daily driver issue

[tararan]

hi guys,

i been reading about NSX for a few months now and i think i found one that i can afford. i tried to keep away from it but i guess i just won't be complete until i finally own one of these. this is my first expensive car. i guess its in the enthusiast heart to find away of owning something even if it means sacrificing somethings. by that i mean i can't go spending money on all sorts of stuff.

im gonna pay lots of money (atleast for me) so i want to get the most of this car. i can't afford to be payin for it and let it sit in the garage.

so what are the issues with it if i make it a daily driver. atleast drive it 4X a week. about 250 miles per week.. thanks.

 

[supercharged]

I did this for a year. No issues.
Then I bought a d@m cupholder.
Two years later I have a track only car.
True story but your's will probably be different.
Remember this is a Honda, it runs and runs,
that just one reason we all think the NSX is special.
Best of luck, hope you enjoy

 

[ChrisK]

Mine is not specifically a daily driver as I use my wifes car as well. I do try and drive it every chance I get and use it to go to the mall with the wife, go to work, eat dinner, and your normal everyday things. I've had no trouble with vandals, no mechnical problems. Besically it is like driving any other Honda/Acura cars except you don't have much room for anything other than a passanger and a few bags.

 

[prova4re]

That same exact thing happened to me. I ordered the cup holder and never got it, I should have stoped there.
To bad for me there were other vendors who wanted my money
and could deliver.
Good thing those cup holders are not available any more. LOL!

 

[tararan]

thanks guys....

 

[MvM]

Hi tararan,

Using the NSX as your everyday car is not the problem. The problems is NOT using it as an everyday car. I bought mine in May last year and have done 27000 miles in it since and I DO have a beater car.
Guess which car gets driven most...

I've had no issues at all with the car other than the necessary oil- and tire-changes. If there is one issue that I have with the NSX that I didn't have with any other car I have EVER owned it must be:
- The NSX gets washed and cleaned every other week at just because I notice some dirty spot
- I seem to keep on buying things to put on/in/unde the car that I don't really really need (like new exhaust when the stock one is absolutely 100% OK, or a new chip, or HID-lights, or headers, or. or.. or..)
- I like working on the car when I have never worked on any other car before

Changes are, these things might happen to you to. So, be warned

 

[brahtw8]

Hi tararan,

Using the NSX as your everyday car is not the problem. The problems is NOT using it as an everyday car. I bought mine in May last year and have done 27000 miles in it since and I DO have a beater car.
Guess which car gets driven most...

I've had no issues at all with the car other than the necessary oil- and tire-changes. If there is one issue that I have with the NSX that I didn't have with any other car I have EVER owned it must be:
- The NSX gets washed and cleaned every other week at just because I notice some dirty spot
- I seem to keep on buying things to put on/in/unde the car that I don't really really need (like new exhaust when the stock one is absolutely 100% OK, or a new chip, or HID-lights, or headers, or. or.. or..)
- I like working on the car when I have never worked on any other car before

Changes are, these things might happen to you to. So, be warned

I concur with the above. I have a nice daily driver that is at about a 50/50 mileage split with the NSX since I bought it in May. I don't take the NSX to work that much, but I like those long drives in the country.

The (minor) problems with daily driving the NSX are the low ground clearance leads to scrapes, if you run low profile tires you may have issues with bent rims from potholes and other road condition problems, tire wear on the rears can be expensive, particularly if you have the aggressive 91-92 spec camber (lots of toe out leads to wear on the inner edge of the rears) and you may not feel comfortable leaving it in certain places.

I haven't had any door dings yet, as I park it away from other cars, but somebody did steal the chrome valve stems off my wheels.

 

[fangtl]

I DO NOT have a second car so the NSX is my daily driver. I bought the car so I can drive it and not as a museum piece or a garage queen. In the end if I end up losing some resale value on the car, so be it, the time I spent behind the wheel was well worth the fee of admission.

Addendum: Though it's totally capable of being a daily driver, there are two things that may (or may not) be of conern to you. 1) In the NSX you will feel every bump in the road, the ride is harsh, but the rewards are plentiful. 2) Cargo space - self explanatory.

 

[AaronR]

I use mine as a daily driver for the summer months. I do not drive it in the rain or to the grocery store/mall/etc whenever possible. I have put 10,000 miles on it in the last year with no issues whatsoever but I could never own it as my only car....I'm just too overprotective about it
Aaron

 

[POWERED by HONDA]

1) In the NSX you will feel every bump in the road, the ride is harsh, but the rewards are plentiful.

I think my NSX's rides like a luxury car! (Softer NSX-T.)

My daily driver's ride is harsh! You can feel every bump in that car! It's a Honda Accord coupe with Koni Yellows and Ground Control coilover kit.

 

[tararan]

great to hear that... thanks.. ill be driving it to work and church since parkin is great there.. and the famous CA highway 1 is gonna be my friend....

 

[hyuan]

There was another thread that discussed this:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20558&highlight=cost

Check out Ken's (nsxtasy) comments at the end of the post. His comments are accurate based on my two years of experience daily driving my car (15K miles per year). My car had relatively high miles when I purchased it (68K) and I subsequently put on a lot more.

In general prices for parts and service will exceed a typical, mass produced Japanese car and therefore you should budget accordingly.

Overall, I am pleased with how well the car has held up but if you plan on buying an older car used (especially higher mileage), its not wise to go in with the expectation it will be as reliable as a new car (because it won't).

 

[akira3d]

The NSX was my first expensive car too...and also my first new car.

I'd use my NSX as a daily driver if it weren't for my parking situation at work. We have to park in a public structure in a toursist/college student/homeless dense portion of the city, a situation that tends to attract vandalism and theft.

I actually did drive my NSX daily for more than a year without any incidents. One act of vandalism is all it took to reduce her to a garage queen. Believe me, it's very tough to give it up when you get so used to driving a car like this. But it does make spirited drives and autocrossing that much more fun.

I still drive my NSX to work from time to time...in fact, I drove her to work yesterday and today. Somethings are just too hard to resist!

 

[matteni]

I was averaging less then 4k / year until last year when I decided to drive my car every day (except bad winter days). I love it - definitely a boost to an otherwise dull morning and drive home!

Only funny thing is you sometimes forget what you are driving and the car seems to really bring out a lot of reaction (mostly good / some bad). You will be trying to have a conversation and Mustangs will gravitate to you trying to race. You will be driving in traffic and people will hang out of the windows to look at the car and wave to you. You should see the looks I get on my Sam's runs! Also - some will hate you for it and will give you a thumbs down for no reason. It gets a little surreal sometimes especially when others are in the car or you have a lot on your mind and you forget what you are driving.

As for daily driving - it really is the perfect blend of comfort, speed, usability, and reliability. I was going months at a time without driving - now I never go a day. To heck with resale as I own a 91' with 50k miles and I would rather own it another 13 years then sell it for anything else.

 

[tosugrad]

I would say it depends on where you live and what you want from the car. If you are going to get a daily driver, you should get an older car with a few more miles that is mechanically perfect.

If you live in Minnesota, you may want to think about keeping an extra car around....

 

[NSX2398]

I If you are going to get a daily driver, you should get an older car with a few more miles

Couldn't agree more. Prices drop quickly after about 80K miles yet if properly maintained, it appears they can easily go over 150K. Bought mine at 90K .. now at 110K about 18 months later as a daily driver all year round (that white stuff in my icon is snow)

that is mechanically perfect.

I'm not sure I'd agree that it has to be perfect but a documented service record is very important. Also make sure it's had the 90K service (new clutch would be a bonus) if it's getting up there.

The next largest ticket item might be the A/C but other than that most of us have minor issues with things like power windows, BOSE amp/speakers, ABS, etc but most of those are documented on the site and can either be ignored; fixed yourself; or won't drain your wallet.

 

[PKim]

Daily Driver

There is no problem driving the NSX as a daily driver, like some have said it's a Honda. But for me, I would never have the NSX as the only car. I drive her mainly to work and weekend, but for everything else like going to grocery store, costco, taking my family to Mammoth, etc... I take my 1500 Crew cab.

Paul

 

[tararan]

Re: Daily Driver

There is no problem driving the NSX as a daily driver, like some have said it's a Honda. But for me, I would never have the NSX as the only car. I drive her mainly to work and weekend, but for everything else like going to grocery store, costco, taking my family to Mammoth, etc... I take my 1500 Crew cab.

Paul

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