I need one of these

J

Johnny Wants NSX

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20 April 2014
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Ok, I have decided to get an NSX ... now I need to really educate myself. I like to buy the last year production of cars, so I think I'm going to try and find a 2005. I think the last year of the 3.0 5 speed is 96 ? I would like to hear opinions on the 5 speed vs 6 speed ... maybe I will get a 96 if there are some compelling reasons ... one review video on You Tube had a driver stating that he far preferred the 5 speed ratios ? I'm looking for feedback on all of the things I need to consider before buying one. Thanks guys !
 
Johnny, you found the best place online to ask about the NSX.

You mentioned you wanted the latest model year, may I ask why that is?

If it is cosmetic reasons, the 02-05 MY have the same aesthetics. 91-01 are almost identical but a few have done "02+ conversions". So keep that in mind.

If you wanted a late model year for lowest mileage/wear/tear/maintenance reasons, consider this. Many NSX's of all MY have been well cared for, scaresly driven, and maintained. So I wouldn't limit yourself to the latest year only if that is your goal, a clean NSX. Also remember even the "newest" are ~10 years old, these are older machines no matter the MY.

If you wanted the latest MY for powertrain reasons, as you mentioned, the two powertrains ran from 91-96 ("NA1"), and 97-05 ("NA2"). 3.0 L 5 speed 270hp 210 lbft, and 3.2 L 6 speed 290hp 224 lbft respectively. There's also forced induction options for both if you NEED more power.

If you wanted a T-Top, you're MY's of choice are 95+. Note that coupes after 94 are few and far between.

If you wanted the latest for safety reasons, I belive 93+ came with a passenger airbag, but all came with ABS and TCS. And the design barely changed for 15 years, so that helps me sleep at night knowing the 91's meet 05 saftey stds.

I can't speak for the 6 speed, but the 5 speed has fairly tall gears. Which some like, some do not. I like a long pull from ~40 km/h to well over 100km/h in 2nd hehe.

My advice: NSX's come in all assortments, milesages, conditions, aspirations, colours etc. SO, pick your favourite colour and go from there. Some colours are only offered in some MY's, so you may be restricted by that means.

If you like black or red, you've got the most flexibility :D.

Enjoy your search, it's half the fun! Oh, and be patient ;).

Cheers,

Lucas
 
If you are going to turbo your car it doesn't matter if it's an older 3.0 5 spd in fact the tall gears are preferred by most but if you are sticking with naturally aspirated I think the na2 is leaps ahead in stock form but still not fast in today's market. For a "raw" feel a coupe is best, (Pre 95). Targas are heavier and less rigid and I believe they have softer stock suspension. For resale value get a low mile accident free car. Definately start with color choice. Make a list of wants and needs and budget. What is your price point anyways? I'm curious as I went through this same experience only a couple of years ago and I'm really happy with my purchase. I love my car, and no you can't buy it lol.
 
First are you really gonna stick with Johnny wants NSX as your username for years or is this a throw away account.

second after you feel 2nd gear in a 2004-2005 vs the 2nd gear in a 5-speed you will know which one you want.

2nd gear in a 5-speed is the worst, the 2nd gear in the 6-speed pulls so hard its not funny.
 
I think if you like last year cars...a 2001. Last year for pop-ups. You get 6 sp./3.2/upgraded abs/perf seats.... all nice upgrades. I think its gonna be the most desirable to collectors if that matters.
 
Hey guys, sorry I went AWOL here after my initial post, I lost my login info and then got sidetracked ... plus have sold the toy that I needed to fund this endeavor ... thanks for all of the great feedback, just the type of info I was looking for ...

- - - Updated - - -

shawn110975 said:
First are you really gonna stick with Johnny wants NSX as your username for years or is this a throw away account.

second after you feel 2nd gear in a 2004-2005 vs the 2nd gear in a 5-speed you will know which one you want.

2nd gear in a 5-speed is the worst, the 2nd gear in the 6-speed pulls so hard its not funny.
Click to expand...

Yes a terrible username that I will update.

2nd gear in the 5 speed is a problem according to Shawn ... is this a common concern that many of you agree with ?

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jaja said:
Johnny, you found the best place online to ask about the NSX.

You mentioned you wanted the latest model year, may I ask why that is?

If it is cosmetic reasons, the 02-05 MY have the same aesthetics. 91-01 are almost identical but a few have done "02+ conversions". So keep that in mind.

If you wanted a late model year for lowest mileage/wear/tear/maintenance reasons, consider this. Many NSX's of all MY have been well cared for, scaresly driven, and maintained. So I wouldn't limit yourself to the latest year only if that is your goal, a clean NSX. Also remember even the "newest" are ~10 years old, these are older machines no matter the MY.

If you wanted the latest MY for powertrain reasons, as you mentioned, the two powertrains ran from 91-96 ("NA1"), and 97-05 ("NA2"). 3.0 L 5 speed 270hp 210 lbft, and 3.2 L 6 speed 290hp 224 lbft respectively. There's also forced induction options for both if you NEED more power.

If you wanted a T-Top, you're MY's of choice are 95+. Note that coupes after 94 are few and far between.

If you wanted the latest for safety reasons, I belive 93+ came with a passenger airbag, but all came with ABS and TCS. And the design barely changed for 15 years, so that helps me sleep at night knowing the 91's meet 05 saftey stds.

I can't speak for the 6 speed, but the 5 speed has fairly tall gears. Which some like, some do not. I like a long pull from ~40 km/h to well over 100km/h in 2nd hehe.

My advice: NSX's come in all assortments, milesages, conditions, aspirations, colours etc. SO, pick your favourite colour and go from there. Some colours are only offered in some MY's, so you may be restricted by that means.

If you like black or red, you've got the most flexibility :D.

Enjoy your search, it's half the fun! Oh, and be patient ;).

Cheers,

Lucas
Click to expand...

Thanks for the great feedback ... I like the last year because I figure it is the most collectible and presumably the bugs have all been worked out ... which may not be the case with NSX's based on me reading all the posts here. Every car I have ever collected or drove as a driver was the final production year ... I'm thinking red or black (must be blk interior), coupe, I really like the pop ups, there is a blk/blk 92 for sale now with about 2K miles which looks attractive. My budget is within any of the prices I have seen for these so far ... I want a super clean, low miles example. I like 100% stock, no turbos or forced air upgrades ...I want it to feel and drive the way it was intended to be from the factory.



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sippy2 said:
I think if you like last year cars...a 2001. Last year for pop-ups. You get 6 sp./3.2/upgraded abs/perf seats.... all nice upgrades. I think its gonna be the most desirable to collectors if that matters.
Click to expand...
You make a goodcase for the right 01 ... I like your logic ... just searched the whole Internet to the extent that I know how for a 2001 for sale ... none ;-:

Is there a premium site that sells NSX's ? Reason I ask is that I have found over the years that the best cars of any type are sometimes not easy to find with a simple Google search ... but have found that niche specialty shops may have a handful of the most sought after cars ... thanks.
 
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Johnny Wants NSX said:
You make a goodcase for the right 01 ... I like your logic ... just searched the whole Internet to the extent that I know how for a 2001 for sale ... none ;-
Click to expand...

2001s rarely come up for sale as they are the lowest production year for any NSX (only 166 sold in the US). There are 24 black/black 2001 NSXs in the US market. (Here is a link to production numbers: http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Production_Numbers)

As far as I can tell, there are no differences between a 2000 and a 2001, which opens you up to another 27 black/black cars.

There are a number of engine upgrades that occurred in 1997 that are improvements, so the NSX did evolve over the years. Beyond 1997 though, the changes are very minimal beyond the cosmetics of the 2002+ model years.

Good luck in your search.
 
What you also need to consider is, do you want a coupe or removable roof. Myself and many others prefer the coupe for it's stiffer structure and as you know years from now, removable roofs can stand a chance of leaking. The 6 speed is a no brainer. If you can afford an 05 then certainly you can afford a 2001 coupe. {last year for any coupe built} That would be the ticket in my book but they rarely if ever pop up.
 
Johnny Wants NSX said:
Is there a premium site that sells NSX's ? Reason I ask is that I have found over the years that the best cars of any type are sometimes not easy to find with a simple Google search ... but have found that niche specialty shops may have a handful of the most sought after cars ... thanks.
Click to expand...

Use vast.com as it links all sites that sell cars. The only issue with that site is that they don't update cars that have been sold often enough but other than that it's very good. Good luck and happy hunting for your NSX.
 
davidf said:
What you also need to consider is, do you want a coupe or removable roof. Myself and many others prefer the coupe for it's stiffer structure and as you know years from now, removable roofs can stand a chance of leaking. The 6 speed is a no brainer. If you can afford an 05 then certainly you can afford a 2001 coupe. {last year for any coupe built} That would be the ticket in my book but they rarely if ever pop up.
Click to expand...

I like the coupe ... but it looks like there were maybe 30 something made with a 6 speed if I reading this right. http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Production_Numbers

I had a 90 Honda Prelude 5 speed with tall gears, 2nd brought you to damn near 60 mph and 3rd to 90 mph as I recall ... I kind of like those long pulls. I'm now thinking 5 speed coupe might be the right car for me. There are a lot of Blk/Blk and Red/Blk in that category as far as production numbers ... relatively speaking
 
Johnny Wants NSX said:
I like the coupe ... but it looks like there were maybe 30 something made with a 6 speed if I reading this right. http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Production_Numbers

I had a 90 Honda Prelude 5 speed with tall gears, 2nd brought you to damn near 60 mph and 3rd to 90 mph as I recall ... I kind of like those long pulls. I'm now thinking 5 speed coupe might be the right car for me. There are a lot of Blk/Blk and Red/Blk in that category as far as production numbers ... relatively speaking
Click to expand...

I've never driven a 6 speed nsx but I'd suggest what was mentioned above is if this is a deciding factor to you I'd drive both a 5 speed and 6 speed.
 
What kind of driving do you like to do? Our two local tracks here benefit best with the 6spd or better the JDM 5spd but these are small to medium size. Tight Canyon driving feels great on short gears... general street driving too. Big tracks or long flowing canyon curves are fun with long gears and a power adder like CTSC with a flat torque curve. NA long gears does the job but not as much fun.

Some good drivers who can take advantage of the added mechanical torque from short gears need to be better at shifting. For me, there's nothing worse than messing up a rev match downshift or hitting redline midturn because gears are too short. I'm not that good of a driver.
 
Very cool site ... thanks ... like you said, a lot of them are sold or dead links, but still a good resource

- - - Updated - - -

RYU said:
What kind of driving do you like to do? Our two local tracks here benefit best with the 6spd or better the JDM 5spd but these are small to medium size. Tight Canyon driving feels great on short gears... general street driving too. Big tracks or long flowing canyon curves are fun with long gears and a power adder like CTSC with a flat torque curve. NA long gears does the job but not as much fun.

Some good drivers who can take advantage of the added mechanical torque from short gears need to be better at shifting. For me, there's nothing worse than messing up a rev match downshift or hitting redline midturn because gears are too short. I'm not that good of a driver.
Click to expand...

I'm not really sure what kind of a driver I am really ... I never track my cars but really want to ... time and priorities I guess ... most of my fun cruises are on Highway 1 on the NorCal coast or windy roads in Sonoma / Napa ... "spirited driver" I guess, I like to go fast, pound into corners, etc.. probably above average skills but not a talented driver by any means. I want great handling and moderate to strong acceleration ... and reliability ... like I posted earlier, I had a 90 Honda Prelude 5 speed with what I seem to recall had pretty tall gears ... guess I should look up those ratios ... but I loved the way it drove. I think I'm really flexible ... it's the looks, rarity, and handling of the NSX that attract me ... don't need a rocket ship. I have a Porsche and BMW E39 M5 for stupid speed.

- - - Updated - - -

These were the ratios from my 5 speed Honda Prelude that I thought was great ... how do they compare with the 5 speed NSX and can we even try to do an apples for apples comparison ... I guess we need to know the diff ratio as well, etc... ?

I
3.307 (14.12)
II
1.809 (7.72)
III
1.269 (5.42)
IV
0.966 (4.12)
V
0.812 (3.47)

<tbody>
</tbody>
 
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Click here for change by year.

In my own observations:
Coupes are noticeably lighter and tighter than NSX-Ts
3.2L is slightly torque-ier than 3.0L
6 speeds are much nicer than 5 speeds
I prefer the twin disc clutch in the 5 speeds
91-94 manual racks feel slightly more direct, at the expense of a little extra turning effort when driving <10MPH
97+ brakes are better on track
2000+ ABS is noticeably better
2000+ perforated leather is nice if it is hot where you live
2002+ gets the revised front and rear fascias, which is a personal preference thing.

To each his own, but my favorites would be 1) Zanardis 2) NA2 coupes 3a) lightly modified 93-94 3b) 2000-2001 3c) 2002+ in LBB .... 47) anything with an auto transmission
 
you screen name is already first good decision :) second is your thread and i hope third be real NSX :biggrin:
 
Sorry but this is not true. Same 5 gears 1991-1996. In 1995-96 they went to the limited slip dif, but the 5 gears are the same.

HTH,
LarryB

socalx said:
95-96 with 5 speed have the jdm short gears (not the tall gears) fyi
Click to expand...
 
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Wow. I'm circling the date on my calendar. Larry actually learned something new about the NSX.

Lesson: If Larry is still learning, I definitely have so much more to learn about the many secrets baked into these awesome cars.
 
Larry..... did you go drinking last night with your buddies... :smile: its almost noon you should be recovered by now. :biggrin:
 
except when it comes to gear ratios, "mine's shorter than yours" is not something people usually brag about...
 
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