CerberusM5 said:Here are some cars that are significantly faster under $100k (not all are direct competitors, but still faster):
1. M5
2. C6 Coupe
3. ZO6
4. Viper SRT-10
5. Mustang Cobra
6. SLK55
7. E55
8. 997 Carrera
9. 997 Carrera S
10. GT3
Why am I buying an E60 M5? To replace my current M5. I want the best sports sedan on the planet; and in my opinion, it's the new M5. Of course the new C6 ZO6 (I have one on order) will out accelerate the new M5, it should since it is a focused sports car, but it doesn't have enough seats to take my kids to the park.
All out acceleration is not my primary focus. I want a blend of power, handling, braking and quality. I thought the NSX was Honda's equivalent to the GT3 (only $15k cheaper). However, after driving a GT3 upon buying my NSX, I saw the light. The GT3 was superior to the NSX in all perfomance aspects; it's an amazing sports car for the money. I will probably replace the ZO6 with a 997 GT3 when introduced, but not before I have some fun trashing the ZO6.
I do not compare the NSX to any modern Ferraris. The NSX is no longer worthy of such comparisons. In the early 90s it provided the wakeup call, but Ferrari has since improved their products light years ahead of the NSX.
With that said, I still think the NSX is a wonderful car, but not for $89,765. The NSX is the only car that Honda produces that is not competitively priced and is at least $20,000 overpriced in my opinion. For $70,000, the NSX would be a good buy.
Cerberus, if you are comparing engineering prowess and general performance level, wouldn't a more apt comparison be the NSX-R (or S zero) vs. the GT3? After all, the GT3 is Porsche's track-oriented model in the 911 lineup (aside from factory race cars), and it would seem appropriate to compare it to Honda's track-oriented model.
If you are limiting the comparison to what you are able to obtain in the U.S., then we should also lament the marketers who have decided it's not worth bringing these models to this country, but not knock the NSX as a whole, just because the trim level we want is not available.
Note that I am not disagreeing with your general statement that the GT3 is a better performance car than the regular NSX. The GT3 would be my first choice for a Porsche as well.