Why buy NSX when you can get used Z06 for 35,000?

[tochigidream]

Many years ago I worked as a consultant at Delco in Kokomo, IN. A buddy of mine had always wanted a Corvette. Since he was a GM employee, he got a discount on GM vehicles and decided to buy a ‘vette. I advised against it because when I was younger and not as smart, I also had bought a new Corvette, which I sold 18 months later.

Friday morning, my friend drove the 5 hours to pick up his new car at the factory. On Monday morning we all gathered around his desk to get the tour of the new car. Instead of a tour, we got his tale of woe. The car was perfect when he picked it up, amazing acceleration, everything he had hoped for. Two hours into the drive home the car started to stumble. He kept driving and another 30 minutes later smoke was coming from under the hood. He pulled onto the shoulder of the freeway, got out, and helplessly watched his car catch fire and melt. He described all the details of hearing the horn honk for 5 seconds and then die, then the headlights came on and went out, the wipers cycled a few times, etc.

He called the Corvette factory and told them about this horrible lapse of quality. The guy at the factory just said “yeah, that happens sometimes.”

Why am I not surprised.

 

[nkb]

you say you had a porsche before..

why did you buy a porsche to begin with and not a vette?
why did you sell your porsche?

I have a sneaking suspicion he never owned a Porsche to begin with, but used that as a way to sound legitimate.

I smell troll.

 

[tochigidream]

Why buy a Z06 when you can get an nsx for 35K, 911-NSX? Three billy goats gruff told me about you!

 

[saxonsaxon]

Vette v. NSX

As a previous owner of a c4 vette I can assure you thast there is a reason why "the king of the hill" does not hold its value well. I bought this car for myself as a gift for my wedding ( it was now or never). The car was fun ... for a while than things strted to fall apart. To make a long story short I unloaded it 3 years later to a very nice Korean kid whose father wanted to get him the vette as a grad. gift. Would I get another one? No
Happy driving! Saxon

 

[td2k_nsx]

speaking of insurance

my nsx insurance is 800.00 something a year. I was 23 when i first signed up for it. it has decreased a little over the years. i am now almost 28. anyone else wanna discolse their price? btw this is with state farm. not sure if they even know what an nsx is??? i though this was as cheap as hell. my 93 legend was 600.00 something a year.

 

[Tom239]

In case you're wondering what a 2005 Corvette looks like:

(from a NY Times article)

N.B.: I'd still rather have the NSX.

 

[brahtw8]

Re: speaking of insurance

my nsx insurance is 800.00 something a year. I was 23 when i first signed up for it. it has decreased a little over the years. i am now almost 28. anyone else wanna discolse their price? btw this is with state farm. not sure if they even know what an nsx is??? i though this was as cheap as hell. my 93 legend was 600.00 something a year.

Do a search or two with 'insurance' and you will find a lot of quotes. Hard to compare the two given the differences in location, coverage levels, driving records, etc., but here's my .02:

I was paying $900/year for the NSX, $1300/year for the BMW.

An old ticket finally expired, so I am now paying $500/year for the NSX and around $960/year for the BMW.

I am 27.

 

[ChopsJazz]

911-NSX hasn't even bothered to re-post to his own thread and he has you guys jumping around defending the NSX! 911-NSX, what car do you think we're going to prefer? THIS IS AN NSX SITE!!! Every Corvette I ever drove turned into a plastic rattle-trap. I have very little reason to think the C5 will be any different.

911, I have just one word for you: Build Quality!

 

[Eric91Z]

Well, whether or not 911-NSX has posted again or not, you have all answered the same question I have had. Yes, I might not get as new a car with the NSX, but like everyone else has said, I will get more of what I think I want.

Let me give a little background of myself since I am new on here. I have been lurking awhile and felt a need to post. I am a long time mucle car owner - mostly the GM F-Bodies. I will say I have been happy and have put quite few miles on these cars. My last car was an original 1991 Z28 that had 175,000 miles on the original motor when I got rid of it. And I definitely didn't baby it. But I did take care of it and do some modifications over my ownership. I have always loved the sound of a V8 and the torque is wonderful. But as you have all pointed out, it is a GM. It had some rattles, but not many. But wasn't what I wanted.

I have owned 2 Hondas - a 1984 Honda Prelude (touted as the best handling front drive car at the time) and a 1992 Accord EX Coupe. I also worked as a service advisor at a Honda dealership here in Iowa for almost 2 years. I know how long Hondas can run when taken car of. The Accord had 160,000 miles on it when I sold it back to my Dad and he still drives it. Runs and looks pretty much like new. I have also had the pleasure of driving the S2000 the first year it came out. What a wonderful little car. I will say that Honda/Acura has some of the best feeling automatic shifters. And I have always liked the NSX.

So when I got rid of the Camaro, I thought I would "step up" to a Corvette. Then I started thinking more about the experience of driving. I don't like having the same thing everyone else does (that is why my motorcycle is a Triumph, not a Suzuki, Kawasaki, or Harley). I don't need the speed anymore and I wanted something a little different. I started looking at the Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 and even dreaming about the 911 TT and the 928 GTS, but the maintenence costs are quite high. Thus I ended up here. I figured the NSX, while maybe more than a Corvette, will be more reliable and I bet I haven't seen six of them on the road around here in the last 10 years.

There in lies my problem. Trying to find one close to test drive. I have driven a friend's lightly modified C5 Corvette and it was nice. But you see them everywhere. So guess I am now looking to add an NSX some day.

So what I am trying to say is even though 911-NSX never responded back, I am glad others gave their input. It is just what I wanted to hear. And thanks for helping me realize what I have been feeling about the driving experience. It goes beyond having the fastest car on the road. It is about enjoying the car you drive for what it is.

 

[wctsao]

I say if you have to ask why get car X over car Y, then car X probably isn't the right car for you.

Why get a new Porsche 911 Turbo when you can get a low mileage 93 Ferrari 512TR for roughly the same amount? I would get the Ferrari everytime.

 

[brahtw8]

There in lies my problem. Trying to find one close to test drive. I have driven a friend's lightly modified C5 Corvette and it was nice. But you see them everywhere. So guess I am now looking to add an NSX some day.

There are a few NSXers in Iowa. JimK on this board comes to mind, out of Bettendorf. I believe he also has an S2k.

If you can make it up to Wisco, I might be persuaded to let you take mine for a spin.

 

[brahtw8]

Why get a new Porsche 911 Turbo when you can get a low mileage 93 Ferrari 512TR for roughly the same amount? I would get the Ferrari everytime.

If cost and reliability are a factor, the 911 TT is the clear choice.

That, and it will stomp a 512TR, which has a wonderful V12 but too much weight to be in the same league. Indeed, the TR is on the slow side, with mid 5 second 0-60 capability (unless they radically changed the 512 TR from the former Testarossa).

 

[wctsao]

There were some big changes from the Testarossa to the 512TR. HP was bumped up using the same Flat-12 engine.

Testarossa: 380 hp @5750 rpm, 354 lb-ft torque at 4500 rpm
92-93 512TR: 421@6750 rpm, 360 lb-ft torque at 5500 rpm

0-60 times went from 5.3s to 4.7s.
1/4 times went from 13.4s to 12.9

(C&D) Top speed : 192 mph

Weight was reduced.

Testarossa weight: 3660 lbs.
512 TR weight: 3247 lbs.

Everyone who complains about weight must be talking about the Testarossa and not the TR.

 

[Daveg27]

If cost and reliability are a factor, the 911 TT is the clear choice.

That, and it will stomp a 512TR, which has a wonderful V12 but too much weight to be in the same league. Indeed, the TR is on the slow side, with mid 5 second 0-60 capability (unless they radically changed the 512 TR from the former Testarossa).

They did. The 512TR is like the Testarossa in apperance only. It's ~ 300lbs lighter, significantly faster, stiffer and handles much better. It shares very few parts with the Testarossa. (Hence the name change) The F512M is an even bigger step up, lighter still and with more power. Prices are exorbitant on the 512M though.

www.ferrarichat.com is a great Ferrari resource, tons of info there.

EDIT: wctsao beat me to it!

 

[brahtw8]

That is why I qualified my statement.

In any event, I still think the 512 TR, even with the weight reduction and power increase, is not in the same performance league as the 911 TT. As for the rest of it, certainly the Ferrari brings prestige, satisfaction, etc. Not a bad choice in either camp, but the #s don't favor the 512 TR.

For me, the ridiculous ownership costs of a Ferrari V12 would be the deciding factor, as cost is an issue.

Given the rarity of the 512 TR, I can't imagine a lot of folks cross-shopping the 911 TT and the TR, but ICBW. I suppose someone looking for the prestige or driving experience may do both, but a more 'objective' comparison seems somewhat unlikely. I would expect the competitor from Italy would be the 360, but since the TT has bulked up and now offers a tiptronic, I guess comparisons to GT type cars like the TR are warranted.

 

[HOT-SHU]

If you're happily married, look at your wife. If you're single, recall the best girlfriend you've ever had. Is she an NSX or a Z06? That's how I'd decide.

 

[Forums Nazi]

Re: speaking of insurance

my nsx insurance is 800.00 something a year. I was 23 when i first signed up for it. it has decreased a little over the years. i am now almost 28. anyone else wanna discolse their price?

Originally posted by brahtw8
Do a search or two with 'insurance' and you will find a lot of quotes.

...such as in these topics:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25957
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22096
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=21278
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18744
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5650
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4777
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4387
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3012
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2433
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2008
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1319
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1121
http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=298

and, of course, don't forget

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/ownership/insurance.htm

Originally posted by brahtw8
Hard to compare the two given the differences in location, coverage levels, driving records, etc.

Indeed. To quote Mr. nsxtasy:

"Rates are going to vary depending on company, state, town, age, driving record, coverages and limits, etc.

There's a very easy way to find out how much it will cost for you to insure an NSX. Just call your insurance company and ask. They can tell you, even without you having to buy the car. Or you can check an online service such as http://www.insweb.com"

 

[hlweyl]

That's the longest post I've seen from the forum nazi.... but I didn't review all of his previous posts. Woops forgot to use the search

 

[Wickeddeus]

If you want the best bang for the buck then you should buy a Mitsu Evo. The Z06, NSX, and Evo are great performance cars with very little difference(in terms of numbers) on the track unless your a professional driver.

 

[LJSB]

I have not driven a ZO6 but have driven several C5's including one today that was at my shop for some work.
The car needs a serious upgrade to the quality of materials and workmanship on the interior. If they could do this and charge only 10k more it would be a much nicer car. Everything on the inside of the C5 looks like it was made as cheaply as possible. Great ideas are in this car just poor execution and quality that becomes more evident as the car ages.

 

[effer]

This thread should have been titled this way:

Why buy used Z06 for 35,000 that will rattle severely, depreciate dramatically, rust surely if doesn't before fail mechanically, when you can get an NSX that will be as performant with a SC undoubtedly while still be more reliable and keeping its value dog'n weewee?

Sorry it had to rhyme!

You know what?

I AM almost sure that my NSX will even appreciate in the future.

We all know that this car has been qualified as a milestone in car history.

NSXly yours M. thread starter and not entertaining nor answering "her"!

effer

 

[911-NSX]

I asked this question to get the opinions of others that looked at both, not to get flamed. I did own a 88 911 coupe that I sold this year to pay for my wedding. I am now looking at getting a new toy for this year coming. I do have to agree with you all on the build quality of the Z06. I think the vette has a Cavalier interior, therefore, I will probably take it out of my options. I just wanted your opinions. I am still looking at he NSX, 911 (993 model), and the viper.

 

[steveny]

Five years ago, I could have sold my moderate-mileage, well-maintained '91 NSX for somewhere around $35K. Today, I could sell my moderate-mileage, well-maintained '91 NSX for somewhere around $35K. 'nuff said.

Fell out of my chair laughing. SO TRUE....and a Ten year old vet sells for....

 

[911-NSX]

For what it is worth the 512 is not in the same league as the 911tt. Talk about maintenance costs, the 512 will kill you. Glad to hear you are all so fond of your cars. This may be my choice, but time will tell. Thanks to everyone who responded with an unbiased opinion.

 

[hlweyl]

I asked this question to get the opinions of others that looked at both, not to get flamed. I did own a 88 911 coupe that I sold this year to pay for my wedding. I am now looking at getting a new toy for this year coming. I do have to agree with you all on the build quality of the Z06. I think the vette has a Cavalier interior, therefore, I will probably take it out of my options. I just wanted your opinions. I am still looking at he NSX, 911 (993 model), and the viper.

If it's raw HP you are looking for, can't beat the viper..... or better yet, i'll sell you my 67 Camaro for $9k and you'll be showing Vipers your taillights all day! (runs high 11's in the 1/4)

If it's a truley refined piece of automotive art you are looking for 1. NSX 2. Porsche