Add one more to the owner's ranks!

[gdae]

Hello. New member here.
I’ve been reading about various members’ arduous search for their cars, and I was planning to make this search myself when the time was right. But then a couple of months ago I had an NSX virtually fall into my lap and ready or not, it was an offer I could not refuse. So here I am after 17 years of NSX-lust.
Strange thing: the car seems to have some sort of hold over me. I’ve always thought the NSX was near perfect, and I SWORE that I would never mod mine. And yet cosmetic changes and tasteful add-ons have begun to haunt my dreams.
The previous owner had used the car as his daily driver since he bought it in 91. Mileage was fairly low but it had a few issues. The biggest was that as a result of sitting in the Texas sun all those years, the paint was shot. The car is Sebring silver; one might expect the black roof to be in bad shape but it turns out that even the silver, reflective as it is, will still fry. When it does, you wind up with certain areas that look like they were sprinkled with silvery-colored glitter (color, not texture).
Three weeks after purchase I couldn’t stand looking at the car like that any longer so into the paint shop it went. Even though the car’s been gone a month (won’t be much longer, now), I can’t stop obsessing about it and … buying stuff. First, I went after the troubling little things, such as the shot engine bay/trunk struts. The antenna had issues so I sorted that out. Then I bought a Smartenna. And then I went with non-essentials, starting with updated wheels. Now I’m looking at aftermarket alarm systems, mesh engine covers, HID headlights, LED taillights ….
All this and I still haven’t put any of the stuff I already have on the car because, after all, it’s in the shop. Maybe it’s the DT’s from withdrawal because I can’t drive, and when I get it back I’ll have to do an extra-long road trip just to get my fix. Right now I’m ignoring my life and poring over NSX material night and day, reading every thread ever written about console refinishing, caliper paint, detailing – you name it. I especially like reading about and looking at other people’s cars. There’s no such thing as too much NSX info. There’s no such thing as too much NSX anything. There is, however, such thing as too little money.
The kicker is I could’ve coasted by for awhile with just an oil change. That’s all the car really needed.
BTW, love the site, enjoy the postings! It’s good to be here.:biggrin:

 

[needspeed]

Congratulations on your NSX have a great time with it and get to meet some great NSX folks around where you live. I have had the best times with mine.....Steve

 

[Energy1]

Congrats! welcome to the Sebring club! dont forget to check out your windows and fix them if they have not already been done...cheers!

 

[slamstrom]

Congratulations, and welcome aboard. I am sure you will enjoy your NSX (driving it and working on it). I only joined Prime back in March when I needed assistance/suggestion on how to replace my trunk struts. The Prime members are full of NSX wisdom.

 

[my1stnsx]

Congrats on your new ride!!:smile:

 

[gdae]

Thanks all for the good wishes. Steve, you’re right. It would be great to get out and meet the NSX crowd. Unfortunately it looks like two Houston-area GTGs have come and gone while the NSX is in the shop.:frown: When I show up I’d like to do it with an actual car.
All four struts were rebuilt by Frank Irvine at Strutwise. The man is a strut-wizard and a gentleman as well. I never would have found him without Prime. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed on the driver’s window – right now it works fine. I know for a fact the passenger’s side was done a few years ago.
Thought you all might get a laugh out of this.
The day I bought my NSX, I took the day off to deal with all the issues. By 1:00 PM it was registered to me at the courthouse and all was done. And none of my friends or family knew what I was up to because I had kept my mouth shut.
I drove straight to town, ready to play out a moment that I had planned literally for years: I’d call my girl where she works, tell her I was in town and why not come down and we’ll go to lunch. The plan was, when she came out of the building, there I’d be, leaning against gleaming proof that so many years of NSX talk wasn’t all BS.
So I back into the empty last row of a nearby lot, switch the car off and I call her. She says she’s free. She’s coming down. Perfect. Perrrfect.
Everything is playing out according to plan. So now all I have to do is pull up and wait for the big reveal. I twist the key in the ignition, and – nothing! Nothing at all. I mean the car is completely dead. I had to manually pull the door lock just to get out.
So now I’m standing there in a cold sweat by my inert dream, trying to ignore the remote possibility that I missed something basic and fried the electrical or the engine my first time out. But there’s no time to work the problem, because my girlfriend will be out any moment.
So … I walked to the door. All the while, the voice of common sense was telling me, “You’re a lucky man, it’s a great car,” and “I’m sure the problem is minor.” When she came out, there wasn’t a car behind me. I was standing there, alone, like a chump.
I struck up a diversionary conversation and escorted her to the car. She looked across the lot and realized the reason for my visit. There was the NSX, sitting by itself, nose out, and seemingly ready to go. She screamed and jumped and hugged me; she was ready to ride, and I had to tell her, “Well, the good news is that I got the car. The bad news ….”
The problem turned out to be what I had hoped it would be. I checked the battery, and the connection had worked its way loose and was completely disconnected at the positive terminal. I put it back on and, naturally, all was well again – an easy-peasey, no-money fix. What a relief! We happily roared off into the sunset.
It probably doesn’t matter how informed you are when it comes to auto mechanics. If your car becomes disabled when you are only into the first hour of enjoying the buzz of ownership, if you experience a problem before you become comfortable with the car, even before the ink is dry on the title, before you get your head screwed on straight, it’s enough to make your hair stand on end.
The flop sweat and embarrassment only lasted a moment, but wow, the sheer timing of that glitch was something else. Now, I didn’t buy the car to show off, but rather because of its elegance, beauty, rarity, performance, and … well … reliability. But come on, we all could use a “Hey, look at this” moment once every 10 or 15 years. Breakdowns I can deal with. Outrageous coincidences eat my lunch. BTW, it’s cranked right up probably a hundred times since then.
Despite a freak occurrence at a critical moment in time, it did nothing to sour my opinion of this car. I love it. The NSX has proven to be all that it was cracked up to be, and the little voice of reason was right: I’m a lucky man, and it is a great car. Let me just say to all prospective owners that for the sake of your peace of mind, may your first hour be mercifully uneventful.
Ok, I'm off to the shop to look at it again and gently pursuade them to hurry!