Anyone gonr from Noble to Exige?
Discussion
As title. In the ever increasing traffic build ups etc, being able to stretch the legs of a Noble etc is becoming harder and harder.
Thinking of trading in my 3R for an Exige S2.......am I mad.......please discuss!
After an occasional road car that can handle being chucked round track several times a year.
My logic is that the Exige is basically on par with the Noble round track......the Noble is undoubtedly quicker in a straight line but to me it's not enough to justify it as the better car for the task.
Thinking of trading in my 3R for an Exige S2.......am I mad.......please discuss!
After an occasional road car that can handle being chucked round track several times a year.
My logic is that the Exige is basically on par with the Noble round track......the Noble is undoubtedly quicker in a straight line but to me it's not enough to justify it as the better car for the task.
I think you are mad given the initial depreciation on a 3R and the current market liquidity.
A properly specced S2 Exige is 35k. Its not as quick as a noble despite what the lotus mafia will have you believe.
It is however likely cheaper to track, but no fast car is genuinely cheap on track.
Monkey has a point with his Honda Elise. You could take 25k equity out of the Noble and be as quick around track. It will also have glacial depreciation in comparison to a 3R. Downside is that its a low volume conversion /shrug. Still you'll blow most anything away at the traffic lights and people will wonder why your Elise is quite that quick!
Personally I'm about to buy a noble I think. I just want a change of pace and something a bit different. The Elise is a great car, but it doesn't mean theres not other stuff out there to try out and enjoy. The small cabin becomes a bit of a shag after a while too.
>> Edited by DanH on Friday 16th July 20:21
Not looking at it from a financial stand point. Car vs car only.
Noble is a great car but it doesn't give the driving experience I want.....yes it's quick and handles well but it doesn't beg me to go quicker or encourage me to take the corner a little faster.....it's missing that last piece which I "think" I got when I test drove the Exige S2.
I'm looking for a car that is quick with extremely good handling that is fun on the road and great round track. After having a few experiences round track in Nobles/TVR's etc......a well driven Exige is right up there if not marginally quicker. Most importantly I want a local dealership near by to sort out any issues I have.
Noble have now taken that away from me and from what I've experienced of the "in house" answer.....I'm far from impressed!
My thinking behind the Exige was it looks great, is plenty quick enough (sure someone will be offering a performance kit/supercharger soon for even more ooommpphhh!), handles beautifully, should be great round track, local dealership, warrenty etc etc.
I have a CSL as an everyday car so if I need that "outright" straightline spped that is more than capable......am I still mad?!
Noble is a great car but it doesn't give the driving experience I want.....yes it's quick and handles well but it doesn't beg me to go quicker or encourage me to take the corner a little faster.....it's missing that last piece which I "think" I got when I test drove the Exige S2.
I'm looking for a car that is quick with extremely good handling that is fun on the road and great round track. After having a few experiences round track in Nobles/TVR's etc......a well driven Exige is right up there if not marginally quicker. Most importantly I want a local dealership near by to sort out any issues I have.
Noble have now taken that away from me and from what I've experienced of the "in house" answer.....I'm far from impressed!
My thinking behind the Exige was it looks great, is plenty quick enough (sure someone will be offering a performance kit/supercharger soon for even more ooommpphhh!), handles beautifully, should be great round track, local dealership, warrenty etc etc.
I have a CSL as an everyday car so if I need that "outright" straightline spped that is more than capable......am I still mad?!
Exiges have track biased suspension and sticky tyres as standard, do the same to a Noble for a fair comparison on track. A nitroned & tyred Noble can match an exige round the bends and then the extra power can be used for lapping quicker rather than simply keeping up.
If you have the CSL though why not get a caterfield or radical?
Or Monkeys car
All IMHO.
If you have the CSL though why not get a caterfield or radical?
Or Monkeys car
All IMHO.
Depends what you mean by good handling. Elise derivates are definitely quick through corners but not very forgiving or easy. What do you want in a car?
Personally I think I'd have more fun in your CSL drifting it a bit around the track than my much snappier Elise. The costs would probably be a bit nasty though as its a heavier car so consumables get consumed quicker.
I've got an idea. Go on one of the CPA trackdays (check PH advertisers) as they have an Exige S2 you can test on track. Not massively expensive either, although dunno how much track time you will in reality get. Enough to get an idea no doubt.
Nathans right that a noble needs tightening up for the track, but I don't think its an ideal car if you do a lot of trackwork due to consumables. I've done a few pax laps in a nitroned corsa shod GTO3 and it was as quick as anything out there if not quicker.
If you just want a toy, have you thought about the new atoms? Its reviewed well recently.
>> Edited by DanH on Friday 16th July 20:54
Topboss,
I know what you are saying regarding the power the Noble has. I have a TVR Tamora that is the same 9 Sec to 100 and pretty good on the corners (not quite up to Noble) BUT I get frustrated that I rarely get to open her up properly. Therefore, I did what you did and took an Exige S2 for a test drive. Although it was not as quick in a straight line I was able to rev to the limit in each gear which is satisfying and the cornering was awesome, in other words the fun factor was 10/10 which was almost unachieveable in the Tamora unless it was 05:00 in the morning. I have since ordered one. Hope this helps. Steve
I know what you are saying regarding the power the Noble has. I have a TVR Tamora that is the same 9 Sec to 100 and pretty good on the corners (not quite up to Noble) BUT I get frustrated that I rarely get to open her up properly. Therefore, I did what you did and took an Exige S2 for a test drive. Although it was not as quick in a straight line I was able to rev to the limit in each gear which is satisfying and the cornering was awesome, in other words the fun factor was 10/10 which was almost unachieveable in the Tamora unless it was 05:00 in the morning. I have since ordered one. Hope this helps. Steve
I have been wavering between the TVR 350, Exige and Noble
at present i've got a S2 elise. so far i've driven both exige and TVR 350 - very different cars - TVR feels bigger, and planted on the road and is quick and very capable, with an awesome sound track.
The Exige feels as if you are in a go-kart, the kick when you hit 6.5k is great. But sound track is a wee bit disappointing.
The TVR feels that you need the room of a track to have fun, wheras the exige gives the same impression on normal roads and similar speeds and an overall bigger grin factor.
my better half's comment was 'that i was not old enough to have TVR' - whatever that means!
and that's after I said I'd have the TVR in yellow or Exige in orange chrome.
so far Exige has it...
currently awaiting test drive of the Noble, then i'll have to make my mind up.
I'm starting to think that too much ulitimate grip/roadholding makes everday fun beyond what is legal (or sane) on the public highway and whilst its great to explore on a track, i don't drive day to day on one.
at present i've got a S2 elise. so far i've driven both exige and TVR 350 - very different cars - TVR feels bigger, and planted on the road and is quick and very capable, with an awesome sound track.
The Exige feels as if you are in a go-kart, the kick when you hit 6.5k is great. But sound track is a wee bit disappointing.
The TVR feels that you need the room of a track to have fun, wheras the exige gives the same impression on normal roads and similar speeds and an overall bigger grin factor.
my better half's comment was 'that i was not old enough to have TVR' - whatever that means!
and that's after I said I'd have the TVR in yellow or Exige in orange chrome.
so far Exige has it...
currently awaiting test drive of the Noble, then i'll have to make my mind up.
I'm starting to think that too much ulitimate grip/roadholding makes everday fun beyond what is legal (or sane) on the public highway and whilst its great to explore on a track, i don't drive day to day on one.
r5cer said:
Topboss,
I know what you are saying regarding the power the Noble has. I have a TVR Tamora that is the same 9 Sec to 100 and pretty good on the corners (not quite up to Noble) BUT I get frustrated that I rarely get to open her up properly. Therefore, I did what you did and took an Exige S2 for a test drive. Although it was not as quick in a straight line I was able to rev to the limit in each gear which is satisfying and the cornering was awesome, in other words the fun factor was 10/10 which was almost unachieveable in the Tamora unless it was 05:00 in the morning. I have since ordered one. Hope this helps. Steve
Funny you say that as part of my problem with the S2 Exige is that you have to rev the nuts off it to get any performance which isn't really suited to the road. Also max revs in 3rd and you are breaking the speed limit, so no real difference to any other sports car.
An SC version with more torque would make a more convincing case imho.
Ross14 said:
I'm starting to think that too much ulitimate grip/roadholding makes everday fun beyond what is legal (or sane) on the public highway and whilst its great to explore on a track, i don't drive day to day on one.
I totally agree. I went from a Griff to a S2 Elise cos a. the TVR felt fragile and was starting to get expensive, and b. I didn't feel able to drive it that hard without risking a big accident.
I can drive like a loony in the Elise and not get into trouble, although I miss the V8 soundtrack. I've been thinking about a Noble recently, but my main reservation is the same as Ross mentions... by raising the performance so much, the risks become higher. I really wanted an M250
Incidentally, I was planning on a power upgrade until I had her on the track, I easily kept up with an S1 Exige (clearly, badly driven) except on the straight, so I felt I'd be better spending my money on track days and driver training.
As with everything though, I've got used to it and crave more!
DanH said:
Depends what you mean by good handling. Elise derivates are definitely quick through corners but not very forgiving or easy. What do you want in a car?
I have an Exige and it's massively forgiving and easy. I couldn't think of a better car for a track day beginer to get into.
randy said:
DanH said:
Depends what you mean by good handling. Elise derivates are definitely quick through corners but not very forgiving or easy. What do you want in a car?
I have an Exige and it's massively forgiving and easy. I couldn't think of a better car for a track day beginer to get into.
Its mid engined, short wheel base and low polar moment of inertia, so it begets the question, what exactly are you comparing it to?
Balancing an Elise derivative in a slide, or catching one is hardly easy compared to most anything.
>> Edited by DanH on Tuesday 20th July 22:23
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff