1991 Stock NSX... live with it, sell it, or mod it

[ICTVillain]

So I have owned a 1991 NSX for close to 9 years.... As far as I know it is 100% stock (except for GROM bluetooth).

I used it as daily driver for a couple of years (outside of bad weather days) until two kids made that an impossibility. Now it spends most of its time under a cove and I tend to forget that I own it.

This last weekend I had the LH window regulator fail (still trying to find the best place to buy that part - seems the availability is down since the last time this happened). It also needs refreshed tires and my tow hook cover has gone missing. The situation has got me thinking about whether sitting in the garage as-is makes a lot of sense. i normally ignore the car, but not today...

My question to you all: what are the right improvements to make if I am not enamored with bling (most aftermarket mods seem to go out of style fast) and I am not going to track the car (Kansas doesn’t seem to offer that opportunity)? What would make it a little more fun to drive (most days I just miss my more fun to drive cars - why did I sell the S2000?)? Is there a no-brainer option that will rekindle the love affair?

This is my car:

https://youtu.be/bXU6UKeh3To



The only non-cosmetic flaws are the ABS chatter when it has been sitting for a while and the radio can be slow to turn on....

 

[Big McLargeHuge]

Welcome to the Builds forum :biggrin:. I'm subbed to Weezard and watched that vid a few months back. It's still funny how he was very complimentary in this video but in another later on he said Honda sports cars (NSX & S2000) are soulless appliances and the NSX sounds like an Odyssey. Kind of a bad take IMO.

Since your goal is to make your NSX more fun to drive, I think there are some decent bling-free options. First for me would be the exhaust, one of the most fun parts for me is hearing the engine breathe, both in & out. Replace your stock headers with aftermarket ones and getting a muffler you like the sound of (plenty of example videos out there). That improves the drive a lot for me on a moment-to-moment basis, especially ripping it up a few gears. Headers & exhaust should also unlock quite a bit more horsepower. Intakes not so much, but getting a new intake scoop or CAI will make the sound better too. I guess these would be my no-brainers. Some "with-brainers" might be stuff like an aftermarket sound system if you're into music when driving or a short shifter to make gear changes more enjoyable.

Ultimately I think the most fun you'll have with any car isn't by modifying it (unless you really enjoy the work), but by making experiences with it. Join a local car club and attend some weekend drives, coordinate a day trip to the Appalachians or cross-country to an IMSA event or something, go to car meets with a group of owners/friends, bring it out on the weekends to run errands even. For me, even if I won the lottery and bought a Huracan or 488, it would become just the same as any other car once the wow factor wears off and it's just sitting covered in a garage. Really depends on what you find enjoyable, but I think the NSX is a great platform for most anything car related you can do, besides maybe rallying. Good memories last longer than almost anything else.

 

[jonc]

My opinion?

Give your car a tuneup, take care of the small issues. Anything that bothers you or is worn out, take care of it and freshen it up. Maybe a fresh set of *well thought out* wheels/tires, a paint polish and wax, fresh fluids. Give your interior a shampoo/vaccuum, fix the window issue. Fix any faded or bubbling tints, burnt out lights etc, dents, rockchips etc.

Sometimes doing all of the little things adds up in a big way.

I agree with the intake/exhaust and radio, as long as its tasteful.

 

[neuronbob]

I bought mine when my son was 9, and he still loves rides in it at age 14.

I agree with the sage advice offered above. Exhaust, wheels, good tires, and go on a drive by yourself every couple weeks...that’ll rekindle things quickly.

Many options for your radio since not many places will fix it. I chose to keep mine stock looking, but with modern functionality, by doing a Willmans conversion, but that’s super-pricey nowadays.

If you want speed, you can always go FI like I did, but that’s also pricey.

If all else fails, it looks like yours is in decent shape, three will be a buyer for it.

I also miss my S2000, but I’m keeping the NSX even if I acquire another.

 

[sca037]

The NSX (like the S2000) is way too quiet in stock form, so I agree that an exhaust upgrade should be on your short list.
On our non-turbo '92 we replaced the restrictive stock cast iron (boat anchor ;-) exhaust manifolds with the stock tubular versions from a 3.2L car, which probably accounts for most of the HP gain the later cars claim.
Then an aftermarket muffler (while retaining the original cats) continued the weight loss program, while also really sounding nice.

The best thing we did to our S2000 (which was nearly perfect stock) was install an aftermarket exhaust system

 

[Honcho]

Welcome to the Builds forum :biggrin:. I'm subbed to Weezard and watched that vid a few months back. It's still funny how he was very complimentary in this video but in another later on he said Honda sports cars (NSX & S2000) are soulless appliances and the NSX sounds like an Odyssey. Kind of a bad take IMO.

Since your goal is to make your NSX more fun to drive, I think there are some decent bling-free options. First for me would be the exhaust, one of the most fun parts for me is hearing the engine breathe, both in & out. Replace your stock headers with aftermarket ones and getting a muffler you like the sound of (plenty of example videos out there). That improves the drive a lot for me on a moment-to-moment basis, especially ripping it up a few gears. Headers & exhaust should also unlock quite a bit more horsepower. Intakes not so much, but getting a new intake scoop or CAI will make the sound better too. I guess these would be my no-brainers. Some "with-brainers" might be stuff like an aftermarket sound system if you're into music when driving or a short shifter to make gear changes more enjoyable.

Ultimately I think the most fun you'll have with any car isn't by modifying it (unless you really enjoy the work), but by making experiences with it. Join a local car club and attend some weekend drives, coordinate a day trip to the Appalachians or cross-country to an IMSA event or something, go to car meets with a group of owners/friends, bring it out on the weekends to run errands even. For me, even if I won the lottery and bought a Huracan or 488, it would become just the same as any other car once the wow factor wears off and it's just sitting covered in a garage. Really depends on what you find enjoyable, but I think the NSX is a great platform for most anything car related you can do, besides maybe rallying. Good memories last longer than almost anything else.

Lots of great advice from Tyler above. It's what you do with the car that delivers the smiles per gallon factor. If you drive it you will want to keep it- you've got one of the best cars ever made sitting in your garage. I went through something similar. Daily drove my 91 for a few years, then had 2 kids and it became a hassle. Got rid of it and bought a GT-R. Once the "wow" factor wore off, as Tyler mentions, it was just another car. I realized that I really missed the NSX, and especially the people. It's a really great group of owners and there are so many different activities you can do with the car.

I will echo the above advice and semi-quote the great Tatsuru Ichishima of Spoon Sports, who said if you really want to improve your NSX, put some headers and a nice exhaust on it and then just drive it. It really doesn't "need" anything else. You'll probably have to do the capacitor dance on your components like the gauges and the Bose speaker amps, since they are all ageing out. Same with the radio- I think Kaz services those. The ABS needs to be rebuilt or you can replace it with the 2000+ system, which in truth you only really need if you drive in wet/slippery conditions. Otherwise, the legacy system is fine. Most of the parts you will need can be found on amayama or through Marc Perez at Mita Motorsports, including the window regulators.

When I sold my 91, at least 20 different owners contacted me and told me not to do it. I should have listened to them. Keep your car.

 

[docjohn]

If having the $ tied up in a 2 seat car is bothering you...spruce it up and it will sell nicely. If you want a fun 4 seater and are a Honda lover think about the CTR....

 

[ICTVillain]

Thank you for the type R advice.... if only it had five seat belts....

Instead I have an Accord Sport 2.0 with 6MT. It does the trick! Really a great car and I haven’t found a part of the car I don’t like.

 

[ICTVillain]

Thank you for the suggestions. Just got the regulator in the mail... waiting for the snow and ice to melt away (not sure why Kansas had an early winter) so I can get it up to the Wizard.

I will start looking at exhaust and headers now...

 

[RYU]

I'll post the unpopular opinion. If I was in your shoes, living in KS, I might consider selling my NSX and use the value appreciation to buy something with a crap ton of straighline wHP (GTR? Demon?). I just haven't spent much time in that part of the country to form a credible opinion. In my case, the NSX comes alive when driven hard through the twisties. I wish I could say an Intake, Header, Exhaust.. would be enough but for me, it simply would not be.

I made this video the other week and in these conditions, my NSX is the best dance partner I could ask for.
https://youtu.be/9Y6-7gqMXxk

I hope you find joy with your NSX, but selling it for something else isn't a bad thing.

 

[Honcho]

Thank you for the type R advice.... if only it had five seat belts....

Instead I have an Accord Sport 2.0 with 6MT. It does the trick! Really a great car and I haven’t found a part of the car I don’t like.

Thank you for the suggestions. Just got the regulator in the mail... waiting for the snow and ice to melt away (not sure why Kansas had an early winter) so I can get it up to the Wizard.

I will start looking at exhaust and headers now...

Nice choice on the Accord. I'm a big fan of the current generation. It's a lot closer to the ones from the 90's that were some of the best cars in the world. If I didn't use my F-150 for so much, I'd probably choose a Sport 2.0 too!

Lots of knowledge here on Prime regarding headers and exhaust. Just ask and we can answer for you.

 

[neuronbob]

Thank you for the type R advice.... if only it had five seat belts....

Instead I have an Accord Sport 2.0 with 6MT. It does the trick! Really a great car and I haven’t found a part of the car I don’t like.

I also have an Accord Sport 2.0 6MT, which I’ve dubbed “Dad Type R”. It was love at first drive on the test drive. People have complained about the shifter but I find it’s just fine for a daily driver. And the back seats....it’s a limo back there. Family loves it and I love driving it. It’ll be the only driving fun I have now that my NSX is just about tucked in for the winter.

You are the third NSX owner on this forum that I know of (there’s me and one other) with the Accord 2.0 manual.

Enjoy!