When looking for an NSX to buy, did you compromise on your first choice?

[EndLeSS]

Hey Endless, are you the one with the white FC RX7 10th Anniversary?

Wow... I'm surprised you remembered.
That NSX get together was almost exactly 2 years ago, and I haven't been on Prime since, because of work and life.

Yes, I was the one with the RX7 TII 10th Anniversary.
I traded it for a 1996 Nissan 240SX, which I currently drive. It has a lot of suspension mods, and is street legal/quiet/non-ricey, but last month I realized that I'm quite tired of the image of the import scene. I still really like my 240 though.

Before falling in love all over again with the NSX, I was contemplating on buying a 5spd IS300, or a MK4 Supra (my first love, actually) or just saving up $$ for the future.




Then a black NSX parked at my workplace a few weeks ago.
And I remembered why I want an NSX.

 

[nimdivino]

I think it depends on what you want to do with the car. Basing from your previous car, your current car and your avatar, is it safe to assume that you will mod your NSX?

In my case, I knew exactly how I want my car when everything is done, (ie paint, body kit, suspension, drivetrain mods, wheels, etc). So my expectation for my "project" NSX was very low. My only requirement is that it passes smog, runs in great condition even if its over 150K miles, not salvaged and its within my price range.. ie the cheaper the better.

At the end, I got what I wanted and more. It had comptech headers and exhaust, customed paint job, etc. The only compromise is that I vowed that I won't buy a red NSX, or any color other than black. But I can't pass up the price and the engine is in awesome condition. I got a red one, but its okay, my painter can paint the engine bay, so that's solved.

So yeah, decide what you want to do with your car, then use that to filter your requirements. For example, I want a bride red seat, red carpet, so I don't need need an NSX with great interior. That right there will save me money.


niM

 

[enigma]

I haven't bought an NSX yet, but I did personally compromise on my 300ZXTT... I wanted a black/black 92+ Twin Turbo w/ less than 60k on the clock in the neighborhood of $16-18k... but when I found the Pearl White Twin Turbo I have now w/35k on the odo and a bit less than the $16-18k I was looking for, I snatched it up immediately. At times I regret not waiting for black as I am a sucker for black cars, but ultimately I'm happy with my decision to buy a mint Z with low miles even though I sacrificed the color I really wanted.

I imagine I would do something similar when it comes to buying an NSX sometime soon...

 

[jaraef]

Sometimes when you wait for the one you want the timing might be wrong when it does come along. After waiting to purchase a low mileage black/ivory 5spd for many years, I begun looking seriously in the last year and ended up finding one two months ago that that only needed some TLC (I felt it was a small compromise). It had not had its major services done recently and had several typical NSX problems (window thingies, spool valve gaskets, CVs, keyless entry).

The only problem was I ended up buying it the same week my wife and I had our first child. So it was pretty difficult to explain to her why I needed another sports car that particular week and even harder to explain another 3-4k the following week for maintenance work. Two months later I can say both babies and NSXs are definitely worth the wait and the hassle.

Good luck,
EFJ

 

[flaminio]

I don't think I compromised. I bought mine in 2000, and my choice was between a pristine 1994 or a brand new 2000. Ultimately, it came down to two things: 1) I wanted the coupe (never been a fan of open tops); and 2) the money (the '94 was half the price). So I got the 94, and didn't regret it...

...until...

...I saw a new 2001 red coupe at my local Acura dealer. This car would have been the ultimate for me, and if I had waited a year, I would've bit the bullet and paid the money for it. Even thinking back I probably should've traded my 94 for the 01, especially since it turned out to be the last year of the "classic" body style.

But I still love my 94, so I'm not too upset. Just a little...

 

[ShiftyBob]

I got VERY lucky with my purchase. I would have bought new if I could have, but they had just stopped production, so I had to buy used. I knew without a doubt thatI wanted an 05', low miles, LBBP on blue. I found it within 2 weeks of my search and had it a week later. Considering the rarity of the car (11 Blue on Blue made in 05'?), I got VERY lucky that Bobo happened to be selling his at the same time I was looking. :smile:

 

[EndLeSS]

I think it depends on what you want to do with the car. Basing from your previous car, your current car and your avatar, is it safe to assume that you will mod your NSX?

niM

Oh, the avatar is from a picture from 2000, that was one of the best looking NSX's back then.
Most of my mods on my 240SX are minor power and drivability mods, with suspension work. With the cops looking out for 240's my car looks very clean and OEM compared to other 240's out there, so I don't get in trouble. Also, my exhaust is stock.

I don't plan on modifying my NSX, the only thing I would do is put on Carbotech brake pads, and a new set of tires. And maybe the 7 spoke Prodrive wheels.
I read an article in this month's Modified magazine that really changed my outlook on modifying cars.
I feel that it has become too trendy, and the true passion of driving is completely lost. It’s all about whoever having the biggest wheels, fastest car, larger HP numbers, lowest car.

Why am I modifying a car? Is it to please others? Or to please myself and truly enjoy the car?


Right now, VIP style is hot in the import scene, with Lexus’s with crazy negative camber and really hot Work Euroline wheels.
All of that stuff is quite expensive, and some of the 240’s out there are catching on with the VIP look; 19” all around, crazy camber. I admit, it looks quite cool when done well, but people are throwing around thousands of dollars on USED wheels that are “rare” in North America.

I went to Japan two weeks ago, to visit my girlfriend. She lives in a very small town in Fukushima prefecture. I also went to visit Okinawa.

Those Work Euroline wheels, that everyone thinks is crazy balla' in the USA…. So many people have them in Japan; they’re not rare at all.


Sorry for the novel, what I mean by all of this, is that I think I matured a bit and am wanting a stock-ish car that I love to drive.

 

[ExCfive]

I pretty much bought mine sight unseen based on photo's, description and a PPI. I don't feel that I compromised in that I can't imagine that waiting would have netted me one in better condition or priced better. '03 11k miles and LBBP was tops on my list with IOP next. So no regrets here,

 

[03 raw nsx]

wanted a 02+ yellow / yellow, but couldn't pass a deal (77k) for a new 03 silverstone / onyx. Still love yellow but I'll live with silverstone

 

[Matt_337]

I, too, wanted an 02+ yellow but couldn't find one at the time so I "settled" for silverstone. If I could do it all over, I now would want a GPW on onyx (which would mean that I would be waiting a really long time for one to pop up).

I'm happy with my silverstone now but always lust for a GPW.

 

[dc935]

I, too, wanted an 02+ yellow but couldn't find one at the time so I "settled" for silverstone. If I could do it all over, I now would want a GPW on onyx (which would mean that I would be waiting a really long time for one to pop up).

I'm happy with my silverstone now but always lust for a GPW.

+1! :smile:

I always lusted after an 02+ GPW/Onyx too, but in the back of my mind realized it was going to be VERY difficult to find, and would require a combination of luck and something I did not have...patience. Started to open up my search to include Silver/Blk/LBBP, but never could pull the trigger as I always thought about that GPW that would pop up as soon as I bought something. After over 4+ years of looking/hoping though, I guess luck was on my side and I FINALLY picked up a prime members 2004 GPW/Onyx :biggrin:

I think you'll know when its the one. Good luck!

 

[The Kid]

I wanted a 1 1/2 years to find to car I wanted. I drove a 1997 Wrangler and had no car payments. I figured I would just continue to keep saving until I found what I wanted.:wink: Red/Black only, had to be stock, 0 mods and had to be a stick. Flew to VA, drove home and the rest is history:biggrin:

 

[goldNSX]

The OEM question was if would you cancel a car if it had the 'wrong' wheels or the wrong roof color or something like that and some answers are quite funny. I would not wait 5 years for THE perfect NSX because 5 years without the NSX is NO FUN AT ALL. :wink:

'Wrong' wheels, suspension or exhaust? That's not worth cancelling a besides-that perfect car (no crash, excellently maintained...) because they're easy to exchange. Have a look around on this forum and the people suffering from being seduced to mod their baby. Sometimes I envy the Ferrari people. They have a natural barrier to not modify it.

Mods: The mods you do yourself/choose make the car more personell.

In Europe you don't have the privilege to choose a wishful car, you have to get what is up for sale. The clever buyer even compromises on the color if the base of the car is a good one. The one who fixes on a certain criteria gets soon trapped like the mouse in the cage.

 

[TitaniumVtec]

...I would not wait 5 years for THE perfect NSX because 5 years without the NSX is NO FUN AT ALL...

I totally agree. I would not wait years for a car just because of the color. I thought I would never own a white car. They seemed so boring to me in the past. However, the car I found with all the goodies happened to be white. Now I love white. Things happen for a reason I guess.

 

[Mirroredshades]

I kind of did the reverse of everyone else. I wanted a C5 real bad. I wanted a blue, burgandy, silver or pewter Z51 6 speed. I searched and searched and searched for one that met this criteria. I looked for nearly two years and drove probably 20 different Vettes. I just couldn't find one that was in my price range and wasn't hammered. Gave up and did a search on autotrader for an NSX. Low and behold, there were two an hour away. I left work early that day, drove down there and saw the black beauty from about 1/4 mile away. I stopped right in the middle of the road, looked over at my wife and told her I was buying it.

I had never even seen one before the day I bought mine. Quite a first impression. :biggrin:

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Did anyone else make any compromises when it came to the mileage of the car?
Cause I'm looking at 2 NSX's. One stock and clean with less miles , and one is modded EXACTLY to my tastes with 20,000 more miles on the clock...

Its a choice thats killing me on the inside:frown:

 

[nimdivino]

Sorry for the novel, what I mean by all of this, is that I think I matured a bit and am wanting a stock-ish car that I love to drive.

I think everyone matures when modifying the car, I used to be like taking everything out to be light-weight, carpet, dash-board, back-seats etc. Doesn't matter if its going to be really loud inside the cabin with my exhaust, I want to take-out as much as I can. I also used to be painting the dash-board white and other interior panels on my other car. haha! So I understand what you're saying.

Anyway, good luck finding one. I can't say anything new, everyone have said it. I guess the only tip I can say, have 3 options for colors.

niM

 

[TURBO2GO]

wanted a 02+ yellow / yellow, but couldn't pass a deal (77k) for a new 03 silverstone / onyx. Still love yellow but I'll live with silverstone

I, too, wanted an 02+ yellow but couldn't find one at the time so I "settled" for silverstone. If I could do it all over, I now would want a GPW on onyx (which would mean that I would be waiting a really long time for one to pop up).

I'm happy with my silverstone now but always lust for a GPW.

You two are an embarassment to the silverstone community. I don't think this was the best time to come out of the closet.

 

[flaminio]

Did anyone else make any compromises when it came to the mileage of the car?
Cause I'm looking at 2 NSX's. One stock and clean with less miles , and one is modded EXACTLY to my tastes with 20,000 more miles on the clock...

Its a choice thats killing me on the inside:frown:

20,000 miles is a drop in the bucket for an NSX. Assuming you intend to drive the car and not make it a garage queen, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[synth19]

I am somewhat in the same position. I want an '02 or '03 LBBP, but the blue seems to be MUCH more difficult to find (in my budget) then my second choice (spa yellow). Keep in mind, my budget is around 55k or so, so I dont mind high miles (under 45k). So not sure if I should just wait.. or go with yellow.... I am torn!!! Any advice?

 

[usafdarkhorse]

I'm still looking, but I'll compromise on color and other things so long as the maintenance and mechanical reliability is there.

 

[Greg Z]

I'm waiting for either a black or red NSX 97-01 with a supercharger, and other racing mods, but the exterior stock. I, however, would be willing to settle for something with a tasteful bodykit, such as the wings west. Suspension mods would be okay too. So to answer your question, I'm really just waiting for a supercharged NSX in red or black!:tongue:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2001...205870164QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item130205870164

 

[Jonmarsh]

For me, it was mechanical condition and maintainence first, then price a close second, then color. I'd have preferred to get a formula red, but in the end wound up with Berlina Black. Had to travel to So Cal, too, from the SF Bay area. Not a lot of choice up here.

 

[damthatbeaver]

I am one of the rare ones - in that I got the exact car of my dreams! The year, color and even the mods!! I was speechless when I first layed eyes on my black beauty. Good luck in your endeavor...

Dam