I'll answer your question, but it is perhaps not the answer you were looking for.
Yes, from a big picture point of view, it is my goal to discourage folks with just a "casual" interest in the NSX from registering.
Why? The forums on this site were headed in a direction I did not like in the mid-2000s so I actively sought to change the direction. While I'm sure your friends are fine, over the years a very disproportionate number of problematic users, as well as non-owners with very high "Off Topic" to "NSX" post ratios, have been folks with only a cursory interest in the NSX.
So I decided to put up a couple fairly low barriers in an attempt to increase the percentage of new registrations that were serious NSX folks. Because the NSX is such a niche enthusiast vehicle and had recently gone out of production, I knew this would mean decreasing the total number of registrations, not increasing the number of serious NSX folks registering. And that was fine with me because growing the site to just be a huge online community around whatever people wish to discuss is not my goal. I don't want an Off Topic forum with 10 "lifestyle" sub-forums. I know other sites do because it increases traffic which drives ad revenue, and there is nothing wrong with that, it's just not what I want for this site.
My vision for the site is one tightly focused around NSX ownership, meaning this site is for NSX owners, people seriously interested in becoming owners, and dedicated enthusiasts. The more membership it is steered towards those groups, the more NSX-focused it will be, and that is my goal.
Looking back over the last 6-7 years from today's vantage point I feel these changes, while not perfect, have largely functioned as intended.
It does bother me that I know some NSX owners have been deterred from joining, but looking at all the statistics (registration rates, post rates in various forums, etc.) I believe it is a small number and the vast majority of serious NSX folks are willing to invest a few minutes to get past the small barriers I have put in place in an effort to keep the site on course.