NSX vs R8 One Humble Mans Point of View

[socold57]

Do you have backup for this claim? I have never heard of it before, I am interested.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150998

[Jacob_Seattle]

Wow, there was a lot said. I am also in the camp of owning both. The R8 is a great car and has a lot of pluses. I really like the look and the fact that it is more of a sleeper car without that special feel. I buy a car to enjoy and not to show off. I drive my cars and enjoy them on the street as well as the track. As the next gen comes out the V8's will become more affordable priced, thus I will pull the trigger. I am also a fan of BMW M5's and always have at least one in my garage. Each to his own, but the NSX will always be mine favorite car. Why can we not enjoy a few cars at the same time? We don't need to replace the NSX.

[Yawwn]

Hey Jacob,
The R8 is definitely not a sleeper car. You will get much more attention in it than you will in an NSX.

Like five-fold more attention.

This is what I surmised during the time I owned it.

[SFNSXguy]

After driving all the latest/newest/coolest cars mentioned in this thread and a few others too, the only car I would give up my NSX for would be a 458 -- but I could never tolerate the upkeep costs.
My $0.02

[Ultraman]

I will say it with all the honesty of the gods. Anyone who loves the NSX and is looking to buy a supercar in the ranges of $110k to $130k, Ferrari F430 is the best, period. There will not be a car that will make grab you as hard, none. It's super reliable, only a little over $1k on yearly maintenance and the clutch will last years. If nothing major goes bad the car is as cheap to run as a Porsche. I sold mine only because I needed some money to invest, but other than that it was a life time keeper. Trust me, you'll never regret it. The F430 six speed is the Great White and the R8 just a Cloudy Damsel.

The only two cars I regret ever selling were my NSX and F430(didn't have a choice).

Before buying an R8 try an early Gallardo. The R8 is a cruiser and not a bruiser, sounds silly, but that's the way it is.

How do you like the 996 TT when compared to these cars you described in your post?

[Sumeronthechain]

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150998

Fascinating. I never knew.

[Testacojones]

How do you like the 996 TT when compared to these cars you described in your post?

As far as driving the 996TT, pure fun, I mean Porsche is all about racing. It doesn't have the "stare at me" design as a Gallardo, but for some reason those two reminded me of each other with the exception of engine location and exhaust sounds. It's a good car to own, "but if you really want a Porsche experience" then the GT3 variants are the real hitters, different motors than the rest of the line, but the Turbo uses the same motor. This aren't disposable engines, this motor you can fix and rebuild. The difference from a GT3 to the rest is night and day, this line of cars do feel and drive like an exotic sports car.

[HBui39]

totally agree, having been able to drive most everything out there under half a million, ferrari is the only one that feels remotely like the NSX. (but i still like my NSX more) FYI, independent shops are much more affordable, if you want one, do some research to see if a local shop is available and if its any good.

i hate it when people try to say the r8 is the new NSX, it feels nothing like it. the GTR feels weird on the track but fast is fast and i'd totally get one as a daily driver.

for the track, i actually do enjoy the NSX... its slow, but that makes it all more sweeter when you pass up something faster, as it is with skill. if i took a GTR to the track, i'd kill everyone but it'd be my car, not me. im no billy johnson, but i'd rather be in a slower car and i know my driving passed that new Porsche, not my car and all its computers did.

[BioBanker]

My current tuned (hybrid turbos, flash, etc...) with suspension 996TT doesn't feel as exotic as my former similarly modded NSX (supercharged) did without the seating position, high wheel arches and profile.

But it is certainly as fun. So far it has been cheaper to run too. Performance wise, handling included, it's at least as good with there being absolutely no comparison once power enters the equation.

It isn't the looker that the NSX is, but despite it being of similar era, it was designed almost 15 years later - and it feels like it.

EDIT: OK - I should have said more than 10 years. NSX designed in 1989. 996TT probably designed in 2000. 996TT debuted in 2001

[N Spec]

i hate it when people try to say the r8 is the new NSX, it feels nothing like it.

I do too, hate the comparison. On paper, the R8 looks like it would be the NSX successor, but I still cannot get over how bloated the R8 is. From a distance, the R8 does not look good. In fact, you may even mistaken it for a 350Z or TT. You walk up on it and then all of the nice details show, that's when it begins to look better. The NSX looks good from a distance and upclose.

The R8 lacks that exotic stance IMO. Also I was not a fan of the interior; seating position and styling. Very nicely done, but something was just off. Not my cup of tea I guess.

[nsxtasy]

It isn't the looker that the NSX is, but despite it being of similar era, it was designed almost 15 years later - and it feels like it.

The Porsche 996 was sold from 1998 to 2005, with the turbo debuting in 2000. It could not possibly have been designed anywhere near 15 years later than the NSX.

[PHOEN$X]

Also I was not a fan of the interior; seating position and styling. Very nicely done, but something was just off. Not my cup of tea I guess.

This was something I could not get past either. I have lusted after the R8 for years, but when I finally got a chance to sit in one, it did not quite live up to my expectations. I know the materials/finishes and technology are second to none, but I just didn't get that go-kart feeling the NSX cockpit gives me. I think the primary culprit is that the dash is too high, and being on the shorter side this was readily apparent to me. Perhaps it has to do with Japanese engineering, but the NSX fits me like a glove, and visibility is like no other sports car I've had the pleasure of driving/riding in.

I would still love to try an R8/Ferrari/Porsche/Lambo/McLaren/etc. someday, but I don't know if they will be any better in that respect for me.