buy NSX vs corvette Z06

[gordiphi]

I am ready to buy another sports car. I had a 1991 blk NSX but it was recently totaled in a rear end accident. A lot of damage for a relatively low speed accident. The aluminum body cumbled like foil. The cost to fix it was to much for the insurance company. The agent was shocked by the high cost of the parts.
I love the NSX. Mine was not my daily driver but more like desert. It was a treat at the end of the week.
I drove a 2002 corvette Z06 which I loved also. It was faster than my previous NSX and handled great. It is also less expensive than a 1995 NSX. The service cost is probably also less then the NSX. So I don't know which way to go. I am comparing the corvette to a 1995 to 1997 NSX. I think I want a T top this time.
Any help this forum can give in making this decision is appreciated.

 

[NRG]

Since you like both of them, just follow your heart. It seems like you already know what NSX is about...so i think it's time for you to research more on the corvette side. Have you tried the corvette forum?

 

[NeoNSX]

Have you tried the corvette forum?

That's enough to make anyone choose the NSX. just kidding!!! ...sort of.


If you buy the NSX, you'll be a respected part of the NSX community; a god amongst Ricers, and a stud to all the ladies.
If you buy a Corvette, ....well, it's a crowded community.



Seriously though, jokes aside; buy what *YOU* want. If you can't decide, wait, then come back to it later. On this forum you'll mostly get approval for the NSX.

 

[mystican]

A recent event to Road America...brand new vette Z06...had complete brake failure...I would question the build quality...otherwise an excellent bang for the buck...

 

[Twinsen]

If you buy the NSX, you'll be a respected part of the NSX community; a god amongst Ricers, and a stud to all the ladies.
If you buy a Corvette, ....well, it's a crowded community.

Hahhaha! That's great!

 

[mattd]

I love the new ZO6 but in 10 years it will be an old Corvette and newer hotter vettes will be out. My opinion is only the latest models are cool and the older ones are out dated. They keep phasing out older models to sell newer ones. The NSX is always an NSX.

 

[Hugh]

Any help this forum can give in making this decision is appreciated.

The Corvette has leaf springs. Now if you buy one, you will never ever forget this. It will play over and over in your head. "I paid 30 grand for a sports car with leaf springs." :smile:

Add to that the fact that you will see at least another dozen of them every time you go for a drive makes the NSX purchase a no brainer.

 

[OneRedNSX]

No matter which one you get, you can look forward to many years of "Hey, thats a nice lookin vette!" :tongue:

 

[Acura NsX Pilot]

My friends new Z06 had all sorts of problems including a clutch failure with in the first two weeks. The local dealer did not want to touch it and my friend had to wait for a authorized factory rep to come check it out.

 

[scorp965]

Long, rambling response........

I was looking for an inexpensive (mid $30k) sportscar that I could use as a daily driver at the end of 2005; I test drove several C5 Z06's, but (while it was certainly faster than the nsx) I could not get over the noise inside the cabin at freeway speeds, and the low quality of the interior; obviously you might not be picky about the interior on a 'fun' car for weekends, and everyone pointing out build quality issues might sound a bit 'snooty', but consider this: you will drive this car often, and everytime you get in it the feel of the car, the first thing you will notice, the item in front of your mind when driving is going to be that build quality - the climate controls, the dash, etc. will not fade away, and if surface items have a 'cheap' appearance how will the car fare? Will it proove to be reliable, as many nsx's have, or will you have large issues? There is also a built in timeless feature to the design of the nsx, as others have pointed out the C5 will be 'just another old vette' while the nsx will remain an nsx... aside from these 'quality' and 'design' qualities, which are important, you have to look at the package you are buying - certainly the c5 z06, out of the box, is faster than an nsx - with less money you can make it insanely fast (eg supercharger or turbo system) - you can do the same with the nsx, but it is an uphill battle, at the same time there will always be a faster car out there - are you after 'cheap go fast', in which case the c5 z06 might be a better option, or are you looking for the 'driving package', the sensation of the drive, the balance of the car? You may go faster in the corvette, in certain situations, but someone will always be faster still, and you may very well have a lot more fun doing the same drive in a aluminum sportscar with a mid-engine high reving V6 - you have driven both, certainly you *should* be well aware of these differances, and there are reasons to go both ways, it comes down to what you are after.

 

[gordiphi]

Thanks for the information. The covette's interior is a drawback for me. WELL, now I am now looking for a NSX( 1991 to 1995 ). I knew what I wanted just needed a pep talk.

 

[TC]

The Corvette has leaf springs. Now if you buy one, you will never ever forget this. It will play over and over in your head. "I paid 30 grand for a sports car with leaf springs." :smile:

As opposed to what would play in your head if you buy an NSX - "... I paid $50 grand for a car with only 280 HP and an in-dash cassette player..."?

Regarding leaf springs - the Vette has double wishbones all around and the leaf spring is mounted transversly - this not your basic leaf spring suspension.

 

[Texas91Brent]

The Z06 is a great car, but you will see 6 on the way to 7-11. Corvettes are good if bought new, and sold after 2-3 years. Why? because they loose their value and fall apart, mechanical,screws,plastic etc,,,, In my opinion,a used NSX is one of the greatest bargain sportscars ever...Ask yourself why you would even want a sportscar in the first place...You have all the answers in your head....my 3cents....Goodluck...P.S. Hope to see ya at NXSPO2007!!

 

[heySkippy]

No matter which one you get, you can look forward to many years of "Hey, thats a nice lookin vette!" :tongue:

LOL! You win! :biggrin:

 

[PhiAlpha44]

I'm glad you went with the NSX. I struggled with this exact same delema. My buddy has a beautiful C5, and was trying to talk me into a vette. I had always wanted an NSX, but looking price for perfomance of the Vette... it just looked like a better deal. But after driving around that day and seeing a DOZEN corvettes driving around, I was again convinced on an NSX. Maybe some of you guys live in California and Florida and places where you see Ferraris and Lambos up and down the street all the time. But I live in a small town in Indiana just outside of Cincinnati. Everyone here sees Corvettes, but when I pulled into the Sunoco Station here in town for the first time, people crowded around like the Starship Enterprise just landed. :wink:

 

[WOODY]

since EVERYBODY complains about the vette interior, isnt there an aftermarket shop that can make it stunning for $5-6000? Seems like new seats, eliminate plastic stuff ,etc.. replace with carbon fiber or leather...what ever personal taste dictates could eliminate the one major complaint about the car. The rest is impressive if not exclusive.

 

[BD]

since EVERYBODY complains about the vette interior, isnt there an aftermarket shop that can make it stunning for $5-6000? Seems like new seats, eliminate plastic stuff ,etc.. replace with carbon fiber or leather...what ever personal taste dictates could eliminate the one major complaint about the car. The rest is impressive if not exclusive.

I disagree!!!:biggrin:

You can spend all the money you want, you still can't turn a crow into a swan.

 

[NetViper]

The C5 Z06 is scary fast. I actually didn't feel comformtable running it to redline and shifting into 2nd at full speed. The interior is total garbage though.

The NSX is a much nicer can than any C5 IMO.

 

[KooLaid]

here's why one reason I choose my NSX over a 03 Z06 and 94 Viper GTS.

I went to a weekly carshow full all sorts of cars and trucks. Free show. Anyhow, here's my count: 10 C5's, 3 C5 Z06s, 2 Vipers, 1 NSX (MY NSX)

Everyone there is pretty much a domestic muscle head so I didn't get much inquiries on it. But when they did go see the unusual acura, they saw something that most all of them have either never seen in their life or less than a handful.

I LOVE my nsx.

It felt great there because out of all the cars I've seen there, I had one of the RAREST, one of the BEST performing and probably the MOST reliable.