- Joined
- 21 December 2011
- Messages
- 4
I currently own both a C5 Vette and a 92 NSX. The NSX is more fun car to drive, but the Vette is something that needs to be driven to appreciate. Cheap and powerful, but no NSX for sure.
NSX vs. Corvette
- Thread starter FranksNSX
- Start date
How can you even consider comparing these two cars.... they have nothing in common and there really isnt't anything to compare. Not saying the vette is bad or worse.
When you actually doubt between the two I would say go for the vette because you most likely will not appreciate the NSX after you purchased it.
When you actually doubt between the two I would say go for the vette because you most likely will not appreciate the NSX after you purchased it.
Are you referring to the episode where Hammond takes the NSX-R out on the track and is unimpressed?
If so, I thought his review was actually pretty accurate. He went on about how Honda made small changes, but really nothing notable and in the exoctic car market that really is a strike against it.
When the NSX came out in 1990, it was an amazing car.
When they did the update in 2002, they didn't really change much. I don't think you can blame anyone for complaining about that in all honesty. We happen to be the crowd who likes it, so there is some bias here - but in an unbiased approach *IF* Honda was really dedicated to the NSX project there should have been more developments over the year. Headlight changes, slight aerodynamics and a fancy shift bag just don't cut it for 12 years of a car's life.
So while I think the 2002+ NSX is just fine the way it is, I certainly can't fault Hammond's review as an honest assessment. 350HP and an updated interior (ditch the tape deck for god's sake!) probably would have gone a long way to make it feel like a "newer" NSX.
*thread hijack over*
As for my thoughts on Vette vs NSX. My family is a big Vette family, my father owns a 1953 vette that he and my brother restored and both my brother and father own C5s. Great cars with tons of balls that ram down the road like a rock and roll song. For me, a vette is like an electric guitar and an NSX is more like a violin.
Last edited:
My Nsx has been mistaken for something expensive from Europa. Ive had gals request an experience. of course 99% of the NSX dun look as exotic as mine. And 99.69% of the NSX are slower from power and handling.
-arrogant Nsx owner
-arrogant Nsx owner
The NSX is a beautiful car and I'm a proud owner of an 03 red on tan. However The corvette, especially 06+ Z06s and even the late model ZR1s are impressive machines and beautiful to look at. I would proudly sport a ZR1...would I sell my NSX to do it...probably not.
One reason is that the Corvette has been around for over 50 years and every male has spoken about it at one time or another at the dinner table. Every person in North America has either heard about or seen a Corvette.
The Corvette is an American icon, the NSX isn't.
+1
Ditto this too!
Not really, many are just not sure what it is...but they know what a Corevette is!
Nicely put...again.
...but then again, you're preaching to the choir.
.
I drove a Z06 and to me it was a disaster waiting to happen, all over the place unable to put the power down even in third gear!!! But, I didn't like driving it because the hood is so damn long that it felt like a boat. If it only was a rear mid engine car, the torque was great...
fastaussie
Suspended
excellent point, the best one made so far. the technology and level of performance in the NSX is (at this point) now over 21 years old. it's really not a fair assessment to compare cars which are 10, 15 or even 20 years newer. there's no comparison, but it is a testament to how advanced the NSX was for it's time...
I also have both a C6 Corvette and 2005 NSX. The Vette is much more comfortable and refined in my opinion. However, the looks aren't even close. Not only does the NSX look many times better, it is much more fun to drive. Seems like it becomes part of you when you drive. The Vette makes you feel like it is dragging you along.
My vote: 02-05 NSX everytime!
My vote: 02-05 NSX everytime!
Well,
I'll keep it short and sweet .... I sold my last NSX / 2000 Monaco Blue back in
2003 as I thought I wanted something Different and bought an M5 then Z06.....
As you can see, I'm Back! My 3rd time around with an NSX and I strongly
believe to Stay! Vettes are very nice, but not even close to the handling /
fun factor of driving an NSX ... just my 2 cents, no disrespect to Vettes.
T
I'll keep it short and sweet .... I sold my last NSX / 2000 Monaco Blue back in
2003 as I thought I wanted something Different and bought an M5 then Z06.....
As you can see, I'm Back! My 3rd time around with an NSX and I strongly
believe to Stay! Vettes are very nice, but not even close to the handling /
fun factor of driving an NSX ... just my 2 cents, no disrespect to Vettes.
T
Last edited:
- Joined
- 19 March 2003
- Messages
- 3,442
I agree, but the dragging, the C6 ZO6 gives my passengers butterflies and the giggle.
This can go on forever and is pointless IMO.
Having owned both, my answer to the OP is you need to drive them.
I put 40k miles on a C5 (stock at first, then modded)
I have put nearly 40k miles on various NSX's over the years as well (stock, new and modded heavily)
Once I had driven the NSX there was no way I could ever go back to the Corvette.
I had a 911 in that mix in the middle and that was a car I know I can go back to.
I attempted to buy a Viper (both Gen 2 and SRT) and after test driving them I knew I couldnt own one.
The Vette and Viper have a *very* specific driving experience. From the driver position, to the ergonomics, to the view from the cockpit, to the way the car delivers power, to the way it feels both puttering around town and at speed... NONE of it is *remotely* similar to the NSX.
Thats not good and its not bad. What it IS is subjective and its all that matters honestly. The rest is BS (looks, value, "exclusivity", heritage)
What matters is *do you enjoy driving it*. *do you WANT to drive it*. Only you can answer that.
I drove the new Z06 and it felt like a brutally quick version of my C5 honestly. The *driving dynamic* is the same and remains something I wouldnt want to go back to (even if I still had room in my life for a RWD two seater)
Having owned both, my answer to the OP is you need to drive them.
I put 40k miles on a C5 (stock at first, then modded)
I have put nearly 40k miles on various NSX's over the years as well (stock, new and modded heavily)
Once I had driven the NSX there was no way I could ever go back to the Corvette.
I had a 911 in that mix in the middle and that was a car I know I can go back to.
I attempted to buy a Viper (both Gen 2 and SRT) and after test driving them I knew I couldnt own one.
The Vette and Viper have a *very* specific driving experience. From the driver position, to the ergonomics, to the view from the cockpit, to the way the car delivers power, to the way it feels both puttering around town and at speed... NONE of it is *remotely* similar to the NSX.
Thats not good and its not bad. What it IS is subjective and its all that matters honestly. The rest is BS (looks, value, "exclusivity", heritage)
What matters is *do you enjoy driving it*. *do you WANT to drive it*. Only you can answer that.
I drove the new Z06 and it felt like a brutally quick version of my C5 honestly. The *driving dynamic* is the same and remains something I wouldnt want to go back to (even if I still had room in my life for a RWD two seater)
+1 to this. What matters is that they're all good cars...it's what you want out of it...
- Joined
- 21 August 2011
- Messages
- 52
Corvette =
NSX = :biggrin:
NSX = :biggrin:
My uncle owns a C6 z51 and we switched for a day to see the differences. I could definitely feel the power in the vette. It really does pull. But it does not handle as well as my NSX. Like many have said, the vette is like a machete but the NSX is like a scalpel. It is very precise and nimble compared to the vette. The C6 is miles ahead of the c5 in my opinion though in just quality. It is overall a decent car and I can see how it is a great daily driver (along with the z06 of course). Gets great mileage for what you're getting, and obviously great bang for the buck in its price range. You're not getting anything unique in the c6 like you would with the NSX though. The NSX itself is a unicorn. If someone buys an NSX just to stand out, you're doing it wrong. The NSX is not up there with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but it stands out in its own right for its design and heritage and it is very much appreciated by automotive enthusiasts. But surprisingly enough, the C6 gets attention as well which is shocking because you see so many. I think it has more to do with the fact that people know what it is so they are generally enthusiastic about it. With that said, the C6 is still a great car. Yes, your resale value drops dramatically, but it is still fine car and maintenance is pretty cheap. I would buy a C6 to drive it though, not to garage it. I love driving my NSX though. After getting out of the C6 and getting back into my NSX, I just felt a different aura with it, maybe because of the engineering. I don't know what it is, but I love it.
The c6 is the best daily driver for Any sports car IMO. 0-60 in 4.1 and holds 2 sets of golf clubs. Pretty hard to beat that. It is quiet and comfortable. The ls3 is a fantastic motor. If you could swap an ls3 Into a NSx you would have a zonda for 1/6 the price. 
There is nothing really special about it though and it doesn't make you feel special when you see them everywhere.
There is nothing really special about it though and it doesn't make you feel special when you see them everywhere.
Last edited:
I wouldn't mind a corvette or XLR as a daily driver, but I would never consider one as a replacement for an NSX as I feel the vette is more garden variety and not exotic enough. I like vettes though, and I hope the C7 will have an interior to match the performance of the car.
As far as comparisons go, IMO if the price is the same then it's comparable. In that context, you're looking at a early '90's NSX vs. an early C6 Vette (05-06).
I did some serious research into getting a C6 Vette but I came to the conclusion that I prefer the NSX far more because:
Appearance
Although the C6 looks good, I absolutely LOVE the look of the 91-01 NSX (yes, I prefer popup headlights). I like the interior of the NSX alot more too.
Build Quality
As far as I know, Acura never issued a recall on the NSX and the cars are still holding up pretty well after 20 years. There's a nasty problem with 2005-6 C6's that can cause the stability system to toss you off into the ditch, or oncoming traffic! A problem can develop with the steering wheel position sensor and the stability management system can get confused, thinking that you're trying to make a sharp right or left turn (when you're actually cruising along in a straight line) and it will apply the brake to one of the front tires to 'help' out. If GM didn't get something like that right, what else did they get wrong?
Community Presence on the Internet
The NSX community has a far better presence on the Internet. NSXPrime.com is a hands down winner in terms of quality of experience and a source for knowledge as compared with the offerings for the Vette. I even went to the extent of writing a complaint about performance on one of the Vette forums - the only response I got from the admins was, "there must be something wrong with your computer". The response I got from other members told a different story - everyone had the problem but the members in the 'know' were running ad blockers to keep things sane. I'm in IT, I know how this stuff works...
Resale Value
While I hope I never have to sell my NSX, I can pretty much guarantee that in a year or two it'll fetch more than an early C6 in terms of resale value.
Cheers,
Ian
I did some serious research into getting a C6 Vette but I came to the conclusion that I prefer the NSX far more because:
Appearance
Although the C6 looks good, I absolutely LOVE the look of the 91-01 NSX (yes, I prefer popup headlights). I like the interior of the NSX alot more too.
Build Quality
As far as I know, Acura never issued a recall on the NSX and the cars are still holding up pretty well after 20 years. There's a nasty problem with 2005-6 C6's that can cause the stability system to toss you off into the ditch, or oncoming traffic! A problem can develop with the steering wheel position sensor and the stability management system can get confused, thinking that you're trying to make a sharp right or left turn (when you're actually cruising along in a straight line) and it will apply the brake to one of the front tires to 'help' out. If GM didn't get something like that right, what else did they get wrong?
Community Presence on the Internet
The NSX community has a far better presence on the Internet. NSXPrime.com is a hands down winner in terms of quality of experience and a source for knowledge as compared with the offerings for the Vette. I even went to the extent of writing a complaint about performance on one of the Vette forums - the only response I got from the admins was, "there must be something wrong with your computer". The response I got from other members told a different story - everyone had the problem but the members in the 'know' were running ad blockers to keep things sane. I'm in IT, I know how this stuff works...
Resale Value
While I hope I never have to sell my NSX, I can pretty much guarantee that in a year or two it'll fetch more than an early C6 in terms of resale value.
Cheers,
Ian
Z06/ZR1 > regular C6.
Not just power, but the exterior styling makes them look that much better.
As if the vette when to the gym.
Not just power, but the exterior styling makes them look that much better.
As if the vette when to the gym.
As far as comparing apples to apples, I think that the only fair comparison for a vette against an NSX is a ZR1. The price differential and production numbers simply skew any other comparison.
For example, well maintained ZR1s have held their price much better than normal vettes and are in a similar price level to a used NSX: (link to some examples)
For example, well maintained ZR1s have held their price much better than normal vettes and are in a similar price level to a used NSX: (link to some examples)
Those LT-5 32-valve DOHC ZR-1 engines are lovely. I almost bought one for the GTO.
I couldn't resist weighing in even though the subject had been repeated so often.
I am lucky enough to own both and they are so completely different that comparisons are relatively useless. I like the comparatives of "violin vs. electric guitar", "Ax vs. scalpel" because they define the vast chasm between the two. They are both fast and have two seats, otherwise they are night and day in my opinion. Neither is better or worse - they are totally different machines. The NSX has an intangible quality that goes far beyond 0-60 times - we all know how special it is to have the joy of being able to own and drive it. The gearbox, steering, mid engine balance, a general refinement and a mix of engineering and art.
I bought the corvette originally for the track (plastic is cheaper to fix than aluminum ) It is so versatile that it now has assumed the daily driver role. The torque and power and an almost animalistic lack of "refinement" are appealing in it's own way.
I would never dream of replacing the NSX with it, but I'm blessed to have an equal opportunity garage with both of them in it.
I am lucky enough to own both and they are so completely different that comparisons are relatively useless. I like the comparatives of "violin vs. electric guitar", "Ax vs. scalpel" because they define the vast chasm between the two. They are both fast and have two seats, otherwise they are night and day in my opinion. Neither is better or worse - they are totally different machines. The NSX has an intangible quality that goes far beyond 0-60 times - we all know how special it is to have the joy of being able to own and drive it. The gearbox, steering, mid engine balance, a general refinement and a mix of engineering and art.
I bought the corvette originally for the track (plastic is cheaper to fix than aluminum
) It is so versatile that it now has assumed the daily driver role. The torque and power and an almost animalistic lack of "refinement" are appealing in it's own way. I would never dream of replacing the NSX with it, but I'm blessed to have an equal opportunity garage with both of them in it.
