Originally posted by PaulC:
Is it reasonable to compare the NSX to a porsche. i.e. looking back at a 1980 911 right now. I would say ferrari too, but their maintainance costs are in a different league and it seems like very few actualy make it to that kind of milage.
At the risk of getting booted to the off-topics forum, I would have to say that having looked at an 87 Ferrari Testarossa and the 81 Porsche 911SC that I almost bought this week, that there are some significant issues with the NSX that very in this argument.
The Porsche has evolved over 35 years of continuous improvement, each usually better than the last. There are certain thresholds as which values tend to rest with that marque. The early 70s 2.7 liter engines are a nightmare and should be avoided at all costs. I found out today that the 78-83 911SCs are prone to transmission problems that eat teeth and strip synchros. The best of breed stars around 1984 with the Carrera labled cars. They start at a now modest $22K but sold originally 16 years ago for almost 2x that.
The Ferrari is a different animal altogether. I have seen V-12 Ferraris hold value almost as well as my Coke stock. The Testorossa from the mid to late 80s still goes for over $70K. That is about 60%-70%+ of the original cost. That is good for 13-15 years old.
The NSX is quite different. It didn't undergo major changes and it has not been made long enought for subtle evolutions to mean much. In the grand scheme, I think that there will be 3 categories: 91-95, 95-97, and 97-2001. These more recent cars may be worth more due to the high horsepower and 6 speeds. But if you look at the cost vs. value of these cars, 9 year old cars have gone for as little as $22,000 with high miles. That is only 1/3 of the original sale price. and 1/4 of the current asking price. I don't see the same residual value proposition for we NSX owners.
In fact, I have to admit that as much as I love my NSX, when My lease is up in 2003, I will have to look at the fact that my residual is something like $48,000. If Acura is making a $55,000 replacement for the NSX, and it is any good, I would be a fool not to buy a new one and just turn in my 2000 NSX. Unless of course I have developed a serious emotional attachment to the car and have found it to be the best I could possibly hope to get out of a car at any price... which is entirly possible.