Daily Driver - Which One?

[lencap]

I'm considering a NSX for a daily driver, about 10K miles a year.

What should I expect in the way of upkeep costs, problem areas and overall experience?

What model would you suggest: the original 91-93s seem reasonably priced, but I'm a bit worried about age related repairs and reliability; the 94-96 T-tops may be a good choice (live in NC), but some complain that the car is less rigid - I don't plan on many rides north of 100 MPH; th 97+ cars get the bigger engine/tires and some other mods.

So what do you think? Can I make the NSX a daily driver, and if I do, will the car depreciate dramatically?

 

[davidf]

I amagine a huge number of members here drive theirs daily.

 

[Ibn Rushd]

I believe there's a chart on the wiki that shows years and depreciation and whatnot.

But you will see depreciation, but a lot of people aren't scared of high mileage (I am) and so they still don't care about it. You're buying a car to drive, might as well drive it.

Depending on the model, you will see more of a depreciation with an 02+ than others. But i could be wrong since i'm still a newbie.

 

[vtecNSX1]

I daily drove my 91 for 3 years and put 36k miles on it. I then proceeded to sell it for $800 less than I paid. I never had to do anything to the car other than routine maintenance. No issues to speak of. I just bought a 92 and im daily driving it too. If you can afford it I would still say get a 97+ for the extra displacement and targa top.

 

[skillz4587]

Well, I am a newbie so if my advise is wrong then some of you senior members may want to chime in. But I am currently using my car as a daily driver although that was not my intention when I first purchased. My other car is an Accord and I just liked the NSX so much that I drive it a bit more then the Accord. But for me the NSX is a great daily driver . Especially, if you have another car. Gas mileage is reasonable. Car is very comfortable(imo), regular maintenance is reasonable(compared to other exotics) and there is decent trunk space. Keep in Mind, I have an automatic so it may be different for a manual as far as driving it every day. Especially if there is traffic in your commute.

Also, if you are only planning on having one car, I would not recommend the NSX as a daily driver. Although, it is very dependable there is a good chance that something can break. Depending on what it is that breaks, the mechanic may not have the part in stock so you would be without a car for a few days if this is your only car. Plus, you never know when you may need to pick up someone from the airport or pick up someone from the hospital. It is comfortable for a healthy person but for people that has back problems or major surgery it may not feel so comfortable.

Now in regards to the depreciation, I would suggest that you get an NSX with high milage(90k and higher) if you are going to use it as a daily driver unless you are able to get a low milage NSX without paying a premium price for the low milage. If you get a low milage NSX and you put a bunch of miles then yes, imo you are not going to get what you paid for it when you are ready to sell because you bought it at a premium price for the low milage and now that it no longer has low milage you cannot really ask for a premium price. I could be wrong with this assumption of having to pay a premium for a low milage NSX because I have seen a low milage NSX online for only 25k(not sure if it is a scam or legit). Now if you get a high milage NSX, make sure all the major milage work has been done because the major maintenance is expensive. If all the major things have been done you will only have to worry about the little things that pop up(i.e. windows, headlights, etc ) One of the advantages with the higher milage vehicle is if if the owner has been meticulous with the car many of the things that you will have to worry about with a lower milage vehicle will already have been taken care of by the previous owner. With a higher milage vehicle the owner may assume that because there isn't many miles on the car that some of the required maintenance is not need(i.e. timing belt), so you may have to pay a premium for the low milage in addition to having to pay for deferred maintenance. When you are ready to sell the high milage NSX you may or may not be able to get what you initially paid for it after putting even more milage. It will depending on the market, how much appeal the NSX has when you are ready to sell it, and what condition you keep the car in . But you should be able to sell it closer to your purchase price since you did not pay a premium for the low milage.

 

[heySkippy]

So what do you think? Can I make the NSX a daily driver, and if I do, will the car depreciate dramatically?

I bought a 95 NSX w/56K miles a little over 3 years ago and turned it into my daily driver. 50K miles later, I'm delighted with the car and still drive it every day, everywhere.

I'm sure my car is worth less now with 105K miles than it would have been if I'd only driven 5K miles a year instead, but I don't care (much) about that. It's still depreciated MUCH less than a new car purchased at the same price would have.

As for also needing a bigger car or truck, we manage without. My wife drives a 2 seater also (SLK) and we don't have any other cars. When we need to go to Home Depot, we borrow a friends/neighbors pickup or we have stuff delivered. When we have out-of-town company or simply have to have more seats, we rent a car or van. You can rent a bigger car or van many times a year for what it costs to keep a 3rd vehicle that almost never gets used.

Just my 2 cents.