Is the NSX a good used car anymore?

A friend has been seeking my help on buying a new sports car. He is coming off an accord coupe and is a Honda fan. He loves my NSX and will continue to keep his accord as a daily. He wants to get into track work and autoX which he sees me do. He has a budget of 30-35K and we have been looking at NSX's and Cayman S's based mainly on my suggestions. He really does like both cars. But the more I look at older NSX's in that price range, the less I feel myself compelled to recommend them.

To be perfectly honest, as much as I love my NSX and never want to sell it, I feel I have really made this car what it is after a HUGE amount of money poured into it with everything from supercharger to big brake kits and JRZ racing suspension. Tons of weight reduction at a huge cost... In short I have spent new R8 money on the car. And now.... Yeah... It's an amazing car and clearly better than any cayman I've driven. But.... When I look at an oem NSX, I just have a hard time seeing it. Seems everything from a performance and FEEL peresoective a 2006-2008 Cayman S does better. The steering is better. The shifter is as good or better. The balance is superb. The exhaust and engine have a slightly better tone. And he can get a low mileage clean car for what he can get a 20 year old 4-owner NSX for. It feels odd to get into my 130K NSX and feel the 30K cayman had just as good if not better steering feel.

So this has really made me wonder.... The NSX is a classic car... Gorgeous looks, a great history, little to no depreciation and a "specialness" that absolutely does NOT exist in a Cayman. In one hour my NSX got more looks, admiration and thumbs ups than that cayman may get in its entire lifetime. But as CAR FOR YOUR DOLLAR.... It seems the NSX is not a great value anymore. I'm having a hard time not pushing my friend into the Cayman instead. Even though.... It breaks his heart just a little. I think he too realizes the cayman is the better car, the NSX is the more emotional/nostalgic car.

As long as your friend doesn't mind seeing the same car on every corner, go for the Cayman. The Porsche will not have the same kind of resale either.

Of course we all know it is a good used car. What I think you are asking is more if it is a good value. I don't think NA2 NSX's have ever been a good value. As soon as the NA2's were the same price a C6 Z06 the buying decision moved purely to emotion/nostalgia. The argument for the NA1 as having a good car-to-dollar ratio could be made but someone would have to be ok with owning a 20+ year old car.

Someone has to really want a NSX to buy it as there a lot more "logical" choices for the dollar. Assuming the buyer wants to use it for track/autox, as you indicated and not just store it.

$30-$35k might be too tight a budget for an NSX these days. After the purchase price, registration and up to date maintenance he won't have anything left for upgrades for track or auto X, tires or in case something needs replacement. I'm an eternal saver, if I have a $30k budget for a car, I buy a $15-$20k car. Not only do you save a bunch of money, but having that money set aside for emergencies, mods, etc, lets you enjoy the ownership of the car more. Losing sleep because you're on a 10 year old timing belt but can't afford the $1500 bill and therefore not driving it is no fun and no way to own a sports car like the NSX. And 2 months later cutting costs on a family vacation to try to save up for the repair bill is just a miserable way to live and will just build resentment. I have told many many people this, anybody can buy a Ferrari, but very few can "afford" a Ferrari. Buy a car you can afford and it's a better ownership experience because you can keep it in tip top shape the whole time and you can take it on trips and spirited drives and shows and track days, etc.

As a personal example, I bought a 2005 4runner 2 years ago after needing an SUV for a while, everybody I talked to recommended Range Rover, Cayenne, X5, and I could afford the payments on lightly used ones. But I went and I spent $13,000 cash on an old yet reliable 4runner, 2 days later I got it stuck in 2 feet of mud in one of the funnest AND funniest days I've ever had in a car. I have since taken it to the beach, through streams, through mud, driven through storms, parked it in dark alleys, etc. I would have never done that with any of the "recommended" cars people kept pushing on me. And I LOVE that car, I may have hit a telephone pole backing up the other day, but I didn't even get out to look, it's a stress free driving experience.

Has he considered an S2000? Great stepping stone into a future NsX if he so desires and much cheaper track toy. Another thing with owning an NsX is the emotional baggage that comes with it that owners don't often share. He'll be paranoid to drive it in public roads because nobody is paying attention anymore, paranoid because it's so small that even a civic looks like it will crush you and kill you, paranoid to park it anywhere because there's obese people and rusty junkers waiting to ding your pristine aluminimun sheet metal, paranoid to take it to any mechanic or dealership, paranoid to valet it, etc.

I think your title is a little misleading.

"Is the NSX a good used car anymore?"
Yes - it is a spectacular used car to purchase.

"Is the NSX a good used car to buy for track and AutoX?"
No - I would never recommend it for either of those purposes unless you can get a REALLY cheap one and even then you can find other cars to do it better. It has great feel and presence on the track, but it is coming up on being 25 year old technology and things have changed. You need reasons other than logic (emotion) to have you commit to an NSX for track & AutoX.

This is a very good question.
I have a many thousands of miles of miles logged on road trips and I believe the NSX excels at this.
My youngest son and I, alternating on the driving, went non-stop from NSXPO 99 at Laguna Seca to Vancouver, about 1000 miles with no issues.
My 8000 mile drive from Vancouver to Raleigh and back last year was also a dream drive and I trust the NSX to not let me down.
So if a person was looking for a fast reliable comfortable long distance machine I would recommend the NSX.
I have limited track experience so can't comment in that area but your experience would steer him in the right direction.

blue_myriddn said:

I think your title is a little misleading.

"Is the NSX a good used car anymore?"
Yes - it is a spectacular used car to purchase.

"Is the NSX a good used car to buy for track and AutoX?"
No - I would never recommend it for either of those purposes unless you can get a REALLY cheap one and even then you can find other cars to do it better. It has great feel and presence on the track, but it is coming up on being 25 year old technology and things have changed. You need reasons other than logic (emotion) to have you commit to an NSX for track & AutoX.

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Absolutely agree. The NSX is a SPECACULAR used car value. There is no other way to own something this exotic for the long-term costs.

However, without a lot of investment and expertise, there are better track cars dollar for dollar.

BamaFan said:

However, without a lot of investment and expertise, there are better track cars dollar for dollar.

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You have to think about long-term maintenance knowledge and OEM parts availability. The NSX is rapidly moving from "old car" to "specialty/classic car" in that department. That doesn't sound like something I would want to be tracking regularly.

I have heard thru the grapevine that people are buying up the old Miata's for track cars, easy to fix cheap aftermarket bolt ons and can hang close to high end trackcars ( its the driver not the car )

blow an engine on a Miata buy one for 500 bucks drop in the new engine in a few hours get back on the track the next day.
and destroy a Cayman

It's not strictly a track car guys. He will do some track work but he will weekend drive it. A clean older nsx seems to have crept up from 30ish to now 40'ish. 40K for a clean 1991-1994 is not that uncommon. He also actually prefers a modded car if done right. If anyone comes across a good one do let me know. I'm wondering if a 199X nsx with say 80K miles and 3-4 owners is more reliable than a 2007-2008 cayman S with 25K miles.

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Yeah I could have titled my post better

TURBO2GO said:

I'm wondering if a 199X nsx with say 80K miles and 3-4 owners is more reliable than a 2007-2008 cayman S with 25K miles.

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Maybe out of the gate the Porsche will need more work to be track-reliable... but after that, Porsche is much better about supporting their old cars with parts and there is more knowledge around on how to work on them because more were sold.

IF you find one with previous maintenance etc done, I think a used NSX is a good car for what he's looking for. Value wise, this car will blow any of the others out of the water. It's worth waiting/searching for the right one. They're out there!!

Having been frustrated by the high and dry market of the Nsx during my search for my 3rd NSX , I started looking at the Cayman and saw some really nice examples of Cayman S for @$30k......but I just couldn't do it and held out for another NSX...considering the timeless beauty, the reliability , the rarity and the fact that I've never sold one for less then I bought it for....

Simply put, THERE IS NO BETTER USED CAR.

I love the cayman and hope to have one some day, but it will never be on the level of an NSX for all the reasons I just stated...

NSXonwheels said:

Has he considered an S2000? Great stepping stone into a future NsX if he so desires and much cheaper track toy.

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I came here to post this

The S2000 also has a big advantage as an Autocross car, it's more nimble and in the hands of a skilled driver.......an excellent cone dancer.

Brian

bngl3rt said:

The NSX is rapidly moving from "old car" to "specialty/classic car" in that department. That doesn't sound like something I would want to be tracking regularly.

Originally Posted by 91 X...but...considering the timeless beauty, the reliability , the rarity and the fact that I've never sold one for less then I bought it for....Simply put, THERE IS NO BETTER USED CAR.

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I think they nailed it.

As an owner of both, I think unless you have an NA1 NSX with manual steering, the cayman also has better steering. I've said elsewhere on Prime that the cayman is an extremely impressive car and is easily something you can live with even as a daily whereas I wouldn't consider the NSX to daily. It's a bit of a moot point since he'll have an accord but the NSX will bring a bit more 'flare' in terms of driving experience. For the money, the cayman is the better car and will 'feel' faster because of the torque curve. If he won't be tracking the car too much, this difference in engine character will go along way in terms of evening the playing field back in the cayman's favor though.

If getting a cayman with the intention of doing a lot of track work, he should look into getting a 'fix' for the IMS issue. Otherwise it's just as reliable (more reliable in my experience) than the NSX.

All that said, I'd second the suggestion that he should look at either a lotus or s2000. Both of those are super reliable cars with relatively cheap consumables and great for both track and autox work. I'm personally closing the deal on an s2000 right now for dedicated track work.

If I just came down to dollars, we would not be driving our cars and also not driving a Porsche. We would all be driving the Miata or something similar. You are paying for driving something special, unique. And for that experience, the NSX is a steal. You won't feel that way driving a Porsche. I've had 3 in the past (928, Boxster, 911 cab) and I enjoyed them all, but my NSX is different. Personally, I think the NSX is a great used car for what you get.

The NSX is a horrible car in terms of "value" unless you compare it to other vintage high end car.

You said it:

TURBO2GO said:

So this has really made me wonder.... The NSX is a classic car... Gorgeous looks, a great history, little to no depreciation and a "specialness" that absolutely does NOT exist in a Cayman. In one hour my NSX got more looks, admiration and thumbs ups than that cayman may get in its entire lifetime. But as CAR FOR YOUR DOLLAR.... It seems the NSX is not a great value anymore. I'm having a hard time not pushing my friend into the Cayman instead. Even though.... It breaks his heart just a little. I think he too realizes the cayman is the better car, the NSX is the more emotional/nostalgic car.

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What more can you look for in a sports car/exotic? Many of the best classic sports cars down right sucks in terms of performance by today's standards, but they are very sought after assets.

So maybe you should explain what "Car for dollar" means for your buddy. If by performance then by all means the NSX does not fair well against mordern sports cars or the new Cayman. However, being a 20yo car, it is still absolutely not bad by any means. As a track car, then ya, maybe look for something else. But as a DD/ Weekend sports car for you to wipe around mountain roads and the city, not so bad at all! As well, driving the NSX will probably put a bigger smile on your friend's face than the porsche. Reason behind that? Because the porsche just doesn't feel as "special".

At the end of the day, I totally think the NSX is worth every penny because no other car on the market offers this kinda package at the prices its going for nowadays. Cheers!

I think a point to be made is that the NSX is an outstanding car, but so is a Cayman S which at 30-35K clean and relatively new, represents tremendous value. Once I scratch these two options and maybe another car or two, in this price range, everything else is a really far second. When I said "is the NSX a good used car anymore", what I meant to say is: "in the 35K price range is the NSX the best value anymore?". That would have been the more appropriate "title"..... if one spends a lot of time thinking of titles for a post.

I think the answe lies somewhat in what you value. If you value the car's performance and feel and nothing else, the answer is no, a used 35K NSX is no longer the best value.... Superceded mind you, but a few cars in its used price range, in 2014. If you value rarity, looks, history, and things outside JUST PERFORMANCE AND FEEL, then the NSX may still be the best value out there as a car that is not weak in any area, and gives you a decent dose of everything

poopy...the nsx is a discontinued car the newest of which is already 10 years old.....why compare it to anything new.....as I always say, what other 18 yo(the bee) sports car can sit in my garage,not leak oil, or stain the concrete...stay on a bat tender, function wonderfuly any time of year and turn solid laptimes to boot.......and look amazing still.....and it is on the rise value wise......

Absolutely agree with you. So at the end of the day for your buddy, really just have to figure out what he values more! In terms of purely just a performance standpoint, the Cayman S is probably the best bang for buck atm. The new BMW M235i is also a very competent NEW car that also offers exceptional value. (but definitely dont have the prestige of the Porsche or NSX). Good Luck!

Edit: To answer the OP's question, yes, I think the earlier MY NSX are great used cars (reliability, looks, performance, X-factor etc. etc.) However, part availibility & age (rubber bits) are probably the low points. For these reasons it's not a great used car for everyone, but it is for me :biggrin:.

If he's looking for a potent track/autoX car, I'd look at a C5 Z06. They should easily fit in his budget and will really perform. I think when compared to a Miata or S2000 the C5 Z06 is similar on a performance/dollar scale. However, the Z06 will hit higher limits of performance out of the box at least.

Also, E36's seem to be at every track event & autoX, as are the E46's now that prices are dropping.

Like I said, not a dedicated or even mostly track car. A C5 has high performance envelopes but to be honest... I think it is junk compared to the refinement and precision of a Cayman S. Not that the vette is a bad car... It is what it is, but he really likes and appreciates a machine with precision and prefers a mid engine car. That leaves very few choices.

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If speed on the track is the only goal then yeah a C5 is a great candidate. Honestly at 35 you can go better than that. You can get a very nice C6 or perhaps even a high mileage Z06. But they are not his type of car.

TURBO2GO said:

he really likes and appreciates a machine with precision and prefers a mid engine car. That leaves very few choices.

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Damn right there are basically no choices when it comes to mid engine cars xD wonder how much some used Lotus Evora's will go for. Those will be plenty fun too! But ya, in terms of what you have described, just go for the Cayman then. The NSX is an awesome used car, but at the end of the day, its what you buddy values more. And if Mid Engine car is a must, then there is nothing really on the market at all unless he is willing to pay more to play. He's basically already decided. I think he simply just wants you to agree with him to go with the Cayman S