Back in the fold! Road trip with my 1999 Monte Carlo NSX-T

[PHOEN$X]

Ten years ago I fulfilled a childhood dream and became the owner of my first NSX, a gorgeous 1991 red/black coupe that I purchased from a local seller in Scottsdale. Although I no longer have that NSX, my desire for the NSX never diminished. This week I became the lucky owner of a 1999 Monte Carlo Blue NSX-T, affectionately referred to as "The Blue Sled" by her former owner Mark (funnyboneman). Although Mark is from Phoenix (and used to be part of the NSX crew there, so I'm familiar with the car), he had taken the Blue Sled with him to Washington state, where I traveled this Thursday to bring her home.

I have to thank Mark for being such a terrific guy to work with (double meaning: as it turns out he and I work for the same employer ), and for having such excellent taste in NSXes. When I first saw on Prime that the Blue Sled was available, I called him immediately and made a verbal offer which he accepted and upheld (a fact I greatly appreciated since I had recently experienced frustration with several sellers). Mark was extremely helpful throughout the whole process (he even informed me of a cheaper, direct flight option to the part of Washington where he resides that I wasn't aware of), and was extremely generous with his hospitality once I arrived.

Mark picked me up from the Pasco WA airport in the Blue Sled, and I fell in love with her all over again. He took me to Redline Automotive, where Jeromie Mead, the owner (a nice guy who seems to be an expert on cars and planes) had serviced her for the past few years. Jeromie was kind enough to put the Blue Sled on a lift and go over everything with me. Once done with that, Mark showed me around the area and we spent the whole day talking about NSXes (and a little about work). Mark allowed me crash at his place for the night, and I began my road trip in the morning. I know Mark was sad to see me leave with the the NSX, but I hope it's of some consolation that although I am a die-hard NSX purist, I like the upgrades that Mark has done and plan to keep the car as-is (however I did order a Shark antenna, sorry Mark :biggrin.

The first day of my road trip home has been so much fun. I had all but forgotten what an amazing feeling it is to drive an NSX, and getting reacquainted today was incredible. Those of you that own NSXes know the experience is indescribable, and impossible to glean from tech specs. I thoroughly enjoyed the 427 miles from southeast Washington state to Twin Falls, Idaho today, and am looking forward to the drive to Vegas tomorrow.

Below are some photos of my journey so far. Enjoy!

Start of my journey at Mesa Gateway Airport
<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/le4QOH0pVlTgu2GaPppK91Y18nUGXy2iC7Hv8O1UpGc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EEL6ekdBrrk/T21F5jLQ9_I/AAAAAAAAAJs/XNvaTljbH_Y/s800/IMG_8897.JPG" height="600" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/107263469507097970377/NSXTrip032012?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJOyou7d5P_npAE&feat=embedwebsite">NSX Trip 03-2012</a></td></tr></table>
Blue Sled on Mark's driveway

On the lift at Redline Automotive

Clean underbelly

Profile photos

Mark had the wheels powder coated, and he painted the calipers himself. Looks great IMO.

Getting into the mountains

Uh oh - the weather is starting to look ominous

Zero visibility

Snow!

More snow

Made it to Boise, but the Blue Sled needs a bath

Time for a hand wash at J's Ultimate Hand Car Wash

These guys were great, they loved the NSX and thanked me for bringing it there

Leaving Boise and heading toward Twin Falls, Idaho

Settled in for the night in Twin Falls

To be continued...

 

[Viper Driver]

Congrats! So glad to see you with another NSX. Great story, and hope to see you and the car soon!

 

[bngl3rt]

What a gorgeous car! Glad she's staying in the community.

 

[whiteNSXs]

Congrats!!!!!!
Steve

 

[Sim NSX]

The blue sled is so beautiful as is.. glad you will be keeping it that way.

 

[socold57]

congrats.... get a new antenna asap lol

 

[Dynamic-uzed-auto]

Niceeeeee

 

[kookoo4nsx]

Your quote

"Those of you that own NSXes know the experience is indescribable, and impossible to glean from tech specs."

No truer words have ever been spoken.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Day 2: Viva Las NSXes!

Travel tip - Bed & Breakfasts are great alternatives to chain hotels for car road trips. After chowing down on a delicious breakfast at the Fillmore Inn in Twin Falls, Idaho (where the NSX was safely parked in a gated courtyard), I headed out. I made a brief stop at the Shoshone Falls Park upon the innkeepers' recommendation, then set my GPS for Vegas and never looked back.

The 500 miles from Twin Falls to Vegas is a pretty dry drive in an NSX. After hours of boring straightaways, I almost dozed off. I finally played some Dave Ramsey podcasts on my iPhone, and that kept my brain engaged enough to stay awake for the remainder of the trip.

After reaching Vegas and grabbing some sushi with my parents, I decided to hit the strip for old times sake (as I hadn't been down Las Vegas Blvd in an NSX since the 2010 NSXPO). Along the way I saw a stock black 3.0L 5-speed NSX coupe in front of a grocery store near Chinatown, so I had to stop and say hello. As I was taking some pictures, a middle aged Asian man pushing a shopping cart full of groceries returned to the vehicle. He ignored me until I asked what year his NSX was, and his response: "I don't know. It's my dad's, he wanted me to do some shopping for him. Oh, you have one too." This guy was clearly not an enthusiast, oh well.

I made my way to Las Vegas Blvd and was cruising by the Bellagio when I hear a man yell "NSX! NSX! NSX!", then an ear piercing shriek from his female companion followed by "THAT'S MY CAR!" Now that's the kind of NSX enthusiam I can relate to, and it made my night.

Further down the strip, I stopped next to a bicycle cop who had pulled over another car. He looked over at me and said "An NSX eh? Old school!" We chatted for a bit before the light turned green and I drove away. That concluded my evening out on the town, and tomorrow I finish my journey back to Phoenix.

Here are some pics from the day, enjoy.

Finally rolling into Vegas

There are surprisingly few bugs after 500 miles of driving

Stock 3.0L black coupe

Cruising down Las Vegas Blvd

 

[jaybird]

WOW ! Contgrats on the purchase - absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing the adventure and for the great pics. What a great way to enjoy the entire buying experience - I'm envious! :biggrin: Happy Motoring! Jay

 

[docjohn]

love the enthusiasm,Kelvin.....makes all us old timers remember our nsx honeymoons:smile:

 

[DocL]

Welcome back again to NSX ownership. Monte Carlo Blue is my favorite color. :smile:

 

[Blue Batmobile]

Congrats! What an awesome color .

B@t™

 

[Osiris_x11]

oh yeaaa...

Congratz' on getting back on the saddle!

 

[silverNEEK]

Congrats, nice NSX!!

Nik and Sandra

 

[PHOEN$X]

Day 3 - NSX & Friends

After a good night's sleep and hearty breakfast in Vegas, I started the drive to Phoenix. I've traveled between Phoenix and Vegas many times, so I'm intimately familiar with that road and was really looking forward to it. Also, after 900 miles I was finally getting comfortable with the Blue Sled and confident of what she could do. I felt totally at ease with her by now, and she was begging to be let loose.

We ate up those miles and were totally in tune with each other, easing up as we entered each curve, and accelerating out of the apex. This is what driving an NSX is all about. It was such a joyous experience; I was completely mesmerized and didn't turn on the stereo or make any stops until arriving Wickenburg. I had never done that drive so quickly before, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

In Wickenburg, NsXMas and nsxter were waiting for me with their NSXs, and they were a sight for sore eyes. It took me back to the first time I had caravaned with other NSXs, and I got that knot in my throat again as we took off toward Phoenix. It was the best welcome home my NSX could have had. Once in town, we stopped to grab a bite to eat and chat.

After lunch, we said goodbye to nsxter, and NsXMas and I drove to the O'Reilly Auto Parts store across the street to get a battery tender for my car. We pulled up in front of the store, and as we walked in, I noticed the store employees were staring. One of them said, "I have so many questions, but I'm not going to ask." Priceless!

Finally, I said goodby to NsXMas and headed home. I wasn't expecting the day to get any sweeter, when suddenly around the corner from my house I saw an open garage and a pristine silver NSX parked inside. So naturally I stopped, and rang the doorbell to speak to the owner. It turns out my neighbor is a car guy, and has owned his 1997 NSX (with only 30k+ miles!) for 9 years. We checked out each others' cars and exchanged info, and I promised to keep him in the loop on future events. It's so nice to have a new friend for my NSX to play with.

That wraps up my amazing NSX road trip. Enjoy these photos; I look forward to many more stories and pictures to come!

Driving on the Hoover Dam overpass and entering AZ

Love those curves

The official welcome wagon

The Blue Sled's nose is still pretty clean

So sweet to caravan with NSXs again

Awesome views

Lunch and photo op

My neighbor's NSX

Finally home!

Trying on some accessories

Do you think this will keep my car from getting keyed at the gym?

I leave you with my NSX's infotainment system.

 

[blue_myriddn]

wonderful car and story - thanks for sharing!

 

[NsXMas]

Very glad you made it home safe and sound. Awesome photos and road trip. It was great for nsxter and me to meet up with you in Wickenberg, and the drive back to lunch was awesome.

Get some new tires and there will be loads more NSX drives ahead!!!! :biggrin:

 

[EAC]

Nice car, looks like a fun journey.

I hope that sticker is a joke.

 

[alum04org]

Congratulations!

Beautiful blue NSX, superb write-up that was wonderful to read along with awesome photos.










Indigestion at the 99% sticker.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Nice car, looks like a fun journey.

I hope that sticker is a joke.

Yes, a friend gave me that sticker for my Accord. :redface: I'm still in shock that someone would deliberately deface such beautiful car, and I will probably never take my NSX to the gym due to fear of haters.

It was an incredible journey. I'm still in disbelief that there's a gorgeous blue NSX sitting in my garage. I find myself going out there to stare at her (just like I did with my first NSX).

I calculated the mileage for my trip, and I averaged between 25-27 miles per gallon. That's on par with my 4-cylinder Accord, which is pretty amazing. I ordered new rear tires today, a new rear view mirror (the existing one has some etching within the glass that won't come off), new trunk struts to replace the old tired ones, and picked up some Shin-Etsu grease & a few other items. I can't wait for the Shark antenna to arrive so I can install that, and then my NSX will pretty much be complete. I also dug out my old chrome "NSX" license plate frame, and it looks great on the car. Now I'm wondering if I should get this frame for my Accord. :biggrin:

 

[Quix-Draw]

So-o-o-o-o very cool!!

Congrats on the adoption! Sweet color too... Time to update the avatar buddy. :smile: Looking forward to seeing her in the flesh!

Congrats again, Tim.

 

[arista5]

Great story, and when I buy my NSX Daily Driver then I will take the drive back in the car too :-D

Good Luck with the car... I would say Enjoy it but it looks like you already beat me to it

 

[PHOEN$X]

Thanks guys! I feel very fortunate to have such a rare color.

I'll get around to updating my avatar. I need to relearn how to use Photoshop again. :biggrin:

 

[condumbwerkz]

Congratulations on your purchase. The car looks gorgeous