Lotus to Noble?

[Ikemi]

Evenin' all!

I was wondering if anyone here has moved from a Lotus Elise to a Noble or visa-versa? I'm interested to find out how both compare in terms of performance (mainly acceleration ), handling, noise (the good kind!), and servicing costs, as well as estimated costs in regards to consumables and possible repairs when using on a day-to-day basis ...

No need to mention economy though - I realise the twin turbos are fairly thirsty!

Any information would be great! I'm not in the market for one at the moment, but I'm tempted by a 2.5L some time soon. For one thing, the insurance on the Noble is surprisingly much, much cheaper than my 111S, so that's one reason for me to justify one!

Cheers!

Edited by Ikemi on Monday 17th May 20:14

[The devil]

Welcome.
I am in the position that I have both a Noble M12 GTO-3 and an Exige S2.

Before I had the Noble I thought the Lotus was quick but now it does seem pretty tame.

The Exige is pretty good on a sunday morning blat but given the choice I will always thake the Nob.

Costs. the noble certainly does cost a lot more, the lotus does about 35MPG and the noble about 24 on general round town driving, the motorway drive for the nob produces high 20's though, obviously if you want to go mad in it then it will drink lots.

Servicing can be anywhere from 500 to 800 on the Noble and the Lotus is about half that and also has 9000 mile interval where as the noble is 6000 miles.

All that said where would I go with £22000...........straight to the Noble dealer

[mgbond]

Ikemi said:

Evenin' all!

I was wondering if anyone here has moved from a Lotus Elise to a Noble or visa-versa? I'm interested to find out how both compare in terms of performance (mainly acceleration ), handling, noise (the good kind!), and servicing costs, as well as estimated costs in regards to consumables and possible repairs when using on a day-to-day basis ...

No need to mention economy though - I realise the twin turbos are fairly thirsty!

Any information would be great! I'm not in the market for one at the moment, but I'm tempted by a 2.5L some time soon. For one thing, the insurance on the Noble is surprisingly much, much cheaper than my 111S, so that's one reason for me to justify one!

Cheers!

Edited by Ikemi on Monday 17th May 20:14

Hmmm how they compare performance wise. well i suggest you try one as there is no comparrison trust me. i came from a std S1 and they are not alike the Noble is sooo much quicker and the grin factor is massive. To be honest (and this is only because i didn't by a car with all the things sorted that we on here can help you with) the cost is also no comparrison. I used to moan about how much the elise cost me until I owned a Noble.

So all I say is, make sure you buy one thats updated with fan upgrade (although only £150). Trackday sump if you wish to track the car. ECU upgraded and LSD all upgraded.

Bondy

[Gadgeroonie]

i used to have a tuned elise and got bored of the lack of power on day one

i have never tired of my noble and they can be made to go faster still fairly easily

my advice buy a 3 litre with a 6 speed box (or 5 speed with atb)

a test drive will make you buy one for sure !

[Ikemi]

Thanks for all the comments so far! I'll book a test drive as soon as I spot a Noble for sale at a nearby dealership, to see how quick these cars are for myself

mgbond said:

I used to moan about how much the elise cost me until I owned a Noble.

Ah? Is that due to regular services, consumables, general faults that occur or just fuel bills? I didn't realise they required servicing so often! I'd be servicing the car 2-3 times a year, which could prove expensive. Am I right in thinking the service is more than just an oil change?

I'm still tempted, especially if they are miles ahead of the Elise in terms of performance, but I need to go in with my eyes wide open ... A bit like my wallet it sounds!

Edited by Ikemi on Monday 17th May 23:25

[F.C.]

You could have the best of both worlds, a well sorted S1 / early S2 Honda S/C or Audi Turbo conversion will give you the acceleration and handling you crave with arguably better reliability. I had an M400 with Roush exhaust machined suspension uprights, super light carbon mag wheels to mention a few mods. All in all a very nice car but the Elise will be the quicker car around a track (though less civilised) given that an example in ROAD trim could weigh in at around 800Kg (some less) with 350+HP readily available.
The power to weight combination is very hard to beat.
SC ones will do <4 secs to 60 and <8 secs to 100
SC Intercooled ones have done <3 secs to 60 and <7 secs to 100 (MPH)which is creeping into Atom territory.
I'd have another M400 tommorrow but with 22k my money would go on a well spec'd Elise conversion with enough money left over to buy the missus a shopping car!

[Rob_W]

I'm in the process of making the move from an Exige S to an M400 so it seems like a good idea to me!

[mgbond]

Ikemi said:

Thanks for all the comments so far! I'll book a test drive as soon as I spot a Noble for sale at a nearby dealership, to see how quick these cars are for myself

mgbond said:

I used to moan about how much the elise cost me until I owned a Noble.

Ah? Is that due to regular services, consumables, general faults that occur or just fuel bills? I didn't realise they required servicing so often! I'd be servicing the car 2-3 times a year, which could prove expensive. Am I right in thinking the service is more than just an oil change?

I'm still tempted, especially if they are miles ahead of the Elise in terms of performance, but I need to go in with my eyes wide open ... A bit like my wallet it sounds!

Edited by Ikemi on Monday 17th May 23:25

No, just because I brought a car with none of the upgrades so I have been paying for them over the last 4 odd years. Servicing is on par with the elise to be honest but fuel bills will be a lot higher :-)

Bondy

[WillB]

I bought my Noble GTO-3R having owned quite a few Eises/Exiges/340R etc.

I think of the Noble as a big Exige, certainly a much better road car than an Exige.

[Ikemi]

Cheers for the advice! So as long as I find a well sorted M12 I should really only worry about fuel bills and the odd service Doesn't sound too bad!

@F.C.: A supercharged/Honda Elise would be ideal, but unfortunately due to my young age (24), the mere mention of modifications to insurance companies results in them laughing at me down the phone ... or a seriously unrealistic premium!

The Noble works out to be surprisingly cheap for me to insure - £880! It's a lot cheaper than the renewal quote for my 111S! Excluding the fact that the Elise is a convertible, I have no idea why a 2.5L TT is less risk than a 1.8L? Perhaps the M12 has slipped under the insurance radar?

ETA: How much would you budget to run a M12 for one year, excluding fuel?

Edited by Ikemi on Tuesday 18th May 15:52

[SimonJW]

From experience I would go with £1000 for annual servicing (at a non-Noble garage) and minor niggles and £2000-3000 in a contingency bucket on standby. The trouble is that once you get one there is always the wish list and the longer you keep it the longer the list gets.......

HTH

Si

PS Either way you will never regret it. It's so much more than just the performance...

Edited by SimonJW on Sunday 23 May 10:42

[TuxMan]

If you are any good with the spaners a Noble is dead easy to look after yourself , and a he'll of alot cheaper !!!