Need opinions:

[Easy_Goin']

Hey guys, haven't been back for a while, and when I'm back this is what I have to deal with. Just need some opinions/advices on some life skills. A fast forward on what's been happening to me in the past yr. Quit my job to live with my fiance in Japan for 3 years. Between travels, modified my car every chance I got back to Vancouver, and bringing parts back everytime. Got married a year ago. Wife is now with me. Trying to sustain a new business, and looking into creating another business(money is going out like crazy). So, in reality, I've been wanting and waiting to have a meet in Portland with you guys this year, and finally put some faces to the nick's in Prime. My first and ever Nsx meet, and I can't believe I'm thinking about selling my car. The car has finally got a facelift on the wide-body, and has been driven about 2,000kms last 2 years. I took care of this car like it was my left nut!(and my right ofcourse) . Anyways, what would some of you suggest? Sell? or keep? I'll try and post some pics after some opinions, as some may say things due to the looks (good or bad). The reason I brought this up is 'cuz I finally got the nerve to calculate the expenses of this lifestyle. "Holy crap" is what I came up with. In reality, I can put a down payment on a condo(even in Vancouver) with 2-3 yrs expense of this car. Not that this car has many maintenance issues, it's the urge to keep adding stuff on, and I can see it's never ending. Wife is super supportive of whatever I want, and because of this, makes things even harder(I'm sure the married couples know what I'm talking about). Anything will help at this time, as a month blew by without me having find any solution to this issue. Thx and...ofcourse..like many of you, this was my dream car since 1990.

 

[Jetpilot3]

I'd say keep it. There's nothing financially that's telling me you should be selling the car -

Are you about to lose your home? No
Is the business doing well? Seems to be even with NSX ownership
Has the mod bug hit you? Yes, but try and manage it as it can get out of hand as I'm rapidly experiencing...sometimes its good to take a break on the car and finally decide what it is you're looking to achieve. I'm in this position now...do I keep my NSX as a modded +02 conversion or go full out Type R look including parts = $$$

As long as you're happy, life is good, then why sell the car? Unless there's something like a Gallardo, 911, R8 telling you to switch sides then keep it.

 

[drew]

You're asking the right questions, good.

I don't have enough information yet, the main question comes down to:

Is the NSX your daily driver OR is this an additional car for pure pleasure?

If pure pleasure: sell it. It is a pure expense with little utility.

If a daily driver: you'll probably want to keep it. The deal is if you sell your NSX, then you'll need another car to replace it. Generally, the costs of depreciation, taxes, transfer and all that make replacing your existing car a fairly bad idea.

The only reason you might want to sell the NSX is if it does not meet your need of utility.

The NSX is extremely reliable, fuel efficient and very hard to beat, this alone has a lot of value in opportunity benefit.

Drew

 

[ChopsJazz]

Short answer: If you can afford to, keep it. You'll have a very hard time replacing it when you want another one. And you will want another one!

 

[davidf]

I think that your wife stands behind whatever desicion you make is very cool. Theres a lot of wives out there that would love to see some obsessive toys go.

 

[Big_D]

Thats a tough call...of course us fellow owners want you to keep it, but sometimes economics tells us something else. What year is it? If its an early car, the depreciation is not significant and the maintenence is practically nil.

I have a lot of respect for the people that own a successful business and are able to make a living doing it.

Best of Luck to you

 

[slamstrom]

Since your wife is letting you make that choice, how about keep the car for 6 months (and do not do any mods), and reassess after 6 months. No mods should keep the expenses under control.

 

[davidf]

Since your wife is letting you make that choice, how about keep the car for 6 months (and do not do any mods), and reassess after 6 months. No mods should keep the expenses under control.

I agree. Sadly though, modding an NSX is worse than crack addiction, {seriously}. I keep falling off the wagon.:redface:

 

[Easy_Goin']

Please keep the views coming. Altho it seems like 50/50, seems to paint a more clearer picture in my head. Currently, money is not really an issue. Did well in stocks/real estate in the past yrs and ran with it to Japan yrs ago. It's the thought of calculating that I don't have millions, and knowing I don't, the future is at stake. Always wondered how to maintain 'head above water' type of lifesyle and scares the crap out of me. Any thots of about the feeling of immaturity on this lifestyle? Kinda like sometimes when I go meet professionals, the modded out Nsx kinda seems odd, and always ended up driving my SUV there. I'm sure like like many of you, heart and soul was put into this car. No cutting corners what-so-ever! 80+ hours was put into just the paint and groving the lines for the panels to match evenly. It's a '98 Kaiser btw. 68kms.

 

[Jetpilot3]

Okay here's where you need to step back and re-think where you're heading with the mods.

If I was meeting with clients in my modded NSX yes I'd feel the same way because its more of a hobby/lifestyle car isn't it? Can you post some pics? And it seems you've already done the right thing and used the SUV to meet these clients so you're free to keep the NSX as a hobby. If you want to daily drive it then perhaps make it more stock looking?

I took my NSX to a client meeting and I felt comfortable doing so as its not so bling bling, however depending on the appearance of your car I'd reconsider it. Sometimes you need to make a great impression...

If you're worried about money then sell it. My rules for money are (Note I'm 31, and not yet married):

1. Pay yourself first (investments, savings, rainy day, etc)
2. Get a home, condo, apartment and start putting equity into it
3. Have some money in the bank for living a comfortable lifestyle
4. Spend the rest on family and toys (NSX, etc).
5. Never use credit cards as they are evil unless you're great with paying them down.

I'm no millionaire by any means and this isn't a goal to really dwell on as you should live life first. Do the basics as I've done above and you'll never worry about money.