S1 Exige to Noble M12
Discussion
Hello all, i am new to the noble forum!!
recently owned a s1 lotus exige which i have now sold!! will be qualifying as an accountant early next year and contemplating buying an m12 as a present to myself!!
has anyone made a similar move?? any thoughts please??
also, i have heard about reliability issues with the m12?? is this just blown out of proportion or will i find myself very frustated with ownership??
Thanks very much!
recently owned a s1 lotus exige which i have now sold!! will be qualifying as an accountant early next year and contemplating buying an m12 as a present to myself!!
has anyone made a similar move?? any thoughts please??
also, i have heard about reliability issues with the m12?? is this just blown out of proportion or will i find myself very frustated with ownership??
Thanks very much!
Edited by twpbugger on Thursday 27th September 14:34
I absolutely love my 3R ! ...I think that they need looking after more than a normal car but I am not sure that is any more than a Lotus ....more advice will be along shortly from more knowledgeable individuals ! twpbugger said:
Hello all, i am new to the noble forum!!
recently owned a s1 lotus exige which i have now sold!! will be qualifying as an accountant early next year and contemplating buying an m12 as a present to myself!!
has anyone made a similar move?? any thoughts please??
also, i have heard about reliability issues with the m12?? is this just blown out of proportion or will i find myself very frustated with ownership??
Thanks very much!
Welcome to the Noble forum mate! recently owned a s1 lotus exige which i have now sold!! will be qualifying as an accountant early next year and contemplating buying an m12 as a present to myself!!
has anyone made a similar move?? any thoughts please??
also, i have heard about reliability issues with the m12?? is this just blown out of proportion or will i find myself very frustated with ownership??
Thanks very much!
Edited by twpbugger on Thursday 27th September 14:34
A Noble is like an Exige on steroids, and you won't be disappointed with the performance. It's not an unreliable car but does have a few little niggles that are easy to sort. None of this is a distraction for a petrol head as the experience of owning/driving it outweighs any build quality problems i.e. the standard exhaust bracket etc. Most Noble have had the niggles sorted and are trouble free! (Well, as trouble free as a hand built car can be)!
There is plenty of advice and help on this forum so I’m sure others will be along shortly. How much are looking to spend on one? Private or Trade?
quote=Twerlie][ How much are looking to spend on one? Private or Trade?
[/quote]
I am looking to spend around 25k - that will be around april - may time next year - privately, but would certainly pay for an inspection by an approved lotus dealer before parting with the cash!!
good example for the money??
[/quote]
I am looking to spend around 25k - that will be around april - may time next year - privately, but would certainly pay for an inspection by an approved lotus dealer before parting with the cash!!
good example for the money??
twpbugger said:
quote=Twerlie][ How much are looking to spend on one? Private or Trade?
I am looking to spend around 25k - that will be around april - may time next year - privately, but would certainly pay for an inspection by an approved lotus dealer before parting with the cash!! good example for the money??
TBH you would be better buying a bit earlier in the year as demand wont be as high and therefore prices look a bit cheaper and deal I am sure can be done.
All IMHO.
HTH
Alex
which means i'm going to have to canel my current policy. Got a quote with Tesco that is pretty reasonable considering my age so will probably go with them when the time comes.Just my 2 pennies worth as I went from an S1 Exige to a Noble:
- as stated the the Noble is an Exige on steriods.
- Runnings costs are considerably more than an Exige but it's a more expensive car to begin with
- For me personally the Exige scared me a little in the wet wereas the Noble was much more forgiving IMO, that said I had a fair bit of driver training shortly after buying the Noble
- IMO the Exige has a better quality of build - this maybe due to that fact it has an Aluminium mass produced chassis (relativly speaking)
However and again IMO a well setup Noble should run rings around a similarly setup exige.
I guess you pays your money and make your choice - If you intend to do a lot of track days be prepared for much bigger bills than an Exige would cost.
cheers
G.
- as stated the the Noble is an Exige on steriods.
- Runnings costs are considerably more than an Exige but it's a more expensive car to begin with
- For me personally the Exige scared me a little in the wet wereas the Noble was much more forgiving IMO, that said I had a fair bit of driver training shortly after buying the Noble
- IMO the Exige has a better quality of build - this maybe due to that fact it has an Aluminium mass produced chassis (relativly speaking)
However and again IMO a well setup Noble should run rings around a similarly setup exige.
I guess you pays your money and make your choice - If you intend to do a lot of track days be prepared for much bigger bills than an Exige would cost.
cheers
G.
I am trying to sell my 30k mile 3R at the moment. I think she is a pretty well sorted car with rebuilt lump, new this and that, and the most i have been offered is 27k. For 25k next spring i think you may well be getting towards 3R status.
Edited by ajg31 on Thursday 27th September 20:40
Hi and welcome!
I got my Noble M12 GTO-3R about a month ago (admittedly it only has 6k on the clock as was basically as new) and my initial impression is the quality of the build. So far the car has been faultless and I have been pushing it relatively hard!
The only problem I had was that the door handle linkage came apart, but a simple procedure with a screwdriver had it fixed in half hour...no problem....and I am no qualified mechanic!
Regards to insurance, I am 39, in Kent, 6 yrs NCB, no claims or convictions...price was about 580.00 with Priviledge...only condition it had to have an approved immobiliser and alarm, the fact it also has a tracker is irrelevant to them...weird! Noble are sending me a letter to confirm what immobiliser has been installed. Also, just for info, if you insure a second car with them they will give you a good 'discount' on a second car BUT more importantly, will give you a genuine 6 years NCB on the 2nd car policy next year! So, you will effectively have two policies with 6 yrs NCB after the first year....could not believe my eyes/ears, but it's true!
Also, one big plus about Noble ownership, in my opinion is the helpfulness of the guys on here....they know just about everything and have opinions on everything!
Oh, and the thing is fast!
I got my Noble M12 GTO-3R about a month ago (admittedly it only has 6k on the clock as was basically as new) and my initial impression is the quality of the build. So far the car has been faultless and I have been pushing it relatively hard!
The only problem I had was that the door handle linkage came apart, but a simple procedure with a screwdriver had it fixed in half hour...no problem....and I am no qualified mechanic!
Regards to insurance, I am 39, in Kent, 6 yrs NCB, no claims or convictions...price was about 580.00 with Priviledge...only condition it had to have an approved immobiliser and alarm, the fact it also has a tracker is irrelevant to them...weird! Noble are sending me a letter to confirm what immobiliser has been installed. Also, just for info, if you insure a second car with them they will give you a good 'discount' on a second car BUT more importantly, will give you a genuine 6 years NCB on the 2nd car policy next year! So, you will effectively have two policies with 6 yrs NCB after the first year....could not believe my eyes/ears, but it's true!
Also, one big plus about Noble ownership, in my opinion is the helpfulness of the guys on here....they know just about everything and have opinions on everything!
Oh, and the thing is fast!
I went from elise to GTO3 and back to exige S, I LOVED my Noble but sold it when it started to get expensive. Given these cars of mine were only ever driven for pleasure I became increasingly loathe to track the Noble for fear of giga expensive repairs. Drive shafts etc .
The bill to get it through its 2nd MOT at 20000 miles and been garaged since new was £3500 ! This was mainly t0o rectify corrosion in the chassis! Thank God I hadnt tracked it for a while cos, rusted that it was, it may have quite likely disintegrated on track with me in it! I have to add that Lee Noble was absolutely fantastic to me, he was soo helpful and supportive throughout my Nobility era, its just a shame that the factory stopped supporting the M12, I dread to think what I would have done with my M12 had not the factory been there to supply obscure chassis parts at the time I needed them.
For this reason I decided to part with it and to return to the Lotus fold. Initially I was underwhelmed with the Lotus, sure it was pretty ( not so as the Noble) it seemed tiny inside and the soundtrack was tinny. As the car has loosened up it is getting faster and faster, it still sounds pathetic but hell, it's fun!
I understand that the chap who bought my ex Noble from the dealer I traded with had an accident just 4 miles into his ownership. The dealer didnt say if all that expensive new chassis I had paid for was now scrap!!
The bill to get it through its 2nd MOT at 20000 miles and been garaged since new was £3500 ! This was mainly t0o rectify corrosion in the chassis! Thank God I hadnt tracked it for a while cos, rusted that it was, it may have quite likely disintegrated on track with me in it! I have to add that Lee Noble was absolutely fantastic to me, he was soo helpful and supportive throughout my Nobility era, its just a shame that the factory stopped supporting the M12, I dread to think what I would have done with my M12 had not the factory been there to supply obscure chassis parts at the time I needed them.
For this reason I decided to part with it and to return to the Lotus fold. Initially I was underwhelmed with the Lotus, sure it was pretty ( not so as the Noble) it seemed tiny inside and the soundtrack was tinny. As the car has loosened up it is getting faster and faster, it still sounds pathetic but hell, it's fun!
I understand that the chap who bought my ex Noble from the dealer I traded with had an accident just 4 miles into his ownership. The dealer didnt say if all that expensive new chassis I had paid for was now scrap!!
humpy said:
Which Noble do you think you will be looking at?
Budget/Age/Model..?
Thanks for all the input. interesting and contrasting views there. Budget/Age/Model..?
I will be hopefully looking at a 2002/2003 model - was hoping for the 3litre version, but possibly a 2.5litre as this may ensure i get a well sorted earlier model for my money.
kjhbigv said:
Hi and welcome!
I got my Noble M12 GTO-3R about a month ago (admittedly it only has 6k on the clock as was basically as new) and my initial impression is the quality of the build. So far the car has been faultless and I have been pushing it relatively hard!
The only problem I had was that the door handle linkage came apart, but a simple procedure with a screwdriver had it fixed in half hour...no problem....and I am no qualified mechanic!
Also, one big plus about Noble ownership, in my opinion is the helpfulness of the guys on here....they know just about everything and have opinions on everything!
Oh, and the thing is fast!
Everything that he said. I got my Noble M12 GTO-3R about a month ago (admittedly it only has 6k on the clock as was basically as new) and my initial impression is the quality of the build. So far the car has been faultless and I have been pushing it relatively hard!
The only problem I had was that the door handle linkage came apart, but a simple procedure with a screwdriver had it fixed in half hour...no problem....and I am no qualified mechanic!
Also, one big plus about Noble ownership, in my opinion is the helpfulness of the guys on here....they know just about everything and have opinions on everything!
Oh, and the thing is fast!
My only reliability issues have been of my own making, both of which (battery and exhaust) I've managed to fix myself. Also fitted a BOV myself when I first got it. I've found just by tinkering at weekends that it's actually quite an easy car to work on. All in all I've been very lucky so far with mine.
I 've had a couple of Nobles and a couple of Exige S1's
The Noble is one hell of a lot faster and a much more 'refined' road car to drive than an S1 Exige but still just as fun.
The handling is a match for the exige and is more forgiving at the limit. I reckon the only downside of the Noble is that track day reliability will not be a match for an exige so depends what your intended use is really.
I had a 2.5l Noble that I didn't track but was perfectly reliable for the 2 years I had it. The M400 I owned was tracked regularly and was also reliable to be fair once the factory sorted a few engine issues apparent from new.
The Noble is one hell of a lot faster and a much more 'refined' road car to drive than an S1 Exige but still just as fun.
The handling is a match for the exige and is more forgiving at the limit. I reckon the only downside of the Noble is that track day reliability will not be a match for an exige so depends what your intended use is really.
I had a 2.5l Noble that I didn't track but was perfectly reliable for the 2 years I had it. The M400 I owned was tracked regularly and was also reliable to be fair once the factory sorted a few engine issues apparent from new.
I've had mine for a year, and I did give it an extensive service/overhaul over last winter ready for great british summer
Anyway, most of it was service work and fixing things overlooked on the last service (Noble agent), the main other thing was stripping and recoating the front and rear chassis section with zinc and then repainted with hard paint. Also replaced the exhaust heat wrap and chassis heat matting at the same time. I wanted to do this as a precaution, if it had been left I'd no doubt have a more extensive repair in the future as Nick above.
I've come from Jap machinery, so have been spoilt with their reliability, but this year I've had no problems whatsoever (apart from wearing out the back tyres!), it starts first time, drives perfectly and goes like stink
Make sure any car has had the normal upgrades done, been properly serviced etc,etc , I'd also recommend finding a local specialist to service/repair your car as some people on here have had very poor experiences with the dealers and independents (luckily I do mine myself).
Cheers
DAve
Anyway, most of it was service work and fixing things overlooked on the last service (Noble agent), the main other thing was stripping and recoating the front and rear chassis section with zinc and then repainted with hard paint. Also replaced the exhaust heat wrap and chassis heat matting at the same time. I wanted to do this as a precaution, if it had been left I'd no doubt have a more extensive repair in the future as Nick above.
I've come from Jap machinery, so have been spoilt with their reliability, but this year I've had no problems whatsoever (apart from wearing out the back tyres!), it starts first time, drives perfectly and goes like stink
Make sure any car has had the normal upgrades done, been properly serviced etc,etc , I'd also recommend finding a local specialist to service/repair your car as some people on here have had very poor experiences with the dealers and independents (luckily I do mine myself).
Cheers
DAve
exactly as sad above .i bought my 2.5 about 3months ago and have since been going through the whole car.also as said mine has full noble service and tbh it was really poor.probs so far as above remove all the old heat sheating repaint all chassis sections.mine has the early ecu which needed a full rebuild at a cost of 350 pounds.seems most early ecus have some sort of problem so if poss go for one with a mbe upgrade.at the moment im taking the full under trays off and although ive found no major rust it defo needed repainting and sealing and waxoyling also the water hoses were in need of replacing also seems a common problem .looked at a few early cars and all had quite a few stone chips .one guy was really proud of his 4 trips to le mans chips.i also came from an evo and its quite an eye opener coming to this but great fun and easier to work on than the evo
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