There's nothing good or bad in these situations, just do whatever you feel comfortable with. Many people have their top painted, too. Some people paint the top for the look, some paint it to hide their "age" along with modified rims and exhaust. Either way, it's still a piece of art to look at.
Anytime you make a change to a car from its stock form will devalue the car (i.e. paint the roof the same color as the rest of the car). I don't think it will devalue the car if you repaint the top black again. If you plan on keeping the car, then it's not really an issue. The two tone NSX's don't look bad at all in my opinion. If I remember right, you are still able to order a coupe with a black top.
[This message has been edited by Option2 (edited 12 May 2002).]
I would personally leave it the way it is. If and when you try to sell it, one of the first questions people ask is if any paint work has been done, the minute you say yes they may get turned off or devalue your car and not give you what you want for it.
Cars are a personal thing so I hesistate to make suggestions...
But I would place a vote for keeping it the colors the car was when it was new.
Clean, stock NSXs are becoming so very rare that it's my opinion that if you can keep your stock essentially stock (or only modded with reversible mods) that you'll preserve your car's value.
-Jim
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1992 NSX Red/Blk 5 spd #0330
1991 NSX Blk/Blk Auto #3070 (Sold)
1974 Vette 454 4 spd Wht/Blk
Looking for 76-79 Honda Accords
I just don't agree with this blanket statement. In this case, you are doing a very simple update that makes the car look newer (hence more expensive and more desireable). Also, it is exactly the upgrade/change the factory decided to do. If you want to paint the roof - do it. Since you are making the effort to ask the question at all, I suspect you like the later look better. ; )
As an example, I have owned a long string of 911s/930s and several were 'updated' to later styles using factory parts. It always made it easier for me to sell the car. People enjoy owning something that looks more expensive than it really is.
Trouble? I highly doubt it. Would they have gotten an extra thousand on the sale price? Or (according to David's theory) did they get an extra thousand that they wouldn't have gotten without it? That's hard to say. It goes back to the discussion about ANY modification - you might get more for it if you can find the buyer who wants exactly what you've done, and you might get less for it if you can't.
Do it if you prefer the car that way and if you're going to hang onto it for a long time.
Before you do it, try to find a couple of cars in your area, one with a black roof and one monochrome, and see how you like them in person. I always thought I would like the monochrome better, until I saw one. Now I prefer the black roof, since I think it accentuates the lines of the body of the car much better.
[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 13 May 2002).]
I used to prefer the monochrome look, especially on a red NSX. When the NSX first appeared, I wondered why it had a black roof. After reading the article on the design philosophy, it made sense. I'm starting to get used to the black roof. In fact it makes the NSX look more exotic.
[This message has been edited by greenapple (edited 15 May 2002).]
Like I said before, it's a very personal thing. Take me for instance, I've been looking at my dad's 1990 NSX which is a Sebring/Black for twelve years now. I gotta say I'm a little bit sick of the black top which makes it look so old. I was delighted when the monochrome first came out and IMO, the painted top really blends in with the lines of the car. Then again, it's just my taste. I guess I've been looking at a black top for too long which made me got a monochrome.
I am in the process of looking for an NSX of this vintage. Personally, I like the red roof. I would not pay more or less for the car so I dont think it would devalue the car to modify it in said manner.
I think the only mods that may really hurt the value of a car are mods that would alter the body panels in some way or some other mod that would be expensive to reverse. To repaint the roof back to black if you preferred the original look is not expensive.
I agree with everyone that said to paint the roof if you like the look. I think that is what it important in the end.
I thought I would contribute to this thread since I just recently got the top of my red NSX painted to match. I needed to repaint the front bumper, since there were too many rock chips, and it looked like it was flaking off at certain parts. I was debating about whether to paint the top while it was in the shop, since my black top's paint was flawless. However, I needed a change, and the 95+ cars look great, so I gave the go-ahead to do this, as well as paint a portion of my front clip black (you'll see what I mean when I post pics soon) and no more front emblem. I'm really glad that I did, since it seems like a whole different car to me! As people in here have expressed... to each his own... but I'm lovin' my car more than ever. I guess it doesn't hurt that I also changed all four wheels and the tires (One 17*8 and two 18*9 wheels were bent from potholes) to those resembling the stock 7 spoke and Michelin Pilot Sport, plus adding PIAA foglights. I love the changes, and I've received great feedback, right Vytas?
But I digress.
If you like the way the red top looks, go for it Periokid.
[This message has been edited by Yawwn (edited 16 May 2002).]
I've done it twice now. I picked up my last car at the dealership and drove it straight to the bodyshop before it ever came home. It is just five pieces of over-sized molding. I did the lower door window moldings, door handles, and the trianglular peices behind the mirrors on my first NSX, but left the rear diffuser black. This car has the lower door moldings black, but with a red diffuser. Go figure.
I really have never understood why some of us are so adamant about never wanting to have any paint work done.Why wouldn't we want our cars to look as nice/fresh as possible? I would certainly prefer not to have to have paint work done, but if claying/waxing/polishing/etc, doesn't seem to do the trick anymore, maybe paint is the only solution to reviving that beauty we all long for and admire. Do we not paint our houses to keep them new and attractive? And these guys that claim their cars have never been in rain-so what? Don't they wash them? Same thing, still gets wet.I personally like the black roof on my '93 Red, but I might paint the rear valance at some point. Do what makes you happy, it's your car.
Originally posted by NSXLNT: I really have never understood why some of us are so adamant about never wanting to have any paint work done.Why wouldn't we want our cars to look as nice/fresh as possible? I would certainly prefer not to have to have paint work done, but if claying/waxing/polishing/etc, doesn't seem to do the trick anymore, maybe paint is the only solution to reviving that beauty we all long for and admire. Do we not paint our houses to keep them new and attractive?
If there is a severe problem in paint that is not fixable using the wide range of detailing solutions available - severe pitting on the front clip (front bumper) is the most common - then sometimes repainting is the best option available. However, repainting IMO should be a last resort. A repaint is never the same as the original factory paint, which is baked onto the car. A really good repaint will look very, very close to the original. But even a job by a highly-qualified body shop may turn out to have a very slight color mismatch or other problems in the repaint. (Ask me how I know this.)
pbassjo in this forum runs one of the best body shops around, just north of New York City. I bet there have been very, very few NSX repaints that he couldn't identify as such by looking at the car. And I wouldn't be surprised if even his shop, with its vast experience, has been asked to redo a job that was not quite perfect.
Would I repaint if there were a serious problem with the finish which no other alternative could fix? Sure. Would I repaint for any other reason? I sure would do my best to avoid doing so.
He said no problem. I said how much. He said, "you bring the car, I paint it!" That's it. Looks like no charge. That is pretty hard to refuse. Plus his work is excellent.
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