the above post is not true.
the nsx changed substantially in the 1997 model year (intro of na2)
-all new body panels, made out of thinner but stronger aluminum (higher grade)
-3.2 liter engine
-most important change in my opinion is 6 speed tranny (5 speed had too tall of 2nd gear in the us (different ratios were used in japan)
-power steering
2001 saw better abs system (this is a 1.5K upgrade to pre 01 nsx)
2002 saw substantial body upgrades that are very expensive to add to an earlier car and silver stiched dash / door panels, shift boot, different silver trim interior etc. (these exterior and interior changes are prohibitively expensive, so if you like these changes , you are better off purchasing a 02+
so my point is the the changes made for 1997 are prohibitively expensive to make to a na1. the 2001 abs change and the 2002 changes are also very expensive to retrofit to an earlier car, so i would drive and look at the different year cutoffs and make sure you buy the version you like the most, as opposed to finding out later.
Well said - good post and says a lot. I am sitting here thinking about all this myself as I have since I bought my car! There are changes in the cars and you really owe it to yourself to go at this slow enough to make an educated choice.
You, Ike, are at the cross roads of a big decision and it's not easy to make it. As you say on the one hand you could buy a higher mile early car and save a lot of money and have plenty to do maintenance - not a bad idea. On the other hand you could go later in model years and get some upgrades like the ABS system - which by the way is a good one and 3.2/6 speed - lots of folks say those are good and power steering - which some say they don't need.
On the power steering point - I've come up thru the years having witnessed the total advent of Power steering and have not had it on many of my cars and have had it on some others. On the NSX it isn't that big a deal but to a woman it may be! That's a caveat that isn't usually discussed here. Most women that buy these cars - maybe all of them - have the later models with PS. It doesn't bother me cause the car is light but it does take a little wrestling when you putting it thru it's paces in the twisties. So would I rather have it - don't know have never driven one with it. I may!
There is more to this than simply looking at dollars - as in purchase price and maintenance. You might be better off with a later model because you have to factor this into the equation - take my example and this isn't a bad one to use as a measuring stick. Is my car worth what I have in it? 34k? Read on.
I now have a 91 with 45k miles in great shape - good looking car - paint is almost new looking especially from 3 feet. The interior seats are in great shape as is the rest. The radio and AC have all been gone thru by the PO - that's a biggy too! There are some great things about the early models - they are lighter - and coupes offer more head room and they don't creak as much. This thing about the taller 2nd gear - is really a good thing. If you ever were to SC your car the taller 5 speed is a good choice of tranny! That tall second gear keeps you in the sweet spot when you're in the twisties w/o an SC- you can rev and stay right in the power band. There is very little need in the twisties to ever get out of 2nd or any other cruising too. I don't mind that tall second - it helps me. You can pick up some quicker 0-60 times with the shorter Japan gears though - 1 second. Do you need it - well how good a driver are you????? Maybe not.
Question is - are the later improvements worth it - I bet they are! Some say no - some wouldn't have anything but the early coupes. Those that I've talked with that have had the full range of NSXs have landed in the later 02+ years - what does that tell you? You better drive em both or in my way of thinking all three. I believe that we have 3 models - NA1, NA2 and NA3 even though technically that's not quite true - but for conversation I put the 02+ in the NA3 "catagory" just for ease of talking about em. Folks have their own ideas about that and purist this and purist that - big deal. The head lights and other things put the 02+ in another catagory in my mind. They are the last of a series and underwent changes. Biggest change though is the 3.2/6 speed which happened in 97 and then most of what you find with rare exceptions are targas - for tooling around and enjoying cruising and fun driving - having a top that comes off maybe a great thing.
Think it thru carefully, talk with members here, drive some - take your time and make the right decision for you that you will not regret after a year of ownership. I don't regret mine but I may have to trade up one day. We'll see.
