Cost of ownership of NSX vs. S2000

[pirate]

Hi all. I am interested in the NSX but would like to get a more reasonable idea as to the overall cost of ownership as compared to an S2000 ('99). Reason I pick an S2000 is because a good friend of mine has one and uses it as a daily driver, which is what I'd use the NSX for (I'm of the mindset that if I buy a car, I'm going to use it for all it's worth - I'm not into performance driving, but rather nice cruising). The only real routine maintenance required for his S2000 are the $75 oil changes and that's about it.

I'm thinking '91 or very early model year NSX.

Thanks for the help.

Forgot to ask - Is the NSX the type of sports car that one can work on themselves? (ie more DIY friendly like Corvettes) Or is it one of those really complicated machines that only dealerships can fix?

 

[ediddynsx]

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

 

[MashimaroNSX]

$75 is a bit pricy for a oil change on a S2000. My NSX is 40 tops and my s2000 is $30 :smile:

 

[KooLaid]

S2000 is cheaper. More common, newer.

 

[jond]

I would imagine an S2000 cost about the same as a Type-R as far as cost of ownership. Maybe slightly less. From what I've seen so far, things around around 20-25% more expensive then with my old ITR.

Realize with an older NSX, water pump, timing belt, shocks, etc, etc could change things quite a bit depending on if they have been done recently. Rear tires are going to be a cost you're probably not used to. Oil changes are slightly more expensive.

 

[Da Hapa]

Having owned both I can tell you that the S2000 will be absolutely much cheaper to maintain.

While the NSX is a very reliable car and very, very well built, you're contemplating a 15-year old car vs. a 6-year old car. Moreover, you're comparing a car with an original sticker price of more than $60,000 vs. one with a sticker price of just over $30,000. So things are more likely to break on a 15-year old NSX than they are on a 6-year old S2K. Moreover, when they do break it's more expensive to fix a car that was originally twice the cost of your comparison model.

I'm sure that there are people that will disagree with me here but as much as I love the NSX, I don't think that a 1991 is necessarily a good, daily driver car for most folks.

 

[NSSEX91]

Thats just not true a 91 can be just as good a daily driver as any other car if not better since you will be happier going to work and back sorta like the day you come in after getting laid everybody knows you got your deezy.

The only problem with the NSX I see is wearing out tires fast and the clutch but if you got money and full coverage insurance you will be fine.

 

[DV8]

As much as I love to drive my NSX daily I don't think it would be a wise decision. The car just attracts too much attention and you receive a lot more "flack" from lead-footed teanagers who think they have something to prove. As the others have stated, although the NSX is bulletproof car in terms of reliability, the cost of upcoming maintenence will be significantly higher.

Also with a '91 you don't have the luxury of power steering which isn't that big of an issue (and an advantage in terms of handling), but can be very convenient when having to park more frequently.

 

[Greg Z]

I don't know where you live to know if this is applicable or not but, I live in a city with no Acura dealer so I have to truck my NSX 2 hrs away and then back for anything other than a oil job. Just another consideration.

 

[Synthesis]

1) why would anybody pay 75 bucks for an oil change? and if you did, why would you go back routinely?

2) nsx is really easy to change the oil.

3) other maintenance.... not so easy. but then again, not the worst.

if you're gonna use it as a daily driver, just know you should have a lot of money (other than the car payment and insurance and whatever other bills you have) laying around, cause from the sounds of it, you might need to pay for the not-so-easy maintenance. and that stuff gets very pricey.

 

[jond]

As much as I love to drive my NSX daily I don't think it would be a wise decision. The car just attracts too much attention and you receive a lot more "flack" from lead-footed teanagers who think they have something to prove. As the others have stated, although the NSX is bulletproof car in terms of reliability, the cost of upcoming maintenence will be significantly higher.

I daily drive mine. My only other car is a 41 year old mustang.

if you're gonna use it as a daily driver, just know you should have a lot of money (other than the car payment and insurance and whatever other bills you have) laying around, cause from the sounds of it, you might need to pay for the not-so-easy maintenance. and that stuff gets very pricey.

Good advise.

 

[ETLMD]

Hondas are super easy to do oil changes on. Change your own oil!

 

[zahntech]

75$ for oil change

Damn I am in the wrong business...oh wait..I am in the oil change business!:smile: ...I wish I could get 75$ for an S2000 oil change!!

I don't daily drive my car..and I don't think I ever will..the car cannot carry 2 kids and groceries..:biggrin:

also the wear and tear on a daily driven car would really suck..I suppose if you have the scratch to buy one and drive it daily, then toss it and get a newer one when it gets old and beat, then it wouldn't matter so much:wink:

Different stroke for different folks I guess

 

[95EagleAWD]

I don't daily drive my car..and I don't think I ever will..the car cannot carry 2 kids and groceries..:biggrin:

Two kids, no, but groceries, yes. I did it all summer long. :wink:

The NSX is my DD and I haven't had too much go wrong with it. Coolant hose and coil pack and that's it. Like 400 bucks.

 

[wilsonp]

I drive mine every day - why have it otherwise?

 

[95EagleAWD]

^^

Indeed.. only reason I'm not driving it now is snow.

 

[EndlessNSX]

Having owned both I can tell you they are very similar in every aspect as far as part prices are concerned. I did a lot of DIY items on both cars and sometimes the S2000 prices were more for the parts than the NSX and vice versa.

Only a couple items on the NSX are more than the S2000 like the timing belt VS timing chain replacement, clutch replacement, etc.

Other than that they are or were in my eyes very similar. Also you have to remember that all NSX's are 1980/90s technology so that helps because a lot of things are very easy to fix/replace. Downside is most shops dont stock these parts.

You cant go wrong with either car. If it were me I would get both. Take the S2000 for daily driving and spirit driving then take the NSX out on the weekends or for a nice outing with the wife.

Good luck.

 

[Ski_Banker]

You can absolutely daily drive the NSX, any year. Parking anxieties can be an issue if you're paranoid or park in sketchy places.

Other than tire cost, not much else will be different "unless" something breaks. But they're quite reliable, unless maybe you're looking at a low 20s NSX that has been beaten up.

Insurance = same
Oil = same
Routine maintenance = same
Tires = 2x as often for rears @ $400 total

Here's what I would do:
Make sure you get a well maintained one, usually ~30k. Anything less and you may end up paying out of pocket restoration issues/repairs. PLAN to have an emergency reserve of a few thousand available if something does happen. And then compare that to the S2000. If 33k is way over your limit - don't do it. If not, you'll be fine. Also, most of the little things that break (which can add up) on older ones are things you can usually live with. Speaker amps blow, problems with trunk struts, climate control issues. If you can live with those occasional glitches, you'll be fine. Expensive (over $1k) mechanical problems are quite rare but that's what the budgeted $3k would be for.

Caveat - if you're going to track the car much, S2000 will be way cheaper because then you may have big repair bills sometimes. Sounds like you aren't though.

 

[zahntech]

Not sure where you guys are getting this "NSX and S2000 costs are the same" idea ..

NSX 60k = $900-$1000
S2000 60k = $400-$500

NSX Comptech supercharger = 10k
S2000 Comptech supercharger = 5k

NSX clutch = $2500
S2000 clutch =$900

seem as though the NSX costs about 2x as much as an S2000 to me.

 

[Da Hapa]

Here's what I would do:
Make sure you get a well maintained one, usually ~30k. Anything less and you may end up paying out of pocket restoration issues/repairs. PLAN to have an emergency reserve of a few thousand available if something does happen. And then compare that to the S2000. If 33k is way over your limit - don't do it. If not, you'll be fine. Also, most of the little things that break (which can add up) on older ones are things you can usually live with. Speaker amps blow, problems with trunk struts, climate control issues. If you can live with those occasional glitches, you'll be fine. Expensive (over $1k) mechanical problems are quite rare but that's what the budgeted $3k would be for.

I don't really disagree with anything that SkiBanker has said here but I still think the NSX is more expensive to own and doesn't make a good daily driver for the budget minded.

Here's why. In SB's example above, he assumes a purchase price of $30K + $3K held aside for repairs. A nice, used, early model (00-02) S2K is about $20K now. Assuming the same "set aside" for unexpected repairs that's a $10K difference or 50% the cost of the S2K. That shouldn't be chump change to those on a budget. Esp. if you're financing the car because you have to figure the cost of interest.

Moreover, as I said earlier the NSX was originally a $60K + car whereas the S2K was half that. As such, it's reasonable to expect that fixing the climate control system on an NSX is likely to be more expensive than on the S2K.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of anything. God knows I love my NSX but I also loved both of my S2K's and if you're on a budget (as it sounds to me the original poster is) then you should probably take these kinds of things into consideration.

 

[EndlessNSX]

I don't really disagree with anything that SkiBanker has said here but I still think the NSX is more expensive to own and doesn't make a good daily driver for the budget minded.

Here's why. In SB's example above, he assumes a purchase price of $30K + $3K held aside for repairs. A nice, used, early model (00-02) S2K is about $20K now. Assuming the same "set aside" for unexpected repairs that's a $10K difference or 50% the cost of the S2K. That shouldn't be chump change to those on a budget. Esp. if you're financing the car because you have to figure the cost of interest.

Moreover, as I said earlier the NSX was originally a $60K + car whereas the S2K was half that. As such, it's reasonable to expect that fixing the climate control system on an NSX is likely to be more expensive than on the S2K.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of anything. God knows I love my NSX but I also loved both of my S2K's and if you're on a budget (as it sounds to me the original poster is) then you should probably take these kinds of things into consideration.

I agree with you but you also have to keep in mind that the NSX was $60k + when it came out as the S2000 was $40k + when it came out. I remember seeing the sticker prices and they were well over $40k when they came out (in late 99 early 00) as the NSX was over $60k. Infact in Hawaii with an OEM hardtop it was closer to $46k back in early 2000.:wink: Sad to say that was the prices and dealers were making that much on the car since it was the hot new car on the road. Of course now the prices are way down due to mileage and the car being more mass produced than the NSX.

Another reason to consider with parts being a little more on the NSX is that they are harder to get since the car is old and some parts have been discontinued. Prime example was the sunvisor color availability now VS 1991.
Something I thought was crazy.

1991 center console price $760 (dealer quoted price)
2005 center console price $380 (dealer quoted price)

Both looked and were identicle IMO minus the color/texture of the piece. Thats a huge markup on a parts.

I still think they are very similar in prices except for the clutch, timing belt repairs, steering rack, etc.

If your going to track the car every weekend then I would also agree to go with the S2000 unless you have a newer NSX. Take both. See which one you like better. Brake fluid, brake pads, brake lines, rotors, and even calipers are pretty much the same on prices as well as tires.

I do admit the NSX is a little higher to maintain. I am not saying the S2000 cost more to maintain just that some parts are similiar in price and some more and some less, thats all.:smile:
You can absoluetly drive the NSX as a daily driver. Just with 3 cars I would use the NSX on the weekends or valet at the Opera.:biggrin:

 

[Ski_Banker]

I don't really disagree with anything that SkiBanker has said here but I still think the NSX is more expensive to own and doesn't make a good daily driver for the budget minded.

Here's why. In SB's example above, he assumes a purchase price of $30K + $3K held aside for repairs. A nice, used, early model (00-02) S2K is about $20K now. Assuming the same "set aside" for unexpected repairs that's a $10K difference or 50% the cost of the S2K. That shouldn't be chump change to those on a budget. Esp. if you're financing the car because you have to figure the cost of interest.

Moreover, as I said earlier the NSX was originally a $60K + car whereas the S2K was half that. As such, it's reasonable to expect that fixing the climate control system on an NSX is likely to be more expensive than on the S2K.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of anything. God knows I love my NSX but I also loved both of my S2K's and if you're on a budget (as it sounds to me the original poster is) then you should probably take these kinds of things into consideration.

Completely agree, but since those expenses are only incurred every 50-100k miles, I wouldn't factor them in TOO much.

Conversely, the NSX won't depreciate as much as the S2000. So if you sell it in 3-5 years, you'll end up with more dough all else being equal. You might lose $5k resale after a few years with reasonable mileage on an NSX, potentially even less.

The big mechanical issues that could come up when buying a 15 year old car are what I would be worried about (vs a 30k new S2000), and that's what I would plan a little cushion for. If he's thinking a used $20k S2000 vs. a $30k NSX, then, obviously the S2000 will be far cheaper.

I should add, though, make sure you have good insurance - if you wreck an aluminum bodied NSX, and have to pay out of pocket, you'll be in a world of hurt.

Put simply - plan for tires, and add a few thousand to the "cost" of a well maintained NSX and you'll be apples-apples with a newer car, before the depreciation benefit.

 

[Ski_Banker]

1991 center console price $760 (dealer quoted price)
2005 center console price $380 (dealer quoted price)

Both looked and were identicle IMO minus the color/texture of the piece. Thats a huge markup on a parts.

Yikes! Wouldn't it be cheaper just to get the 05 version and also replace the door pieces to match?

 

[OneRedNSX]

...

Insurance = same...

not sure where you got this from but before i bought my NSX and was car shopping, I found out that insurance for my 93 nsx was roughly 2/3 the cost of insuring a 2002 S2k.

don't ask me how, don't ask me why, but its true.

the s2k is one of the top 10 highest cars to insure i believe...

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/10CostliestCarsToInsure.aspx

yea, it was #7, just ahead of my previous vehicle, 2004 RSX-S...

not saying you're wrong, just saying that it may differ depending on your insurer... all my rates were compared using full coverage / same deductible rates...

 

[zahntech]

Insurance rates very wildly based on your driving record,how many cars like the one you want to get have been stolen in your zip code,how many accedents have invloved that car,is the car going to be a second-third-forth car, ect ect ect

You really cannot compare insurance costs from one driver to another as there are far too many varibles