Okay, I'm reposting this, since I couldn't edit the title to not say "EDIT IN PROGRESS" way to make my first post on NSXP.
I'll try to keep this brief, but it's a long story so bear with me.
I'll include cliff notes in the end, for those who don't want to keep with it.
I'm a 25 year old auto enthusiast, who happens to be enamored with VTEC cars, currently owning 2 of them. My first VTEC car was my 2001 Acura Integra GS-R, which I consequently still own, and a week ago to the day I added a 2005 RSX Type-S to that. In between the two, I also owned a Z28 Coupe, which solidified my love for VTEC cars, as I hated the 1 dimensional experience the Z28 had to offer. I feel somewhat differently about C5's, but still, high rpm corner carving is what brings me joy.
I am in the A/V sales business, and as humbly as I can say this, am fairly knowledgeable, almost to an alarming degree, when it comes to video, and pursuit of the perfect picture. As a by-product of this, my boss typically sends his well to do friends to me when they need something, because he knows they'll get pointed in the right direction, but I'll also calibrate their display, set up their audio, etc. myself.
Sunday, my boss informed me that his friend was coming to see me for a 62" DLP TV, a 32" LCD Flat Panel, and associated accessories, and I was going to go out to his place and tweak his TV's, set up his audio, etc.
I said "oh yeah? On my day off?" My boss then, knowing my weakness, said "Oh, he has an Acura NSX." I was sold. I just wanted a chance to get close to an NSX... which is my dream car. The gentleman comes in when he said he would, and we talk for awhile, and honestly build a rapport like I've never seen before. We chat away about all sorts of things, and I casually bait him with the "I heard you have an NSX, I'm an Acura fan myself." I mention my 2 Acura's, and begin to talk about NSX's, and he says "Man, I wish someone like you could own my car. That car needs someone who appreciates it." random banter ensues, he leaves, I made a new friend.
Monday rolls around, and I pull into his driveway, and see the classic look of the rear end of an NSX in the garage. "Today is a good day." I say to myself... but I'm all business. I calibrate his TV and audio, lay out where I want his contractors to run the cabling for his LCD, etc. When we're done, he asks if we can calibrate his sons TV. "Sure thing." I say, after all, at this point, the guy is my friend. "He just lives downtown." says my new friend, which in Indianapolis, downtown is only 15 minutes from anywhere. "We'll take the NSX."
FINALLY! My chance to ride in an NSX. Or so I thought. He tosses me the keys... and says "You can drive a stick, right?" I reply "You better believe it." and dumb-founded, I slide behind the wheel of the car that started it all. The last remaining japanese supercar. The first car with VTEC. The car that showed the world that the Japanese in fact COULD NOT do it like the Italians, but they COULD do it better. I acclimated myself to the controls, the shifter, the pedal feel of the clutch, adjusted the mirrors, and then we were off. I tipped into VTEC a couple of times, but never enough to excite me too much... but none of that really mattered to me. He mentioned that I was only the 6th person EVER to drive the car (I'm counting the test track run in Tochigi, at the NSX Factory, assuming only one driver did it)
After we got back to his place, I handed him the keys, thanked him heartily, and apologized for my quick departure, but I had another appointment on the other side of town in 20 minutes. He said "Why don't you keep the RSX here, and take the NSX out for awhile?" At first, I refused, saying I couldn't possibly, but he insisted. It should also be noted, that throughout all of our conversations regarding the car, he seemed to always come back to me eventually owning the car. He even (I assume jokingly) offered to carry the financing for me, when I said I didn't think it would be a cake walk financing a 15 year old car.
Before I departed, I asked him when I should return the car, because I'd likely be out for a couple hours. He said "Keep it overnight, bring it back sometime tomorrow." This is the guy who let a total of 3 people, excluding me drive his car in 15 years. I declined the offer to keep it overnight, because I just got divorced, and sold my house, and as such, am in an apartment without a garage. I told him I'd bring it back as soon as I finished my other appointment. He said "Nah, take it out, and pick up a girl, it'll make the car happy." I was beginning to feel guilty, but my boss warned me not to decline any offers he made me, as it could offend him, so I half giving in, half overcome with juvenile excitement took the keys back.
Monday night was like a dream come true. I put 130 miles on the car, driving everywhere, and anywhere it decided to take me. I pulled up to stoplights, reveling in the novelty of being "the guy in the supercar" that everyone gawked at. Boys pointed, gave thumbs up, girls craned their necks to get a closer look at the young guy in the exotic. I could just imagine the "Is that a Ferrari?" and the "What the hell kind of car is that?" being uttered everywhere I went... with the occasional "OMG AN ACURA NSX!" thrown in for good measure. (In Indianapolis, we don't see too many exotics, particularly not in March)
I brought the car back home around 11:30pm. I sat and talked with my new friend for an hour or so, chit chatted about the movies I had loaned him, to enjoy his new A/V setup, showed him some select "Eye/Ear Candy" scenes I have in memory, and before the night was over, it was very clear that I had unlimited access to his NSX... including a garage door opener, and a key. Not just any key either... the Monel key, which I had to correct him, from referring to as a Titanium key. (The 300ZX does, however have a titanium key)
Tuesday morning, around 11:30am, my cell phone woke me up. It was my new friend. Suddenly dread filled me... "Did I unknowingly scratch the car? Did I not do something right?" Quite the contrary... "Joe, it's Mike" he said "I thought since you were off today, you might want to take the car out for awhile." I respectfully declined, citing the glaringly obvious chance of rain, and overall gloom of the day. "Okay Joe, well anytime you want it, you know where it is." I hung up dumbfounded... this is really happening. I have unlimited access to my dream car.
Now here is where I begin to be bothered.
Why is a person who has never let anyone drive his car unsupervised suddenly let a person he's known for 3 days take out his pristine 25k mile 15 year old supercar?
I doubt it's the generous, but lonely old miser seeking companionship thing, because he's a very social guy, with a lot of friends. My boss mentioned that he was too nice for his own good, and was sometimes taken advantage of. I certainly don't want to do that. I'm not sure if I should feed the evil urges, and accept his offers to drive his car at my leisure, or not. What do you guys think? Am I wrong for doing that? What would you do in my position? Am I making this into a much bigger deal than it really is? I appreciate any advice you can offer.
Also, I want to do something nice in return.
I'm going to invest in a quality detail kit, and with the help of the FAQ's, and the "Search" function, take a day out of each week to give his car the attention it deserves. He's certainly not a bad owner, he takes above average care of the car with 90 day oil changes, routine maintenance, etc. but he is known to take the car to a wash bay, and blast it with the hose, dry it off, and call it clean. I'd like to TRULY care for this car, like it were my own... just because I have such admiration for it.
Do you guys have any recommendations on Detailing kits?
I was thinking of the DetailingDynamics.com kits, or one of Sal's kits from Zainostore.com, I'm more familiar with Zaino, but definitely open to opinions.
as promised...
***CLIFF NOTES***
25yr old automotive enthusiast (me) meet super nice NSX owner
NSX owner gives me unlimited access to his car
I feel guilty for taking advantage of his generosity
I feel REALLY SUPER guilty for putting mileage on a 25k mile '91.
I seek advice of wiser members, more socially adept than myself
***CLIFF NOTES***
I appreciate the help, and opinions guys.
Thanks
Dave Hardy's reply, from the original jacked up post.
I'll try to keep this brief, but it's a long story so bear with me.
I'll include cliff notes in the end, for those who don't want to keep with it.
I'm a 25 year old auto enthusiast, who happens to be enamored with VTEC cars, currently owning 2 of them. My first VTEC car was my 2001 Acura Integra GS-R, which I consequently still own, and a week ago to the day I added a 2005 RSX Type-S to that. In between the two, I also owned a Z28 Coupe, which solidified my love for VTEC cars, as I hated the 1 dimensional experience the Z28 had to offer. I feel somewhat differently about C5's, but still, high rpm corner carving is what brings me joy.
I am in the A/V sales business, and as humbly as I can say this, am fairly knowledgeable, almost to an alarming degree, when it comes to video, and pursuit of the perfect picture. As a by-product of this, my boss typically sends his well to do friends to me when they need something, because he knows they'll get pointed in the right direction, but I'll also calibrate their display, set up their audio, etc. myself.
Sunday, my boss informed me that his friend was coming to see me for a 62" DLP TV, a 32" LCD Flat Panel, and associated accessories, and I was going to go out to his place and tweak his TV's, set up his audio, etc.
I said "oh yeah? On my day off?" My boss then, knowing my weakness, said "Oh, he has an Acura NSX." I was sold. I just wanted a chance to get close to an NSX... which is my dream car. The gentleman comes in when he said he would, and we talk for awhile, and honestly build a rapport like I've never seen before. We chat away about all sorts of things, and I casually bait him with the "I heard you have an NSX, I'm an Acura fan myself." I mention my 2 Acura's, and begin to talk about NSX's, and he says "Man, I wish someone like you could own my car. That car needs someone who appreciates it." random banter ensues, he leaves, I made a new friend.
Monday rolls around, and I pull into his driveway, and see the classic look of the rear end of an NSX in the garage. "Today is a good day." I say to myself... but I'm all business. I calibrate his TV and audio, lay out where I want his contractors to run the cabling for his LCD, etc. When we're done, he asks if we can calibrate his sons TV. "Sure thing." I say, after all, at this point, the guy is my friend. "He just lives downtown." says my new friend, which in Indianapolis, downtown is only 15 minutes from anywhere. "We'll take the NSX."
FINALLY! My chance to ride in an NSX. Or so I thought. He tosses me the keys... and says "You can drive a stick, right?" I reply "You better believe it." and dumb-founded, I slide behind the wheel of the car that started it all. The last remaining japanese supercar. The first car with VTEC. The car that showed the world that the Japanese in fact COULD NOT do it like the Italians, but they COULD do it better. I acclimated myself to the controls, the shifter, the pedal feel of the clutch, adjusted the mirrors, and then we were off. I tipped into VTEC a couple of times, but never enough to excite me too much... but none of that really mattered to me. He mentioned that I was only the 6th person EVER to drive the car (I'm counting the test track run in Tochigi, at the NSX Factory, assuming only one driver did it)
After we got back to his place, I handed him the keys, thanked him heartily, and apologized for my quick departure, but I had another appointment on the other side of town in 20 minutes. He said "Why don't you keep the RSX here, and take the NSX out for awhile?" At first, I refused, saying I couldn't possibly, but he insisted. It should also be noted, that throughout all of our conversations regarding the car, he seemed to always come back to me eventually owning the car. He even (I assume jokingly) offered to carry the financing for me, when I said I didn't think it would be a cake walk financing a 15 year old car.
Before I departed, I asked him when I should return the car, because I'd likely be out for a couple hours. He said "Keep it overnight, bring it back sometime tomorrow." This is the guy who let a total of 3 people, excluding me drive his car in 15 years. I declined the offer to keep it overnight, because I just got divorced, and sold my house, and as such, am in an apartment without a garage. I told him I'd bring it back as soon as I finished my other appointment. He said "Nah, take it out, and pick up a girl, it'll make the car happy." I was beginning to feel guilty, but my boss warned me not to decline any offers he made me, as it could offend him, so I half giving in, half overcome with juvenile excitement took the keys back.
Monday night was like a dream come true. I put 130 miles on the car, driving everywhere, and anywhere it decided to take me. I pulled up to stoplights, reveling in the novelty of being "the guy in the supercar" that everyone gawked at. Boys pointed, gave thumbs up, girls craned their necks to get a closer look at the young guy in the exotic. I could just imagine the "Is that a Ferrari?" and the "What the hell kind of car is that?" being uttered everywhere I went... with the occasional "OMG AN ACURA NSX!" thrown in for good measure. (In Indianapolis, we don't see too many exotics, particularly not in March)
I brought the car back home around 11:30pm. I sat and talked with my new friend for an hour or so, chit chatted about the movies I had loaned him, to enjoy his new A/V setup, showed him some select "Eye/Ear Candy" scenes I have in memory, and before the night was over, it was very clear that I had unlimited access to his NSX... including a garage door opener, and a key. Not just any key either... the Monel key, which I had to correct him, from referring to as a Titanium key. (The 300ZX does, however have a titanium key)
Tuesday morning, around 11:30am, my cell phone woke me up. It was my new friend. Suddenly dread filled me... "Did I unknowingly scratch the car? Did I not do something right?" Quite the contrary... "Joe, it's Mike" he said "I thought since you were off today, you might want to take the car out for awhile." I respectfully declined, citing the glaringly obvious chance of rain, and overall gloom of the day. "Okay Joe, well anytime you want it, you know where it is." I hung up dumbfounded... this is really happening. I have unlimited access to my dream car.
Now here is where I begin to be bothered.
Why is a person who has never let anyone drive his car unsupervised suddenly let a person he's known for 3 days take out his pristine 25k mile 15 year old supercar?
I doubt it's the generous, but lonely old miser seeking companionship thing, because he's a very social guy, with a lot of friends. My boss mentioned that he was too nice for his own good, and was sometimes taken advantage of. I certainly don't want to do that. I'm not sure if I should feed the evil urges, and accept his offers to drive his car at my leisure, or not. What do you guys think? Am I wrong for doing that? What would you do in my position? Am I making this into a much bigger deal than it really is? I appreciate any advice you can offer.
Also, I want to do something nice in return.
I'm going to invest in a quality detail kit, and with the help of the FAQ's, and the "Search" function, take a day out of each week to give his car the attention it deserves. He's certainly not a bad owner, he takes above average care of the car with 90 day oil changes, routine maintenance, etc. but he is known to take the car to a wash bay, and blast it with the hose, dry it off, and call it clean. I'd like to TRULY care for this car, like it were my own... just because I have such admiration for it.
Do you guys have any recommendations on Detailing kits?
I was thinking of the DetailingDynamics.com kits, or one of Sal's kits from Zainostore.com, I'm more familiar with Zaino, but definitely open to opinions.
as promised...
***CLIFF NOTES***
25yr old automotive enthusiast (me) meet super nice NSX owner
NSX owner gives me unlimited access to his car
I feel guilty for taking advantage of his generosity
I feel REALLY SUPER guilty for putting mileage on a 25k mile '91.
I seek advice of wiser members, more socially adept than myself
***CLIFF NOTES***
I appreciate the help, and opinions guys.
Thanks
Dave Hardy's reply, from the original jacked up post.
Dave Hardy said:Don't treat it as a daily, but if he's offering I'd be inclined to use it for special events. I wouldn't be comfortable with just taking it when I wanted to - I'd always have to ask just to make myself feel OK, but if he says yes I'd go for it. Maybe he just really enjoys seeing someone experience joy, that he's able to arrange. While not an NSX, I'm open to letting other folks drive my racecar for that - it's just nice to see somebody jump out of my car grinning ear to ear.
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