Daily driving & reliability

I

inaprpt

Registered Member
Joined
2 September 2008
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10
Hi folks,

Talk to me about daily driving an NSX. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm sure this has been hashed to death, so if you just want to point me to a FAQ or other threads, that'd be fine, too.

Brief, brief background: I drove a DeLorean daily for a few years. Loved the car, hated working on it. Decided to get something newer so, presumably, I'd not have to work on it much, if ever. That's not to say I'm incapable; I've swapped an engine block in a Fiero and I pulled the tranny in the DeLorean for clutch work twice, not to mention countless lesser jobs. However, I don't want a car to tinker with, I want one to drive. Maintenance - no problem. The occasional repair - no problem. A car that's old and it's about time for everything to fail one part at a time? Leave it, thanks.

The question, therefore, for my ~$35k give or take, do I buy a '94-'96 NSX? Or do I buy something new like a Solstice GXP so I just don't have to dick with it? Assuming one finds a nice, well maintained NSX of that vintage with under 100k on the clock, what am I looking at for typical problems? I dig the NSX in large part because I'm assuming repair work is like any other Honda: That is to say, there really isn't any because the damn things just work. Is that mostly accurate?

Now, I know there are no guarantees, etc, and there will be maintenance and the occasional repair, which I can more than afford, so no issues. Here's what I'm trying to avoid: I've got a list several hundred lines long and 5 figures in size of items I repaired to make that DeLorean a reliable daily driver, yet the damn thing still squeaked and rattled and there were a dozen finicky items that mostly-worked-ish and I could never really make perfect. That car never left me stranded but it did force me to drop my evening plans on a regular basis just to lay under it and get greasy. I don't want to lay under a car and get greasy anymore. I'm just done with it. Will I do it if I have to, sure, and I'm capable, but I don't want to spend even one weekend a year under the damn car. Once every few years, OK, more than that, forget it.

So, am I cut out for this? Or am I looking to get myself into another fix-it car?

Thanks for reading this post that turned out more lengthy than I'd planned (they always do). :)
 
The search is your friend. You'll find tons of information regarding the NSX as a daily driver, and that there is no problem with it. Now looking for 94 - 96 for $35K, I think you're winking in the dark for a well maintained, serviced good condition vehicle. Good luck.
 
if its "35k give or take" do yourself and find a deal on a 97-01, have seen some listed for 40k lately.

if you find one with all records and timing belt/wp done, then thats even better.


the only time you will be laying under the car greesy is when you get to modding it:biggrin:
 
I have had my 1994 NSX now for six years and about 56K miles.
Just two month ago my car was due for the yearly mandatory check-up that we call the APK where I live. I including a small service with oil and oil-filter change, a general check-up etc.
Total cost of the service was a whopping 155 Euro's or about 200 US$.

In those six years of ownership, apart from the general service items, I have only replaced a suspension joint as an additional wear-item.
I drive my car hard and I go through a set of rear tires every six month. I keep a close check on my oil-level and state, keep the car clean inside and out and drive it all year round, wet or dry.

The only hick-up I have EVER had with the car was a couple of months ago
when I found that I could not switch of my parking lights. I first suspected the switch do be at fault, but I traced it back (with the help from other people here on Prime) to a burned out taillight bulb which had the wires fused. Replaced the bulb and the problem was gone.

Other than that, the NSX always starts, always works, never let's me down.

So, to answer your question, YES the NSX is EXTREMELY RELIABLE. In fact, in real maintenance so far (except for tires) is has been cheaper to run than my 1999 Prelude.

However, I did spend a small fortune on modifications though :biggrin: :biggrin:
So I would suggest you better just buy the NSX and NEVER visit this site again. Otherwise you might run the risk of not only getting hooked on first the NSX, but also on visiting NSXPRIME and then on to modifying it.

Be Warned !!!!
 
My 95 is a DD and I couldn't ask for much more as regards reliability. In 3 1/2 years and 50K miles I've replaced an O2 sensor, a broken antenna, and uh, not much else.

Not counting the timing belt and 6 sets of tires of course.

Also, I don't do my own wrench work.

edit to add: I also had to replace my ignition switch. I knew I was forgetting something. :)
 
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If you drove a Delorean for a daily driver for years.. the NSX will be unreal to you in terms of reliablity. My friend owns a Delorean and I know that car much better underneath than I know my own cars, so I hear ya. Cool car though.
I have had my 91 now for 2 1/2 years..I don't daily drive mine and have only put 11K on it in that time....but, hasn't needed anything really...oh, it needed a new battery this spring. Thats it, other than oil and filter. Just make sure the timing belt and water pump is done. Do your research and find one that has been cared for and you should have no problems.
As others have hinted you will spend way more on mods than on maintenance. :wink:
 
Greetings

I drive mine to work -- live in Silicon Valley, so no snow. I get mine serviced at Acura for major services -- it is under an extended warranty. Get tires at local station which services other NSX's.

It's a Honda. The 30K mile service is about $150 more than our IS300. Plan on rear tires every 10K miles or so -- fronts last longer.

The major thing about driving every day is people wanting to look at your car in traffic, take pictures with camera phones, etc. It happens at least once a week. I had people taking pictures of it last week at the Specialty Bakery and Cafe in Mountain View while I was in getting some breakfast. You get used to the attention -- most people there ignore me, I'm kind of a regular.

Cheers,
Martin
 
I daily drive my 91 which I bought a bit over 4 years ago at 128k miles. It's now at 164k. My car needed a bit of maintenance done when I bought it, but it's been pretty solid over the years.

No major issues, though I did blow a coolant hose once. Other than the occasional scraping of driveways, and the fear of parking on the street or in cramped parking lots, it makes a great daily driver.

-Josh
 
Huge thanks to all for the replies & warm welcome.

Dtrigg: There are several of 'em listed in the For Sale section here in the ~$35k price range. Just saw a '94 sell on eBay for $26,500 by an exotic/collectible dealer, claimed to have all service records from day 1 and very well maintained. True? Who knows, but this dealer had impeccable feedback.

MvM: Yeah, I am a bit of a car nut. I'm sure I'll indulge myself in some mods eventually. :biggrin:

blodi: I loved the DeLorean, just didn't love working on it, and that ~130hp 2.8 was shameful. I'm not into racing, but still, acceleration was abysmal. See, there's nothing really wrong with DeLoreans as far as reliability goes - they're only exotics because the company failed; they were designed to be driven, not stored. If John's plans had gone well you'd see them all over the road. Problem is, they're all 26+ years old now, most have been sitting in garages, so you take a car like that and start driving it and all of your hoses, seals, anything rubber just fails in short order. Brake components, fuel pickup & delivery system, entire clutch system, all coolant lines, vacuum lines & vacuum driven climate control systems, water pump, alternator, radiator, shift linkage & bushings - you name it, I replaced it. Everything in a car has rubber in it and most of it was shot after so many years of once-a-month Sunday drives.

MartinSD: Been there, done that with the attention. I couldn't buy gas in the DeLorean without a small crowd and a game of 20 questions. First time someone took a picture of the car with a cell phone scared the hell out of me - I was driving down a busy city street after dark and this SUV in the next lane matches my speed move for move while the passenger holds some glowing object at me for several blocks. Took a minute to figure out they were harmless enough and it was just a camera phone.

Joshs: " <script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("postmenu_1056041", true)</script>It's now at 164k." - How do these hold up at higher mileage? I looked at one with 170k+ miles on it. Tempted due to lower price, but thinking I should avoid...
 
Take a look at the pricing and condition(s) on Wiki. That should give you a good idea of pricing for a '94 - '96.

Good luck. Hope to see a photo of your new car soon.:biggrin:
 
12AMNSX: Nice. More than I'm willing to spend, but I'll bet the car is worth every penny you're asking. :cool:<script type="text/javascript"> vbmenu_register("postmenu_1056112", true); </script>
 
I own a '91 with about 157k miles on it and drive it daily ..year 'round .. in Canada .. snow, ice, -40F .. and it's amazingly durable. I bought mine with 90K already on it but it had pretty good records and had just had the 7 yr/90k mile major service plus a new clutch so I was hoping I'd be good on the majors for a while... and it has proved out to be a good strategy. When I was buying, I noticed that once you get up into the 80-90k miles, the price drops off quickly because no-one wants an 'expensive exotic with high miles'. But if the things I mentioned have been done, there's little reason to fear higher mileage cars... especially if it's mostly highway miles.

In addition to the 'search' function that was mentioned, try to locate the Road & Track June 2001 Used Car Classic article on the NSX .. there's probably a scanned copy here on the site somewhere.
 
inaprpt said:
Talk to me about daily driving an NSX. The good, the bad and the ugly. I'm sure this has been hashed to death, so if you just want to point me to a FAQ or other threads, that'd be fine, too.
Click to expand...

The FAQ area is an absolutely fantastic resource loaded with lots of useful information about everything NSX. All the NSXPrime veterans are very familiar with it.

inaprpt said:
The question, therefore, for my ~$35k give or take, do I buy a '94-'96 NSX? Or do I buy something new like a Solstice GXP so I just don't have to dick with it? Assuming one finds a nice, well maintained NSX of that vintage with under 100k on the clock, what am I looking at for typical problems? I dig the NSX in large part because I'm assuming repair work is like any other Honda: That is to say, there really isn't any because the damn things just work. Is that mostly accurate?
Click to expand...

Your price range will generally buy you either a low-mileage, well-maintained 91-94 NSX, an average 95-96 NSX or a higher mileage, possibly maintenance-deferred 97+.

That being said I personally would mention to you three things--the first is that the 91-94 NSXs are the best value and there are many, many 91-94 NSXs in terrific shape and I would not hesitate to purchase one of those cars. The second is that the 95-96 NSXs are the "slowest" of all NSXs due mainly to the introduction of the targa top (weight). They are also less rigid on the track due to the targa. However, if a T-top is important to you I would keep that in mind. The third item is that the 97+ NSXs (NA2s) have a larger engine, more hp and a six-speed tranny, not to mention many other little internal upgrades over the previous NSXs (NA1s). The price for a nice NA2 is going to be more than $40K but you'll be buying a newer car with less overall mileage and a better drivetrain (and a targa). I would say the extra money for an NA2 would be well spent.

inaprpt said:
Now, I know there are no guarantees, etc, and there will be maintenance and the occasional repair, which I can more than afford, so no issues. Here's what I'm trying to avoid: I've got a list several hundred lines long and 5 figures in size of items I repaired to make that DeLorean a reliable daily driver, yet the damn thing still squeaked and rattled and there were a dozen finicky items that mostly-worked-ish and I could never really make perfect. That car never left me stranded but it did force me to drop my evening plans on a regular basis just to lay under it and get greasy. I don't want to lay under a car and get greasy anymore. I'm just done with it. Will I do it if I have to, sure, and I'm capable, but I don't want to spend even one weekend a year under the damn car. Once every few years, OK, more than that, forget it.
Click to expand...

The NSX has proven to be as reliable as any other Honda. Repairs and scheduled maintenance are generally more expensive and competent mechanics are harder to find but over the same mileage I think you'll find a 1991 NSX displays the same (or higher) level of overall durability, reliability and dependability as a 1991 Accord or Civic. There are many, many NSXs with 150K miles and many with 200K+ miles that run just swimmingly. There are even a couple that I'm aware of approaching or exceeding 300K miles with no signs of trouble.

Of course the warranty on any new car is a huge benefit but the NSX is going to be as reliable as any car with comparable mileage on the road.

If you're an ace under the hood there are many repairs and maintenance items that you can probably do yourself. The more complicated stuff can be done under the shadetree but there are quite a few "gotchas" and shortcuts on an NSX that experienced mechanics avoid. If you know what you're doing the NSX service manual and the right tools should allow you to do almost everything.
 
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You better buy this.
Click to expand...
It looks like a very nice car, but I'd rather buy something with a few more miles and pay a little less. The car I buy will be driven ~10-12k miles a year and I'm not seeing a compelling reason to pay for (and subsequently hurt the value of by piling on miles) a 15k mile car. Something with 40k-100k will be $5k-$10k cheaper and would more than meet my needs. :smile:

NSXGMS: Thanks for the info. I do want a Targa, though I'm not dead-set in it - if I found a very nice car without for a good price I'd probably buy it. Going to a 97+ is, I'm afraid, going to be a bit out of my budget. It's not that I can't afford it, it just wouldn't make financial sense at this point in my life.
 
I daily drive my 97 NSX. I've never had 1 seconds problem with it.
I don't skip on any maintenance though. If Acura says it needs X, it gets X that same day. I bought mine with 40,000 miles on it, and 2.5 years later I have over 80,000 miles on it. The only days it stays home is when there's a chance of snow.

In all honesty, I've looked at everything from used Ferraris to Vipers to Porsches to the new Toyota powered Lotus and I can't find a better supercar/exotic thats ever been made. Assuming you want to actually drive it.
 
inaprpt said:
NSXGMS: Thanks for the info. I do want a Targa, though I'm not dead-set in it - if I found a very nice car without for a good price I'd probably buy it. Going to a 97+ is, I'm afraid, going to be a bit out of my budget. It's not that I can't afford it, it just wouldn't make financial sense at this point in my life.
Click to expand...

You should be able to find a higher-mileage (around average or 60-70K miles) 95-96 that is in great shape and very well-maintained in your price range, or a lower-mileage 91-94 in the same or better shape. Personally I'd lean toward the 95-96 since you're considering the targa and it will be a more recent car. Just wait for the nicest, cleanest one which it sounds like you're doing. It might take awhile but a good deal should be found. :wink:

With $35K you'd have your pick of many absolutely cherry 91-94 NSXs right now.
 

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