About to buy a Noble... opinions
Discussion
Hi Guys,
I've put a deposit down on a GTO, but was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions before I commit the rest of the money!
I went to see the car, it looked really nice, rode well (didn't drive it, wasn't insured!), no untoward noises etc.
The car is a 2002 GTO 2.5 http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1659058.htm
From my research, this car will not have a LSD? Is this ok or is it not going to be as nice to drive as one with an LSD?
The seller said the car was usable daily, and had "none of the overheating issues the later 3.0 litre cars had" - again is this true, is this one likely to be more reliable than later cars?
After a full inspection of the car, the only fault I could find was that the suspension struts were corroded - i've asked that the seller gets these checked to make sure they're ok, because I don't want an expensive bill any time soon.
Finally, my situation - I am 24, I have a secure job and plenty of disposable income. I have £10,000 saved and will be getting the rest in the form of a loan at a very decent APR.
This will leave me, after fuel, tax, rent, food etc. etc. with approx £300 each month rising to £500 in September to put away.
Am I silly to be running a Noble? I do have access to another car in an emergency, and failing that could easily use my motorbike daily. I realise these cars are more often than not bought outright by quite well-off people, but the sums add up and everything seems to say I should go for it.
My opinion of the noble is that it's a fantastic car, well built and from what i've read and heard, much more reliable than a TVR for instance. Most parts are Ford and most things can be fixed by myself with a bit of mechanical know how. The biggest thing that can go wrong is the engine, or perhaps the possibility that the Turbos will need rebuilding.
I've put a deposit down on a GTO, but was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions before I commit the rest of the money!
I went to see the car, it looked really nice, rode well (didn't drive it, wasn't insured!), no untoward noises etc.
The car is a 2002 GTO 2.5 http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1659058.htm
From my research, this car will not have a LSD? Is this ok or is it not going to be as nice to drive as one with an LSD?
The seller said the car was usable daily, and had "none of the overheating issues the later 3.0 litre cars had" - again is this true, is this one likely to be more reliable than later cars?
After a full inspection of the car, the only fault I could find was that the suspension struts were corroded - i've asked that the seller gets these checked to make sure they're ok, because I don't want an expensive bill any time soon.
Finally, my situation - I am 24, I have a secure job and plenty of disposable income. I have £10,000 saved and will be getting the rest in the form of a loan at a very decent APR.
This will leave me, after fuel, tax, rent, food etc. etc. with approx £300 each month rising to £500 in September to put away.
Am I silly to be running a Noble? I do have access to another car in an emergency, and failing that could easily use my motorbike daily. I realise these cars are more often than not bought outright by quite well-off people, but the sums add up and everything seems to say I should go for it.
My opinion of the noble is that it's a fantastic car, well built and from what i've read and heard, much more reliable than a TVR for instance. Most parts are Ford and most things can be fixed by myself with a bit of mechanical know how. The biggest thing that can go wrong is the engine, or perhaps the possibility that the Turbos will need rebuilding.
i have a GTO. blimmin marvellous. buy it. you wont regret it.
there are many on this forum who drive theirs daily, and i would certainly have one over a TVR. many on this forum have also owned a noble, then sold it, regretted it and bought another. probably tells you all you need to know in terms of how good they are.
Also, plenty of owners and specialists contactable through the forum who are more than happy to help and offer advice if things do go wrong.
there are many on this forum who drive theirs daily, and i would certainly have one over a TVR. many on this forum have also owned a noble, then sold it, regretted it and bought another. probably tells you all you need to know in terms of how good they are.
Also, plenty of owners and specialists contactable through the forum who are more than happy to help and offer advice if things do go wrong.
Chapppers
I've had my 2004 GTO-3R for just under a year, driven every day and absolutely no regrets over the purchase whatsoever. I've never experienced problems with overheating, but wouldn't know whether this is a recognised fault with later models. I'd certainly recommend putting whatever you can afford to one side, mine's currently having the manifold welded and both turbo's reconditioned, along with some minor jobs (windows resealed, heather element replaced etc) the bill is likely to top 3 grand. Even replacing the battery cost £160 - my experience suggests it's not a cheap car to repair, but it IS worth every penny spent. Also bear in mind that I'm not mechanically minded at all and all work has been done by the local dealer, so having the confidence to get your hands dirty will pay dividends and there seems to be plenty of help and advice available from knowledgable owners on this forum. At the risk of repeating what's been said several times in various posts, your biggest problem will be finding something to follow the Noble, and that's not a bad recommendation at all.
PC
I've had my 2004 GTO-3R for just under a year, driven every day and absolutely no regrets over the purchase whatsoever. I've never experienced problems with overheating, but wouldn't know whether this is a recognised fault with later models. I'd certainly recommend putting whatever you can afford to one side, mine's currently having the manifold welded and both turbo's reconditioned, along with some minor jobs (windows resealed, heather element replaced etc) the bill is likely to top 3 grand. Even replacing the battery cost £160 - my experience suggests it's not a cheap car to repair, but it IS worth every penny spent. Also bear in mind that I'm not mechanically minded at all and all work has been done by the local dealer, so having the confidence to get your hands dirty will pay dividends and there seems to be plenty of help and advice available from knowledgable owners on this forum. At the risk of repeating what's been said several times in various posts, your biggest problem will be finding something to follow the Noble, and that's not a bad recommendation at all.
PC
You're right in that this car wouldn't have had a LSD fitted as standard but the history may suggest one has been fitted since manaufactured? Will it affect the drive? Normal day to day stuff, no it won't but if you're intending driving it hard or tracking it then yes, you'll notice the difference.
The other problem the 2.5's suffered from was ECU failures which again, can be an expensive fix.
I agree with all the replies posted above in that you will have a grin from ear to ear when you're driving it but if you have a limited budget, these cars can also be terribly depressing.
If you're good with the spanners, it helps, but if not, a LSD failure will run into thousands to fix it. Great car... but at a price.
The other problem the 2.5's suffered from was ECU failures which again, can be an expensive fix.
I agree with all the replies posted above in that you will have a grin from ear to ear when you're driving it but if you have a limited budget, these cars can also be terribly depressing.
If you're good with the spanners, it helps, but if not, a LSD failure will run into thousands to fix it. Great car... but at a price.
Lakelord said:
You're right in that this car wouldn't have had a LSD fitted as standard but the history may suggest one has been fitted since manaufactured? Will it affect the drive? Normal day to day stuff, no it won't but if you're intending driving it hard or tracking it then yes, you'll notice the difference.
The other problem the 2.5's suffered from was ECU failures which again, can be an expensive fix.
I agree with all the replies posted above in that you will have a grin from ear to ear when you're driving it but if you have a limited budget, these cars can also be terribly depressing.
If you're good with the spanners, it helps, but if not, a LSD failure will run into thousands to fix it. Great car... but at a price.
I have confirmed - no LSD fitted, and new later ECU fitted at factory. Has radiatior fix to improve cooling and is currently having a full checkup and MOT.The other problem the 2.5's suffered from was ECU failures which again, can be an expensive fix.
I agree with all the replies posted above in that you will have a grin from ear to ear when you're driving it but if you have a limited budget, these cars can also be terribly depressing.
If you're good with the spanners, it helps, but if not, a LSD failure will run into thousands to fix it. Great car... but at a price.
Chapppers said:
Lakelord said:
You're right in that this car wouldn't have had a LSD fitted as standard but the history may suggest one has been fitted since manaufactured? Will it affect the drive? Normal day to day stuff, no it won't but if you're intending driving it hard or tracking it then yes, you'll notice the difference.
The other problem the 2.5's suffered from was ECU failures which again, can be an expensive fix.
I agree with all the replies posted above in that you will have a grin from ear to ear when you're driving it but if you have a limited budget, these cars can also be terribly depressing.
If you're good with the spanners, it helps, but if not, a LSD failure will run into thousands to fix it. Great car... but at a price.
I have confirmed - no LSD fitted, and new later ECU fitted at factory. Has radiatior fix to improve cooling and is currently having a full checkup and MOT.The other problem the 2.5's suffered from was ECU failures which again, can be an expensive fix.
I agree with all the replies posted above in that you will have a grin from ear to ear when you're driving it but if you have a limited budget, these cars can also be terribly depressing.
If you're good with the spanners, it helps, but if not, a LSD failure will run into thousands to fix it. Great car... but at a price.
So the only thing you need to worry about if the diff, expect a 2k bill for that. my car was 4yrs old when i brought it and i destroyrd the diff in 2 months
Bondy
Shroud/over heating issue fully described here
http://www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm
Personally, in your situation, I'd get a friendly 'expert' to give it the once over as an inspection, but ultimately if it's running and handles OK after 7 years most of the issues with early cars *should* be fixed.
J
http://www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm
Personally, in your situation, I'd get a friendly 'expert' to give it the once over as an inspection, but ultimately if it's running and handles OK after 7 years most of the issues with early cars *should* be fixed.
J
joust said:
Shroud/over heating issue fully described here
http://www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm
Personally, in your situation, I'd get a friendly 'expert' to give it the once over as an inspection, but ultimately if it's running and handles OK after 7 years most of the issues with early cars *should* be fixed.
J
Yeah i've used your blog as a tool, and found it's had all the fixes you mention. I have however just been reading a thread about gearbox failures.http://www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm
Personally, in your situation, I'd get a friendly 'expert' to give it the once over as an inspection, but ultimately if it's running and handles OK after 7 years most of the issues with early cars *should* be fixed.
J
"25,000 miles is about the time for a gearbox failure"
f
k.Chapppers said:
joust said:
Shroud/over heating issue fully described here
http://www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm
Personally, in your situation, I'd get a friendly 'expert' to give it the once over as an inspection, but ultimately if it's running and handles OK after 7 years most of the issues with early cars *should* be fixed.
J
Yeah i've used your blog as a tool, and found it's had all the fixes you mention. I have however just been reading a thread about gearbox failures.http://www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/diary.htm
Personally, in your situation, I'd get a friendly 'expert' to give it the once over as an inspection, but ultimately if it's running and handles OK after 7 years most of the issues with early cars *should* be fixed.
J
"25,000 miles is about the time for a gearbox failure"
f
k.My 2.5 @ 43k miles has the original gearbox and open diff. Touch wood no problems. As long as you are aware that booting it big style in the lower gears and on wet or slippery roads can eat the diff you should be ok.
Whilst track focused they are not race cars in any version. Have a little thought and they will repay in bucket loads.
Enjoy
worty
Whilst track focused they are not race cars in any version. Have a little thought and they will repay in bucket loads.
Enjoy
worty
I did 30k on my 2nd hand noble without any issues from the diff (mine was non lsd)... I took the box out myself for a refresh and to upgrade to a quaife lsd and the original diff was litterally about to fail. The quaife itself was only £500 so if you decide to upgrade BEFORE it fails then you could save money.
Nobles are relativelly cheap to repair etc but its the labour that costs as they are not put together like a normal car.... for example a clutch change is an engine out job (unless you cut the chasis and reweld it afterwards).
Ive used mine everyday and done over 30k miles in it and am still very very happy with the car, hasnt cost me much to run and is about on par with the M3 I ran as Co car before the noble... MPG is good (i get 30mpg) and insurance isnt silly (but then I am old lol).
I wont be selling my car anytime soon, if ever....
Nobles are relativelly cheap to repair etc but its the labour that costs as they are not put together like a normal car.... for example a clutch change is an engine out job (unless you cut the chasis and reweld it afterwards).
Ive used mine everyday and done over 30k miles in it and am still very very happy with the car, hasnt cost me much to run and is about on par with the M3 I ran as Co car before the noble... MPG is good (i get 30mpg) and insurance isnt silly (but then I am old lol).
I wont be selling my car anytime soon, if ever....
[quote=Chapppers"25,000 miles is about the time for a gearbox failure"
[/quote]
Mine went at 25k however mines a 3.0 and has been upgraded and running a lot more power. The box is a weak part on both the five and six speed but not heard of any breaking running standard power.
I would however recommend that if you do buy a Noble with an opn diff and it breaks, have the gearbox
strengthened while it's being repaired as it will save you money long term
[/quote]
Mine went at 25k however mines a 3.0 and has been upgraded and running a lot more power. The box is a weak part on both the five and six speed but not heard of any breaking running standard power.
I would however recommend that if you do buy a Noble with an opn diff and it breaks, have the gearbox
strengthened while it's being repaired as it will save you money long term
andygtt said:
Nobles are relativelly cheap to repair etc but its the labour that costs as they are not put together like a normal car.... for example a clutch change is an engine out job (unless you cut the chasis and reweld it afterwards).
I'm pretty happy with that, and as an engineer I should be able to figure my way round most issues.My aforementioned cousin is a pretty damn good welder, so there's no issue there about cutting and rewelding.
I guess i'll just have to budget & save for it and if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't within say 6 months, i'll do it anyway over the winter or something.
Speaking with the chief mechanic at Kerridges yesterday, who seems to know a bit about Nobles! They have never taken the head off an engine, but have had to replace a few gearboxes. Apparently a stripped 5th gear is common, which I was surprised by - you've got to be shifting to be putting strain on that high a ratio? They've also just sold a 3R with 470hp and a standard gearbox, that they sold unwarrantied. Their opinion is that it will probably eat a gearbox a year!
Chapppers said:
sjc said:
Lakelord said:
The box is a weak part on both the five and six speed but not heard of any breaking running standard power.
That's a very good and often over looked point.I would agree with Gadge above, it mighte be wrorth having a look at a few others that have the upgrades mentioned b4 you jump.
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