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NSX with mods or Ferrari without mods?

FGG

Contributing Member
Joined
8 July 2003
Messages
133
Location
Dearborn, MI
THIS IS ONLY FOR FUN-NO BASHING INTENDED!

A Ferrari owner friend of mine (he bought my 308GTSi), was attempting to explain why the "Ferrari loyalists" do not consider the NSX to be in the same league as a Ferrari (he was not so naive as to use the 308 as the standard of comparison, but did offer up the 355 for the sake of discussion). His theory was that if the NSX was so appealing (we are talking design, not mechanicals) then why do so many NSX owners modify their bodywork. He claims that you do not see as many, or hardly any, 355's modified, which according to his theory supports the conclusion that a truly great car (again, talking design only, not mechanicals) would not need such appendages, because the car in stock form would be breathtaking enough, as in the 355.

So, the inquiry is, do we suffer in comparison, due to a perceived less than exciting design (a point I thoroughly disagree with), such that mods are necessary to give the car a different look; and in doing such mods proving their point?

I like the mods, as they give a personal touch to a car--But, does he have a point? In fact, he bolsters his argument by claiming that companies such as Mercedes (using AMG) and BMW (M) have incorporated the mods into production based vehicles therby exempting those marques from the same criticism, whereas, HONDA/ACURA has not done so in the US market (except perhaps for the Zinardi)

Well, this is for fun--let's hear your opinion, especially those of you who have done some spectacular mods to your cars!

Frank (FGG)
'96 NSX-T (Red/tan)


:D
 
NSX with mods absolutely!!! I think the lines of the NSX are just more appealing than those of the Ferrari's, and as it was mentioned in another post I see more Ferrari's than NSX's. Something at the level of Gerry's NSX is hard to compare to any class of car exotic or not (ie. modded Z06). I'll take an NSX!:D
 
First off, the majority of NSX's are stock. I have never seen a modified NSX on the street apart from NSXPO. There is nothing wrong with mods. Ferrari owners mod their cars too. (ie Tubi Exhaust).

I think the NSX looks great, but the 355 is gorgeous. Hard to compete with that car asthetically. A 97+ car is on the same performance level as the 355 with the added value of reliability.

If you want to be faster than a 355 or 360, you just add a 10K SC and voila! You are still WAY under the price of a 360 or most used 355's with a better performing, more reliable automobile.
 
I think the reason most Ferrari owners do not mod their cars for fear of de-valuing them. When a Ferrari is considered for purchase as a resale, it is my understanding that:

1. Having mods
2. Not having complete service records - all performed by a Ferrari dealer.

...are considered a big negative
 
Good point DONYMO about devaluing the car with mods. That leads to the next question of are our NSX mod friends experiencing a devaluing at resale? :cool:
 
You also have to remember that having a 1999 Ferrari 355 with 20K on it is looked upon as VERY high miles and really hurts resale value.

A 99 NSX with 20K is low miles and doesn't hurt the resale value.
 
Not moding your F car is old school thinking.
Just like the only colour for a F car is red.

Since the 360 came out in large numbers more and more owners are starting to mod there cars just to stad out .
Light mods like exaust and rims are verry common place these days.
In fact the dealers even push these mods on there customers.
Tubi/ Fuchs exaust systems are sold by the dealer.
They will also can order Hre rims for you car.
I have seen a few nice body kits out now, that many people on the west coast are installing on there cars.
Its just a matter of time before they catch up to the Nsx. :D
 
IMO modifications only customize to personal preference. I do love the stock car, but I love mine much more.

BTW if I can remember correctly there is aftermarket companies for Ferrari such as Koenig, Mods include turbos and body kits. Here is the link:

http://www.koenig-specials.com/
Some badass cars on this webpage

See what your buddy has to say about them.

The only difference is no body can afford these upgrades so they are not as common. Even our upgrades are very expensive in comparison to any other honda.
 
Turbo NSX said:
The six-tip exhaust is... interesting.

x-360er-6rohr.jpg
 
Interesting like in "those yellow wheels are... interesting"

I guess its true.. ppl with too much $$ can sometimes be.. eccentric..
 
i think it would be really "interesting" if it had 4 exhaust tips on each side. .... or 5?
 
ajnsx said:
i didnt think ferrari's had the amount of aesthetic body mods available that the nsx does, maybe thats why.......

I agree with this. The aestetic problem of the NSX is the HUGE wheelgap, vertical and horizontal. Car needs wheels (or adapters) and lowering.

After this is done it is fair to compare with a stock Ferrari.

And honestly, between a NSX (with the above mods) and a stock 355... no I can't lie... I'll take the 355. :p
 
i think im in the minority here, but i would have to say the fcars from the 80's are far more beautiful to me than the newer ones.

my favorites
308/328
512tr

and im not sure theres a car on earth more beautiful to me than a red 246 dino.

I think it would be crazy to pay 200k for a car in stock form that wasnt everything i wanted. Who really wants to throw down an extra 5-10k for an inferior body kit when youve just spent that much $$$ on a beautiful car?

When i first bought my NSX i was planning on some body mods. The more i looked at it, and the more i saw the body kits, I realized i prefer the stock look. Some of the body kits do look good, but not better.. just different.


The nsx gets more mods because there are more choices.
 
My modified NSX (b)eats every stock 355 or 360 (not challenge or challenge stradale!) at the usual european track - if the F-driver ain't a pro. Been there, done that. Usualy it's enough to put race slicks on your X and let the F on street tires.

They are faster on the straights but slower in the turns - so maybe they are faster at Monza - didn't try this one.
 
DONYMO has hit the reason on the button. Many Ferrari car owners (not you Doug) are very scared of drving their car for fear of devaluing it. And if you're scared of driving the damn thing how do you react to the idea of defacing (modifying) it - with alarm, that's how. Therefore they don't enjoy their cars in these manners. Lucky for us NSX owners that Honda aspired to a different philosophy when designing the NSX over 15 years ago - they wanted a practical exotic that you could use in all its permutations without fear.

The only Ferrari the NSX can fairly be compared to is the 348 because that was what Ferrari was selling against the NSX when that car was introduced. The 348 had terrible handling dynamics, poor build quality, is extremely unreliable and quite slow. Style is a subjective matter but in most people's eyes the 348 is not as pretty as the NSX. So an objective comparison leaves no doubt - the NSX is the superior automobile. An oft-overlooked item is the NSX's build quality mean it's much less expensive to operate than the Ferrari, which means people like me, who have loved and lusted after mid-engined exotic cars since I was a child, can buy and enjoy these cars; whereas a Ferrari is too expensive to operate for me. This leads right back to the fear that using the vehicle leads to increased depreciation, a vicious circle that I for one am happy to avoid.
 
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As an investment (ie, resale value) I think you would do better buying a new Ferrari and leaving it stock than buying a new NSX and modifying it. I am astounded by how much a used 355 or even a 348 costs. Personally, I'd rather have an '01 NSX than a
'94 348 (same price in Scottsdale, AZ). I'm not sure I'd rather buy
an '01 NSX over an '02 Maserati Spyder though. I realize the last two are apples to oranges but it made me think twice about other cars in that $60-70 k range.
 
At the moment I have a Japanese supercar (NSX). Given the chance I'll get the Italian supercar (It will be Ferrari, Lambo is Italian Skyline GTR), American (must be the Viper) and European (Mc Laren). For the moment it is sufficient to say that at least I own a supercar.
 
most NSX owners modify their mechanics and not the bodywork, so the argument of the NSX owners modifying their body to become more appealing is obviously wrong. It's a matter of personal taste, but mostly, we want to go faster, and don't usually need it prettier.

We could say the same argument with Civic's vs NSX's. Civic owners modify their body because it is not appealing enough...so what? You know what, some Civic owners modify thier body, just as some NSX owners do, and I would be willing to bet there are some Ferrari owners that modify their body too. Not because the car is not appealing in general, but because it would be more appealing to them...personal taste.

Nobody said we need to be in the same league as a Ferrari, we are in our own league. The league I belong to doesn't pay 7k for a 30,000 service. I don't need a home equity loan to get an oil change, so if that is what it takes to get in, then you can have it. We can chip in and get the Ferrari owner his own personal throne, because chances are, he will get more use and reliability from this throne than his vehicle.
 
Soichiro said:
The only Ferrari the NSX can fairly be compared to is the 348 because that was what Ferrari was selling against the NSX when that car was introduced. The 348 had terrible handling dynamics, poor build quality, is extremely unreliable and quite slow. Style is a subjective matter but in most people's eyes the 348 is not as pretty as the NSX. So an objective comparison leaves no doubt - the NSX is the superior automobile. An oft-overlooked item is the NSX's build quality mean it's much less expensive to operate than the Ferrari, which means people like me, who have loved and lusted after mid-engined exotic cars since I was a child, can buy and enjoy these cars; whereas a Ferrari is too expensive to operate for me. This leads right back to the fear that using the vehicle leads to increased depreciation, a vicious circle that I for one am happy to avoid. [/B]

The NSX's direct competitor would be the 355. The 348 is slower, problematic...
 
HMMM....I may be able to add something to this.

I own both I prefer MY355 over MYNSX (I must be more specific though)

If I ever have a choice of performance without any mods it would be always NOT modified vs's modified. Horsepower ,nimbleness, and a few others.There is so much testing that goes into "factory"
set-up's and so little into mods whether it is body/motor mods/ suspensions etc.The "imperfections " come from producing a part that is usually "generic or suitable for many cars",like brakes suspension componants.When a car is built it's purist perfect form is "STOCK" or damn close.Horsepower gained from "motor only" is always my preference but I want it from a factory.

Lets be straight here if money wasn't an issue (which it usually is) I would also choose my Ferrari. Cost /mile varies greatly.

Visually MYNSX blows away MY355 but I personally enjoy daily driving MY355 much more it "feels" more an extension of me
especially it feels more nimble and stable @ high speeds to me.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist so the little noises and imperfections of a highly modified MYNSX annoyes me when daily driving "but" I can't justify perfection/ dollar for the result.

I most enjoy "daily " driving a stock NSX .When it comes to the weekends MYNSX is my personal racecar.

To all .......this post is made with all due respect to a truly amazing supercar and well repected compeditor of Ferrari.

As for the NEW NSX hmmmm??? This I gotta' get!!
Factory horsepower will be a MAJOR FACTOR.

:D :D :D :D
 
An NSX on its own or a 355 on its own are impressive sights.

When you line 20 of them up, what happens? They blend. What does an owner do to their car? In some fashion, they customize it.

The design is part of the reason you bought one or the other. The modifications make it unique. Believe me, seeing 10 360's all lined up or on a drive event kind of "dulls" the senses where a modified car shocks them instead. :)

Oh, and to the 308 owner, search on F-chat for 360 and custom and you'll see pics of a modified 360 with a custom hood with 2 air dams and modified front spoiler. :)

Sunny
 
Assuming we're talking about which you'd pick if cost was not an object, I'd take the Ferrari w/o mods. There is something to be said for clean, original bodywork as the designer intended. I love the NSX styling but IMO the F355 stlying is a notch higher. In fact I can think of no better looking car past or present. JMO.
 
CokerRat said:
Assuming we're talking about which you'd pick if cost was not an object, I'd take the Ferrari w/o mods. There is something to be said for clean, original bodywork as the designer intended. I love the NSX styling but IMO the F355 stlying is a notch higher. In fact I can think of no better looking car past or present. JMO.

Yes, the stock F355 is better looking than the stock NSX. However,, most people closed that gap by getting a WW, or Marga Hill door-steps.
 
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