Would you like your NSX if it were as common as a Miata?

[naaman]

Of course, you can't interpret my statement as being all inclusive (it's like an unspoken rule about blanket statements... they are "never" intended to include 100% of the people being described; I didn't think that I would have to disclaim that. Oh, well. Sorry.).

But, actually, you might be a perfect example of what I mean. Would you, for example, pull up next to an NSX in your 'Stang at a red light and start revving your engine and attempt to drag race with it?

The vast majority of mustang-only owners that I have encontered tend to be under the impression that their car is the best car in the world.

I don't know... I guess it just seems to me that many people buy Mustangs so that they can be like everybody else. When I talk to middle schoolers about cars that they would want, most of them say they want a Mustang GT convertable. None of them have even heard of the SVT, which seems to suggest that they "want" the car because lots of other people have one, and therefore, lots of other people will think they are "cool."

The reference to middle schoolers is only to demonstrate that the desire for a "trendy" car originates at a pre-driving age, and when they become of age, they get their mustang or explorer or whatever else all of the "cool" people have. The desire is not based on a knowledge of what makes a car good, only what the most popular person on the block is driving.

There is a girl in my class who is a model. She drives a mustang, but not because everyone else does. She drives it because it's a 68 1/2 Shelby 428.

 

[KODIAC]

Originally posted by naaman:
There is a girl in my class who is a model. She drives a mustang, but not because everyone else does. She drives it because it's a 68 1/2 Shelby 428.

and you havnt married this girl yet???

 

[Jimbo]

I can understand buying or appreciating the NSX for its beauty and/or engineering, but I still don't see how if Honda produced 3,000 or 5,000 units a year, how that would diminish these attributes in any way.

Let's face it, no matter what Honda does the NSX will never be as prevalent as a Corvette. Chevy produces more Vettes in a year than Honda has ever produced of the NSX.

At 3K or 5K units, the NSX would still be a very select and rare car.

I guess I just look at it differently....Assuming I was single...and I was lucky enough to be dating a supermodel, I'm not going to be upset if a few other guys in town just so happened to also be so lucky.

-Jim

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1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
1976 Honda Accord 5 spd, 3 door Blue/Blue
1977 Honda Accord - Custom - Under Construction
1986 Chevy Suburban
http://homepage.mac.com/jimanders/PhotoAlbum1.html

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by naaman:
it's like an unspoken rule about blanket statements... they are "never" intended to include 100% of the people being described

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A BLANKET STATEMENT LIKE THAT???

Originally posted by Jimbo:
Assuming I was single...and I was lucky enough to be dating a supermodel, I'm not going to be upset if a few other guys in town just so happened to also be so lucky.

Assuming, of course, that they're not dating the same supermodel as you are.

 

[naaman]

Originally posted by KODIAC:
and you havnt married this girl yet???

Working on it.

 

[naaman]

Originally posted by Jimbo:
I can understand buying or appreciating the NSX for its beauty and/or engineering, but I still don't see how if Honda produced 3,000 or 5,000 units a year, how that would diminish these attributes in any way.

Let's face it, no matter what Honda does the NSX will never be as prevalent as a Corvette. Chevy produces more Vettes in a year than Honda has ever produced of the NSX.

At 3K or 5K units, the NSX would still be a very select and rare car.

I guess I just look at it differently....Assuming I was single...and I was lucky enough to be dating a supermodel, I'm not going to be upset if a few other guys in town just so happened to also be so lucky.

-Jim

Let me put it this way: I don't care how many NSXs Honda produces or how many are on the road as long as the people that the car attracts tend to intelligent, good drivers with a genuine enthusiasm for cars/engineering/motor sports etc. I have heard too many stories about speed demons wrecking their cars because they are obsessed with being faster than everyone else (and when I see a picture of a wrecked NSX, my heart goes out to the engineers who lovingly built the car with their sweat and blood).

Jimbo, I take it you wouldn't see the point in buying a Lamborghini, then? Frankly I don't either, but that's only cause they cost hundres of thousands of dollars, and they are not all that reliable (I read an article in Car and Driver, I think, talking about how the test driver broke the crankshaft on a new Lambo by revving the engine or accelerating "too hard").

 

[NSX2398]

I turned 50 on Sept 11, 2001 and after some reflection I decided that life was too short not to indulge myself in one of my favorite interests. For me it was cars and I set about building a list of the cars that have made me drool over the years...and after reading these posts, I realized that some made me drool because of the way they looked and some because of their performance...none were directly because they were 'exclusive' (although some certainly are).

I've come to think of 'exclusive' not in the low numbers sense or even in the large $$'s sense but in the same sense that many of you have done elsewhere in the forums with your 'top 10' lists... which are the relatively small number of cars that satisfy those performance/looks attributes that we lust after. It's interesting that many of us share many of the vehicles on those lists.

As Roadrunner said earlier, I bought the NSX because I love to drive and it's the ultimate driver's car. Although I love the look of it, sometimes I wish it looked like a Miata (or some other high volume car) so I'd be less concerned about it attracting the wrong kind of attention (cops, vandals, etc).

In fact, I have often thought that I'd prefer a pure sleeper vehicle that had the performance of the NSX. When I was younger, I always wanted one of the Corvair V8 conversions; a decade ago it might have been a V8 Fiero. Neither of those arguably could be considered a well rounded performance car but they do reveal my weakness for the attributes of a 'sleeper' - performance and stealth... something Mustangs, Corvettes, and Vipers typically don't have .. although to some degree, they're present in the much of the ricer scene (Supras and RX7s excepted), where NOS and other mods can create sleepers out of othewise mundane Civics.

JMO .. I'd also be in favour of higher prod'n numbers to support a wider aftermarket and user group

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91 Blk/Blk daily driver
100K+ miles & still going strong

 

[Jimbo]

Jimbo, I take it you wouldn't see the point in buying a Lamborghini, then?

No, I'd guess I'd put it this way. If I ever wanted to buy a Lambo, it would be based on the merits of the car and not because of how rare or common the car was.

-Jim

------------------
1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
1976 Honda Accord 5 spd, 3 door Blue/Blue
1977 Honda Accord - Custom - Under Construction
1986 Chevy Suburban
http://homepage.mac.com/jimanders/PhotoAlbum1.html

 

[Lionel W]

As an ex Miata owner and now an NSX owner, I feel that I am "fully" qualified to answer the initial question of this thread.
Would you like your NSX as much if it was as common as a Miata.
When I decided to sell my Miata and had enough money to upgrade to a more potent sports car I looked at:
New BMW Z3...not worth the money.
90-95 Porsche 911... price, mileage or color, one of these was always wrong when I went to see examples offered for sale .
98-2000 Porsche Boxster... still had a plastic rear window whilst the Miata at half the price already had a glass rear window.
Had never thought of an NSX as I thought they were out of my price range.
But now the 91-92 NSXs had dropped into my price range.
Test drove one, had to have one, and soon found a great Red/Black 50K mile in fantastic condition.
I love the car, the power, the handling and the exlusivity of the car.
The only advantage to having a car with large volume sales, is better selection of aftermarket parts and larger local club chapters.
I love people asking what car it is, but am more gratified when you say you have a NSX and you can then immediately tell if somebody recognizes the name that they know something about cars.
However there are two things I miss from the Miata...top down motoring and the incredibly slick gear shift.

 

[Wadasan]

NO, LOOKS LIKE THERE IN THE LEAD, ANY MORE YESES???

 

[naaman]

Originally posted by Wadasan:
YESES???

Funny word.

 

[TigerNSX]

I have been after NSX since 1991, and I just loved the look, and the dynamics that the car provided when I first rode it in. I never had such an exhilarting experience from other cars like BMW M cars, Porsches. Exclusivity was a plus. I sort of liked the fact that many people did not know what this was. I like surprising people (I always emphasize that I drive a honda - they always reply to me with a question.. why would you go for BMW to Honda??)!!

Nevertheless, my major motivation or inspiration to actually "purchase" NSX was NSX OWNERS. I have seen very few forums where people actually check out cars for prospective owners in different locations. This was a major reason I purchased the car! However, I guess that if there were as many NSXs as Miatas, it may not have been necessary to ask around to check the car.