I was always a Honda guy. From the start, i always wanted a s2000 and still look fondly at the many exquisitely modified examples on s2ki. Unfortunately price + insurance of the s2000 was prohibitive in Australia and i never got around to owning one. I instead settled on an Arctic blue pearl DC5R and owned that for a good number of years. I sold it to my friend, repurchased it after a little while and generally spent the biggest portion of my car enthusiast life immersing myself in everything Honda.
I eventually grew out of car modding and got into some other hobbies which took up much of my effort/attention but like anything, you can never keep a true car enthusiast away for too long. Before long i missed driving Manual and acquired a brand new BRZ and started enjoying that. I modified that car and still am modifying it to what i envision a perfect BRZ would be like. I have taken it to the track a couple of times and enjoyed driving the car. My commute to work takes 1hr each way and i purposely drive the BRZ each day so i can use the car and not garage it.
Throughout all this time, one car that i always looked at from time to time was the NSX. As a Honda boy growing up, the NSX is the epitome of what Honda does/did and maybe in a grander way the epitome of what Japanese cars can be. I never really wanted one though, that car was always the Porsche GT3.
So it was definitely a surprise when i decided to fly interstate and drive one back.
I saw the car first on an ad and never paid too much attention to it. I then visited the Australian section of NSXPrime and quickly learnt what a close knit community NSX owners are. I then found the previous owner of the vehicle and exchanged a couple of emails detailing prior history on the car. That and some research later, i booked a flight to go and see the NSX.
Ultimately long story short, i parted with my dosh and drove the car back.
First impressions of the car? My last two cars were purchased brand new so i was spoilt with pristine leather and blacker than black plastic's so i quickly learnt that a 25 yo car is not like brand new car. Still, the paint was in exceptionally good condition for the age and a quick test drive around the block revealed a very strong engine. The type that you just know will be fine to drive 1000km home on without a fuss. It was a little dusty from a little neglect but i knew that this was a rough gem that with a little bit of work, i can turn into something special.
The car has a Taitec GTLW exhaust with Taitec extractors and testpipes and the sound is GLORIOUS. On the drive home i spent unnecessary amounts of fuel just blipping the throttle and down shifting whenever and whereever. It is addictive. The car is shod with a set of CE28N genesis wheels in quite the functional width/offset and rides on a set of BC racing coilovers.
Spending 12hrs with your car reveals a lot and i have already made a list of must do's and throughout this thread, i will detail these changes. Here are the main faults with the car which i would like to address.
- Driver windows are closing slowly
- Interior is looking like it could use some refreshing. The carpets are in great condition and the genuine NSX floor mats are awesome but the door cards, speaker mesh, and seats all could be better. Very likely will have a set of bucket seats from either Bride/Recaro grace the car as the seats are strangely uncomfortable when it comes to lumbar support.
- The plastic panel that sits just underneath the steering wheel and on top of the pedals is sagging. Causing annoying rubbing and restricting full access to the clutch. Not sure how but this is something that i will want to fix ASAP.
- The car has one mechanical/electrical related issue. During the long drive home and very randomly, it would lose power for 1-2 seconds before resuming. The previous owner had some high-tech alarm system fitted with a lot of features and i am hoping that this could be the issue. I am not too worried about the engine as it was recently in for a pretty major service and it feels super strong so hoping it is just something minor with electronics.
- Brakes feel a little biteless. Not sure if it is the norm but will definitely be investigating options.
- Paint is great for the age as previously mentioned but i might take the car into my mates workshop and get him to see if it needs a few touchup's here and there
Mod wise, i haven't thought about it and i think i will be addressing all of the above before i delve any further. I would like to drive the car everywhere including commuting but also will definitely be tracking it as well.
I eventually grew out of car modding and got into some other hobbies which took up much of my effort/attention but like anything, you can never keep a true car enthusiast away for too long. Before long i missed driving Manual and acquired a brand new BRZ and started enjoying that. I modified that car and still am modifying it to what i envision a perfect BRZ would be like. I have taken it to the track a couple of times and enjoyed driving the car. My commute to work takes 1hr each way and i purposely drive the BRZ each day so i can use the car and not garage it.
Throughout all this time, one car that i always looked at from time to time was the NSX. As a Honda boy growing up, the NSX is the epitome of what Honda does/did and maybe in a grander way the epitome of what Japanese cars can be. I never really wanted one though, that car was always the Porsche GT3.
So it was definitely a surprise when i decided to fly interstate and drive one back.
I saw the car first on an ad and never paid too much attention to it. I then visited the Australian section of NSXPrime and quickly learnt what a close knit community NSX owners are. I then found the previous owner of the vehicle and exchanged a couple of emails detailing prior history on the car. That and some research later, i booked a flight to go and see the NSX.
Ultimately long story short, i parted with my dosh and drove the car back.
First impressions of the car? My last two cars were purchased brand new so i was spoilt with pristine leather and blacker than black plastic's so i quickly learnt that a 25 yo car is not like brand new car. Still, the paint was in exceptionally good condition for the age and a quick test drive around the block revealed a very strong engine. The type that you just know will be fine to drive 1000km home on without a fuss. It was a little dusty from a little neglect but i knew that this was a rough gem that with a little bit of work, i can turn into something special.
The car has a Taitec GTLW exhaust with Taitec extractors and testpipes and the sound is GLORIOUS. On the drive home i spent unnecessary amounts of fuel just blipping the throttle and down shifting whenever and whereever. It is addictive. The car is shod with a set of CE28N genesis wheels in quite the functional width/offset and rides on a set of BC racing coilovers.
Spending 12hrs with your car reveals a lot and i have already made a list of must do's and throughout this thread, i will detail these changes. Here are the main faults with the car which i would like to address.
- Driver windows are closing slowly
- Interior is looking like it could use some refreshing. The carpets are in great condition and the genuine NSX floor mats are awesome but the door cards, speaker mesh, and seats all could be better. Very likely will have a set of bucket seats from either Bride/Recaro grace the car as the seats are strangely uncomfortable when it comes to lumbar support.
- The plastic panel that sits just underneath the steering wheel and on top of the pedals is sagging. Causing annoying rubbing and restricting full access to the clutch. Not sure how but this is something that i will want to fix ASAP.
- The car has one mechanical/electrical related issue. During the long drive home and very randomly, it would lose power for 1-2 seconds before resuming. The previous owner had some high-tech alarm system fitted with a lot of features and i am hoping that this could be the issue. I am not too worried about the engine as it was recently in for a pretty major service and it feels super strong so hoping it is just something minor with electronics.
- Brakes feel a little biteless. Not sure if it is the norm but will definitely be investigating options.
- Paint is great for the age as previously mentioned but i might take the car into my mates workshop and get him to see if it needs a few touchup's here and there
Mod wise, i haven't thought about it and i think i will be addressing all of the above before i delve any further. I would like to drive the car everywhere including commuting but also will definitely be tracking it as well.
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