Why not buy an NSX with SC installed?

[prestonmay]

I have been told by so many people to do not buy a car with extensive mods.

EVen more so the NSX. But at the same time I have read over and over again, "The NSX should have came from the factory with an SC." Lately I been seeing allot in my area (atlanta) , ebay and autotrader with SC installs for sell, fairly priced. If you plan to do the SC install anyway, why is it such a big no no? I mean i know the obvious reasons, but is it assumed that people with SC dog their cars out or that internal eng damage is just around the corner if not present already? Sorry if this has been asked before or sounds a lil stupid? New to the world of NSX....

 

[omega2]

For me, it would depend on which SC was installed and how it was setup. Namely, is the engine stock and how much boost is used. If it was the basic comptech setup (7 psi), I would not be too worried. If it was more, then I would be concerned about who did the install and who tuned the car. If the car and SC have relatively low miles, it may be a good buy.

 

[supra2nv]

I have been told by so many people to do not buy a car with extensive mods.

EVen more so the NSX. But at the same time I have read over and over again, "The NSX should have came from the factory with an SC." Lately I been seeing allot in my area (atlanta) , ebay and autotrader with SC installs for sell, fairly priced. If you plan to do the SC install anyway, why is it such a big no no? I mean i know the obvious reasons, but is it assumed that people with SC dog their cars out or that internal eng damage is just around the corner if not present already? Sorry if this has been asked before or sounds a lil stupid? New to the world of NSX....

i paid a premium for a stock car...i ignored all the ones with sc's. exhaust is one thing, sc's are another....y not start fresh.

 

[prestonmay]

So I gather one will rarely get the money they put into an SC, unless they part it out.....?

 

[Shaun Ray]

So I gather one will rarely get the money they put into an SC, unless they part it out.....?

Hmmm...I guess that line of thinking includes not disclosing the NSX that had a SC was removed and returned to stock. The same thinking for those who want to avoid a SC'd NSX goes for an NSX that had been modded with SC then returned to stock.

For one, I'd be a little worried about the engine/tranny/clutch life of an NSX that had been FI'd for some amount of time. Let's face it, if you FI your NSX, you probably like to pop the clutch and pull hard from the traffic light. Nothing wrong with that, but if I had two NSXes to chose from (one that was babied over the years and another that probably dragged the streets on Friday night) guess which one I'd choose:wink:

I agree with the above post. Start fresh if you can afford it.

 

[ajnsx]

Same reason why some/many(none?) people don't like to date pornstars. There may be the view that they are 'worn out' in some way. :biggrin:

 

[TitaniumVtec]

I have been told by so many people to do not buy a car with extensive mods...

The mindset on this subject for most IMO, is that the car has been abused/stressed because of the addition of performance products. However, I can tell you from first hand experience, that many non-modded cars are ragged to death also. Just because a car has headers, intake and a muffler, does in no way mean the car was beat on. SC, turbo and NOS as well IMO.

If money grew on trees, we would all start fresh with brand new cars and add all the goodies we want. This not being the case unfortunately, allows some regulars (like myself) to pick up a car with some goodies at the previous owners expence. Plus, we all know that mods return very little investment, so once again, let someone else pay for them when possible.

I have been lucky enough to own two NSXs in the last 8 years. The first one was bone-stock except for some rims and springs and the second one has a list of goodies that can be found in my profile. I paid roughly the same amount for each car, the only difference being one was loaded with mods and the other was not. To me, the $20k I saved in mods on the second car, basically put that money in my pocket to use for other things in life. How can I argue with this??

This is all a matter of preference of course and we each take the road that suits us best, but for me, I'm more than happy to buy a car with goodies I know I will be adding in the future anyway.

 

[davidf]

Same reason why some/many(none?) people don't like to date pornstars. There may be the view that they are 'worn out' in some way. :biggrin:

I never knew you could "wear it out.":tongue:

 

[peiserg]

don't know what to tell you..but I have been supercharged since 2003, and am on the original stock clutch at 52k miles. I've have never, no not even once, "popped" the clutch. And I do know a guy locally who has a mildly modded nsx that beats the ever living crap out of his car.. ruined a clutch in under a month....

I take my car into the service guy and literally tell him "You find something that needs fixing, fix it. You see something wearing out, replace it." If i get a door ding, it gets fixed. A scratch gets repainted as necessary.

So the theory is a complete load of shit. Whoever gets my car if I ever sell it is one lucky dude. Despite the SC.

 

[nastinupe1]

I look at it like this. If you're going to put on the SC anyway, then why not buy a car with it already on? The last car I bought had an after market SC. I spent about $1500 getting the car tuned and inspected and I was good. I had no problems for the entire time I owned it.

People can be anal about anything, but sometimes the amount of analness doesn't equal rhyme or reason. Some people will bitch about a car having 50 miles on it if they bought it new, fearing that the car was abused during those 50 miles. Other's will buy a car with 30,000 miles without second thought.

I have always purchased used cars and simply use my common sense. I get the car checked out and move on. The same would apply to a car with after market assessories. Get the car checked out by someone that know's NSX's with SC's. Find out what's good and bad with the car and what need's to be replaced or looks like it's no good. Then you can make an informed decision.

I don't believe that there's a blanket response to this matter. Each car is different and should be treated as such.

 

[MCM]

"Why not buy an NSX with SC installed? "

Because you don't want one?

That's why I didn't.
If you want a SC car, buy a car with it installed as long as you get complete history and meet the owner who installed it.
I didn't want the possible headaches.
Also when resale comes around, not as easy to sell as stock.
Honestly, I have owned faster cars, but I feel my car is fast enough for me.
Any form of forced induction does put additional strain on the engine.
To the owners who install 'em, its worth it. To me, its not.
Just personal preference.

 

[nis350]

getting it smog may also be an issue in Calif.

I read that quite a few early stock NSX are having issues passing smog..... Who knows how a SC would effect the smog in the long run.

 

[ajnsx]

I never knew you could "wear it out.":tongue:

I've heard that some dvd's lay claim to this. But that would require extensive 'research' to clarify.:biggrin: Grant's anyone?:biggrin:

 

[jond]

Personally, I would be concerned about increased engine wear. The NSX engine is pretty expensive. If you go to the Acura dealer today and try to buy a new NSX engine it will cost about as much as a new TL(the entire car).

I guess it just depends how much money you have and how much faith you have it the person before you.

 

[Mirroredshades]

I would never buy a SC NSX for one reason only. There are too many people out there building cars that don't know what they are doing. I don't trust anyone to do it right and a supercharger is really easy to install but not easy to do right.

I don't want to pay for someone else's poor build.

 

[4MM]

I wanted a car with more power. To me, if you find a SC'd car, it is easy to tell if it is running correctly or not (by experience), and easier to verify your instincts by having it checked out professionally.

I started by looking for a low mile car and found one with under 11k miles. The SC was a Comptech unit installed 1100 miles earlier by an Acura dealer. Couple the aforementioned with an adult owner and that was good enough for me.

Sometimes it's more of a headache installing it on a car because it doesn't always turn out right. Tuning can be a PIA.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Comptech Supercharger is a proven, reliable SC system. It runs low boost, needs no tuning, and passes smog. It is also CARB certified. A few years ago you could order it through your Acura dealer with no change in warranty.

I have a CTSC on my car, and I never pop my clutch and never abuse the car. I don't power shift, I let it warm up eveytime and maintenance is 100% on the car. It was installed by an NSX shop whose owner was a ten year veteran, an NSX owner and the head mechanic at an Acura dealer.

It does not need "tuning", because that is how the Comptech kit comes. It is a true bolt-on.

My compression readings are 100%, and my car is garaged winters and in showroom condition.

Anyone that tells you not to buy a car like mine is making nothing but assupmtions. There is no reason why a car with a Comptech supercharger cannot be in BETTER shape than a "stock" one depending on maintenance and how it was driven. The logic that because you have an SC you somehow are abusive to the car is flawed. I have $115K into the NSX and two other cars. The NSX gets babied.

I don't know why you should NOT buy a Comptech Supercharged NSX if the engine checks out healthy through compression and leakdown tests. If you aren't going to do those tests then you are taking a risk with any NSX.

 

[RON98]

I would get a SC over stock.

All the SC owners i have seen and worked on their cars have total commitment for their NSX.

To put in 12000$ in a SC setup then abuse the car is not what these owners are about.

I would buy a nsx with SC with out any hesistation.

 

[lrsudog]

Yup. I bought SC'd (CTSC) because I wanted an SC'd NSX. I was able to trace the lineage of the car sufficiently to understand that it had not been hammered, which I would have done even if I was buying an OEM NSX.

By buying a car that had all the mods that I knew I wanted, I saved (conservatively) $35-45K over doing them myself.

 

[Tytus]

If you can find a good SC car then get it if that is what you ultimately want. Heed the warnings of those that tell you to have it checked out! I almost bought a CTSC '97 but after it failed the compression and leak down test, I passed. It was a total surprise, as the car ran great and the records from an Acura dealer indicated that about 3,000 mi back it had great, above spec, compression. It was never clear as to why it failed the tests, the tests were also performed several times by different mechanics to be sure.

So I bought a car with out CTSC and plan on having it installed soon. This is a more expensive route but ultimately I will know what I have and won't have to guess if it will hold together because of previous missuse.

Good luck,

Tytus

 

[Yellow NSX]

Comptech Supercharger is a proven, reliable SC system. It runs low boost, needs no tuning, and passes smog. It is also CARB certified. A few years ago you could order it through your Acura dealer with no change in warranty.

Yep. And when I was looking for an NSX, this is exactly the car I wanted to buy. And now own.

When my NSX was brand new (6 miles) it received the "Comptech Performance Accessories" package, installed at the dealer. (Remarkably, this upgrade cost an additional $45,000 - $38,931.68 in parts, and $6,300.00 in labor!)

Included in this package: Comptech supercharger, headers and exhaust, and Brembo brakes. All fully warrantied by Acura.

 

[TURBO2GO]

Yep. And when I was looking for an NSX, this is exactly the car I wanted to buy. And now own.

When my NSX was brand new (6 miles) it received the "Comptech Performance Accessories" package, installed at the dealer. (Remarkably, this upgrade cost an additional $45,000 - $38,931.68 in parts, and $6,300.00 in labor!)

Included in this package: Comptech supercharger, headers and exhaust, and Brembo brakes. All fully warrantied by Acura.

The fact that Acura was willing to cover a supercharged car under warranty is a testament to the quality and reliability of Comptech products. I was shocked when I went to my Acura dealer and there was a whole list of Comptech parts I could select and have installed at the dealership.

So to the original poster I would say when you say "supercharger" you have to specify what you are talking about. You are talking 15K minimum to buy this system, its accessories (headers, exhaust, etc.), and installation. But as a used car, it only adds 5K to the price on average. You save $10,000 on what is a very good system.

There is almost no risk of a bad "tuner" having damaged the car because there is no tuning with the base kit. If the engine passes its tests, I think you have nothing to worry about and I would buy a used NSX with a CTSC in a heartbeat.

 

[NetViper]

If you want a supercharger, by a car with one. You will save a bundle. Just make sure you do a compression check first. TRUST ME.

 

[prestonmay]

Same reason why some/many(none?) people don't like to date pornstars. There may be the view that they are 'worn out' in some way. :biggrin:

Hey whats wrong with porn stars?:biggrin:

 

[PhiAlpha44]

don't know what to tell you..but I have been supercharged since 2003, and am on the original stock clutch at 52k miles. I've have never, no not even once, "popped" the clutch. And I do know a guy locally who has a mildly modded nsx that beats the ever living crap out of his car.. ruined a clutch in under a month....

I take my car into the service guy and literally tell him "You find something that needs fixing, fix it. You see something wearing out, replace it." If i get a door ding, it gets fixed. A scratch gets repainted as necessary.

So the theory is a complete load of shit. Whoever gets my car if I ever sell it is one lucky dude. Despite the SC.

Absolutly! I couldn't agree more.