scottjua said:
ok... VwVortex is an older stomping ground of mine and I go back once in a while to see what topics turn up... but this one got my goat. The majority of them have no clue... and it seems to be the newbies...
here's the link http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=917157&page=1
I read the thread and have a different take. I really thought the vast majority of posts were very complimentary about the NSX. However, there is one main point that they all seem to focus on, which as it relates to myself (and most other here) seems absolutely irrelevant; That the price of an NSX is $90K, and being over priced at that.
I don't know of anyone who paid $90k for an NSX. At that price I would agree with them, that it
is over priced. But, we all know that even the 03's were going for 73K, which maybe in some of our own opinions is a stretch in relation to value. What they fail to mention is that a person can get into a modified NSX with 390 rwhp, handles like it is on rails, out perform most anything else at a track event, worry little about reliability, and get in it for under 35K .... and have what most consider to be an exotic. Which leads back to the original topic of the VW thread; Is the NSX an exotic?
I thought that one poster summed it up best when he said:
An exotic car to me is any car that makes people say "whoa" when they see one. Park a MB S600 downtown Vancouver and nobody says "whoa", but it costs a full $50,000 more than the NSX. Park the NSX there and people (both enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts) say "whoa".
Basically, the difference between the S600 and the NSX is the difference between an expensive car and an exotic. It's kind of like pornography: We can't define it, but we know it when we see it.
P.S. To those who say the NSX is no longer an exotic because of its age: I say I agree it's old, but that's immaterial. A car's exotic essence is unrelated to age. Look at a Ferarri from the 1980's. It's outperformed by a modern Subaru, but we still consider it "exotic". Early Ferarris have the same straight line performance as many moderately priced cars. Should they be called Fiats with engines in the back?
I would add that not
all people would say "whoa," but the majority who appreciate cars do.
Additionally, we need to remember that very few non-owners have ever driven an NSX and had the opportunity to experience what we appreciate about the car; the total driving experience. Heck, it was the first time behind the wheel of sjs's when I knew I absolutely had to have one. The power wasn't the selling feature. It was the complete package as
I appreciated it. With that said, different strokes....
On that same note, one VW forum member responds:
Am I the only one here that has actually driven an NSX? I have the opportunity top know a man that has a '99 MSX-T. He paid $88K for it. It is yellow with black leather and a 6-speed. I get to RAIL this car. He actually encourages me to do so. Here is the funny part. He also owns an F355 F-1. He bought the NSX because we both think that it delivers an identicle drive that he can drive all day every day. Yes it is a bit down on hp, but what it lacks in hp it more then makes up for in the handling and forgiveness department. He takes the car to the local Jiffy Lube for oil changes. He goes crazy and uses synthetic and that costs him about $49.95 per service.
All I can say to the disbelievers is go drive the car. If you think it is really that dated, go drive one. I bet you will change your mind really fast. The interior is about as dated as a MKIV GTI. It wraps around the driver much like an airplane cockpit, and of course it is draped in rich leather and high-quality materials as you would expect in a hand-built exotic. And the brakes are nothing short of amazing. Drop the anchor and you are rewarded with what feels like -3g's when the tires are scrambling for traction and the ABS is fighting to keep the car under control. Down-shift into second gear at about 55mph comming into a sharp right-hander and slam the throttle to the floor at the apex and you are rewarded with just a slight hint of over-steer and a wail from that "weak" 290hp V6 that will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and please believe, will plant you into the seat. Hard up-shift into 3rd rewards you with a slight bark from the tires and two small black patches left on the tarmac. It is a fantastic car that out-classes most of the cars built today that on paper should demolish it without thinking in the hands of a capeable driver.
I am going to actually go against my personal bias and say that other then the sound of the engine, the NSX is more fun to drive then the Ferrari, on-lookers and hot women excluded. Drive it hard, put it away wet, and come out the next morning and drive it to work with Howard Stern on the radio like it was an Accord.
Exotic all the way.
Exotic all the way? I dunno, and don't really care what others think (as long as it's not Rob working on my car
), but I know I have a smile on my face each and every time I get in mine and drive it.
