for sale altime so probably had alot of owners. Was put off by the resaleable value.

[jimbooo]

i'm no mechanic by any means so cant really advice on what to look for. mine had great big holes in it after a spirited run but im not sure what it looked like when i bought it as i didn't really look.

RAC have a service where they come out and check a car for you. its not cheap but in hindsight it might have been a good idea.

www.rac.co.uk/web/vehicle-checks/vehicle-inspection/

[CTO3]

jamesey1 said:

Thanks very much for the useful advice guys. To follow your advice are there any guides on how to check the manifolds (or is it obvious). Also whether the car has LSD and TDS (what is TDS but the way).

I think the price is testament to the market at the moment but will undertake the necessary HPI checks etc. Another thing is there a service (or someone) who can provide an inspection service to check for the common problems?

Thanks again for very helpful responses.

James

hi james

when i looked at it no lim slip diff or track day sump (which is essential if you want to track it, and if you buy it you will - its an awesome car)

depends where you're based for a pre sales inspection, it's a good idea if poss as will save you money in the long run

hth

conleth

[D_G]

After the research bit, I started my search for my 3. I'm a vehicle tech so I looked over the car myself but deffo get an expert to inspect it. You don't need a Noble expert (although it's a plus) just someone who really understands cars inside out, although I'd recommend doing as much research as possible first. I've seen RAC inspection reports, they slate absolutely everything to cover their arse on the report.
The TDS is the trackday sump, most early cars were supplied with the normal Ford sump although a lot were later fitted with the uprated type (mine was done at the factory at 6000 miles). It's good to have it done if you are looking at using it on the track to prevent oil surge when giving it the big cahunas
Do the obvious stuff too, HPI check, bodywork checks (these cars do suffer from stonechips worse than most), make sure everything works etc.
If all the boxes are ticked, DO IT!! I've never regretted one second.

Dave

[jamesey1]

Again thanks for responses and sound advice.

I used RAC to inspect when I bought my last car but it was a more generic car (S2000). Think I will use them again before committing as would like to avoid any nasty surprises.

[NickyTwoHats]

Track Day Sump

[joust]

That's not UFO2NOB's one is it?

He used to hang around on here - his profile is here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...

From memory he bought an Ultima and liked it better.

J