Ken,
You're probably right on the MSRP of the Z06. But many Z06s are discounted quite a bit...
http://www.z06vette.com/forums/
And yes, the Vette is included in the new $2002 promotion.
I think $45K is close to what many Z06 owners paid for their cars.
I still think that a $89-90K MSRP is too high for the NSX though. It might be that most 2001s were actually selling for that amount, but I also don't think it's good for the marque or the brand to routinely have to offer such deep discounts. It devalues the car and that's not a good idea for the long term.
I'd much rather see Honda bring the MSRP down to $70K. I think they would sell more cars and bring in more revenue even if the dealers didn't discount as much. Of course, they might lose more money, but that's another story.
I also think that it's possible that a $89K sticker price scares off potential buyers and they never even bother to look further at the NSX and to negotiate.
Although we "know better," the NSX and Honda doesn't have the mind and market share of Porsche. Money notwithstanding, I wouldn't trade my NSX for a Boxster or a 911, but obviously the bulk of the buying public think otherwise.
Honda has always to me meant excellent engineering, high quality and value for the money. They always had a better product at a lower price than the competition. And while it might be true that the real competition for the NSX is Ferrari, the actual competition, I believe is Porsche.
Honda had originally planned to build 6000 NSXs per year. They need that number to keep the interest alive. Just think how much more active and vital the NSXCA and NSXPOs could be at those sales number levels. And that translates into interest for Honda and Acura.
At some point, the very low production numbers simply represents failure instead of exclusivity.
At $69K, Honda would still have a very exclusive vehicle. It would be significantly more than Vette and that would be appropriate for the engineering and quality. It would just under a Porsche 911 and that would be appropriate too. It would make all those 911 buyers think twice.
Gee, perhaps Honda would even start moving enough units so that dealers would have a few on hand for test drives.
-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
Looking for 76-79 Honda Accords