Will i be stuck with the NSX for life...

[DutchBlackNsx]

This post is about finding a replacement in the future for my current NSX and the considerations i'm making, which i think, more old-timers are considering.

I have owned my NSX for nearly 8 years now (110Kkm my part, total at 190Kkm), which where great, great years. Not only the pleasure of the NSX by itself, but also friends i made, expierences on group trips, the lot. Besides the good fun, the negative side was to experience the jeaulosy of grown up man and women and to loose a NSX buddy.

The car held up pretty well for what i asked of it, and though i have forked a lot of cash into it to keep it running (reason to follow), i still think it has been a very reliable car in this segment of exotics.

I drive my car lika a complete idiot. The needle of the revcounter is most of the time close to 8K or over, even in slow traffic. I love high NA revs! When downshifting, i tend to downshift very early, so to match the revs, you realy have to put that engine up high, which means a lot of wear on everything, but the sound and experience is rewarding. Driving on the motorway (highway) i go absolutely bezerk.
I know that this driving behaviour is not so much tolerated (i'll do it safely), but this is how i enjoy driving a car like this. I also know that driving like this costs a lot of money, but its only a price you have to pay for fun.

Things which broke in these 8 years or where a major cost:
- Twice the bearings in the gearbox (primairy shaft, clutch side. No, i dont do burnouts).
- 5th gear synchroset (replaced the whole gear)
- Snapring (installed shortgears).
- OEM Coolant tank.
- Headgaskets (as a result of the coolanttank failure. Engine pull).
- Complete professional repaint (as a result of high speed driving).
- AC evaporator in dash.
- AC pump (a few of them, as a result of being shafted by US suppliers and faulty diagnoses locally).
- Few clutches (not needed, but if you're in there, do it).
- Pile of brakeparts
- New windshield.
- 2 pair of aftermarket headers (DC's failed after 40kkm!!!)
- 16 rear tires, 6 front tires (only S02, S03 RA50A, once tried diff brand.)
- 2 timingbelts, waterpump aso...
- Plenty mods.
- And now, as a result of all that fun, a new engine.

So now i'm limp (NSX in the shop), stuck with only my CTR (FN2) as a daily driver to have fun. Business has caught up and financialy it seems like i'm getting slowly on track again. This gives me time to think over the NSX and look into the future, to see what possibilitys are laying ahead.

There's a lot of cars at the moment to choose from, but not many (if any) offer what i realy want.
First of all, i dont want any sort of FI. I rather have high HP, then low end torque. Which means i also want a lot of RPM's, which basicly goes hand in hand with NA.
Secondly, it must have an exotic sporty look.
And third, it must be serviceable and reliable, hence my driving habbits, and last but not least, very rare.

When taking this into consideration, i came only to a few options.
- F360
- F430
- Gallardo
- R8
- Some Porsche
- 1997+ or 2002+ NSX
- NEW NSX (whenever that will be)
- Keep the current 1993 NSX, and mod the thing more.

However, none of these meet my demands.... well....one of them does.
The F360/F430/Gallardo are great. They look great, they sound awesome, they are all NA, and they are plenty fast. However, how does one of these hold up over time with my driving habbits? It bloody scares me, i can tell you that! How is parts suplly? Technical Information? How hard is it to find a manual? Whats up with these Gallardo's killing people?
The R8 just doesn't do it for me. It wont be long to see them at every streetcorner.
Porsches are absolutely great by looks, but they are just everywhere, and in my book, they are not an exotic.
The 1997+ NSX is not different enough from my current NSX, and the facelifted 2002+ NSX looks allready dated even more then the 1991 NSX IMHO.
The new to be announced NSX? What i have read of it, it seems like its going the Aston/Merc (GT) road, which is not appealing to me either.

So, the more i think about it, the more i come to the conclusion i will have to stick with me current NSX. Maybe mod the looks a bit of the interior and exterior, but thats about it. It still turns heads, and often people still have no clue what car it realy is. Parts are availble just around the corner. Its just getting so old. Next to a Gallardo or 430 the NSX looks crap, well, still good, but it shows its age. Not to mention the HP of the engine lacks serious.

And then, something not to be forgotten, is the great informationsource called NSXPRIME. So few NSX's around the planet, and so much information.
No other car has this information online. Something seriously to consider for a backyarder.


So.... will i be stuck with the NSX for life?

 

[AR]

So.... will i be stuck with the NSX for life?

I thinks so.

I've had a 3.2, an NA1 R and now a regular 3.0 that I modded with H/I/E wheels interior etc and I plan ti keep it for as long as I can, because of the same reason you explained.

Cheers,

AR

 

[ChopsJazz]

I've had mine for over 10 years and I really can't see ever parting with such a fine sportscar.

 

[Danny_Ocean]

If you think mechanical work on an NSX is $$$, wait until you get a Ferrari. I was looking at one of these for $22k:

I opened the glove box and found a receipt for the transaxle rebuild...$18k

Needless to say, I'm not buying any Ferrari that isn't under factory warranty.

 

[goldNSX]

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94671

 

[drew]

Hard to replace the NSX at *any* price point.

There are lot of people on the list that can buy any car they want (though my wife would phreak if I brought home a car that cost +USD$250K.)

Here is my list of "cost does not matter" cars: Ford GT, F360 and the Smart Coupe*.

As I get older my time is more valuable than any money: therefore, car must require minimal maintenance. Which kinda rules out Ferrari. I just really don't want to deal with an F car, though they are a lot of fun.

Must be fuel efficient: this is function of me split between time spent filling up and being easier on the environment. (I personally can't wait for the days of $2.50/liter of gasoline....even when I made minimum wage for a living, I wanted this.)

Must have good availability of parts, especially over internet as I like to work on my own cars (saves a lot time and I know the job is done right). Pretty much takes out Ferrari, where they can back order parts for years.

So I am dithering: refreshing and rebuilding my NSX as time permits.

**

A neighbor has a Smart Coupe and it ROCKS...but he has it registered out of country. They are extremely rare in the states.

Another neighbor has a F360 and he likes it, but never drives it because of the required care and feeding. The F430 is nice, but is a bitter pill at 2x the cost of a F360 for essentially the same car.

I'll probably get the FGT (garage furniture) and a Smart Coupe (daily driver). It would take both of these cars together to replace the NSX.

Drew

*not to be confused with the fourtwo and fourfour, though both of these have shown up in the garages on Billionaire Beach (where geffen, broad, ellison, katzenberg and riorden, etc... live)

 

[Gman]

After reading your post twice, I truly think that you're using the car as a stress reliever of some sort or to fill in a void. You're looking at only a few specific cars to take the place of your current vehicle....but yet none of them are exactly what you want either! Maybe you should take some time to evaluate EVERYTHING so you don't waste $$$ on expensive cars...then break them down, just to invest money to repair them all over again. If $$$ is that disposable, then PLEASE send some my way and I'll use it wisely! :biggrin:

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

After reading your post twice, I truly think that you're using the car as a stress reliever of some sort or to fill in a void.

No, no void, stress reliever? Yeah, sometimes.... but i mainly like just driving it to the max.

You're looking at only a few specific cars to take the place of your current vehicle....

I narrowed down to a list of possible options, i offcourse thought about many more cars, but they where even further out of my requirements.

Then break them down, just to invest money to repair them all over again

The idea is not to break cars down to get any reason for dumping more money in it.

My english is probably not very good, sorry.

 

[Gman]

It may not be an exotic, but you should consider the S2000. You redline it to high rpms, modify it cheaper than your NSX, still have parts available, and is fun to drive.

 

[ediddynsx]

Gman- He said he wanted to stick in the exotic realm still....so S2000 is out of the question. But that is a good suggestion for a daily and lots of goodies for the car.


I think the NSX is the only true longevity exotic car out there.

The Gallardo and F360 are not meant for being dailys but I heard the maintenance isn't really that bad on them as long as you take care of them. Like the oil change is 300-400 bucks? I know the NSX is like $75 bucks but still its not $8000.00 oil changes like some people think.

Parts on those cars and major service do cost quite a bit more though so that is where it will hurt more. Whether it be aftermarket or stock parts it will cost more.

But they still won't be good for dailys from what I hear.

I remember Anil was saying the Euro cars are great but the only everyday exotic car out there is the NSX.

I rarely see any F cars or Lambos being driven daily unless the owners have plenty of money and can afford to drive the car daily.....which most can if they can afford the car brand new....but they choose not too.

I would say keep the NSX and and try something different with it......I suggest going F/I even though you don't want to. But with your driving habits maybe thats not a good idea.

Maybe you should try getting better suspension and BBK if you don't have them already.

Try JRZ suspension and Brembo BBK and the car will feel like a whole new car again.

Well good luck.....I would never part with the NSX if I don't have to.....but I would like to a lambo or F car to stable one day just to experience those cars......in a good way of course.....I don't want to be one of those owners that has their car always in the shop.....

 

[csmeance]

just as a heads up, you can't get the R8 Anymore. All of the allocation for them as been sold. Also for people that got them for the last few months, they had to almost sign their lives away because audi saw people selling R8's on ebay for 3 or 4 times MSRP.

The NSX is a perfect fusion of exotic, power, reliability and beauty. Very few cars have come close to this, the only modern car that you can buy that I can think of is the new GTR, but it is far from exotic in my opinion. The R8 was close, it had power, beauty, and an exotic. It is made in limited quantities and not every one could have one. It's only downfall, audi's cost of repairs.

 

[steveny]

If not stuck physically it will defiantly be stuck in your mind. I have had a countless number of cars since my NSX and the NSX is still stuck in my mind.

 

[ExoticMD]

If you are financially able, go ahead and get a 360 to add to the NSX. Slap a Capristo or Tubi on it and your set for a weekend driver. The 360's are actually reliable and comfortable to ride around in. In addition, they have come way down in price (at least over here in the U.S).

I like some of the other members above can't seem to get rid of the NSX. The NSX is too unique and reliable. Furthermore, I have made countless friends because of it, including one we all lost.. Gus Toth. He was one guy that was at all the events racing his NSX and attended all meets from Monteray to Tochigi. He was one cool dude.

 

[steveny]

Just read on another forum

You have three options on a car
1.Fast
2.Cheap
3. Reliable
You can only pick 2

This really makes a lot of sense.

 

[MvM]

Hi Mich, I read yah....

I feel like I am in the same boat as you are. The NSX was always my dream car and I have had mine now for little over five years. Clocked 75000 km away with it and it has been so far absolutely SUPERfun. Like you, I like to drive to car to its limits, like to accelerate hard, brake hard, take corners fast, rev up the engine all the time (only car I ever owned which I will take to redline on a daily basis).

But, yes, sometimes, I stop and wonder about the same thing as you.
What am I going to do with the NSX in the long run. Should I keep it?
You have to keep in mind that you and I don't live in the US. Where we live, it's hard to find a NSX but it is even harder to sell one. Simply because practically no one really now what it is about.

The problem is, if I WOULD want to sell the NSX (and succeed) and still would want a high performance car, which one should I get? Sometimes, I have been asked this question by people at work. And the simple answer is, I would not know what. The Porsche 911 is still closest when it comes to the combination of both performance and daily usability. But it is also the most common sports car out there and therefore not exotic. Unless you would go to a GT3 which is, of course, in a completely different price class.

The current batch of souped up hatchbacks and sedans like the Golf GTI, Golf R32, Seat Leon Cupra, Ford Focus or the Audi S5, RS4, various BMW's just don't do it for me. Good cars of course, but they simply are not sport cars by looks and feel.
I understand that for manufacturers, it is far easier and cheaper to take the average model, and put in the biggest engine that will fit, or simply slap a turbo-charger on it to make it fast, add a bunch of electronics to keep the car in check and then sell it as a hot hatch, but in my view, for me at least, the are missing the point.

The only cars that I would like to replace the NSX with are indeed a new model Porsche 911, Ferrari 360 or 430, Lambo Gallardo, maybe an Audi R8 and I think that's about it. An earlier model Ferrari doesn't give you any edge in performance, older Porsches don't either. And to be honest, a Gallarado (my favorite), is simply out of my league.

So, for me, I think I am kind off stuck with the NSX.

Over the last two years I have been slowly modifying the car, improving it little by little. Actually, I think with the new OZ wheels, the NSX-R wing and hood, the car already looks more modern and less dated. I get many compliments and little jealousy.

And unlike you, I would not mind doing the 2002 conversion.
If I look at pictures of the black NSX from Evo575 or the white NSX from NSXSupra, I think you have a very modern looking car because I think those cars are actually beautiful. But the conversion is very expensive of course.

I would like to update the interior a bit (have actually ordered a new carpet). And still have to take a good look at the Recaro PP when I have the change. And yes, performance wise, I would like to do something. I would prefer keeping the car NA, but camshafts are the only think left that I can do. So, just maybe, I will switch to FI one day. Simply because with a CTSC, the NSX is quite up to date when it comes to performance again.

In the mean time, good luck with the NSX.

 

[midNight Sun Xpress]

Tough choice, thats for sure.
I occasionally drive mine to the limit, but mostly it is used for sunday road trips and as stress-relief through washing and polishing.
I am not the youngest around and the NSX was my first exotic. The last years I have had several discussions with younger people wanting to buy an NSX. I always ask them "Where do you go after the NSX?". My advise is to drive other Hondas before investing in a NSX. Reason is I hardly can imagine what should replace an NSX. S2K is a great car but definitively a step back. Some of the F-cars are at best a step sideways and into a much more expensive route.
So where do you go after the NSX? I believe the best way is to withdraw from street-racing, invest in an exotic veteran and do some track-days during the season and maybe an Alfa Romeo coupe as the daily drive. :smile:

 

[Gijs]

Hello dutch nsx, i can not tell you what to do. I can only tell you that i had an 91 nsx, i drove it for 3 years and had nothing but trouble with it. Seems to me the previous owner was not very good at maintaining a car. I payed the price fot that and finally i had to decide to sell the car. I will never buy a second hand nsx again so i have to wait for the new one and in the meantime i drive the new legend. It is not an nsx but it drives great and it always works. For back up there is always the 5 year full warrenty. Again it is not an nsx but i enjoy driving again and i have no more sleepless nights. Now i only dream about the new nsx.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

Gman- He said he wanted to stick in the exotic realm still....so S2000 is out of the question. But that is a good suggestion for a daily and lots of goodies for the car.


I think the NSX is the only true longevity exotic car out there.

The Gallardo and F360 are not meant for being dailys but I heard the maintenance isn't really that bad on them as long as you take care of them. Like the oil change is 300-400 bucks? I know the NSX is like $75 bucks but still its not $8000.00 oil changes like some people think.

Parts on those cars and major service do cost quite a bit more though so that is where it will hurt more. Whether it be aftermarket or stock parts it will cost more.

But they still won't be good for dailys from what I hear.

I remember Anil was saying the Euro cars are great but the only everyday exotic car out there is the NSX.

I rarely see any F cars or Lambos being driven daily unless the owners have plenty of money and can afford to drive the car daily.....which most can if they can afford the car brand new....but they choose not too.

I would say keep the NSX and and try something different with it......I suggest going F/I even though you don't want to. But with your driving habits maybe thats not a good idea.

Maybe you should try getting better suspension and BBK if you don't have them already.

Try JRZ suspension and Brembo BBK and the car will feel like a whole new car again.

Well good luck.....I would never part with the NSX if I don't have to.....but I would like to a lambo or F car to stable one day just to experience those cars......in a good way of course.....I don't want to be one of those owners that has their car always in the shop.....

Thank eddi, great post.

Indeed i'm not looking into a S2000, mainly coz they are not exotic, but also its a convertible, which is not appealing to me either (yeah, i have only a few wishes, lol)
For upgrading my NSX, i have mainly done all the basic things like springs/shocks/weels/tires, and for the NA also the basics like the I/H/E light flywheel, shorties chipped etc.
I cant help it for still looking with one eye to the Gallardo, even though its maybe not realy foolproof.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

If not stuck physically it will defiantly be stuck in your mind. I have had a countless number of cars since my NSX and the NSX is still stuck in my mind.

I'm sure someting like that will happen to me to.
So maybe i should not try to replace the NSX, but leave it tucked away for a while, and get something next to it. The funds getting from selling the NSX are so small compared to the investment of getting a F or L car, there is no reason not to.

1. Fast
2. Cheap
3. Reliable

This seems VERY true, even for the NSX.

 

[Dan Ciezniewzki]

I would say for the way you drive a Ferrari is outta the question, Italian POS.
The Gallardo sounds more for you, Audi backed. I have a friend with 23k+ miles on his in 2 years and still going strong.

Although, with the age and milage of your NSX it cant possbile be worth much. KEEP the NSX and buy something else, even an unreliable Ferrari. That way you can (possibly) not drive your new car as hard, or if you do, when its in the shop you'll still have the NSX to beet up without worry

As silly as it sounds, with my Diablo for the first few months I had it, the NSX became the car I drove while the Diablo was in the shop. I used to joke about I kept it only to drive when the Italian POS crapped out, but it turned out to be true!!

Keep the NSX whatever you do and have the best of both worlds

 

[DRIFTER]

"Stuck with the NSX for life"... you say that like its a bad thing:smile:

The NSX is one of the greatest cars I have owned. Looking forward to the spring when she comes out of hibernation to terrorize some twisties.

 

[Holden_Caulfield04]

I highly recommend to you the Aston Martin DB9. It's faster and more stylish than an NSX and more humble than a Ferrari. It's not inexpensive but could work out to be less expensive on maintenance than a Ferrari and people won't be calling you a "cock" for driving one. It is probably the best GT car in the world.

 

[heySkippy]

I highly reccommend to you the Aston Martin DB9.

Ugh, pretty car but the engine is in wrong place.

 

[Holden_Caulfield04]

Ugh, pretty car but the engine is in wrong place.

A good performance car can be made whether the engine is in the front, back or in the middle. The drivetrain is more important. True performance cars must have either RWD or AWD. FWD sport cars are generally not purpose-built for performance.

 

[Synthesis]

db9 more stylish?
i guess that's debatable (barely :tongue: )
j/k, please don't take it personally....
but how can you recommend a db9 to somebody that says this: "...it seems like its going the Aston/Merc (GT) road, which is not appealing to me either."

anyway, you might do well to keep the nsx and get something else - otherwise you might regret it :redface:

i had the idea of buying a 355, but i can't do it. why? cause i want to keep the nsx too!!

all things aside - buy the F430. Nuff said :biggrin: