Legal Bill

Are you racing, or is this track day stuff. No offense intended, but at track days I see S2000s eat Ferarris all day long too.

Legal Bill

Quick check of 1998 specs show the 911 and NSX to be very close in performance. A Road and Track comparo put the two at nearly the sme numbers in every catagory, with slightly better acceleration for the NSX. So I'll retract that part of my prior statement. The fact that the Porsche does it for a tested price of 73K versus the NSX test price of 88K tells me that even if the 911 did not kill the NSX, Porsche killed Acura.

Chris Stack

Here's my take on some things:

I don't consider the NSX my dream car. But I'd love to have one. Thing is, I think anyone who bought a new one recently was high. $90k (or even $70k) for an NSX instead of a new Carrera or Cayman or ZO6, or whatever else you want to name is crazy. But that's new cars. What does a '98 cost? Maybe $40-50k? That's Boxster money. I think the NSX is a pretty viable choice in that light. I see Boxsters all over the place, but I don't see many NSXs.

Furthermore, though this will probably get the crap flamed out of me, I don't put THAT heavy of a premium on performance. Let's face it, if all you care about is going fast, buying anything other than a 90s Z28 and bolting a blower on it for less than $10k is stupid. But I like things like driving feel (NSXs have excellant transmissions and steering, by all accounts), looks (NSX is GORGEOUS to my eyes), exclusivity, interior comfort (the interior is what lets the NSX down IMO, and might keep me from buying one), reliability, etc etc. But I'm not the kinda guy who cares that a 911 can go 0-60 in 5s, and an NSX takes 6. Big deal. Bother are plenty fast for me, since I'd rather be out cruising with the top off on a windy road with nice scenery anyways.


I will say though, that I wouldn't buy a 348. I'd rather spend a little bit more for a 355, or a lot less for a 308. And I love Porsches, but I also love convertibles, and 911 convertibles are ugly. Boxsters are nice, but pretty ubiquitous. I think either an NSX-T or a 308GTS, as a fun, good weather weekend car, could keep me satisfied for a long time.

KERO

-As the rapper Canibus has said this is a "stupid-ass question, is Canada cold?" -Canibus

Although it's not quite a question, that's what comes to mind when you stated.

It's like asking ppl to justify why they rock chrome wheels, or why girls buy expensive purses when the Walmart one serves the same purpose.
It's like why ppl climb mountain, or like why ppl buy an Ipod when they could buy say..an Hp same ISH right?.
Or maybe even why they have to buy the Mighty-S2000 when the could pay less for a Miata...blah, blah...Hope you get my point.

rai

I don't want to fight either. Just point out you said the 911 could kill the NSX when 'back in the day' they were obviously just about equal. Equal in price weight and power. You can't say a 1990 911 would kill a 1990 NSX.

As to why for some people the NSX was a dream car. Back then, the only mid engine cars were the Lotus or Ferrari or the MR2. Not much in between.

The 911 being a 2+2 car and it's upright profile may have made it odd man out if you wanted a true 2-seat sports car.

Also keep in mind, at one time the NSX was not a bad performer. Maybe now it's not much quicker than (say) an EVO. But same too you could say about the first 911 S4.

It's too bad Honda didn't keep up with the Joneses. Porsche has gone up at least +100 HP in the past 15 years not counting cars like the GT3 which it would have been nice to see an NSX with 390 NA HP etc..

Another point you shouldn't compare the NSX to the 911 turbo which is always a big step up in price for comparably used vehicles.

Also You shouldn't compare the NSX to the ZR-1 b/c like the Z06 of today these cars offer crazy power for their time, but unfortunately look a lot like the 500,000 other garden variety C4s, C5s and C6s on the road.

DISCO_J

legalbill does have a valid point.

Many times we've compared our S2000 to the Boxster and Boxster S and always ended up saying that the Boxster/S is not worth the extra $$$$ since the S2000 is better. And now he's simply saying the same thing about a use NSX and boxster S or even the Cayman S. NSX is rare but does that make it any better? If i have the dough i'll take a Cayman S anytime even if it cost more than a use NSX.

Legal Bill

I think it is fair to ask people why a car is their dream car.

Canada is cold

Da Hapa

Hey Bill -

For the record, I certainly haven't called you any names and as much as I love my NSX, I'm not taking any of this personally. I'm a car enthusiast. No matter what the badge on the hood says, I like cars.

I agree with you on the point that $90K is too much for a new NSX. I can understand why some people are comfortable spending that much, but I'm not and wasn't. Honestly, I'm not comfortable spending that much coin on any car. Period. It's not that there aren't cars that are worth that much, but to me, the incremental value isn't there. But that's just me.

I don't have R&T handy but I'm a bit surprised that the 987 S puts down acceleration times better than the 2002 NSX tested. I've driven the Boxster S and it's a great roadster but it doesn't feel as quick or as fast as the NSX to me. But numbers don't lie.

I paid less than 1/2 of MSRP for a then new NSX when I bought my 1998. The only real differences between my 1998 and a new NSX are the HID headlamps and bigger front wheels. Motor, tranny, suspension, brakes, etc. are basically the same.

I know it's not fair comparing a used car to a new one but for me, an excellent condition 3.2L NSX + more than $20K cash in the bank is a better value than a new Boxster S. And a lot better value at more than $30K cash in the bank than a new Cayman S.

Finally... the NSX was the car that I had on posters on my wall when I was a younger man. I toured the factory in 1992 when I lived in Japan. I've always loved the lines of the car and really liked the seats, the noise the motor makes under load, and the sight lines out of the car. To me... it has always been the pinnacle of the Japanese motor car. Again, that's just me.

So when I had the chance to buy another sports car, I considered several alternatives and the NSX was almost a no brainer. The 993 was an appealing choice but the fact is that I see multiple 993s every single day here in S. Orange County. Seriously. When I came back into the parking garage after lunch, I parked on the same level as 2 996's, 3 993s a new 9974 and an old 964. They're great cars but they're almost ubiquitous. On the other hand, I can literally go weeks without seeing another NSX.

Most importantly, I really, really like the way the NSX drives. The power is all that I can use on public roads. I'm not Ayrton Senna and I'm wise enough to know it. The handling is spectacular and very well balanced, IMO. And the sightlines out of the car are exotic wonderlust. Not to mention the noises that come from 2 inches behind my head. And it's not at all demanding to drive. In fact, I learned during my trip to NSXPO this year that it is one of the best long distance cars I've ever driven. All the power you need to pass, great gas mileage, excellent seats and a good stereo and HVAC system.

Da Hapa

Bill has a valid question. I'm not saying he doesn't.

But have you driven either a Cayman S or a 3.2L NSX. I have and while I freely admit that the P car is a nicer and arguably better car, I don't think it's worth the $30K + premium over what I paid for my NSX. And as I've said a few times, I know the magazines will show it being quicker (and it probably is), it doesn't feel as quick, nor does it feel as raw and visceral to drive. To some, that's not important but just as I loved the way the S2K felt connected to the road and the driver, that's important to me.

BioBanker

My head is hurting reading all that.

Buy the car you want!

For the SAME money, I chose my 2002 NSX over a 2002 911 C4S, and everyday I wake up Im thankful that I did.

I consider the cars equivalent in pretty much everything, with the exception that the interior of the Pcar is more appealing to me, while the exterior and the realiablity of the NSX are more pleasing to me.

But the fact that Ive got 3 friends with identical C4Ss, none of whom could put air in their tires if they needed, biased me too.