M12 3R vs Esprit 350
Discussion
With the lack of Nobles for sale at the mo, I'm expanding my search and came across this V8 esprit
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...
Any current M12 owners ever owned one of these cars and able to comment on the cars vs a Noble ?
Cheers Dave
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...
Any current M12 owners ever owned one of these cars and able to comment on the cars vs a Noble ?
Cheers Dave
sjc said:
Lack of Nobles???
There's 15-20 for sale, and thats as many as there has ever been I'd imagine.
Ah, should have been more specific...... Lack of 3R's with the recommended upgrades. Good sign I suppose that current owners want to keep them, but frustrating for potential buyers There's 15-20 for sale, and thats as many as there has ever been I'd imagine.
DJWuk said:
Ah, should have been more specific...... Lack of 3R's with the recommended upgrades. Good sign I suppose that current owners want to keep them, but frustrating for potential buyers
Get one that hasn't had the upgrades and do them yourself then, it will help you with the bonding process. :-DMike.
Agree with Mike, but it is a long road and the one alot of us long term owners have taken. I had an Esprit albeit N/A 2.2 in red. As Kevin said, it looked the part, but always felt that it was about to implode at any moment and it was the car I have owned for the shortest period of time, but the worry was not allowing me to enjoy the drive. The car handled ok but not a mark on the Noble. Trust me, wait for the correct car to come along. Have you though about a TVR to see you through before the right car comes along. Followed a T350 all the way to Spa last week and the sound was epic, ok it's not going to go like a Noble, but not a bad stop gap IMHO. 
DJWuk said:
Happy to do that Mike, but the price of car has to reflect the outlay for mods .
I'll keep looking until Le Mans trip, then will probably just use Caterham for summer and look again at end of year when prices usually dip on cars.
it doesn't work like that - you have to buy what is available and then fix what ever it needs doing.I'll keep looking until Le Mans trip, then will probably just use Caterham for summer and look again at end of year when prices usually dip on cars.
the ones with the right mods/bits never come up for sale, and when they do are sold immediately to someone in the know/queue
wessexrfc said:
Agree with Mike, but it is a long road and the one alot of us long term owners have taken. I had an Esprit albeit N/A 2.2 in red. As Kevin said, it looked the part, but always felt that it was about to implode at any moment and it was the car I have owned for the shortest period of time, but the worry was not allowing me to enjoy the drive. The car handled ok but not a mark on the Noble. Trust me, wait for the correct car to come along. Have you though about a TVR to see you through before the right car comes along. Followed a T350 all the way to Spa last week and the sound was epic, ok it's not going to go like a Noble, but not a bad stop gap IMHO.
Thanks for honest views. The Esprit seems to be the wrong choiceRe TVR's not really my thing.
Gadgeroonie said:
it doesn't work like that - you have to buy what is available and then fix what ever it needs doing
the ones with the right mods/bits never come up for sale, and when they do are sold immediately to someone in the know/queue
Fair point. I kicked myself last year when I didn't have funds available to buy Lucozades car when it came up. That didn't seem to sell privately and ended up going into the network at a much lower price than current cars in the market place. Knowing a few other cars that sold a year ago, I'm struggling to justify current high prices from dealers at the mo.the ones with the right mods/bits never come up for sale, and when they do are sold immediately to someone in the know/queue
Ah well I'll keep an eye on the Ads, but in meantime I'll keep my options open on next car, as still a reasonable list of different cars I want to own before pegging it
Thanks again for help.
What upgrades exactly are you after for a 3R? There's not loads that are essential,some might have even had stuff done not mentioned in the adverts?.The other option is ti talk to Steve Kerridge at Kerridges 01449 720222(they have 2/3 at the moment)and tell him what it is you're after. It's possible that they can do the stuff as a deal sweetener, if it's floor, fuel pump wiring,tunnel mods etc.
DJWuk said:
Happy to do that Mike, but the price of car has to reflect the outlay for mods .
I'll keep looking until Le Mans trip, then will probably just use Caterham for summer and look again at end of year when prices usually dip on cars.
You can have mine for 50k .I'll keep looking until Le Mans trip, then will probably just use Caterham for summer and look again at end of year when prices usually dip on cars.
reflects all the mods 
Tux
sjc said:
What upgrades exactly are you after for a 3R? There's not loads that are essential,some might have even had stuff done not mentioned in the adverts?.The other option is ti talk to Steve Kerridge at Kerridges 01449 720222(they have 2/3 at the moment)and tell him what it is you're after. It's possible that they can do the stuff as a deal sweetener, if it's floor, fuel pump wiring,tunnel mods etc.
Was after following :- - stronger exhaust manifolds
- stainless exhaust replacement
- floor resealed
- upgraded fuel pump and wiring
Good point that Kerridges cars may have mods done, but not mentioned, so will give them a call. That said I was hoping to buy privately from an enthusiast at somewhere between trade in price and dealer price.
Similar situation to myself, I'm selling my 355 in a couple of weeks (hopefully!) in a view of Esprit/Noble ownership. I've done a visit to a specialist lotus and I've gone to Kerridges and I think it's a no-brainer really. There's no doubt a sorted 3R will hold or possibly slightly rise in value and the mechanical costs are very reasonable considering the performance/looks. The 350, although are rare and mechanically if they go wrong (which can happen quite a bit) can cost Ferrari prices to fix! So it depends if you want it for your wallets sake and or bucket list, I've made my choice, and as soon as I have the available funds from my 355 sale I'll be behind the wheel of a 3R, John.
johns355 said:
Similar situation to myself, I'm selling my 355 in a couple of weeks (hopefully!) in a view of Esprit/Noble ownership. I've done a visit to a specialist lotus and I've gone to Kerridges and I think it's a no-brainer really. There's no doubt a sorted 3R will hold or possibly slightly rise in value and the mechanical costs are very reasonable considering the performance/looks. The 350, although are rare and mechanically if they go wrong (which can happen quite a bit) can cost Ferrari prices to fix! So it depends if you want it for your wallets sake and or bucket list, I've made my choice, and as soon as I have the available funds from my 355 sale I'll be behind the wheel of a 3R, John.
Good luck with your 3R search John. It'll be interesting to read your M12/355 "owner comparison".
Gassing Station | Noble | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff