College grad - want precision car - early NSX?Need intelligent discussion,please help

[Tim 850R]

Hello everyone,

I am a 21-yo recent college grad from NC State in Biochemistry/Biology, and I want to replace my current car, a 1996 Volvo 850R, with something more precise. I am being given a large crummy old van for free, so in terms of practicality I am no longer worried about buying a small car - I've got a large 6.0-L V8 hauler for the times I need it. I am a car enthusiast, having come from a BMW 325e and 318iS to the 240-hp Volvo. I miss the precision of a German rear wheel drive and a manual transmission, as my volvo came in FWD/AT configuration. I am willing to pay around $25k for a different car, and I know this places me in the low end of NSX territory, likely something with 80-100k miles and 91-92 model year if properly maintained.

I have been realistically considering a 99-00 BMW 323i or 328i with low miles, but I have always...um....ok, drooled over the NSX. It's like the sexy girl at the function - you want her no matter what her mileage, but you wish you had a few friends available to let you know how much she's been driven around. This is where I'm asking you all for advice. She's sexy, yes, but is she worth it?

Despite decent handling (probably 0.86g) and 0-60 in 6.5, I am tiring of the front wheel drive automatic turbo configuration. I would buy into an early NSX as my daily driver, but I need to know some things first. I know the sacrifices I'd be making in terms of ride quality, it's an exotic. Insurance on the 850R is around $1200 a year in NC, with no infractions since I began driving 5 years ago. Would this change drastically with the 91-92 NSX?

Volvo and BMW maintenance isn't exactly cheap but the Volvo has spared me a lot of misery that the BMW blatantly and masochistically piled on to me. What does a timing belt change cost? how about other things like front rotors and pads? How hard is it to do simple to moderate maintenance on the NSX? I changed the head gasket on my DOHC I-4 318iS in the garage with a friend's help a few years ago, but It was damn near impossible to change the oil on my sister's old Miata.

It's a honda product so i'd have faith in it, but it's an NSX, so I don't want to get swamped with repair and insurance bills on top of paying the car off - I could drop a $9k downpayment from selling the 850R, see pic below.

Do certain things (ie: services) happen at certain mileages that cost a ton and a half?

I wouldn't mind spending a bit more than a BMW to get in an NSX, as long as they generally aren't disasters in the making.

I think you guys get the picture.

Let the opinions roll, and thank you all

-tim 850R

 

[kjhNSXdreamer]

Tim,

Actually I was in your situation about 3 months ago before I bought my 92 NSX at 82K for exactly $25,000. I was driving a MR2 turbo at the time at the worth of $7,000. So we were in kinda in the same boat.

1) Insurance, for me, is $1,600 (in sf,CA) which is about the same as my MR2 and it's not too off from your $1,200.

2) Matainance, well I have got into much yet, but the faq saids I don't really need to do much till 90K and it's just a valve check. I feel like the car will probably go to 100K before I have to do anything real matainance besides oil change. I was luck since the last owner did all the major stuff like timing, water pump, fluids, sparks....etc.

3) Tires, I think this is the big thing for NSX if you want to keep the stock set-up. If you just want to cruise around, I think there are a bunch of tires that last pretty long (20K).

4) Loan, can't help you there, I bought my car cash after saving for a year.

All in all, as long as you find a NSX that has be maintained properly (most of them are, since most owners are crazy about their NSX), you should be O.K. Of course it's a honda, but not a civic. So, expect to pay a few more bucks here and there, but I think it's worth it.

 

[matteni]

Welcome and good luck. You will find there is a search button and there have been exhastive discussions on this topic. Seek and you will find hundreds of good posts that are pertanent.

I had a good friend at your age who convinced me not to spend all my $$$ on a corvette in 1991. I would have been completely car poor and would have missed out on many trips, good times, and would have had a different life for several years. Find a good friend or confidant who is not a car nut and see if your ideas sound good to them - or not.

 

[kjhNSXdreamer]

I agree with matteni. I'm probably a little bias being an owner

But, good luck to you.

 

[Tim 850R]

the truth is that i'm enough of a car freak that i'll spend about $15-25k on whatever it is that I get. The question is....NSX?

I don't have a lot of friends who aren't car nuts, and I know what they'll say, lol

-tim 850R

 

[dippy9]

what are you waiting for, if you are going to spend the money on a BMW the NSX is so much better. I went from a 318is to the nsx and have never looked back.

Cost are relative, in Australia the cost of maintaing my NSX is a little bit more than the BMW but it is a hell of a lot better to drive.

 

[ajnsx]

the BMW but it is a hell of a lot better to drive.

It also stands out a tad more

 

[Tim 850R]

I am pretty much considering these cars:


99-00 BMW 323/328i or Ci 5-spd

00-01 Audi quattro A4 5-spd

possibly a 96-98 BMW M3


so the comparison of the NSX is against those three types. The only thing that really, really bothers me about an NSX is that i would be buying a 12 year old car instead of a 4-7 year old car. Honestly, will age start to eat away at an NSX regardless of mileage? I know a 12 year old NSX is much better taken care of than a 12 year old honda civic in general...I'll admit i'm not rich - I'm not living the lavish lifestyle but I do want a way, way nicer car than most people alive can afford. I just don't want to end up completely in the poorhouse...so I look for loopholes like a 12 year old exotic car
The reason I consider the NSX and not, say, an equal-vintage porsche 911 is because I believe in hondas requiring a minimal amount of maintenance.

Also to the people who suggested I search for a similar topic, do you have any search value suggestions, or a place where I can find a lengthy FAQ on maintenance costs and what parts generally "go" and when?

thanks

-tim 850R

 

[mlambert890]

I dont want to rain on the parade, but given your stated goals, I'd proceed with caution.

More and more "exotics" are becoming older and older and are at the point where anyone can afford to buy them. The NSX, Viper, Lotus Esprit and even some sweet spot Ferraris (bottomed out on depreciation, not yet appreciating) are in this category.

But they're not really a loop hole. In the end, one of these cars isnt a $25k car, its a very old $90k car. There's a big difference. The NSX is a bit easier since it's more reliable, but it's still hugely impractical, impossible to take most places, a magnet for negative attention and expensive in the tires department. In addition, it could be tough to get financing on such an old car that is still so expensive. Market price almost never reflects book value on these cars, so the banks often won't finance the whole amount.

I know this isnt the opinion you want to hear, but its an alternate take on it. Personally, I waited until I could easily afford this type of car new (for me, it was a 2000 Corvette), before diving in.

The FAQ can definitely provide a lot of info on maintenance costs and effort...

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/faq.htm

 

[ajnsx]

or a place where I can find a lengthy FAQ on maintenance costs and what parts generally "go" and when?

in the FAQS section you'll find the answers you seek

(EDIT: beat me to it!)

 

[matteni]

the truth is that i'm enough of a car freak that i'll spend about $15-25k on whatever it is that I get. The question is....NSX?

I don't have a lot of friends who aren't car nuts, and I know what they'll say, lol

-tim 850R

Hi Tim,

Why don't you wait 1 year and see where you are at? No offence but a "decent" NSX can be found for 25k - but not one that would provide a maintenance free experiance IMO. Also - you are just out of school and might do well to see how your budget works out, how much you like your job, etc. Since you asked I would hold off, save your money, and see what life throughs you. Also - it would be an EXCELLENT idea to save about 6 months living expenses in case you loose your job or something happens. Not to be an old fogge but saving your money, creating and living on a budget, and enjoying life for a little while without a car payment are better goals then an NSX right now.

NSX's can be like Condos - easy to get into and hard to get out of. Also - allthough the 8 years have been great since I purchased my car - I have receipts of over $4k in the last 6 months and $8k in the last 2 years (tires, timing belt, climate control, window regs, AC Compressor, snap ring tranny, fuel injector cleaning, 2 valve adjustments, air filter, 2 end links, 2 tune ups, brake caliper rebuild, brake rotors, brake fluid, fuel filter, etc).

Did I really just say all that? I am definately turning into my dad. I hope he doesn't read this forum! Probably not unless he gets it confused with the "Buick Estate Wagon with Wood Siding" forum!

 

[Tim 850R]

it's ok to rain on this parade if i'm parading through the rich bedroom town that I don't belong in (gotta love Duxbury, Massachusetts) - this is what I have come here for, advice on the sexy woman who might be a little dangerous

-tim 850R

 

[MJK]

I've got a BMW 330Ci (make SURE you get the sport pack) and an early NSX coupe. You can't go wrong with either. If you don't need the cargo space or the extra seats, get the NSX.

Drive one, you'll see.

 

[nsxtasy]

Insurance on the 850R is around $1200 a year in NC, with no infractions since I began driving 5 years ago. Would this change drastically with the 91-92 NSX?

Ask your insurance agent/company. They can tell you exactly how much it would change.

What does a timing belt change cost? how about other things like front rotors and pads?

Look in the maintenance section of the FAQ.

How hard is it to do simple to moderate maintenance on the NSX?

Simple services (oil changes, brake pads) are similar to most other cars and easy for anyone who knows how to do them on other cars. More complicated services (timing belt changes, clutch replacements) are, well, more complicated.

Do certain things (ie: services) happen at certain mileages that cost a ton and a half?

You can look up prices for scheduled maintenance in the maintenance section of the FAQ. The other items that would fall into this category are tire replacements (every 4-10K miles for rear tires, 2-3 times that for front tires, ~$200/tire) and clutch replacements (many folks need this after 35-50K miles, while some others get twice that, ~$2K parts and labor for a '91-96).

Get familiar with the FAQ and with the search function. You might want to do a search on topics with "daily driver" in the title, and read those that pop up.

 

[NSXDreamer2]

Yeah, if you just get a new job and you have no other expensive hobbies

like chasing girls and confusing strip joints as your dining room?? You'll probably come up with $10k savings rather easily in a short time, yes, it's terrible that you couldn't roll in the nsx in Summer time, but remember used cars usually at their best apperance and condition in warm summer days... and they are more expensive...

If you ask me, I'll wait for a little while... Now if you put a 10k into a 25k loan... You will find out you can save a lot, and the payment would be quite low, it's almost low enough even your unemployment check will cover the car payments... (almost...)

 

[Tim 850R]

I read the FAQs...

are there any things I should know about higher mileage NSXs? IE: do the engines and or transmissions have a general life span, even if taken care of? My example of this is the BMW E30 M3 (88-91), which has such a highly tuned engine that at about 100k mi all of them are ready to die, regardless of maintenance. I have seen the scheduled services and while expensive they don't scare me as much as a Range Rover would. But when it comes to cars in the...say, 75-100k mi range, do certain things begin to fail? I know every car is an individual car, but I want to make sure i'm not generally going to make a mistake.

-tim 850R

 

[Tim 850R]

Oh yeah, what's the deal with the snap ring thing, and why do tires wear out in 4-10k miles? i get maybe 17k mi out of the tires on my 850R

-tim 850R

 

[hlweyl]

Oh yeah, what's the deal with the snap ring thing, and why do tires wear out in 4-10k miles? i get maybe 17k mi out of the tires on my 850R

-tim 850R

Snap ring refers to some of the early NSX's (91 and 92's) having transmission failure. It had something to do with the trans case causing a snap ring failure. Early on many dealers "goodwilled" the fix. But of course the tranny may last forever even if its in the snap ring range... who knows. This affected only a small percentage of NSX's.

As far as tires, 4-5k would be about right for OEM rear tires. Fronts typically last at least twice that long. There are tires that fit the NSX that last longer but there are tradeoff in handling.

 

[NSXDreamer2]

I have a 91

and it's at 103k miles now, I bought it a little over 96k...

I got 7000k miles on my Kumho MX with no wear apperance until last time I went to a track day... With correct alignment, I wouldn't even think the tire wear problem unless you are going to track... (my street driving was pretty aggressive, as an example, my tires normally doesn't survive for more than half year on my accord.).

Transmission and Engine, as long as it's been taken care of, I don't think there's going to be as much problem as the BMW. Just make sure the nsx's clutch would wear out more if you drag it, so it take a little adjustment on your own footwork.

your E30 was a good one (that actually last 100k), I believed all BMW's and Mercedes all failed one part after the other once they past the warranty period, at least that's what happen to my families' rides.

If you don't think yourself qualify, just make sure you'll get a dealer or someone who know the nsx well for the inspection before purchasing...