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Yay or Nay when purchasing NSXes driven in the snow?

Well I feel snow isnt a big deal its all the salt on the roads that is the real problem. Not every single part is aluminium on this car. I do hear we have a really good undercoating tho but if it was me I wouldnt buy one.
 
Do you plan to drive it in the snow? If yes, then I wouldn't worry about it. If no, and you plan to baby it and drive it in nice weather only, you probably shouldn't buy it.
 
There are several factors to take into consideration when buying an NSX that has been driven in the Snow/Salt.
1- You have to get the under side checked, because some of the parts at not made of AL and these will rust
2- Generally, any car that is driven in the Snow/salt would not be in as good condition as one driven in the Summer months
3- Most important thing to consider is the maintenance and accidents

Having said that, we have a couple of Members that drive their NSX's year round, and their car looks great, because they take care of their cars, which is very important.

If you need help with PPI the NSXCC can help.

Good Luck
Bram
 
I'd be most concerned with underbody and wheel well damage. This is inevitable with low slung cars, rough, icy, debris-strewn roads coated with salt, salt dust, and sand.

Personally, I wouldn't. It might be a cheap buy but those cars typically will run pretty high maintenance and wearables costs.
 
An extra question you can throw in is the interval in which they spray the under side. I take my daily every week to two to the car wash just to use $1 on the under side.
 
I think a Saskatchewan fellow, NSX2398, is the guy to ask. I believe he DD's his NSX all year long. Lucas
That would be me. Wow .. you actually found another NSX that's winter driven .. and it's for sale. That's about a rare as hitting the lottery.
But joking aside, I'm somewhat biased (and probably alone) in my thoughts about the impacts of winter driving .. although I do have probably more than 30k+ miles of winter driving on mine and it's close to 190k miles so I also have more practical experience with maintenance considerations of winter driving than probably anyone else you'll find.

First of all, as Bram said, a well documented maintenance history is the first thing you want to look for .. but that's important whether it DD or not; winter driven or not.
Second is to have a realistic assessment of how much road rash you can tolerate. Where I live, winter driving means sand on the roads as well as salt so you're likely not getting something that you're going to win shows with. I do my best to protect it with a front bra and mirror bras .. but the paint likely isn't going to be perfect but a good detailer can probably fix some of that
Thirdly .. based on my experiences I can't honestly say there's anything maintenance wise that I can say conclusively that was a direct cause of winter driving .. with the exception of the CD player which gave up after about 3 years of playing CDs in the trunk (which is unheated) at temps down to -30; and maybe the oil pressure sensor switch which I've had to replace a couple of time. I've had to change the A/C compressor; upgraded the ABS system; fixed the Bose amps; etc but those are all things that are typical NSX weak points. And as I've said elsewhere, I put about 75,000 miles across 7 years on the timing belt which had started multiple times at temps down to -40 (which I consider to be the worst stress conditions you could possibly put it under) and when it was replaced by one of the best techs in the US, he said it didn't look any different than anything else he sees. He did bitch though about putting the headers on and replacing the main coolant hoses to the front but that was more because when the block heater was installed, they wrapped the cord around the hoses. Haven't had any issues (knock on wood) with the clutch, brakes (over than ABS), fuel pump, alternator, coil packs .. and I might even be running on the original shocks. I did have some strange ECU problems which required replacing it but it had been mod'd to have a Prospeed chip and Prime has been littered recently with people having strange problems after getting chip'd. Oh .. I know one failure that can be attributed to winter .. the struts that hold the trunk and glass over the engine .. but that's pretty common for any vehicle in Canada that has hatchback-like supports. BTW, test the windows to make sure they still go up and down. When it gets cold, they can go up very slowly. I did the Huga window mod things which I've been very happy with.. although a lot of guys do that who don't winter drive.
Lastly, it would be a bonus if the owner ran synthetic consistently in the winter months and changed filters at least twice a year. But honestly, I might be in the minority but I believe that using the NSX as a DD keeps everything 'exercised' which leads to better lubrication, etc and generally less problems. I seem to have way less battery issues than most people who park their cars .. and mine has to put up with a lot of cold cranks.
Hope that helps ...Ian
 
Owning and Driving an NSX all year in a winter climate.

As another who drives his NSX 365 days a year and lives in a snowy climate....(Toronto).
Here are my experiences and history of the pro and cons of using your NSX all year.
Actually in my mind there are no cons.

I bought it in 2000 from a 2nd owner who never took his car out in the rain...the car had 70K (kilometers)
The first 2 years I garaged it in the winter....but then I missed driving the car and got tired of scraping the ice/snow off my daily driver.

For the last 12 years I have driven it the whole year.
The car now has 198K and besides the normal items (Timing belt done at 90K and 160K, CC Unit, Struts) I have had a clutch and starter replaced.
I have all the regular maintenance done, only use synthetic, and the most important.....whenever I put in gas I take the car through a no touch car wash.

This means at least once a week I ensure that the salt is washed off. I did this with a previous sports car, and no rust after 7 years of ownership.
Rob...our NSX guru had it up on his lift when he did the belt...only a tiny bit of rust on the muffler.

The pros:

Financial.... this seems counter intuitive, obviously a car never driven in the winter will get a higher selling price, lets say between $4K to $10K
But I have saved 12 years (so far) of having to own 2 cars...so lets say (conservatively) the cost of this is $1500 per year. Do the math 12 x $1500= $18,000 I have saved.

Have all the fun and enjoyment of driving the car all year. At -10C, with the dense air the car feels like it has a supercharger.

None of the hassle of putting the car away for the winter.

The fun of driving it in slippery conditions, and experiencing the wonderful handling of the NSX. (I have raced and rallied in the past so don't mind if the back end swings out a bit
when driven too aggressively). However if you plan to drive (aggressively) in winter conditions and have not had any experience of slippery conditions make sure you do an advanced
drivers course.

Cons....bodywork of course will not be as pristine... some good spring cleaning and detailing should make it very acceptable.

Agree with NSX2398 from Saskatchewan that exercising the car is better for seals and belts.
I know there is also an NSXer in Barrie who drives his car year round... we should form a new chapter of Winter Climate DDs NSXers....I am sure there are also some like minded from the US.
 
One thing that I've noticed on my cars in comparison is corrosion and seizing of nuts and bolts on the underside. I don't drive my NSX in the winter and the one difference that I notice esp. with the STi (2010) which is a much newer car, is the amount of corrosion that happens in a short amount of time. With the NSX, as long as you follow the service manual and "replace" the various nuts and bolts on the underside when you service or remove parts as recommended, you will reduce and eliminate most of the effects of salt.

Unless it's a large 13mm - 14mm bolt or nut... reinstalling a semi-corroded nut or bolt on the underside of a winter driven car is asking for it to seize before the next time you get back to servicing it again.
 
Personally, I think the whole issue of corrosion is vastly overblown with the NSX .. hasn't affected me in the least in 12 years of winter driving. There's a school of thought that says the conditions in Regina dictate that they use more sand and less salt than they do in Toronto .. plus we have fewer days where it's close to melting and 'wet', so I should have less corrosion. However, for the first 8 years of winter driving my NSX .. I did park everyday in heated underground parking at work so the snow/salt mix was melting and creating a corrosive solution daily.

Unless it's a large 13mm - 14mm bolt or nut... reinstalling a semi-corroded nut or bolt on the underside of a winter driven car is asking for it to seize before the next time you get back to servicing it again.
This comment made me remember that after about 10 of my 12 years of winter driving, I finally had the adjusting bolt in the right rear lower suspension member 'freeze' and the local dealer was unable to free it during a wheel alignment and chose not to get too aggressive with it so it's still my problem to solve this coming spring.

Lionel .. great to hear of another winter DD owner. I agree with most of your comments with the exception of the ones about hanging the tail out. Unless I turn the traction control off, I find I can almost never do that before the traction control kicks in and overrides the throttle. But with TCS off, it's a lot of fun to do a little 'drifting' .. reminds me of the rear drive cars in the '70s/'80s.
 
Hey guys,

I came across an NSX ad online and the car is daily driven (in the winter too).

What do people think of NSXes that are driven in the snow? What are some things to look out for when purchasing one that's been driven in snow on top of the other things mentioned in the wiki here?


Thanks. :smile:

Hi Andrew,

The answer to your question depends on why you want to buy a NSX.

If you want a collector's car, buy a really low mileage vehicle that's been kept in a garage all the time, then keep it in your garage - don't drive it (because every km you drive will affect the price).

If you're looking for a car to drive, get one that's been driven regularly and well maintained. Parts age best when they move. The car's current state is what matters, not whether it's been driven in the rain or snow. Any car that's driven will show some wear, that's why maintenance is so important. Fortunately there aren't many parts on a NSX which wear faster in the winter. The car was built to be driven.

I've been daily driving my NSX for four years in Ontario and it's in fantastic shape. I have no concerns about taking the car out in the snow as long as it's less than 4" deep, if it's deeper than that I stay home or take the Volvo (which is rare).

When I bought my car I purposely avoided very low mileage cars (mine had 89,000 km on it) because I wanted a car that had been driven to keep everything moving - lubricated parts don't like to sit. As for how winter driving affects the price; collectors would probably pay less for a winter-driven car, but I'd pay the same if not more for a car that's been driven all year 'round because I know it's been taken car of every day and not left sitting for an extended period.

So, I ask again; do you want a car to look at, or to drive?
 
Another black/black was posted on the same day as that one and it was listed for $17k, but was removed in <12 hours after it was posted.

I may be mistaken, but if I remember that $17K ad correctly, it looked like BS. Not surprised it was removed.

The one for 19K, that's a damn good price, if the ad is legit. Am I the only one who is turned off by single photo ads?
There was a 400,000 km NSX in Ottawa which needed some TLC for 18.5K and it sold in less than a week.
So one with 170K km and a decent list of mods, expect to do some maintenance, but that's cheap!

Lucas
 
Would I buy an NSX if it was driven in winter? hmmm, if I had to be honest probably not, but then again if the previous owner didn't tell you, it would be hard to determine. As long as the temperature is below the point where you get slush and mucky conditions the car would probably wouldn't suffer any adverse effects. Can you imagine the fun doing donuts with your NSX in winter? I'm sure a closed course is the best place to learn vehicle dynamics, but winter in Winnipeg has to come a close second.:smile:
 
I feel that both ads are pretty sketchy. I mean the photo resolution of the red NSX is pretty small and sellers usually try to show the best of what they're selling to get the best price for their item. The red NSX also looks neglected with a thick layer of snow on top.

BUT, then I thought maybe the seller is an elderly guy and he has trouble moving around so he left the snow there; and maybe he's out of date with technology so the photo looks crappy. :rolleyes:
 
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Just wait for the us dollar to go down and get one in cali

Hey guys,

I came across an NSX ad online and the car is daily driven (in the winter too).

What do people think of NSXes that are driven in the snow? What are some things to look out for when purchasing one that's been driven in snow on top of the other things mentioned in the wiki here?


Thanks. :smile:


I got mine when the us dollar was 1.3 Canadian. Then again I waited almost 10 years for mine. For an NSX I would say the waiting period should be at least 6-12 months to find a good one otherwise you are rushing in. I also recommend that you buy one with the after market stuff you want on it already done. I would buy one with a nice aftermarket stereo and rims. Those items are not wants they are almost needs for an NSX IMHO. You'll probably want exhaust too, then headers, then maybe turbo at some point in the future. Might as well factor that into the price now if your the kind of person that does mods which I think most are then again maybe it's just me...
 
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