To " T " or not to " T '

T

TAMIR SHABTAY

New Member
Joined
18 April 2002
Messages
5
Location
CA
I have fantasized about owning an NSX for years, always under the impression I would be buying a 91-93 NSX.

Well my time has come and I am ready and able to buy one. However, the price differance between a low milage 91-93 and a similar milage 95-96 is very small.

Which brings me to my question. Any downside to owning an NSX-T over a hard-top ?

I would really like to hear from anyone who could share a little bit of " wealth " . I have driven plenty of NSXs over the years, but never had the pleasure of really driving an NSX-T .

Thanks in advance for all the input.

Tamir
xx NSX ( hopefully Silver Auto w/ black int )
 
TAMIR SHABTAY said:
Any downside to owning an NSX-T over a hard-top ?
Click to expand...
1. More expensive to buy (still typically at least $5K more for otherwise similar cars).

2. Less structural rigidity.

3. Greater weight (by approximately 150 pounds) and resulting slower acceleration.

4. Inability to drive the car in track events held by groups which don't permit open-top cars to participate.

The differences noted in 2 and 3 are not huge, and 4 may not affect you if you don't intend to track the car or if the track groups in your area permit open-top cars to drive. If you would enjoy having a removable-top car, and you would remove the roof enough of the time to take advantage of it, then get the NSX-T.
 
nsxtasy said:


4. Inability to drive the car in track events held by groups which don't permit open-top cars to participate.

Even if the top is on? I could see them saying no with the top off, but not with it on...
Click to expand...
 
If you dont' plan to track you car, then buying a newer NSX with Targa might be Ok. But, IMHO, the 95-96 NSX-T is the slowest, and therefore the least desirable.

If I were buying today, I would go with this order: Zanardi NSX>97+ coupe>97+ NSX-T>91-94 Coupe>95-96 NSX-T.
 
nsxchi-town said:
4. Inability to drive the car in track events held by groups which don't permit open-top cars to participate.

Even if the top is on?
Click to expand...
Yes. Some groups in the Midwest - notably BMW CCA, which has the largest track event program in the country, I think - do not allow removable-roof cars on the track, even if the top is on, and in many cases even if the car has a full roll cage.

Originally posted by NSXLuvr
If I were buying today, I would go with this order: Zanardi NSX>97+ coupe>97+ NSX-T>91-94 Coupe>95-96 NSX-T.
Click to expand...
Well, if you care only about performance (acceleration, etc), that is the order in which you would put the various versions of the NSX (throwing in the few '96 coupes with the '91-94 group). But I think the reasons people get, or don't get, the NSX-T is because they do, or don't, care about the ability to drive around with their top off (no Janet Jackson jokes please). If you care about driving with the roof panel off, then that probably matters more than the performance differences. If you think you would prefer the NSX-T, then that's what you should get!
 
I got a -T only because I wanted a color (midnight pearl) that wasn't available in a coupe. I thought I wasn't going to take the top off much.

Once I got it, I found I really liked driving with the top off. The -T is a bigger plus than I'd expected it to be.
 
What a crock...

nsxtasy said:
2. Less structural rigidity.

3. Greater weight (by approximately 150 pounds) and resulting slower acceleration.
Click to expand...

I am sorry, but this is the biggest crock... If you are measuring your NSX experience in 10ths of a second then Ken (as always) is right (technically). Thankfully most of us define our ownership experience by more than our lap times or dyno numbers. I have driven all kinds of cars... coupe, convertible, targa, etc. While they all have their benefits and drawbacks, short of a convertible that is not available from Acura, all you will need are a pair of back to back sunny days to confirm that your investment in the targa was well worth it. BMW used to call their convertibles "The Ultimate Tanning Machine", well, just think of it as a 290hp attitude adjustment. I don't care how bad a day I have had at work. You go through the ritual of taking the top off and storing it. Then take the long way home and before you know it... life is good again. I also recommend top off warm summer night runs at midnight under a full moon with your significant other of choice. I know my wife LOVES the NSX-T. Chicks dig the car. Go with the NSX-T.
 
I'd recommend buying a Fiat X1/9 to see if you really would enjoy the open top sensation before splashing out for an NSX-T. :D
 
It's easy to see who is giving us a crock...

nsxtasy[/i] [B]2. Less structural rigidity. 3. Greater weight (by approximately 150 pounds) and resulting slower acceleration.[/B][/QUOTE][QUOTE][i]Originally posted by G-man said:
I am sorry, but this is the biggest crock... If you are measuring your NSX experience in 10ths of a second then Ken (as always) is right (technically)...
Click to expand...
Gordon, I think the only crock here is that you're trying to attack what I said by taking a couple of points out of context and totally ignoring the rest of what I said. And this is not the first time you've done that here. It's a very dishonest tactic.

Let's look at my original post (the one that you are replying to) IN ITS ENTIRETY and I'll bold the parts that you are ignoring:

Originally posted by nsxtasy
1. More expensive to buy (still typically at least $5K more for otherwise similar cars).

2. Less structural rigidity.

3. Greater weight (by approximately 150 pounds) and resulting slower acceleration.

4. Inability to drive the car in track events held by groups which don't permit open-top cars to participate.

The differences noted in 2 and 3 are not huge, and 4 may not affect you if you don't intend to track the car or if the track groups in your area permit open-top cars to drive. If you would enjoy having a removable-top car, and you would remove the roof enough of the time to take advantage of it, then get the NSX-T.
Click to expand...
As anyone (except you, apparently) can clearly see, I pointed out that those specific differences that you note are "NOT HUGE" and that anyone who would enjoy an NSX-T should get one - the very same points that you seem to be making as some sort of phony attack on me that you're trying to fabricate!

From now on, please stop taking edited quotes from my posts and using them out of context; please read my posts in their entirety; and please go look for someone else to attack - or, better yet, maybe you could stop and realize that NSXprime isn't a place to attack anyone at all.
 
nsxtasy said:
1. More expensive to buy (still typically at least $5K more for otherwise similar cars).

2. Less structural rigidity.

3. Greater weight (by approximately 150 pounds) and resulting slower acceleration.

4. Inability to drive the car in track events held by groups which don't permit open-top cars to participate.

The differences noted in 2 and 3 are not huge, and 4 may not affect you if you don't intend to track the car or if the track groups in your area permit open-top cars to drive. If you would enjoy having a removable-top car, and you would remove the roof enough of the time to take advantage of it, then get the NSX-T.
Click to expand...

Because of reason #3 on that list, the 95-96 NSX is the slowest of the breed. Pairing all that weight with the 3.0L engine wasn't smart of honda, and you feel it. Magazines did too apparantly as a few of these cars recorded 14.0 seconds in 1/4 mile tests. Ouch.

The benefits of the Targa top in terms of top off sunny day driving are overrated, I rarely use mine and I wish everyday that I could have found a 1999 Kaiser 3.2L COUPE to buy instead of my 3.2L T.

And I'm saying that in Cali!
 
As everyone else has said, this depends entirely on what you plan on doing with the car.

If I were building a track rat, I'd buy a cheap (probably higher milage) but accident free early coupe. Track it, and modify as you feel appropriate. I doubt this is the case, as you are looking for an auto.

If I were interested in open-top weekend cruising, go 95+. If I lived in Cali, I probably would. It is worth noting that 95-96 cars are not available in silver.

If I had to have a silver NSX-T, you'll have to get a repaint (not my preference) or get a 97+. By the pricing guide (see the FAQ), 97+ cars are more expensive. This is in larget part due to the 6 speed and 3.2L engine (from 5sp/3.0L). If you buy an auto, they are ALL 3.0 regardless of year. This seems to be reflected in a generally lower price for the 97+ NSXs when compared to manuals of the same year.

Not to try and make the decision for you, but it sounds like you want a weekend cruiser. I'd go for a really nice 95+ and pick the color you want for the year that is in your budget.

HTH
Mark
 
I had an NSX-T and enjoyed it very much, even in this country which isn't noted for extended periods of sunshine. Yes, it is a bit heavier but we're talking 5 to 6% heavier, and it isn't as structurally rigid but even a 3.0l is still faster than 95% of the cars out there and it will still handle well.
 
Get the '95/96-T. With the saved cash over the '97, go with the Comptech SC, which would therefore eliminate the 3.2L & 6-speed acceleration differences. If you want to track the car, just add the $250.00 NSX-R front brace, and your good to go.

I've had three non-targa's, and decided to get a great priced '95-T (we'll there all T's in '95). I would never go back, unless I really wanted to be a track rat. I've done some track racing, and have really found no "significant" downside compared to the non-targa. Finally, you live in Cali......need I say more!!!:cool:
 
In Califorina the "T" is the only way to go. I paid the extra $ and bought a low milage like new "96" almost 2 years ago because I wanted the option to remove the top, and have never regretted it. It's alot more enjoyable to drive with the top off, and I know the smile on my face becomes larger. Sure it would be great to have a 97+ but for the same money it would of been a higher milage, and not as clean a car, and that was more important to me.
 
I've got a 96 and track the car,and with the roof on I don't feel much degredation in rigidity,with roof off ,out in the real world of the street with potholes ect you will get cowl shake and window frame shutter,but still the wind in your hair my scarf billowing,you get the idea.Can you drive a stick? as I see you want an auto,that may limmit your choices as there are less auto coupes in the world.
 
If you really want some fun, buy that 2001 NSX COUPE that is floating around somewhere without a home. Now that car would be fun. I would love to have it.... :)
 
Drive both.

You might enjoy the open top feeling and power steering.
Or you might enjoy structural rigidity and the "raw" driving experience of non-power steering.
 
Consider color

One other item to consider when looking at a coupe NSX to T models is the color combination. I'm speaking generally of coupe vs. T.
You should decide if you like the black roof of the coupe or the body color roof of the T. If you get a black car, then no need to compare, but if you get, say, a red car, then they have a different look. Maybe you can get some prime members in your locale to line up one of each for you (or maybe you will see them lined up at your next NSXCA local chapter meeting). Just something else to consider. Personally I like the black roof on the red car - thats the first NSX color I saw and have been in love with it since.
 
get the NSX- T. I have driven both the hard top and the T. I preferred the T. I drive mine with the top off everychance I get.
 

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