What year to buy???

L

l-teg

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14 August 2007
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Hey guys my name is Luis
I am fairly new to NSX Prime but have been on here every day for the last month! I have owned many Hondas/Acura’s from Civic, TL, & my current S2000. I want to get an NSX but am torn about what year to get. Right now as it sits the 2002+ model seems to be the right choice for me. But am debating on an older model 94 or 97! I will give you a break down of what I want in the end from the car. Now keep in mind I am considering keeping this car for a very long time...

1. Car will only be driven in good weather so were I live May to Oct.
2. I rarely go to track events so used mostly for city driving
3. In the end I will want to have the 02 look
4. Want 450hp from the car
5. Cuz of the 450 will do supercharger plus bolt-on
6. Lowered stance & all good stiff stuff
7. 18-19" rims
8. Possibly big break kit
9. Want to find one with fewer than 60K
10. Trany I want shoort gears is 6sp good or do I need to change I know the 5sp always gets updated.

The dilemma is do a save a little buy older model & mod right away or spend more and mod later? Do I go T or coupe? Having the S2K is awesome and love it! It is going to be hard to part with it. But to own the best Honda ever made I got to do it! I am top down as much as I can be with that car & love to drive it! That is why a choice with the T.

Also for supercharger what is there to choose from out there new? I was thinking Comp but they are not in the aftermarket biz any longer? Basch SC is that still made? Boostzilla? Any help would be great on this dept. I want to stay SC and not go the Turbo way.

Any opinions, info, and ideas will be great. You owners are the experts and have gone through this so any advice would be great in helping me become a NSX owner.

Thanks in advance
Luis
 
if you want a coupe.. get a 1994 and update to 02 front / rear and 6 speed. (if i were to do it again that is what i would do)

Ir want a T then get an 02-05... best year of these seems to be 05 as some 02-04 appear to have tranny issues and acura reverted back to the 97-2001 6 speed for 05 (and perhaps 04)

i have a supercharged nsx and a supercharged s2k. the nsx is not a good open top (T) car. While the s2k makes a great convertible, then nsx does not becuase a)the windshield angle and B)roof behind you makes for about 2 or 3 x the wind noise compared to an s2k.

Comptech is returning to business, but there supercharger (which i have) will not get you to 450 hp. It will get you to 370-390 rwhp.. but not 400-450. also in my opinion you do NOT need 450 hp. you can take 2-300 pounds out of the nsx, and i would rather have a 2-300lb lightter nsx, with short gears (4.23) and 6 speed and 370 reliable comptech rear wheel hp) the car in this state is plenty fast enough to get you into more then enough trouble.

best of luck
 
Luis,
Spend some time reading the NSX Wiki (previously the FAQ). You will find lots of answers to your questions there. In addition, run some searches on the site and you will see that your questions have been asked and answered in the past.

In the end, what do YOU want? It sounds like you want the 02 look and an open roof. The NSX in stock form is still fun to drive. Spend more now on 02+ and mod later.
 
socalx said:
if you want a coupe.. get a 1994 and update to 02 front / rear and 6 speed. (if i were to do it again that is what i would do)

Ir want a T then get an 02-05... best year of these seems to be 05 as some 02-04 appear to have tranny issues and acura reverted back to the 97-2001 6 speed for 05 (and perhaps 04)

i have a supercharged nsx and a supercharged s2k. the nsx is not a good open top (T) car. While the s2k makes a great convertible, then nsx does not becuase a)the windshield angle and B)roof behind you makes for about 2 or 3 x the wind noise compared to an s2k.

Comptech is returning to business, but there supercharger (which i have) will not get you to 450 hp. It will get you to 370-390 rwhp.. but not 400-450. also in my opinion you do NOT need 450 hp. you can take 2-300 pounds out of the nsx, and i would rather have a 2-300lb lightter nsx, with short gears (4.23) and 6 speed and 370 reliable comptech rear wheel hp) the car in this state is plenty fast enough to get you into more then enough trouble.

best of luck
Click to expand...


450 Crank (assuming) HP = to about 375 RWHP. EG: 450 *.85 = 382.5
Without high boost or maybe the autorotor AND very good tuning, you're not going to see that power. However, it can be done, just requires good tuning.

400 crank HP & 340RWHP + bolt on with either SCs is very possible with standard stuff.

Weight reduction imho is the biggest immediate value in performance that you can get. If you get the car to 2900/2800 lbs, it will make a huge difference in stopping, turning and some accelerating (comparable to having an extra ~20 hp)

Good luck.
 
Spend it now and get the 02+. I bought the 97 and if I was going to mod it to a 02 look, it would cost 8000 just for the parts. Including labor and all it would end it 10k. I paid 37k for mine so with the mod it ends up around 47k plus. You can get an 02+ for around 50k+. For that you get a newer interior. Better color. So in my opinion do not get an 91+ unless unless you like the pop up lights. You're gonna end up wasting money and having a older car.
 
AS we all strive for LOW mileage cars, Remember , they got that LOW mileage from sitting! The last four "low mileage " NSX's that were brought into my shop just after purchase needed 3 to 4k worth of repairs , My 81K NSX is in better shape , after restoration , than most low mileage one's .
BTW it's for sale;] BEN
 
I think it boils down to 2 things:
1) Retractable (91-01) or fixed (02-05) headlights.
2) 3.0L (91-96) or 3.2L (97-05) engine.
Once you figured out what you want, you can narrow down the model year.
Not all older NSXs have high mileage, and not all newer NSXs have low milieage (relatively speaking). For example, my 97 only has 15k miles. Maintenance performed by previous owner(s) is probably more important than mileage (not taking extreme cases into consideration).
Good luck on your search.
 
Last edited:
The early (91-93) cars are nice for a few reasons:

1. Coupes only - Lighter, Stiffer Chassis :smile:
2. No Power Steering... Pre 1994 models:smile:
3. OBDI - Only 2 o2 sensors:biggrin:
4. ECU - You can chip them :eek:

The Bads..:redface:

1. 5 Speed
2. 3.0 litre
3. Snap Ring Range
4. Window Regulators
 
Thanks guys for all the info!!! I was waiting to get a bunch of posts before I replied...All your info and opinions have helped. I might stick with the 94 & up coupe (want PS) not sure yet but for price I might do that. I also am looking into a few on the forum right now as well that are good deals. I do want to buy one with a few mods on it that got my attention. There are a few with SC on here so I think I might go that way but then again a few without that are supper nice! Not going to rush into it plus want to make the correct choice! I still have my S so can drive that till I find one. I will keep you posted and let you guys know. Still feel free to leave opinions.

Thx again Luis
 
power steering isn't their becuase it had to be their for extra weight. the nsx had honda's first application of electronic power steering and it wasn't until 1995 that they decided to use this across the board on the nsx. Also this is the same basic system in use on s2000's from 02-present.

And... a lot of nsx's that are built up in japan are early automatics that are converted to 6 speeds. Due to also being automatics.... the drift king likes them on the track
 

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