Daily driving NSX?

[mlambert890]

Any two seater sports car of a certain age has some of the same issues you list. Your post states the obvious. For one person, commuting to work, the NSX is a fantastic car. Who needs a bigger trunk? Who needs rear seats? If you carry a laptop to work, the empty passenger seat works great!

I drive my NSX 2-3 days per week in Texas. I do not choose to drive it on rainy days or days with a good chance of rain. Occasionally I get caught by surprise but otherwise my NSX is a good weather car. I have no problem otherwise with the 27 mile each way drive. If I lived in a northern climate, I would not drive it in bad weather. Just too risky.

I don't think the NSX' maintenance schedule is especially expensive. A 911's maintenance requirements are likely even more expensive. My 97 NSX gets oil changes, tires, etc. But I don't need to worry about a TB for many years (same as any Honda), plugs last a long time, etc.

Right... but the OP admitted to being new to the NSX and is asking for some honest advice. I don't assume people have complete knowledge of owning *any* sports car. There are 1000 reasons why trunk space, cargo space, etc *can* matter. I feel its best to call these things out and let the person decide. For me, on my DD, trunk space matters. Thats why I DD a Ralliart instead of an EVO. For many it doesn't. For the OP? Don't know. So worth pointing out.

When "daily driver" comes up, I err on the side of caution to help someone out. You're basically agreeing with what I said - which is that the NSX is a fair weather DD. Not sure what the difference is.

Saying NSX maintenance isn't expensive because a 911 "might be more" sort of makes my point. For a DD, a $2000 TB/WP change *required every 6 years* is a lot of money.

You are wrong about TB, but I won't rehash it here. There are 1000 threads on it. You can choose to believe a Honda TB never breaks, but a 97, according to HONDA should be on its *second* TB/WP already. Every single service item on the NSX is more money than a "normal" daily driver car.

Less money than *some* sports cars (certainly than a Ferrari or 911), but more than others (S2000, Miata, etc). Again, a point that is worth mentioning to someone. I don't like all of the "its like driving a CIVIC!" type comments because, to be honest, after 10 years of owning NSXs thats bullshit. When properly maintained, its *nothing* like maintaining a Civic or other commodity car. Qualified mechanics are hugely difficult to find. Parts are rare and getting more rare. The car is harder to work on and everything is more expensive. It is extremely high performance so, like any high performance car, maintenance schedules are more strict.

An NSX is "easy" if you basically neglect all of the maintenance, ignore *time* requirements, just put oil in it yourself, drive it a few thousand miles a year, hope for the best over the course of 5 years, get lucky, and then sell it. If 4 people in a row have done that to a 1991, you have a time bomb. MANY do this and then preach it as gospel.

Maybe its obvious (like saying a Boxster is more costly than a Jetta), but because threads ALWAYS come up where folks imply that the NSX is about the same as maintaining an Accord, I feel it isn't that obvious and so doesn't hurt to restate.

The OP sounds like he is in a great position. He has the Accord and the wifes minivan. The NSX would be a "fair weather" daily driver which is great.

I don't think there is anything wrong at all with being very conservative advising people on these kinds of cars.

 

[Kitaka]

I drive 400 miles per week and love the low maintenance of the car. Just be sure to do your customary maintenance schedule. I do my own work so that has helped keep costs down. The car is a 1993 NA and out of the snap ring range. Today I'm at 185,000 miles and going strong. Could use a new paint job on the body though. I repainted the roof last summer and hope to start doing a few body panels beginning this Fall

 

[Meeyatch1]

For the record, I daily drive my NSX all year, and I live in Indiana. Yes, it snows here. Yes, it rains here. I simply have a set of winter wheels and tires, and a set for spring/summer/fall. That way I always get the best traction possible, and the car is fine in all weather conditions. Granted, I am probably the black sheep of the NSX world, but my point is that the car will do it without issue if you want it to.

 

[robbiedawg]

For the record, I daily drive my NSX all year, and I live in Indiana. Yes, it snows here. Yes, it rains here. I simply have a set of winter wheels and tires, and a set for spring/summer/fall. That way I always get the best traction possible, and the car is fine in all weather conditions. Granted, I am probably the black sheep of the NSX world, but my point is that the car will do it without issue if you want it to.

my car's pretty much a garage queen,i drive and enjoy it,but not in the rain. so,i find your usage very impressive.i seem to remember a pic of your car with many bags of mulch in it at a home store.

 

[haveblue]

Lets assume you keep this car for 5 years. If you compare DD'ing a '91 NSX to say a 2000 Civic, yes the lifetime cost is much higher. When compared to an equally expensive 2011 Accord...not so much.

Fact is that the NSX has essentially hit the bottom of its depreciation. The price of a '91 3 years ago is the same as it is now. It may depreciate a little over a 5 year period, but if you keep it properly maintained, keep receipts, and take care of its paint, there's a very good chance it will decrease little to none.

A new Accord in 5 years will lose about $10k in depreciation, in addition to its regular maintenance and replacement of wear items, which are cheaper than that of the NSX, but still NOT free. So lets say $13k total for the new Accord over 5 years. For the NSX: More expensive insurance, two TB/WP changes, a clutch, a few sets of tires, fluids, other things...$13k sounds about right.

And plenty of people pony up the money for a brand new DD family sedan.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

I don't get why everyone is so beat up on the TB/WP every 6 years for $2k. Did you factor in the difference in depreciation of a typical family sedan DD vs the NSX?

Because the TB/WP is a crucial service and a hard pill to swallow for some every 6 years. If you buy in cheap and hope to not spend much on the car, you're in for a world of hurt.

Depreciation also doesn't hit you in the wallet as bad as a service like that. You've already spent the money.

Also, if you're hoping your NSX will be worth just as much as when you bought it if you defer on maintenance, you are sorely mistaken.

 

[haveblue]

Because the TB/WP is a crucial service and a hard pill to swallow for some every 6 years. If you buy in cheap and hope to not spend much on the car, you're in for a world of hurt.

Depreciation also doesn't hit you in the wallet as bad as a service like that. You've already spent the money.

Also, if you're hoping your NSX will be worth just as much as when you bought it if you defer on maintenance, you are sorely mistaken.

I just completely rephrased my post. TB/WP is less than $1 a day. The people who go and buy a new $80k BMW/Benz/Audi get hit with $30/day of initial depreciation. A new Mustang GT? Still about $8/day. Now THAT is a world of hurt. It's an order of magnitude of difference. Which essentially says that the TB/WP cost rate is negligible compared to the loss rate due to depreciation of a similarly-priced new car.

Also, lets compare the cost of gas for 5 years at 20k miles per year of an NSX (25mpg) vs a half-ton truck (18mpg) (which many people around here seem perfectly happy commuting with). It's a difference of $6000 at $4/gallon over 5 years, or $3 a day, or the required 3 TB/WP changes.

Basically my opinion is: Yes, the NSX is more expensive to commute with than an old beater, or a Huffy mountain bike. No, the NSX is not more expensive to commute with than a new mid-sized family sedan or new half-ton crew-cab truck.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

True, buying a new car you'd end up eating alot of that cost, but you don't really feel that until you're upside down and trying to sell.

TB/WP interval is one of several maintenance items to consider. This is NOT including wearables and repairs. If you're strapped for cash and DDing an NSX, an AC compressor failure can be rough. A clutch job is more expensive than TB/WP and your first indication you need it is when it starts slipping.

These are not things you typically worry about with a newer car because they have a warranty.

 

[heySkippy]

It's not the TB/WP, but the high cost of ordinary repairs. Compare cost of an NSX window regulator versus the Civic or replacing O2 sensors or the power antenna or the clutch cylinder, etc. I love having my NSX as a DD, but it has been costly at times.

 

[Meeyatch1]

my car's pretty much a garage queen,i drive and enjoy it,but not in the rain. so,i find your usage very impressive.i seem to remember a pic of your car with many bags of mulch in it at a home store.

Yes, that is my car. It is also the NSX that had the lawn mower in the trunk, drove through two separate certified blizzards, hauled a few sets of wheels and tires in the cabin, had a beer keg strapped into the passenger seat, had two cheerleaders stacked on the passenger side, and several other things. Wow. Typing that I just realized that this car has been through A LOT!! :biggrin:

 

[R13]

Yes, that is my car. It is also the NSX that had the lawn mower in the trunk, drove through two separate certified blizzards, hauled a few sets of wheels and tires in the cabin, had a beer keg strapped into the passenger seat, had two cheerleaders stacked on the passenger side, and several other things. Wow. Typing that I just realized that this car has been through A LOT!! :biggrin:

You sir, are my kind of NSX owner, lol.

 

[Meeyatch1]

You sir, are my kind of NSX owner, lol.

HAHAHA!! Thank you. I am a black sheep to others. I legitimately get excited to put more miles on the car. Right now I am trying to figure a way to take time off to drive it more so that I can take a trip and put a few thousand on it to get to 180,000 miles.

 

[heySkippy]

I've got a 3000+ mile road trip to KS coming up next month that ought to put me over 140,000.

 

[ysoslow]

I've been using my NSX daily for the last 3 weeks. I've put a little over 2000 miles so far this this period of time while my CRZ sleep lol. Only difference I see is that I have to pump gas more. I'm averaging 23-25 mpg on the nsx so I'm starting to miss the 40+ on the crz. Other than that I love it.