My NSX gets no respect

[akira3d]

Okay, this week has been hell. First, I have to face insurmountable deadlines which keep me at the office until late in the morning (including 5am on the weekend). Then I have to deal with my computer software constantly crashing while the press comes waltzing through for demos (while I'm STILL trying to meet my deadline).

Simultaneously, I have to deal with a boss who loves the fact that a business colleague and fellow NSXer has gotten a Ferrari 360. Worse, my boss constantly loves to tease that this guy's NSX has now been demoted to a "beater" car.

Even when I take some breaks to play a round or two of Gran Turismo 3, I have to endure more NSX bashing (I'm the ONLY one in the office who chooses the NSXs in GT3).

But then the ultimate insult. Last night I FINALLY get to leave the office before midnight, only to discover that my NSX has been bathed in spit! Somebody had taken the time to cover a good section of the trunk, roof, and sides of the car in spit (at least, that's what I HOPE the dried liquid was). They also smeared their hands around the windows and on the paint along a good length of the driver's side.

I couldn't exactly wash my NSX in the dark, so I rinsed it when I got home and went for a quick drive to air dry the bulk of the water. And, of course, I fully washed and dried the car in the morning before heading into work. Thank the NSX gods that I had waxed my car just a week before because I didn't see any damage to the paint.

Ugh...we NSXers get NO respect. And that's the LAST time I park near a staircase or elevator in ANY parking structure.

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--akira3D ('00 NSX-T red/black #113)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

akira3d.com/nsx

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[ilya]

Let me be the first to say that I'm pissed for you too!
I guess it's OK for us to tease each other about cars to bust each others balls. But what happened to you was vandalism. Do you think it was someone in your company who did that? That's truly disrespectful regardless of what kind of car you have.
I think the people in your office are a minority. Most people only dream of driving a car like an NSX or a Corvette.
We used to rib each other all the time at my last job because we had a few enthusiasts with different cars.
What happened to your car is unacceptable. I hope it never happens again and you could find out who did it.
You just don't mess with a guy's car. That's grounds for a swift elbow to the jaw.

 

[scottjua]

More than an MF'in elbow...Damnit man! This makes ME mad and I don't even own the car yet. I just feel violent now and I would have loved to have cought the person who did such a thing. Would have been worth them even doing it.

sorry to hear about this...grrrrrrrr

As for the ribbing...I agree, I still poke fun at my friends who are all driving sports cars and I'm stucking putting around in my Turbo sedan...It's all in good fun. Remember like me...those who rib, still wish they had one.

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Got dat ol' vee six cilnder inder?

http://www.nextestdrive.net

 

[akira3d]

I'm fairly certain it wasn't a coworker (they KNOW how pissed I can get and fear even breathing on my car)

And besides, most of the inter-office NSX-ribbing comes from my Ferrari owning boss (he STILL insists I made a huge mistake getting a NSX).

The problem is that we have to park in a public parking structure located in the middle of the popular Third Street Promenade. I should have known better than to park next to the elevator (in fact, when I told one of my coworkers what happened, he noted that his '01 S2000 had been keyed in that very same spot).

I have to calm down now...more press coming through today...

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[David]

That blows. Makes me glad I live in a state where "He had it commin" is still considered reasonable grounds for assault.

Cheer up; ugliness like that is usally driven by jelousy and small-mindedness. Read a chapter of 'The Fountainhead' and put the losers out of your mind.

[This message has been edited by David (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[akira3d]

Believe it or not, this gets even better. I've been talking with some of my coworkers and one mentioned that his red RX-7 had similar hand smears on his window and along the rear of the car (and he WASN'T parked next to the elevator). Should this make me feel better than my NSX wasn't singled out? Of course, no bodily fluids were evident on HIS car.

And one of my coworkers with a clear view of the parking structure from her desk mentioned that she saw three suspicious looking teenagers just hanging out of the roof of the structure yesterday looking like they were up to no good. Gotta love summer.

But what can you do when you don't catch them in the act?

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--akira3D ('00 NSX-T red/black #113)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

akira3d.com/nsx

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[scottjua]

makes one want one of those flame thrower anti theft/car jack devices found on cars in South Africa. ^_^

 

[akira3d]

And even more. Another coworker had his antenna bent. And a week earlier, another had his window smashed. Now I'm getting REALLY concerned....

 

[hejo]

I think it's time to buy a beater to drive to work and spare the NSX the punishment. Tell your boss your going to pick up a F308!

I think until things settle down I'd try to find another alternative. It's not worth having your car trashed. The odds are these punks will go away soon or they're going to do something really serious. If that happens I hope your car is not involved. Also if the value of the cars is high enough the cops will probably consider it a serious crime.

If you work downtown SF aren't there any private garages near your office that you could work a deal out? I use to commute/fly to SF for work. Even though I had a rental there was a private lot I parked at. It's amazing what a few cigars and some scotch will get you.

[This message has been edited by hejo (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[akira3d]

Actually, I work in Santa Monica and parking is a rare commodity around here. Most of the offices along Third Street do not have private parking, the ones surrounding devote a good portion for the public (or at least during nights and weekends) and are unwilling to give those public spaces to other businesses due to the amount of money they rake in from the public. And, of course, our office needs space 24-7, close by so we don't feel vulnerable when we leave the office during those odd hours of the night. I know my boss continues to look for better parking situations for us...but I'm not holding my breath.

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[ilya]

I had no idea that's where you parked! I used to feel safe parking there on occasion when I go down to 3rd St., but now I'm feeling uneasy about it.

 

[netNSX]

Sorry to hear about that. I had a few problems in my X near there also. Are you in the same building as Point Zero Design?


Ken

 

[Jim]

Does anyone mess with your coworkers and Boss' Ferraris?

 

[hejo]

Originally posted by akira3d:
Actually, I work in Santa Monica ...

[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 20 July 2001).]

Dah I guess I blue screened on that! I was thinking San Mateo!

 

[ak]

What you need is the Theft Prevention system sold in South Africa. I saw this system on TV but they have this thing where you can shoot huge 6ft flames from the side of your car if your car is getting car-jacked on the road(which I guess happens quite often). It's pretty damn awesome. All u need to do is automate the system and put the fire outlet all around the car. Once someone comes near the car, babooom, the fire erupts and burns them mercilessly. Anyone know what I am talking about??

 

[akira3d]

Anyone know what I am talking about??

Yeah, I've seen pics. Unfortunately, there are laws here against booby trapping vehicles...and, as much as I'd love to see such devices here, I'd hate to have one backfire

I've never heard of Point Zero Design, so I don't know what building they are in. We're located above the CT Food Court and DHIMA (next to the Mann Critereon Theaters...hard to miss).

We're not even in the same parking structure that we intitially were given space in (the one that backs up to our office) because the City of Santa Monica decided that the public deserved access to it (they booted ALL businesses from this structure). They moved us to a structure that was more than a block away, which totally sucked when leaving in the wee hours of the morning. We complained and they eventually moved us across the street.

That said, we still had problems in our old structure. Though my boss' Ferrari was never touched (he hardly ever drives it to work anyway), his M5 was vandalized (somebody broke off his spoiler and took his M5 logos).

Up until this incident, my NSX had never been touched, so I had grown somewhat comfortable parking in EITHER structure (I have favorite spots that I usually can grab). After all, I've had the car for more than a year now free of such incidents (and no one every messed with my old Celica). And the problems that have occured in the past were quite infrequent (logos got ripped off a coworker's ITR , an ex-coworker had his wheels stolen off his M3 in broad daylight, etc.).

Still, you can understand why I worry so much. Perhaps I will get a beater...but I'm so spoiled by the NSX that the cheapest beater I am willing to consider is a S2000 (which is hardly a beater).

 

[nsxtasy]

Perhaps I will get a beater...but I'm so spoiled by the NSX that the cheapest beater I am willing to consider is a S2000 (which is hardly a beater).

An S2000 is also going to be equally susceptible to the same kind of vandalism.

 

[hejo]

Originally posted by akira3d:
Perhaps I will get a beater...but I'm so spoiled by the NSX that the cheapest beater I am willing to consider is a S2000 (which is hardly a beater).

I agree with nsxtasy a S2000 will attract the same kind of abuse. If I was going get me a beater it would be a blues mobile! I'd be wild eye Jake!

 

[MICHAEL M]

Get your co workers to park together and plant a camera to watch over your property and record the vandals and convict them away. Put up a reward for their conviction.

 

[1HOT NSX]

By all means get a beater, but a nice old beater. Something like an old '90 300 ZX. You can pick one up - a clean one - for about 8K and they are reliable and fun. Nobody would bother to molest it. I owned one and I loved it. I only take my NSX on long drives, the curvy kind up highway one, on weekends. I would not enjoy the car at 15 mph stuck in traffic. I've got to have an open road full of curves to make my day driving my NSX. JMHO of course.

 

[akira3d]

I was obviously joking about the S2000 as a beater (I had previously mentioned that my coworker's one got keyed in our structure). But I am spoiled...I certainly can't justify buying just any car after driving one as good as the NSX.

Another scenario I've considered is using my wife's current car (a '97 Civic) and getting her a new car, SUV, or whatever. But the problem is that her work parking has its own set of problems. Though she has no fear of the public, the spots in her structure are so close together that you cannot avoid door dings (her Civic has quite a few at this point). She jokes that she should just stop working and then this would no longer be an issue.

Having three cars is actually somewhat of a problem for us because our townhome has a two car garage and our home owner's association frowns upon leaving a third in the guest lot. Even if we were to get permission, that particular car would get dirty very quickly because trees surround the lot. I'd rather save the money now for a bigger house with a three car garage (and with my current investments, that will take centuries).



[This message has been edited by akira3d (edited 20 July 2001).]

 

[CChung]

Hi Eric,
Sorry to hear about that spitting incident at work but be grateful it was something that didn't leave any permanent damage to your NSX, like having your car keyed. I'm not too familiar with Santa Monica but whenever I visit 3rd St. Promenade that
area always has heavy foot and car traffic. I would not feel safe parking my NSX there for a few hours, much less all night as it sounds like you're doing right now. I agree with the others and try to get a second car to drive to work so you won't have to worry about parking it anymore and you may appreciate your NSX EVEN more when you're not driving it everyday.

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'00 NSX-T, silverstone/blk, #252

 

[BB]

Akira3D,

I feel for you. I have parked my NSX in parking garages in downtown Portland and Seattle numerious times and felt very uneasy about it. In my opinion these are the perfect place to get you car terrorized because the vandles can easily do their damage without anyone seeing them in the act. I always place my car cover on the car when parking in such locations to avoid attention. Though I often wonder since I'm the only one with a cover on my car if it draws more attention.

So far I've had one incident equivalent to yours: While parked in front of a pub/bar in Canada, someone tore my car cover off, threw it on the ground, and dumped beer all over rear end of the car. Admittedly it wasn't the brightest place to park, but I still felt quite violated.

Fortunetly, I don't have to worry too much about the security of my car at work since the facility I work at is fenced and gated with guards at all entrances. I don't think I could handle having to park in a public parking garage EVERY DAY-- I'd go crazy!

Definitely consider getting a beater car and only drive your NSX occationally to work. That way you'll minimze the chances. I have an '89 CRX Si I usually drive whenever I need to go somewhere without safe parking for the NSX. It's a surprisingly sporty car to drive for an econo-box and can be bought for about $3000 used-- about what I paid for my Gruppe M exhaust.

After driving the CRX around town for several days, getting into the NSX is a real treat-- definitely make it feel more special.

Though I've often thought about getting something a little nicer than the NSX as my "beater car". Maybe either a '91 Prelude because I just love the seating position of that car-- very similar in feel to the NSX. Or maybe a late model MR2 or Miata. What does everyone feel the best used beater sporty/reliable car under say $10,00 or so would be?


[This message has been edited by BB (edited 23 July 2001).]

 

[nsxtasy]

What does everyone feel the best used beater sporty/reliable car under say $10,00 or so would be?

'92-95 Integra GS-R.

 

[hejo]

I think either an Integra or Legend would be excellent. The legend would give you a different enough feel than the NSX that your expectations wouldn't be the same. Also I think it would attrack less attention than an Integra.

With the Integra I suspect you'd want to start modifying it just because it lends itself to doing so. But then if you start doing that then you'll not driving a beater. JMHO.