- Joined
- 19 January 2011
- Messages
- 715
So I've reached a conundrum of sorts and I guess I am looking for a bit of advise from older and wiser people that share the same trackday addiction.
I bought my NSX as a gift to myself almost three years ago when I finally landed a gig i was shooting for.
It has always been, hands down, my favorite car, likely for same reasons that bring all of you to this forum. I searched and searched and researched and researched and settled on my low 40k mile formula red 92 5 speed. Honeymoon period till now nothing has been too good for it, All services and preventive maintenance are carried out to the 't'.
Around a year into my ownership I decided to move from the suburbs to be closer to said gig, I sold my then current s2000 track car and some motorcycles to cut the fat and squeeze in to the new urban digs. It was also around this time that I noticed the NSX gets a TON of attention around Los Angeles. I'd say 80% of this attention is the unwanted kind either from cops or rice boys following me to parking lots to 'look' at the car. Fellow enthusiasts aside, I am astute enough to know when people have some sort of shady intention and I was getting that vibe more than I was comfortable with.
This and the fact that no one can drive in LA. Yes, thats a fact. Friend after friend has had cars totaled by some moron not paying attention then add to that awful pitted roads and steep parking lots, the NSX started to rarely even see a weekend end drive around town.
Now, currently, the only time i've been taking it out has been the 4am leave time for track days, of which I do about 3-5 times a month. The car has progressed, somewhat unwittingly, into more or less a track-day only machine with all the trappings that go along. Low, full race seat (only drivers so I can fit wheels and splitter in the pasenger space) stiff coilovers, sump, HUGE wing, harsh pads, LOUD exhaust, test pipes, no stereo, 3 sets of wheels- 2 with R componds... this only further 86's the thought of driving it anywhere around town.
Dont get me wrong, I LOVE it. There is nothing like it. Driving and learning every nuance of my dream car is very gratifying and 'worth it'. The looks from people after pulling in to the paddock after screaming down the straight or being sideways through a corner- it seems to really fire people up the same way it does for me. Ive met plenty of great people because of it and they more or less say "Its SO cool that you are out here driving that thing how it was designed to be driven" If im honest that's been somewhat of a point of pride.
I should give a little preface. For 15 years I have either owned a daily that I tracked or, as i got older and could afford it, had dedicated track car. In the past, my dedicated track cars have always been dear to me but not something that would cause me an palpitations if I shunted.
So here we are three years on and Ive easily put another 13-15k on TOP of the cars value on track related upgrades and am more or less planning to spend another 10k this coming few months. For perspective, My daily driver costs half what the nsx track day base value is... This all sort of dawned on me as I was filing my NSX receipts. To make matters 'worse' (as if this isnt the epitome of a first world problem) I have reached a point where I really need upgrades to safety before driving any of the faster tracks out here again. With the mods and seat time I'm starting to dip into some pretty fast times and some high speeds in sketchy areas. After seeing some pretty bad 'unavoidable' wrecks this year and data logging some track days its become apparent I need to invest in some more serious safety devices; kill switch, revamped harnesses and seat, halon, and most importantly.. cage.
Now, this has been my traditional stepping off point in the past. Whatever the car has been up to that point- its now a tool. No more street driving unless very unique and rare situation, creature comforts make way for safety and speed.. and then just like a beautiful butterfly going back into a cocoon it reemerges a less frail more capable and bad ass utilitarian car.
This is my dilemma.
When I remove emotion and the nearsighted 'YOLO commentary' I get from friends- it dosn't take me long to start seeing how having such a monetarily and emotionally invested 'track car' is somewhat of a double negative.
I know that there are many people on here that bought an nsx BECAUSE it was the cheapest option for a track car within their substantial means. I am not one of those people, It wouldn't ruin me, but I would have a difficult time walking away from what I have invested. also insurance dosent pay for track damage:frown:. Caging and gutting by nature makes the car more or less a 'lifer' and that's a big commitment too.
I guess I'm at the point where I can stop sell the mods and just deal with rarely enjoying the car till i move. If I did that id have to get another 'cheaper' track tool and store it and spend on it. ORRRR I drive the NSX directly to the roll cage fabricator, guns blazing exhaust blaring and hundred dollar bills wafting out the open hatch.
thoughts?
I bought my NSX as a gift to myself almost three years ago when I finally landed a gig i was shooting for.
It has always been, hands down, my favorite car, likely for same reasons that bring all of you to this forum. I searched and searched and researched and researched and settled on my low 40k mile formula red 92 5 speed. Honeymoon period till now nothing has been too good for it, All services and preventive maintenance are carried out to the 't'.
Around a year into my ownership I decided to move from the suburbs to be closer to said gig, I sold my then current s2000 track car and some motorcycles to cut the fat and squeeze in to the new urban digs. It was also around this time that I noticed the NSX gets a TON of attention around Los Angeles. I'd say 80% of this attention is the unwanted kind either from cops or rice boys following me to parking lots to 'look' at the car. Fellow enthusiasts aside, I am astute enough to know when people have some sort of shady intention and I was getting that vibe more than I was comfortable with.
This and the fact that no one can drive in LA. Yes, thats a fact. Friend after friend has had cars totaled by some moron not paying attention then add to that awful pitted roads and steep parking lots, the NSX started to rarely even see a weekend end drive around town.
Now, currently, the only time i've been taking it out has been the 4am leave time for track days, of which I do about 3-5 times a month. The car has progressed, somewhat unwittingly, into more or less a track-day only machine with all the trappings that go along. Low, full race seat (only drivers so I can fit wheels and splitter in the pasenger space) stiff coilovers, sump, HUGE wing, harsh pads, LOUD exhaust, test pipes, no stereo, 3 sets of wheels- 2 with R componds... this only further 86's the thought of driving it anywhere around town.
Dont get me wrong, I LOVE it. There is nothing like it. Driving and learning every nuance of my dream car is very gratifying and 'worth it'. The looks from people after pulling in to the paddock after screaming down the straight or being sideways through a corner- it seems to really fire people up the same way it does for me. Ive met plenty of great people because of it and they more or less say "Its SO cool that you are out here driving that thing how it was designed to be driven" If im honest that's been somewhat of a point of pride.
I should give a little preface. For 15 years I have either owned a daily that I tracked or, as i got older and could afford it, had dedicated track car. In the past, my dedicated track cars have always been dear to me but not something that would cause me an palpitations if I shunted.
So here we are three years on and Ive easily put another 13-15k on TOP of the cars value on track related upgrades and am more or less planning to spend another 10k this coming few months. For perspective, My daily driver costs half what the nsx track day base value is... This all sort of dawned on me as I was filing my NSX receipts. To make matters 'worse' (as if this isnt the epitome of a first world problem) I have reached a point where I really need upgrades to safety before driving any of the faster tracks out here again. With the mods and seat time I'm starting to dip into some pretty fast times and some high speeds in sketchy areas. After seeing some pretty bad 'unavoidable' wrecks this year and data logging some track days its become apparent I need to invest in some more serious safety devices; kill switch, revamped harnesses and seat, halon, and most importantly.. cage.
Now, this has been my traditional stepping off point in the past. Whatever the car has been up to that point- its now a tool. No more street driving unless very unique and rare situation, creature comforts make way for safety and speed.. and then just like a beautiful butterfly going back into a cocoon it reemerges a less frail more capable and bad ass utilitarian car.
This is my dilemma.
When I remove emotion and the nearsighted 'YOLO commentary' I get from friends- it dosn't take me long to start seeing how having such a monetarily and emotionally invested 'track car' is somewhat of a double negative.
I know that there are many people on here that bought an nsx BECAUSE it was the cheapest option for a track car within their substantial means. I am not one of those people, It wouldn't ruin me, but I would have a difficult time walking away from what I have invested. also insurance dosent pay for track damage:frown:. Caging and gutting by nature makes the car more or less a 'lifer' and that's a big commitment too.
I guess I'm at the point where I can stop sell the mods and just deal with rarely enjoying the car till i move. If I did that id have to get another 'cheaper' track tool and store it and spend on it. ORRRR I drive the NSX directly to the roll cage fabricator, guns blazing exhaust blaring and hundred dollar bills wafting out the open hatch.
thoughts?
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). There are many times I asked myself the point of even have the nsx sitting in garage.
