01 corvette coupe or 01 NSX?

robiferretti

robiferretti

Contributing Member
Joined
9 February 2002
Messages
118
Location
Tappan, NY
Obviously this is the NSX forum, but i am sure you've raced the c5 before there are million of them out there...How do they stack up head to head, and why wuold you choose one over the other... i was looking at the 01 nsx a few months ago which they are offering for $82,000... your opinions?

sorry if this is a dupe
 
I traded my 99' C5 Coupe for my NSX. There seem to be a number of people here that have done the same. So, I'm sure you'll get a number of opinions.

Here's Mine:
- 0-60 they are very close. I find the NSX easier to launch, so I think I'm a bit quicker and more consistent than I was in my Vette. A Z06 will dust you in an NSX.
- Build quality: Sorry guys but I've had as many problems w/ my NSX as I did my C5. The interior of the NSX is much cleaner, and made w/ better materials. However my C5 had an in-dash CD player, which I miss. Overall I found the NSX a bit of a disappointment in initial problems. We’ll see how it goes in a couple of years.
- Looks: Hands-down the NSX draws more attention. I think it's a lot sharper looking car.
- Comfort: Close. The C5 seats are VERY good, and more adjustable than the NSX. The C5 also had more room to stretch your legs on a trip(side-to-side). The NSX is a bit shy on luggage space.
- Fun: NSX wins again, by a good margin. The handling is much more precise and more communicative. The front end responds much quicker than the Vette. And, shifting the NSX is slightly orgasmic
smile.gif
Seriously fun car to drive(my main purchase consideration)

$82k sound a bit high for an 01', so shop a bit.


------------------
01' NSX-T Silverstone
02' Chevy Avalanche 1500
00' Suzuki Hayabusa GSX1300
02' Honda VTX-1800
 
You're right, Robiferretti, this is the NSX forum, so be prepared to be inundated with pro-NSX, and possibly anti-Vette, opinions.
That being said, the choice you make will be based on many different factors. For me the overarching factor was refinement. Yes, performance was high on the list. In fact, I thought that performance was my top priority in a sports car. But in real-world driving 0-60 times matter little. As do top speed bragging rights. Ask anyone thats done 160 mph in their car. It's scary and 5 or 10 mph more is scarier still.
I was about to pull the trigger on a P-car when I was persuaded to test drive the NSX. Powerful, beautiful, comfortable, I was sold almost immediately.
The NSX will perform with the best supercars, it is exclusive, it is brilliantly designed, highly refined, and, get this: dependable!
The NSX will not embarass you at the track, where all your racing should be done, and it will be extremely rewarding on club drives and weekend blasts through the country. It is not the fastest car on the planet, but spend some money on driving school and you'll be faster than lesser drivers that have faster cars.
I'm rambling now, but like I said, in this forum you're going to get a lot of NSX love.
 
I had a 2000 C5 before purchasing the NSX.
Both were excellent cars and a lot of fun.
I am glad I chose the NSX and would not go back. IMO, money aside, it's more fun to drive, looks better, is even more reliable and is also exclusive.
Both were great cars and a lot of fun.
If you plan to modify for high HP, I would go with the vette as it's cheaper and responds well to modification.

If it was between an NSX and a Z06, it would be a difficult decision. The performace of the Z06 is so awesome that it would make the decision more difficult.

The C5 is a lot less expensive. It's also fun to drive, reasonably reliable, and an excellent car. I personally chose to replace my C5 coupe with an NSX and am glad I did. It's a personal decision. Drive both and see what you think.
 
I own neither car, but I have driven both so here is my opinion.

The corvette is a brute. The car feels very large compared to the NSX. The hood feels like it goes on forever! Though the two are very similar in performance, the Vette "feels" a lot quicker. (Lots of torque).

For comparisons sake.. the 2 NSX's I have driven have been 91 and 92. The vettes 98 and 01. Both NSX's were still tight after all those years. The 98 vette rattled all over. The 01 vette was better than the 98 and it had 20K miles.

The interior of the NSX is MUCH better. The corvette feels very cheap in comparison and the materials used are typical GM garbage. The seats in ALL used vettes I have looked at have not held up well at all.

The NSX I drove did not have power steering and the corvettes did. I think I would really prefer an NSX with it. You will not have that issue as you are looking at a newer NSX.

Overall, I would say go for the NSX over the corvette because I just think it is a better car overall. If you want a dragster, buy the vette. If you want overall performance and exclusivity, go with the NSX.

------------------
NetViper -= 100% Stock EBP 2000 Civic Si =- Still looking to get an NSX, but at least I can live life at 8,000 RPM!

[This message has been edited by NetViper (edited 12 February 2002).]
 
***The hood feels like it goes on forever! ***

Yes, compared to an NSX, almost any car feels like it has a poor view of the road. Although the view is improved over the C4, you do see a lot of hood in the vette. The Viper is no better. The first thing I noticed when I drove the NSX was not the shifting, power, interior, or even the engine sound.... it was THE VIEW. I'm used to it now, but it was almost disconcerting at first. I could not even see the hood and it felt like I was riding on the ground in a Kart. Beautiful, panoramic view!


The vette does feel a bit large, but you get used to it. I preferred the C4 dimensions after a week with the C5. You get used to it over time and realize how much better a car it is than the C4.
 
Great posts, and very accurate. I had a 99 C5 hardtop (6 speed, of course) before my 00 and 01 NSXs. The comments here perfectly relfect my experiences, particularly the view of the road -- it was the first thing I noticed when I took my first ride in an NSX.

The Corvette is a great car, and super rigid. The NSX is an altogether different driving experience. After owning several vettes, I was pretty sure that the NSX would not compare in the acceleration department. However, I was, and am, thrilled with the way my NSX pulls all the way to 8k. And for heaven's sake, the sound from the cockpit of an NSX from 4K to 8K-- makes a Corvette sound like a milk wagon. As a Brit car magazine put it: The NSX -- the ultimate experience.
 
By the numbers, the C5 and 3.2L NSX are very close (0-60, 1/4, skidpad) with the Vette having, maybe, a slight edge.

The NSX has far superior build quality, much better fit and finish and a much nicer interior. The seats also offer better support. The NSX definitely turns more heads.

The NSX has a better clutch and shifter. On the auto, the sportshift tranny and TC on the NSX walk all over the plain vanilla C5 auto.

The C5 might have slightly farther "limits" in cornering, but the NSX is much easier to take closer to the "limits". The NSX is more pleasurable to drive and less work.

Ride quality on the NSX is very good and the car feels very tight.

Mods wise, the C5 is way easier. The NSX is tricky and expensive to mod. Setting up an NSX as a drag car isn't a great idea anyway though and for xcross, balance and manners matter more than raw power.
 
i drove both before buying, and i have to say that every vette felt like a cheap one night stand. yeah, it was fun. and yeah it was quick, but it was not something i would feel good about the morning after.

what do you want?

my opinion was that the vette would feel cheap after a few escapades. its performance is probably better in most categories, but ownership is more than that.

some of the best rushes ive had were in cheap vehicles with huge engines. very fun, but not what i would want to own.

hard to beat the overall package of the nsx in my opinion. performance, exclusivity, reliability and handling.....with the comfort of it is hard to break. exactly what i was looking for in my wife.....
 
Thats one thing i wasn't big on when getting the vette is that everyone has one...but then again its easier to cusomize them and cheaper. Looking at the NSX it didn't even come with a cd player...for $88,000 i would expect that. I also put a dvd player in ym vette looking at the nsx i didn't wee where i would have been able to put it.

The dealer also said the tires are real expensive and they wear fast...so aftermarket rims are pretty much out of the question. For a car i was going to be driving whenever its sunny, i choose the vette, sure its not as exclusive, but i could customize it, and i'm only 21...plenty of cars ahead of me
smile.gif
 
Originally posted by robiferretti:
The dealer also said the tires are real expensive and they wear fast...
Click to expand...

For which car? I've heard that the tires on the Corvette are a lot more expensive than the ones on the NSX, and that they wear almost as fast. Perhaps our current and former Vette owners here can confirm or deny.
 
Originally posted by nsxtasy:
For which car? I've heard that the tires on the Corvette are a lot more expensive than the ones on the NSX, and that they wear almost as fast. Perhaps our current and former Vette owners here can confirm or deny.
Click to expand...

My Vette tires cost ~$450 a piece for the rears. My NSX tires cost ~$250 a piece. The problem is, the NSX rears didn't make it 5k miles. The Vettes had 18k miles, and half their tread left. I only bought new tires because they had become so noisy(a problem w/ the run-flats). So, per-mile the NSX costs a lot more in tires.
 
Corvette tires are only expensive if you buy the stock run flats and buy from a dealer.
I paid $220/each for my Goodyear tires and they last 25-30K miles (unless you like to spin your rear wheels all day). The alignment on the vette is not anywhere near as extreme as the NSX. The tires wear slow and even. The only negative is the massive toque produces a lot of spin and that can wear the rears faster.

Unlike the NSX, where stock tires generally provide the best performance, the stock C5 tires suck. They used run flats to save weight and not include a spare tire.
The Z06, obviously jettisoning the crapflats, just comes with a little pump and some band-aids.
Have fun.
biggrin.gif


A set of Goodyears in that size are less expensive and better performing. They can cost $350+ from a Goodyear dealer, but less than $250 through somewhere like TireRack. I buy my tires from the almighty Chatsworth Tire.

[This message has been edited by ilya (edited 13 February 2002).]
 
Originally posted by Roadrunner:
And I got 12k on my rear tires so go figure! (97 NSX-T)
Click to expand...

Guess we have a bit different driving styles
smile.gif
My center rib was GONE at 4800 miles, and the outside tread wasn't doing so hot either. When you consider I babied it during the first 1k brake-in miles, it kinda sucked. The fronts will be gone long before 10k, and I'll need another set of rears.
 
some said it was nsxtasy, others maybe Lud's alter ego......still a mystery..
 
docjohn said:
some said it was nsxtasy, others maybe Lud's alter ego......still a mystery..
Click to expand...

Some say he drives his NSX with more wheels stored in it than mounted on it.....others say he liked his NSX so much, his first and last names were only 3 letters long too....all we know is, he's called.........??
 
Wow this is an old post. If you compare the two now (a C5 Corvette and an 01 NSX); a C5 can be had for 20k (maybe less) and that 01 NSX in the 70k range.
 
Assuming the OP (is Rob Ferretti of Gotham Dream Cars (superspeederob on YouTube)? If so, looks like he picked up a 02 LBBP a while back that he's now possibly looking to sell.
 
Aluminsx said:
Wow this is an old post. If you compare the two now (a C5 Corvette and an 01 NSX); a C5 can be had for 20k (maybe less) and that 01 NSX in the 70k range.
Click to expand...

As tastes change over the years (as one gathers wisdom and as offerings hopefully keep improving), I wonder if sitting in a C5 felt as claustrophobic and uncomfortable in 2001 as it does now. The C4 was my dream car as a school kid in the 80's. I would stare at the dealer brochures I'd pick up every new calendar year and just stare at the "perfection" of the cockpit layout, fake plastic bolts and star-wars LED display and all... With nothing better to compare it to at the time, it was heaven to occasionally sit in one in a showroom and stare at the wheel arch curves to the left & right, imagining shifting & steering away, content to stay there for hours while salespersons annoyingly waited for you to exit the display car... Having not yet even sat in an NSX when the C5 appeared, it seemed even better than the C4 (even though by then the NSX & 300ZX had morphed into being my dream cars within reason of possibly owning one day).

Now after having owned a '93 NSX for 4 years, sitting in a C4 or C5 really doesn't inspire much other polite admiration of the owner's fondness for their Corvette. Amazing how "perfect" they seemed when they were the best options.
 
Yinzer said:
As tastes change over the years (as one gathers wisdom and as offerings hopefully keep improving), I wonder if sitting in a C5 felt as claustrophobic and uncomfortable in 2001 as it does now. The C4 was my dream car as a school kid in the 80's. I would stare at the dealer brochures I'd pick up every new calendar year and just stare at the "perfection" of the cockpit layout, fake plastic bolts and star-wars LED display and all... With nothing better to compare it to at the time, it was heaven to occasionally sit in one in a showroom and stare at the wheel arch curves to the left & right, imagining shifting & steering away, content to stay there for hours while salespersons annoyingly waited for you to exit the display car... Having not yet even sat in an NSX when the C5 appeared, it seemed even better than the C4 (even though by then the NSX & 300ZX had morphed into being my dream cars within reason of possibly owning one day).

Now after having owned a '93 NSX for 4 years, sitting in a C4 or C5 really doesn't inspire much other polite admiration of the owner's fondness for their Corvette. Amazing how "perfect" they seemed when they were the best options.
Click to expand...

I happen to love the analog feeling of the NSX interior. I'm a big fan of the KISS principal. Having said that I got to sit in a buddies C7 Corvette and that "driver interface" is really amazing. I don't want to think about the longevity of such a high tech dash but, boy, was it nice.
 

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