Why did you buy an NSX?
- Thread starter Aircooled
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I first saw pictures of the NSX in a car magazine in 1990, it was blue. I saw my first one in the flesh in 1991 at a dealer in Des Moines when my buddie's dad picked up his Legend. It was black and looked like Darth Vader's car. Had to have one ever since. I bought my first NSX in '99, a '92 red over black automatic coupe. Loved the car, hated the slush box. I can still remember when the first '02 pics showed up on Prime. I followed the HSC story daily. When they finally shelled the HSC plans, I traded my NSX in on an '05 Elise. Had the first one licensed in Iowa. Loved the car but got into wheel to wheel racing and wanted something more suitable for street use so I came back to the NSX. Bought an '04 that is in fabulous shape but with high miles. Now I'm selling it to buy a dedicated race car as I've found it is too expensive to rent a racer long term. Truth is, I'm just not as much into hot street cars as I used to be. I'm fine w/ my Accord DD as long as I can race on w/e's. The NSX is still my favorite of all the cars I've ever owned (and there have been a few).:biggrin:
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Haha, you had me excited for a second until I saw it was missing a pedal. Regardless, I'm surprised they've got one, I'm still going to have to snoop around it. Thanks.
The best way to sum it up is what 5th gear said on their NSX tribute episode. "When you see a person driving a NSX they know exactly what they want"
The only thing that kinda got me bummed out is that the new BMW 750 is as fast as my car!!!! I see those cars everywhere, I need a supercharger now!!
The only thing that kinda got me bummed out is that the new BMW 750 is as fast as my car!!!! I see those cars everywhere, I need a supercharger now!!
But you can still get the feel of driving it, the visibility out of the car, the way it rides and handles. You won't get the seat of the pants feel of the manual, but you will have a better idea of what the car is about than not having driven one at all....
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But you can still get the feel of driving it, the visibility out of the car, the way it rides and handles. You won't get the seat of the pants feel of the manual, but you will have a better idea of what the car is about than not having driven one at all....
Ah I wont drive it, I'll just tear into it a little. I'd feel bad taking a car like that out on salty/snowy roads, especially that low of miles, that nice of condition, and when I'm not even considering buying it. If it's there this spring after a few rains, I'll go for a ride.
Aircooled, tbromley already said for me to lighten up!! I stand corrected on my no right to post comment as you can post anything you want anytime. But my comments were in the context of go test drive a car. No hostilities intended at all.
Now I'm chomping at the bit not driving my car for 2 weeks here in rainy NorCal...tough on guys who put their car away for months because of the weather.
As for the Supra, comments are specifically on looks. Personally doesn't matter to me what's under the hood or how it drives, NSX looks way way better.
When you thaw out over there, I know of a red '95 with 28,000 miles but its in NorCal. http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif
Now I'm chomping at the bit not driving my car for 2 weeks here in rainy NorCal...tough on guys who put their car away for months because of the weather.
As for the Supra, comments are specifically on looks. Personally doesn't matter to me what's under the hood or how it drives, NSX looks way way better.
When you thaw out over there, I know of a red '95 with 28,000 miles but its in NorCal. http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif
Okay, anyone out there set me straight on posting the smiley faces??
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Sid - I'm not upset with you at all, sometimes things get heated, sometimes things get misinterpreted, there are a lot of times I post things, come back a half hour later and go "Man I could have put that a better way." But I understand what you're saying.
As far as this goes, really, to each their own. But for a man who has a GN in his avatar I find it comical considering they're mostly known for what's under the hood, and not what they look like :smile:. Really cool cars, a buddy of mine has a GNX stashed away with less than 100 miles on it, plastic still on the seats. Don't talk to those guys about the benefits of a BOV, they will rip you a new one.
As far as this goes, really, to each their own. But for a man who has a GN in his avatar I find it comical considering they're mostly known for what's under the hood, and not what they look like :smile:. Really cool cars, a buddy of mine has a GNX stashed away with less than 100 miles on it, plastic still on the seats. Don't talk to those guys about the benefits of a BOV, they will rip you a new one.
Aircooled, don't worry about those who rail on you for not having driven one yet, just keep asking a lot of questions. I had never driven one, and had only seen one other one prior to driving to Michigan and buying mine. Drove it for a bit and it seemed pretty good, drove it home.
By the time I had driven it from Michigan to Tennessee, I knew I had made a good choice. And it is an automatic, (which I needed, being old and lame in the left leg as I was at the time) so if you are planning to play boy racer on the back roads, if you drive an automatic you will be giving up a bit. But not much. Not much.
Last Easter, my son drove mine through the Snake (Hwy 421 from Bristol to Shady Valley - Google it) with me on a Honda Valkyrie chasing him hard enough to scare myself badly, plus two more friends who are no slugs riding crotch rockets also in the game. He just left it in third and gradually pulled away from us. And it was the 2nd time he had driven it, so he was not totally familiar with the car. Automatics may lack the Sturm und Drang of the manuals, but they are still very efficient in the mountains.
Since I got mine, I have had the knee fixed, and I still would not trade my auto for a manual, it is just too easy to go fast effortlessly. Or maybe I'm old and lazy...
Ask lots of questions, spending $20 - 30 something grand for a car you haven't driven yet is intimidating at best, not something to be done lightly.
And if you get a chance to drive that local automatic - here's something that not everyone knows - in the NSX, when you put the auto into any gear other than drive, it locks into that gear, it no longer up or downshifts. You put it in 3rd, it stays in 3rd. You pull it down to 2nd, it stays in 2nd. If you leave it in 3rd at the stop sign, you will pull away very slowly...
So when driving in the twisties, you select what gear you want it in and it will not go groping around on it's own. One caveat, upshifting from 2nd to 3rd when you are really on it hard is not going to work like driving a manual, it will not be as quick. So if you are getting close to the red line in 2nd and then nudge the lever to 3rd, be careful... I have heard the rev limiter buzz while trying to get the feel of that.
Have fun and good luck in your search.
By the time I had driven it from Michigan to Tennessee, I knew I had made a good choice. And it is an automatic, (which I needed, being old and lame in the left leg as I was at the time) so if you are planning to play boy racer on the back roads, if you drive an automatic you will be giving up a bit. But not much. Not much.
Last Easter, my son drove mine through the Snake (Hwy 421 from Bristol to Shady Valley - Google it) with me on a Honda Valkyrie chasing him hard enough to scare myself badly, plus two more friends who are no slugs riding crotch rockets also in the game. He just left it in third and gradually pulled away from us. And it was the 2nd time he had driven it, so he was not totally familiar with the car. Automatics may lack the Sturm und Drang of the manuals, but they are still very efficient in the mountains.
Since I got mine, I have had the knee fixed, and I still would not trade my auto for a manual, it is just too easy to go fast effortlessly. Or maybe I'm old and lazy...
Ask lots of questions, spending $20 - 30 something grand for a car you haven't driven yet is intimidating at best, not something to be done lightly.
And if you get a chance to drive that local automatic - here's something that not everyone knows - in the NSX, when you put the auto into any gear other than drive, it locks into that gear, it no longer up or downshifts. You put it in 3rd, it stays in 3rd. You pull it down to 2nd, it stays in 2nd. If you leave it in 3rd at the stop sign, you will pull away very slowly...
So when driving in the twisties, you select what gear you want it in and it will not go groping around on it's own. One caveat, upshifting from 2nd to 3rd when you are really on it hard is not going to work like driving a manual, it will not be as quick. So if you are getting close to the red line in 2nd and then nudge the lever to 3rd, be careful... I have heard the rev limiter buzz while trying to get the feel of that.
Have fun and good luck in your search.
Got quite a chuckle out of your GN comments. Had the GN 20 plus years......seemed so beautiful and stylish at the time and drove like a bat out of hell. Wife thinks its ugly, always has. Your right to each his own.
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Really, can you think of anything more fun than having a RWD car with an oversized turbo you can just mash the gas and feel the turbo start to sink you into the seats? The GN is one of the top 5, maybe top 3 cars I myself, and most of the people I hang out with can hold as one of the coolest cars of all times (we've talked about this). The fact that Buick just came out of left field with the GN and the kind of speed people can get with them. Really, a car I'd love to have just so I can walk out to my garage and have the satisfaction of knowing I own one.
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Actually, the fact that Honda did that with the automatic is great. It's something so simple to do and something that would make autos so much more enjoyable to drive. I'll have to remember that if it's still around for a test drive when the roads get nicer.
Now that's a cool story ... I enjoyed reading and your love for the car really came through!
As someone else wrote, I might sound shallow, but for me it was styling and the fact that you don't see mass quantities of the car at every stop light. These things plus the fact that it's fun to drive and has Honda reliability. Hey, you're the one paying for it -- you might as well enjoy it! :biggrin:
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Our last car was a TT Aero pushing around 450 bhp.
The Supra is a different beast altogether, it's classed as a GT. We loved the straight line performance, especially when the second turbo used to kick in around 4000rpm, it pinned you to your seat.
As a long distance driver it was very comfortable and had plenty of storage space. The economy was not to hot as we averaged around 18 mpg when we took it steady, but probably went into single figures when we opened her up.
The interior is very dated and the dash has no real style to its layout.
As for the engine, it's indestructable, and very tunable for not a lot of money.
The handling is only average, it's a case of slow into a corner and fast out. As I said straight line speed is awesome.
The NSX is in a different ball game altogether, it is classed as a super car.
Handling is this cars ace. It enters corners fast and exits faster!
The noise of the engine above 5000rpm is intoxicating and you just want to keep it there all the time.
The interior is very classy and very ergonomic, a great place to spend time.
You cannot compare these cars easily as the NSX is like a scalpel, very precise, and the Supra is like a butchers cleaver!
In my opinion I moved upwards when we traded to the NSX, but I am glad that I had experience of owning a supra.
Good luck
Sharon
The Supra is a different beast altogether, it's classed as a GT. We loved the straight line performance, especially when the second turbo used to kick in around 4000rpm, it pinned you to your seat.
As a long distance driver it was very comfortable and had plenty of storage space. The economy was not to hot as we averaged around 18 mpg when we took it steady, but probably went into single figures when we opened her up.
The interior is very dated and the dash has no real style to its layout.
As for the engine, it's indestructable, and very tunable for not a lot of money.
The handling is only average, it's a case of slow into a corner and fast out. As I said straight line speed is awesome.
The NSX is in a different ball game altogether, it is classed as a super car.
Handling is this cars ace. It enters corners fast and exits faster!
The noise of the engine above 5000rpm is intoxicating and you just want to keep it there all the time.
The interior is very classy and very ergonomic, a great place to spend time.
You cannot compare these cars easily as the NSX is like a scalpel, very precise, and the Supra is like a butchers cleaver!
In my opinion I moved upwards when we traded to the NSX, but I am glad that I had experience of owning a supra.
Good luck
Sharon
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You wrote: I currently live in the Midwest, Iowa to be exact. I have seen one NSX in this whole state and I have only seen it once. There's not a ton of opportunity for me to go test drive one, there isn't a single person I know within a 500 mile radius that I could ask for a ride or even to poke around.
My reply: It would help if you stated where you are located in Iowa, sounds like the Des Moines area. I'm in Blair, NE just north of Omaha and would offer you a ride when the weather clears. Possibly even come to you as I am always looking for an excuse for a drive and I'm retired with lots of extra time. PM me with details.
My reply: It would help if you stated where you are located in Iowa, sounds like the Des Moines area. I'm in Blair, NE just north of Omaha and would offer you a ride when the weather clears. Possibly even come to you as I am always looking for an excuse for a drive and I'm retired with lots of extra time. PM me with details.
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I think you (Aircooled) have expressed yourself very well, and your post is quite appropriate. I was floored by the hostile response you got, and can't, for the life of me, understand why. I was in exactly your situation 5 months ago and actually flew 1200 miles to drive an NSX for the first time. I knew I loved the look and specifications of the car, but had never turned the key on one. I can tell you that the car is everything I thought it was and more. After 10 minutes behind the wheel, I handed over the check before I finished the test drive. Don't let one hostile response sour you to one of the best car forums around. Let's hope the response was simply misunderstood. As for me, I never really looked at any other cars, since they either didn't appeal to me or were out of my price range. I'll tell you this, I can't wait for warm weather so I can get back on the road. Until then, I'll do what a lot of other NSX owner do and sit in the car, in the garage, waiting for spring. Enjoy the journey!
Gary
Gary
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This is the perfect car for a girl to own since its such a man magnet.
Ditto. This is so true. The car is a man/boy magnet.
And this is why whenever someone asks me what happened to my NSX i always tell them that the car is in good hands
My reasons are SIMPLE and also very PRACTICAL...:wink: Many years ago when I was in H.S. I remember the NSX being released and I thought to myself one day I'd like to own one! But of course a H.S. student and factoring inflation, $45k back in the early 90's is like $100k easy so safe to say there was no way I was going to own one. Add to that the midwest winters are brutal and I needed an all season vehicle so I had to put my dreams on hold.
Fast forward 15 years and I'm financially capable but just never really found the right time to own one til last year when the opportunity presented itself. Saw a beautiful white nsx owned by another nsxprime owner for sale and timing couldn't have been worse as I just took delivery of my 08 GT3. My girl said I can't own both so out went the Porsche and I flew to pick up the NSX. My reasons were quite simple:
1) I'm fulfilling a long time dream to own the perfect NSX in the 2nd best color (at the time I love yellow more...haha)
2) Human nature to always want the newest and latest model of each iconic car (M3 comes to mind as it's the other car I love in any year!) But with the NSX the 2002-2005 is the LAST MODEL YEAR so can't long for something better to come along the way! :wink:
3) Exotic cars in this economy lose value too fast to justify buying one though I admit I really love the new V10 R8 (only car I'd consider besides the nsx)
4) NSX styling is really timeless and I love the driving position and low stance, don't care about the hp as it's plenty fast for what I use it for...
FYI, no disrespect to the Supra as it's a great car with gobs of power but frankly to me it is really a Japanese version of the Mustang to me. Sure it's godly fast but no one cares these days if you have 1000hp as it's all been there, done that type of attitude among Supra owners. The car is aging and it's certainly not an exotic by any means. Just a high hp car that is showing it's age....
P.S. "Certain" cars you do NOT need to drive to own one, just write the check. Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin, Bentley, and I will add the NSX to that list. Any true car guy will love this car and I find it hard to believe someone will fault the NSX in anyway unless it's a money issue. I never drove the GT3 either before ordering one from the dealer
rick
Fast forward 15 years and I'm financially capable but just never really found the right time to own one til last year when the opportunity presented itself. Saw a beautiful white nsx owned by another nsxprime owner for sale and timing couldn't have been worse as I just took delivery of my 08 GT3. My girl said I can't own both so out went the Porsche and I flew to pick up the NSX. My reasons were quite simple:
1) I'm fulfilling a long time dream to own the perfect NSX in the 2nd best color (at the time I love yellow more...haha)
2) Human nature to always want the newest and latest model of each iconic car (M3 comes to mind as it's the other car I love in any year!) But with the NSX the 2002-2005 is the LAST MODEL YEAR so can't long for something better to come along the way! :wink:
3) Exotic cars in this economy lose value too fast to justify buying one though I admit I really love the new V10 R8 (only car I'd consider besides the nsx)
4) NSX styling is really timeless and I love the driving position and low stance, don't care about the hp as it's plenty fast for what I use it for...
FYI, no disrespect to the Supra as it's a great car with gobs of power but frankly to me it is really a Japanese version of the Mustang to me. Sure it's godly fast but no one cares these days if you have 1000hp as it's all been there, done that type of attitude among Supra owners. The car is aging and it's certainly not an exotic by any means. Just a high hp car that is showing it's age....
P.S. "Certain" cars you do NOT need to drive to own one, just write the check. Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin, Bentley, and I will add the NSX to that list. Any true car guy will love this car and I find it hard to believe someone will fault the NSX in anyway unless it's a money issue. I never drove the GT3 either before ordering one from the dealer
rick
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My reasons are SIMPLE and also very PRACTICAL...:wink: Many years ago when I was in H.S. I remember the NSX being released and I thought to myself one day I'd like to own one! But of course a H.S. student and factoring inflation, $45k back in the early 90's is like $100k easy so safe to say there was no way I was going to own one. Add to that the midwest winters are brutal and I needed an all season vehicle so I had to put my dreams on hold.
Fast forward 15 years and I'm financially capable but just never really found the right time to own one til last year when the opportunity presented itself. Saw a beautiful white nsx owned by another nsxprime owner for sale and timing couldn't have been worse as I just took delivery of my 08 GT3. My girl said I can't own both so out went the Porsche and I flew to pick up the NSX. My reasons were quite simple:
1) I'm fulfilling a long time dream to own the perfect NSX in the 2nd best color (at the time I love yellow more...haha)
2) Human nature to always want the newest and latest model of each iconic car (M3 comes to mind as it's the other car I love in any year!) But with the NSX the 2002-2005 is the LAST MODEL YEAR so can't long for something better to come along the way! :wink:
3) Exotic cars in this economy lose value too fast to justify buying one though I admit I really love the new V10 R8 (only car I'd consider besides the nsx)
4) NSX styling is really timeless and I love the driving position and low stance, don't care about the hp as it's plenty fast for what I use it for...
FYI, no disrespect to the Supra as it's a great car with gobs of power but frankly to me it is really a Japanese version of the Mustang to me. Sure it's godly fast but no one cares these days if you have 1000hp as it's all been there, done that type of attitude among Supra owners. The car is aging and it's certainly not an exotic by any means. Just a high hp car that is showing it's age....
P.S. "Certain" cars you do NOT need to drive to own one, just write the check. Ferrari, Lambo, Aston Martin, Bentley, and I will add the NSX to that list. Any true car guy will love this car and I find it hard to believe someone will fault the NSX in anyway unless it's a money issue. I never drove the GT3 either before ordering one from the dealer
rick
too much ballin in this post...can the mod's delete plz? lol
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
The Grapevine says you are da big pimp in southern FL!~ :wink:
Well ... in 1990 I stumbled over the nsx at a car show and was so taken with the styling and specs that I handed over a deposit to secure my place in the queue when the cars were available. Shortly thereafter Acura invited several prospective purchasers to experience the car at a local racetrack which totally sealed the deal for me. I was soooo impressed that I was lusting at the opportunity of owning it. At the time, I was driving a Porsche 911 SC which I had picked up directly from the factory in Stuttgart ( having driven it for several years in europe before bringing it back to North America). Nevertheless I remember feeling that the NSX was way more refined and comfortable to drive....aggressive cornering with the mid-engine NSX as opposed to the rear engine Porsche was really exhilirating and a whole lot safer. 19 years of ownership later, I still relish driving the car and am amazed as to the minimal maintenance cost especially when compared to most other exotics.
I may be one of the first to say that I never had any intention to buy an NSX. However, when I was looking for a new daily driver 10 years ago, my NSX fell into my lap as an impulse purchase. I had never sat in one, and I knew nothing about the car. It wasn't even a "dream car" of mine to own.
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