I'm just curious with the news of the next nsx if anyone has considered stepping up to a 360 modena? I know they're expensive to buy, but it sounds like the maintenance doesn't seem to be too bad to keep up on other than the belt service is more frequent. Any thoughts? Has anyone done it? If so, have you regretted it? Did you keep the nsx?
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Anyone ever consider stepping up to a 360?
- Thread starter comquat1
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I seriously considered it in 2001 but changed my mind because:
The closest Ferrari dealership to me is 4 hours away & I really like my NSX.
After seeing the Acura show-car, I'm really thinking about an Audi R8...
The closest Ferrari dealership to me is 4 hours away & I really like my NSX.
After seeing the Acura show-car, I'm really thinking about an Audi R8...
It's definitely a step up but there are things I miss about my NSX. Which is why I'm in the market for a newer one. But I am comparing a 360 to a modified NSX. Stock to stock there is nothing I miss about the NSX. But a mildly modified NSX is a different story.
Why? you can get an 05 NSX, Add a ton of type R goodies, a 10K CTSC, an 8K F1 exhaust, an 8K set of Movit 6 piston billets, an entire new stereo/nav system, a set $10K dymag wheels, an 8K Mouton suspension, and a few years of HPDE and track instruction... and you are still going to have 1/5th the cost of ownership... Almost no one knows what the car is, its fast as hell, and it doesn't break.
seriously which would you rather have? For me, its an easy choice. Not that I don't like the 360. But that car is mostly about posing...
seriously which would you rather have? For me, its an easy choice. Not that I don't like the 360. But that car is mostly about posing...
It doesn't break until you start adding on all the stuff on your list above. After owning my sl55 for a while now I am starting to see the value in not adding on aftermarket parts. Just buy the car the way it comes from the factory and if that is not enough then buy a better car from the factory then. JMO
Hi c-quat,
I think it is a personal pref thang, but the only reason to get an F-car is to impress folks that you have one. If you want or need that status, then get a 360. In the long run you'll spend a lot more greenbacks on everything concerning keeping the Modena running compared to the NSX, but you'll own a Ferrari. Hey, it's just money and you only live once ... so why not? Since you live in Michigan you'll be limited to seasonal driving in either case ... so you won't be putting too many miles on either. But the next thing to consider is would you feel too paranoid to leave the 360 in places where you'll leave the NSX?
So, what is the real reason you want an F-car? Answer that and you'll know what to do...
I think it is a personal pref thang, but the only reason to get an F-car is to impress folks that you have one. If you want or need that status, then get a 360. In the long run you'll spend a lot more greenbacks on everything concerning keeping the Modena running compared to the NSX, but you'll own a Ferrari. Hey, it's just money and you only live once ... so why not? Since you live in Michigan you'll be limited to seasonal driving in either case ... so you won't be putting too many miles on either. But the next thing to consider is would you feel too paranoid to leave the 360 in places where you'll leave the NSX?
So, what is the real reason you want an F-car? Answer that and you'll know what to do...
In most cases that is true. Not in this comparison. None of the stuff other than the CTSC can you say will "break". Not R parts, not a BBK, and not an exhaust system. And even with a CTSC, the NSX will probably break a lot less than a "factory" 360.
Don't know about your SL, but I will bet that my CTSC NSX will be a lot more reliable than my "factory" CL600 was.
Having owned 2 Ferrari's in the past, there's nothing I miss about the HIGH cost of maintenance, parts and insurance.
Maybe not a 360, but I've been keeping an eye on the prices of 355 Spider's. :wink:
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Yes it would be, but a 480 or 355 will be nice!
The problem with heavily modding your car is that it's very expensive - the depreciation on mods is high. Depreciations on a well-maintained Ferrari that's not driven too much is very low. Not to say the F car is cheaper but the true cost of something is the depreciation, not the $$ you spent.
Also, cars are not just about performance numbers. Otherwise, we'd all be driving Z06's.
It's interesting that people are characterizing the 360 as being all about status and "posing". That's what some people say about the NSX. It's not true of either car.
comquat1: There are a few long time users here who started with an NSX and moved into a 360. They can chime in but AFAIK, none of them regret it. I do miss my NSX but not because the 360 is lacking.
Both are great cars but the 360 is definitely on a higher level in terms of driving experience.
For reference: A 30k service is $2k at a private mechanic, $3k-$4k at a dealership (belts, tranny fluid, oil, etc.). As a weekend car, insurance is not that much more than an NSX (in my experience).
Also, cars are not just about performance numbers. Otherwise, we'd all be driving Z06's.
It's interesting that people are characterizing the 360 as being all about status and "posing". That's what some people say about the NSX. It's not true of either car.
comquat1: There are a few long time users here who started with an NSX and moved into a 360. They can chime in but AFAIK, none of them regret it. I do miss my NSX but not because the 360 is lacking.
Both are great cars but the 360 is definitely on a higher level in terms of driving experience.
For reference: A 30k service is $2k at a private mechanic, $3k-$4k at a dealership (belts, tranny fluid, oil, etc.). As a weekend car, insurance is not that much more than an NSX (in my experience).
I think the only way to know for sure is to just go for it. If I was in range to pick up a 360, despite my own impressions correct or not, I would have to do it just the same as I've come to terms with my desire to pick up a Lamborghini diablo one day despite my certainty that it's a total piece of shiz. I think the only way to get the desire of owning a ferrari out of your system is to just get one and have it for a few years. After that, if your still into it, then you made the right choice. Otherwise just go out and get another nsx. It's a weird time these days where 4 cylinder subarus with just exhaust and a re flash can smoke ferraris . I don't think it's as much about speed any more. My previous car was decently faster than my nsx but honestly I don't miss the old car at all.
I would do it in a heartbeat. I bought the NSX because after driving a 360 spider on weekends at my Dad's place, I learned what great handling was supposed to feel like. I had been looking at similarly priced 911s when I first drove the NSX. I bought the car 5 minutes later.
If I could afford a 360, there would be no stopping me. Of course I wouldn't buy a 360 if I couldn't afford a 430 (call it a conservative thing) and at that point, I'd go for the 430.
If I could afford a 360, there would be no stopping me. Of course I wouldn't buy a 360 if I couldn't afford a 430 (call it a conservative thing) and at that point, I'd go for the 430.
i agree.... F430 all the way.....
just everybody remember- there are two kinds of people that drive nice cars. those who buy the car for what it is, and those who buy the car for what BRAND it is (and often don't even know what model they have... )
i've noticed that a lot (not all) of "porsche" owners and "Mercedes" owners fall into the latter category. i call this the "i'm 15 years old, can't drive, but my daddy bought me this really nice mercedes..... i like it cause it's black" syndrome. i think porsche picked up on this, and that's the reason why all their cars look essentially the same. :wink:
From my experience the factory knows how to mod a car. Modded evo are fun but to use as a street car, the factory ecu is much smarter and compensates for all weather condition including 0 degrees F and below. With these OBDII cars it is difficult to mod and sacrifice drivability. So if anyone plans to mod I'd go 1994 or older for the NSX and then give the Type R treatment :smile:.
If they only offer the type r in states for me to buy and for you will not consider the 360 :wink:.
I was thinking the same thing as you and went with my 996T. Got all the speed now but lost the looks.
All I know is this I had no problems with the engine in my NSX. I did however have major problems with the C/C system and also had to replace the window regulators along with other minor problems. Had I not had the extended warranty I would have not had a fun ownership experience with my NSX. Don't get me wrong here I really love the NSX it's design is one of the best in history IMO....BUT
A Ferrari 360 stock, the way it comes from the factory, is the same as a CTSC NSX when it comes to problems. As Dave.... netviper, or look for one of his threads when he bought Andy's super fast NSX. Super fast equals problems plain and simple.......SO
I would much rather have a stock Ferrari 360 than a NSX with a CTSC. If I am going to have a problematic car I might as well have the one with the flashy nameplate on the hood. I also am unsure of my next comment, but if a CTSC voids the warranty on the NSX then I certainly would not want to have one for sure. I don't mean voids the warranty to the extent it covers none of the car or just portions of the car. What I do mean is if the car is being finicky because of the SC and Acura has installed the CTSC then Acura pays to make the car run properly over and over again. Much like Ferrari would pay to make their finicky car that is under warranty run right. Although I hardly ever add any content to Prime that has any value, that is unless you like humor, I do in fact read almost everything that is posted. I see time after time those threads of people who have made their cars faster and I also see those people posting about how this part and that part is now broken or how their car has been in the shop for months. I really prefer to drive my cars the way they come from the factory so that it is the factorys problems when the car breaks. At that point they can fix it and give me something else to drive while they are fixing it.......HENCE
My decision to buy the SL55 was easy. Super high horsepower, lots of torque. I can pound the crap out of the car and even break it and it is Mercedes problem to fix the car if I do break it, because THEY put the SC on it not me. It is the way it came from the factory and it is their problem not mine. BTW I have only had one problem with my SL so far, and it was torque related too, something that would not have been covered on a CTSCed NSX.
You guys really need to compare apples to apples if you are going to answer the question that started this thread. It seems this question comes up often on Prime and it is always answered with....I would buy the NSX but I would add....blah blah blah. SO the real question is stock to stock what do you want, oh and both cars are brand new with a warranty.
My wife blew away a Subaru with a huge exhuast in the SL55, her quote... " Buddy you just wasted 2 grand on a muffler."
Only n00bs have a warranty :tongue:
:biggrin:The Ferrari warranties aren't that great. They require you to do some extremely expensive "standard" services that'll cost you about 25k before your warranty runs out. Then, as we experienced with our 575M, a capacitor blows and they charge $1200 to replace it.
Holy cow, I can't believe how wildly similar that was to the experience I had when I first got my NSX. The A/C control panel had it's normal niggles which could have been repaired with a few capacitors, but somehow, after 12 years of NSX experience, my dealer didn't recommend that I find someone on prime to fix my A/C control panel. Nope, they told me I needed a new one and a new blower motor because "old blower motors spike and cause the control panel to fail". Which, as I look back on things now, must be bull. A spike would more likely take out the ICs than the capacitors.
The NSX ownership experience has been expensive. The first few times, before I knew that '95's had a 14 year 150k mile emissions system warranty, I paid Acura $500 three times to replace O2 sensors.
Then we have the...
clutch master cylinder
coolant expansion tank
vtec spool valve gaskets
And the "normal" stuff that bumps up against F-car maintenance costs.
valve job
timing belt/water pump
clutch
And then all the mods we do to try and keep up with 360s...$$$
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Only n00bs have a warranty :tongue:
...or people like me who HATE to work on cars. I don't even like the responsibility of having to put gas in the damn thing.
That's why owning an NSX has been expensive for me; I don't know how to work on cars (I'll build you some bitchin' hot rodded enterprise applications though).
I don't mind getting my hands dirty if I've got some guidance. Unfortunately; there aren't a whole hell of a lot of people I'd trust to mentor me in NSX maintenance.
Only if I won the lottery...
I don't mind getting my hands dirty either. It is the bloody knuckles I would rather do without. Oh yeah and the laying on a cold cement floor in the middle of winter. And the having water drip on my face when I am under the car. That same water has a mixture of salt and cinders in it here in the winter. The cinders do a great job of cutting open the eye and the salt really makes me scream at that point. Not to mention the investment in tools that are needed to work on vehicles. No thanks I will take it to the shop always. I used to work on my own cars back when money was an issue. I never did it out of enjoyment always did it out of need.
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