'91 vs '95

[NSX-hopeful]

Should a '95 command a higher price just because its newer? I heard its actually heavier then the '91 without gaining any extra power which makes it worse. Is that true?

I guess my questions is, what are the pros/cons between buying a '95 and '91 and how much should there be in a price discrepancy assuming the mileage and condition of the car was the same?

 

[HondaHeat]

Good information from the Wiki (performance based benefits in bold):



Changes for 1995
Added targa top version: the NSX-T
Only -Ts were available in 1995 in the US; coupes were unavailable.
Roofs now all body colored
New color: Midnight Pearl
Not Available in '95: Grand Prix White
Black interior changed from interior code E to code J. It's a little lighter.. a dark charcoal color.
Different Exhaust Tips
Sportshift "Tiptronic-style" shifting for Automatics
Power Steering becomes standard for Manuals as well as Automatics
Changed gearing of 2nd gear in Manual Transmission
Modified airflow to brakes to improve cooling
Traction Control Light no longer shines green when activated, still shines yellow when inactive
Throttle-By-Wire
OBD-II
Limited Slip Differential Changes on manual transmission cars. Went from Torque Control Differential to a Torque Reactive Differential - when combined with Throttle-By-Wire, increases speeds out of a corner by 10%. Automatic cars keep old differential.
Bumper reinforcements were changed to extruded aluminum instead of the stamped steel
Approx. 100 lbs heaver than 1991/1992 models due to reinforcements for targa top, including: The base of the B pillar where it joins the rocker panel, larger rear bulkhead crossbar, thicker trunk leading edge panel, a redesigned and thicker-walled rear roof section, a redesigned front roof rail section, additional rib in the center rear bulkhead section, a completely redesigned and thicker upper A-pillar. There's also a redesigned and thicker upper dashboard cross member and a redesigned front lower floor section. The extruded aluminum side sills were extensively reinforced - wall thickness of the vertical center web of the 5-sided extrusion went from 2mm to 6mm.


Please note that the weight difference listed is from a 1991-1992 manual.
The 1993 added a passengers airbag and the larger wheels in 1994 closes this weight gap somewhat. Wheel difference in 1994 added about 11.3 lbs. How much the added airbag and accompanying hardware I can't say but my guess is about 9 lbs.
There's also the power steering weight.
Roughly that makes the 1995 chassis about 80lbs+/- heavier than a 1994 if you do the math.
Consider the technical/performance improvements and decide if having the additional weight of say a 9 or 8 year old is really going to overcome these improvements or slow down the car noticeably.

Here come the magazine racers! :biggrin:

 

[Aaron94T]

Should a '95 command a higher price just because its newer? I heard its actually heavier then the '91 without gaining any extra power which makes it worse. Is that true?

I guess my questions is, what are the pros/cons between buying a '95 and '91 and how much should there be in a price discrepancy assuming the mileage and condition of the car was the same?

Yes the 95 is worth more than the 91. Every year newer NSX is worth more than the year before. The real difference is Targa versus non-Targa. I would say roughly a 5-7k difference.

 

[heySkippy]

Seems to me there have been 4 primary pricing groups of NSX.

1. 91 to 94 NA1 coupes
2. 95 & 96 NA1 "T" cars
3. 97 to 01 NA2 cars
4. 02 to 05 facelifted NA2 cars

IMO going forward we will see groups 1 and 2 merge and groups 3 and 4 merge into 2 pricing groups - NA1 and NA2.

 

[kookoo4nsx]

Skip,

I'd add one more class without splitting hairs. Later year non targa models are quite rare.

 

[mlambert890]

Skip,

I'd add one more class without splitting hairs. Later year non targa models are quite rare.

Agree with Skip and VERY MUCH agree with the above.

The Zanardi and, even worse, NA2 coupes are in an entirely different category value wise based on pure rarity.

As for the 95 being "worse" than the 91, I think this is very subjective.

Some folks will say that they must have the absolute lightest NSX with the absolute minimum of "technical aids". For these folks, the 1991-1994s are THE cars to get.

Other folks, however, want the open air option, power steering, etc but cannot afford an NA2 (by the time 1997 rolled around, production had dropped off so much that there will always be a big NA1/NA2 price gap IMO). For these folks, the 95-97 make a lot of sense.

Another thing to consider is that COLOR can be a big driving factor with the NSX. Most of the colors were limited availability and the extremely limited production means sometimes you have no choice if color is critical.

For example, I love blue sports cars. I had the 03, but I really could never get into LBBP. I think MCB, on the other hand, is the nicest blue I've ever seen in a sports car that wasnt a Porsche So for me, 97-99 was it. Hence the car in my sig

 

[HondaHeat]

Some folks will say that they must have the absolute lightest NSX with the absolute minimum of "technical aids". For these folks, the 1991-1994s are THE cars to get.

Actually the 1991-1992 have the absolute minimum of technical aids and are the lightest.

The 1993 added the additional weight of a passenger's airbag and the 1994 added a larger, heavier, wheel/tire combo.

 

[tbromley]

They are worth more - simple answer - why wouldn't they be and you have the low down on improvements but with that said they are some of the best deals to be had in the NSX line up because of this perception, and it may be a little more than simple perception, but people don't like to think of their NSX being slower than others. They were that inbetween period and still they offer great performance even though they weigh a little more.

Heck my car is faster now cause I lost 20 pounds! Stuff like an 80 lb. difference is really fairly inconsequential. They are nice cars and as i said that perception keeps them a little lower priced than they might othewise be. Still they will surely be more than a 91 of 92 cause they're newer and things changed.

 

[angus]

The only way a 95 could be worth less than a 91 would be a case of extremely low mileage on a '91 (like less than 10K) and very high mileage on the 95 (like over 200K)

I drive a LOT of NSX's in all states of tune and can say one thing for sure - the targa car definitely feels heavier and not as rigid.

- that being said, I still prefer the targa experience.