Expenses

[Packard]

I suspect that buying an NSX is just part of the cost of owning one.

What kind of expenses can I expect if I drive it about 6,000 miles a year?

Will the insurance be a killer?

Tires? How long do they last; what do they cost?

I know maintenance costs for normal cars (like my Acura GSR) but what are the maintenance costs on a NSX. Do they require a timing belt? On my GSR it is about $400.00 to replace and it is rated for 105,000 miles. What about the NSX?

I just don't want to be getting a car and then find that I can't afford to use it.

And, I have already had thrown at me the old yuppie remark, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." Arrogant. I think I can afford it, but if the tires last 6,000 miles and cost $1,000.00 to replace then I have to factor that into my budget.

So what kind of budget will I have to come up with?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ojas]

Will the insurance be a killer?

Don't ask us, call your agent. We could guess all day and still have no idea. Call your agent and in five minutes, you'll know for sure.

How long do they last?

It varies: FAQ: Stock Tires and FAQ: Other Tires As a point of reference: if you have 1994-2001 size wheels, stock Bridgestone RE010 16/17 tires, and drive 6000 miles/year, rears will last about a year and fronts will last about two. It's about $750 per year after shipping, mounting, etc.

what do they cost?

It varies: The Tire Rack.

Do they require a timing belt? ...What about the NSX?

FAQ: Maintenance Costs

So what kind of budget will I have to come up with?

Besides budgeting for the normal stuff, you'd want to keep a reserve to cover things that will pop-up along the way. Maybe $2000-$3000 / year (not including insurance). I'm not sure. If you spend too much time on this site, you can also count on aftermarket parts blowing your budget anyway.

 

[Synthesis]

depends on what year you're buying and alla that. there are a lot of hidden costs - maintenance stuff other than what's scheduled. if you do the work yourself it will save you a ton, but parts are still ridiculously expensive in most cases.

you should definitely factor in things that aren't necessarily called out for the regular service intervals, assuming the car is an older one and assuming that somebody drove their sports car the way they should be driving it. be ready for big pop up work.... ie, my clutch just started to slip (about 63kmi, parts alone =1600-2000 bucks.... for the entire assy).... wasn't expecting it, but if you read around on here, they can go quicker or last longer than that.

might want to do the timing belt if there is no clear record of the last time it's been done. if you take it somewhere it will cost you about 1500-2200 bucks, depending where you take it. either way, it aint 400.

then there are the more universal problems (window regulator/alignment issues, amplifier failure, etc.).

like ojas said.... have some money reserved for this car at all times. it's built very well, but you may have normal issues that arise due to age/chance. just look up some of the bigger parts that you could imagine having to change out, that'll give you a good idea what you're up against (-labor :wink: )

 

[Stick-e-rice]

I've just had to replace a new gasket from a very minor leak and a new cv joint. $600 labor included. Pretty common for earlier year cars after 15 years since car was built.

Car is a 91 with 91K miles.

Besides that, all I spent money was on mods.:biggrin:

Had the car for almost 2 years now....car is a honda......trouble-free if the previous owner took good care of the car.

Tires do wear out faster, but there is a guy on Prime producing a camber kit that will solve that problem. 400-500 dollars I think for them once he is done.

 

[95EagleAWD]

2 to 3 grand on maintenance?!?!

Yeah, right. I spent 300 bucks on mine last year.

Also, the Acura dealer in my city will do the timing belt/water pump for 600 bucks.

The clutch is the killer, it will be a couple grand.

 

[nsxtasy]

Tires do wear out faster, but there is a guy on Prime producing a camber kit that will solve that problem.

I doubt it. Rear tires are going to need replacing pretty often, no matter how you have the alignment set (although some settings are better than others). Front tires last a lot longer.

2 to 3 grand on maintenance?!?!

Yeah, right. I spent 300 bucks on mine last year.

Thanks for telling us. We'll make sure not to buy a used car from you.

You can cut corners on maintenance, but it usually comes back to haunt you. As my mechanic says, "You can pay me for maintenance now, or you can pay me a lot more for repairs later, makes no difference to me!"

the Acura dealer in my city will do the timing belt/water pump for 600 bucks.

I thought the parts cost alone is more than that. What is his labor rate, a dollar an hour?

To the OP - Go through all the calculations and lay it out as a budget for your 6000 miles/year. Post it and we can double-check it. You can find out insurance rates by checking a website like Insweb.com or Insure.com.

 

[Ojas]

Waste of bandwidth

2 to 3 grand on maintenance?!?!

Yeah, right. I spent 300 bucks on mine last year...

The clutch is the killer, it will be a couple grand.

I never said just "maintenance". We're talking about a budget - refer to the original poster's first and last question. $300 is completely useless figure. I'm not sure why you even mentioned it. I already showed tires only can easily exceed be more than double this amount based on Packard's anticipated usage.

Yes, we all know a clutch costs a bit to replace. I took this, along with other consumables, such as brakes, tires, and normal scheduled maintenance into consideration when I came up with my average figure.

 

[95EagleAWD]

Thanks for telling us. We'll make sure not to buy a used car from you.

You can cut corners on maintenance, but it usually comes back to haunt you. As my mechanic says, "You can pay me for maintenance now, or you can pay me a lot more for repairs later, makes no difference to me!"

And one a 91 that just had the timing belt done right before I bought it, what kind of maintenance do you think it may need? Nothing? Pretty much, since it runs just fine right now. Oil changes are easy, they take me a a half hour to do. Why pay someone for easy work?

My budget will be a little bigger, since the rear shoes need replacement this year. If you don't go with the OEM tires, you'll get more than 6,000 miles with them.

The OPs first relevant sentance that I can see is "What kind of expenses can I expect if I drive it about 6,000 miles a year?"

My response is "probably not much". I put 11,000 miles on my car last summer. I did a couple oil changes and that was it. And I replaced a coil pack.

As for the timing belt, my service manager said it's about 600-700 bucks for a TL, why should an NSX be much different? I know a few people in town that have had them done for that much. Paying 2K+ for a timing belt is rediculous.

 

[nsxtasy]

And one a 91 that just had the timing belt done right before I bought it, what kind of maintenance do you think it may need? Nothing? Pretty much, since it runs just fine right now.

So if someone else paid $1400 for the timing belt right before you bought it, and you don't pay anything now, the average maintenance cost for the past year is $1400 a year. Even if you don't put many miles on it.

An average is an average, over time. (And mileage is relevant when computing expected costs.) You don't look at a short period and use that as the average. I paid nothing for maintaining my NSX in the past month. Does that mean that the average I will pay for the next ten years, driving 6000 miles per year, is nothing? No.

But thanks for the clarification - glad to hear that you might be maintaining your car properly after all!

If you don't go with the OEM tires, you'll get more than 6,000 miles with them.

That depends on what kind of tires you get, and which end of the car you're talking about. Just about everyone gets way more than 6,000 miles on the front tires - typically double that for the OEM tires, sometimes more. And yes, there are tires (e.g. Falken Azenis RT-615) that wear faster than the OEM tires, just as there are others that last longer. There are lots of tires out there, with different attributes depending on what your priorities are among dry traction, wet traction, treadlife, price, etc.

The OPs first relevant sentance that I can see is "What kind of expenses can I expect if I drive it about 6,000 miles a year?"

My response is "probably not much".

And that response is inaccurate and misleading. Not only does it ignore the cost of replacing the timing belt and water pump; it also ignores the cost of all the major maintenances (not just the oil changes, but also the fluid and filter changes needed every 30K miles or 2 years, valve adjustments, brakes, tires, etc).

As for the timing belt, my service manager said it's about 600-700 bucks for a TL, why should an NSX be much different?

Because it takes a lot longer, and a lot more steps, to gain access to the timing belt in an NSX.

I know a few people in town that have had them done for that much.

In an NSX, I highly doubt it.

Paying 2K+ for a timing belt is rediculous.

Not only is it "rediculous"; it's also ridiculous. Replacing the timing belt and water pump (which is a good idea to do at the same time) should cost $1200-1600.

 

[JeffShoots]

As for the timing belt, my service manager said it's about 600-700 bucks for a TL, why should an NSX be much different? I know a few people in town that have had them done for that much. Paying 2K+ for a timing belt is rediculous.

because you don't read: tune up parts alone: http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/index_browse_part.cfm?focus=986

Shop rates are ~$75-$95 per hour and you may/should also get a valve adjustment.

Do you know where your timing belts ARE

If your Acura Dealer will still do all the NSX service for the price you quoted by a qualified NSX Tech most people here could ship the car to him and still save money.

 

[nsxtasy]

Shop rates are ~$75-$95 per hour and you may/should also get a valve adjustment.

Correct on the valve adjustment. Shop rates vary, but have generally risen quite a bit the last few years; in most big cities, dealers are now charging $95-115.

 

[NA1MT]

If your Acura Dealer will still do all the NSX service for the price you quoted by a qualified NSX Tech most people here could ship the car to him and still save money.

I 2nd that...............I just paid around $700.00 just for the parts to do this service.

 

[95EagleAWD]

because you don't read: tune up parts alone: http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/index_browse_part.cfm?focus=986

Shop rates are ~$75-$95 per hour and you may/should also get a valve adjustment.

Do you know where your timing belts ARE

If your Acura Dealer will still do all the NSX service for the price you quoted by a qualified NSX Tech most people here could ship the car to him and still save money.

Thanks. I know where timing belts are. I'll call the guy tonight and tell him to check out this thread; hopefully he can chime in on his good deal with the timing belt.

 

[95EagleAWD]

Not only is it "rediculous"; it's also ridiculous. Replacing the timing belt and water pump (which is a good idea to do at the same time) should cost $1200-1600.

I consider myself a spelling Nazi, and I always get that bloody word wrong. Probably why I don't use it very much. :wink:

I do take care of my cars. After owning three Mitsubishis, I know all about maintenance, trust me.

And I understand the question. Maybe my definition of "not much" for maintenance also stems from the fact that I've been through three Mitsus.

 

[redsuns3838]

As a point of reference: if you have 1994-2001 size wheels, stock Bridgestone RE010 16/17 tires, and drive 6000 miles/year, rears will last about a year and fronts will last about two. It's about $750 per year after shipping, mounting, etc..

dont forget that tires get hard with age and lose stopping power and traction. Id imagine after two years your front tires would be hard and not stop nearly as well when you need them to. I try to change tires once a year in fronts and rears on my car, i thought that was the reccomended intervals to change them. Then again in my car i brake quick and corner hard occasionally so have reliable grip from the tires is a little more important than what the avg driver cares about.

 

[Wick]

I've owned my NSX for 11 years and have put 44,000 mlies on it. My total lifetime maintenance to-date is just a little short of $13,000 (all service done by Acura dealer service or a shop specializing in NSX). This includes: tires, brakes, hoses, timing belt/water pump, clutch, tune-ups (valve adj), oil changes, other fluid changes, and other misc. maintenance items. I have had no 'major' mechanical issues with the car in these 11 years, just regular/stardard maintenance.

My "average" has therefore been $1181 per year. Some years are light, e.g, a couple hundred dollars, other years are heavy when multiple big ticket items hit in the same year. Overall, I'd say that's not too bad from a cost-of-ownership perspective.

Hope this helps the person who initially asked the question about cost-of-ownership... at least on the maintenance element.

-Wick

 

[Scin]

I have to vote tires for the biggest unexpected expense for me. I can't bring myself to use anything but max performance summer tires, and I have a lead foot. This means getting 4k miles out of my rear tires.

 

[mickeylex]

I have to vote tires for the biggest unexpected expense for me. I can't bring myself to use anything but max performance summer tires, and I have a lead foot. This means getting 4k miles out of my rear tires.

I'd agree w/ you. I put budget max performance (Yoko AVS ES100) tires on my NSX since I was driving it about 5K a year...figured I'd wear them out soon enough...what a mistake. Anything less than real max performance tires on the car is a bad idea. Now I find myself driving my S2000 (w/ OEM BS RE050) more and the NSX only 2-3K miles/year. I can't wait until I wear out those Yokos so I can put tires that have better steering response on the car.

To hell w/ tire wear...give me grip and steering response or give me death! :biggrin:

 

[nsxtasy]

dont forget that tires get hard with age and lose stopping power and traction. Id imagine after two years your front tires would be hard and not stop nearly as well when you need them to. I try to change tires once a year in fronts and rears on my car, i thought that was the reccomended intervals to change them. Then again in my car i brake quick and corner hard occasionally so have reliable grip from the tires is a little more important than what the avg driver cares about.

Tires do get hard with age, but that's MUCH more frequently than necessary to change tires due to age. The Tire Rack says that the useful life of a tire can be as much as six to ten years. Obviously, you can change them as often as you like, but I think doing so every year, just over age concerns, is totally unnecessary.

 

[RON98]

2 to 3 grand on maintenance?!?!

Yeah, right. I spent 300 bucks on mine last year.

Also, the Acura dealer in my city will do the timing belt/water pump for 600 bucks.

The clutch is the killer, it will be a couple grand.

TOOOTAL ignorance.

um.... the timing belt, water pump, tb tensioner pully alone costs about 450$... retail is close to 600$ and thats what the honda dealer charges and we are talking USD not CND $. this does not include the top end gasket set, alternator belt, ac belt, coolant and other parts and fees.

u sure they even plan on changing those nessary part? TB is pointless if your TB tension pully or water pump baring goes.

TB on an NSX is rated at 7-8 hours labor level A.... so im not sure what your talking about for 600$. SO they going to offer your free labor??

You sir dont know what your talking about. Also compairing a ACURA TL and a nsx is just stubid. just cause you dont "see" why a TB should be 1500-2200... does not change the fact that it is. If you can make a water pump, timing belt, timing belt pully + alternator, compressor belts and gasket set from puddy... than be my guest at your 600$ TB job on the NSX. Even at that dealer is losing money on labor......

if they can do a 600$ TB on a nsx. i'll post a video of me eating a whole nsx piece by piece in one sitting.

i can take care of an intergra tb in about 2-3 hours.... i cant do that with an nsx TB.

my personal with the nsx has been very good. Its a very cheap car to own and maintain. Almost like your average honda ,but the parts are a little bit more.

your ususal costs like oil change, air intake filter, spark plugs. the maintaince you can do yourself is very reasonable and no more than any other honda.

The timing belt and valve adjustment is the only expense that is above and beyond the usual hondas. For the parts on the TB along you'll run about 600$ and labor is 7-9 hours. So 1500-2200$. I got a quote from the local Acura dealer for 2.2K thats with out the valve adjustment and i think they quoted for 10 hours of labor. off the top of my head the valve adjustment is 5 hours worth of labor ( might be wrong. i need to check ).

We charge a whole lot less for a TB on the NSX than the dealers and other shops since we are not charging crazy labor prices. the parts price are pretty firm but the labor is the one that is flexable.

Those are the only expensive items. Good luck. :smile:

 

[RON98]

still waiting for your dealer to "chime" in :biggrin:

 

[95EagleAWD]

still waiting for your dealer to "chime" in :biggrin:

Still looking for receipts... the car's stored in another city right now, about 180 miles away.

I've been busy as hell at work for a couple weeks. Will hopefully have something by the weekend.