Nick Graves

Jason, the funny thing about the NSX is that it's basically a Honda.

The biggest threat to it (apart from difficult availability of the eye-wateringly expensive parts) are those dodgy caps leaking and burning the PCBs. But if have basic soldering skills, even they can be replaced.

Like any aluminium car, it will go brittle eventually. But that could be decades, if the Supermarine Spitfire is an indicator.

Modern Hondas have too many FREDs and owners are complaining about constant trips to the dealers to get them to work, just like all the other rubbish out there. If there's 100 buttons on the steering wheel, you want them to talk to the car. If there's two (for the horn) it's probably an easier fix but I've never heard about it being necessary.

The sadness is, the next Elise may have a turbocharger and have its responses utterly ruined. But for the moment, Lotus seems to be closest to being on the right lines.

And like your old S2000, they do tend to require some spannering or other ingenuity to fix minor irritations.

As for the reliability record of the Alfa Giulia QV, it's almost unbelievable; the car was rushed into development in less then 30 months form clean-sheet and it's showing. And all it can do is belch and fart and pop and sounds utterly shit. If that's a Ferrari engine unit, I'd rather have a Honda V6...

Nottm_S2

You're talking about the original Nick? I agree, thats a mechanical car and so inherently fixable but also from the golden era for Honda, like the s2000 and various type r cars. They are big money for a nice one now and i fear Gad is right about a bubble for all such things.. or maybe its our £ is worth zip.

i think they've all changed bar that elise recently and few for the better imho. Maybe electri****ation will make them light eventually but not until clever batteries. The truly interesting stuff is all ageing. I think i'll buy a bike with a nice motor next, you can have a lot of fun without going superfast and this morning, trotting into work getting soaked i overtook a 4 mile queue of cars.. that is congestion ffs. Modern cars just dont appeal.. must be age

Nick Graves

I'm not convinced it's age per se; it's more the overcrowding congestion and the fact that most modern cars are so overly-complicated with unreliable fripperies. Plus the CO^2 alarmists have ruined their engines. No-one is permitted to make a truly interesting design any more. Though memories of a 'golden-age' of almost-empty roads and pre-1984 personal freedom IS a function of age, definitely.

A bike is a far more sensible solution, though I am probably still far too young and reckless to be entrusted with one! Having said that, I do seem to be bicycling far more than I seem to be driving, this summer. I can see why it is apparently the fastest-growing hobby in the UK. There's bloody Lycra-louts everywhere...

Stevo071077

Especially since you've arguably hit 'peak fun per pound spent' on cars, I agree on the push-bike front. Funnily enough my bike offers a similar kind of dynamic to the S as it's rear end is very twitchy in the wet - a fair few times I've come close to losing it to the canal!

I think I'd rather have the original NSX, and regret not getting one back in 2010 when I had the chance. As others have said, the new NSX is a good showcase for the technology it uses but it will be later cars where it's justified.

Stevo071077

There is an inherent barrier of energy density to overcome and so long as the power comes from an on-board battery for cars they'll always be heavy compared with hydrocarbon-fuelled engines. If there's a technological breakthrough that can move the advantage over to electrical power surely it would involve the road being a source of the electrical power? Would that or any of the variants be an interesting car to drive though..!

You're right about the bike, I'd never really started considering one until now. I was scared off when younger by seeing accidents at low speeds. For the past year or so I've been concentrating on not having to use a car where possible.

Nottm_S2

i had a couple of bikes 10 years ago, CBR600RRs.. they were revvy 4 cyl loony machines. race bikes not fit for the road at all imho but when you did get a bit of road they were epic. I just ended up frustrated though.

last year i got back on a bike to commute as i started working locally so was trying to move during rush hour for the first time in a long time.. i've been using a CRF250M and it is great for getting about and does make me grin



but i am thinking of going for an easier Monster Torque or the hipster version



you can have fun 0-60 which modern cars do far too easily and far too unfunnily imo

unclefester

As said elsewhere, when new Micra / Corsa / Adam / generic city cars are nudging 18k *yawn* then 8k on a Street Triple etc etc is just a no brainer from a fun perspective.

Nick Graves

It appears that worldwide, bike sales are falling - no-one is interested in them any more, apparently.

There ought to be some real bargains in the coming years.

unclefester

That's because everyone that wanted to be Euan has eaten their metric weight in pies and bought a BMW GS. Or it's that everyone has got a bike and new licenses are too expensive for new riders so they are holding off until 21+.

Mind you, didn't i read somewhere that some madly high number of < 30 year olds don't hold any kind of license at all?

jml

For years on these pages people have been clamouring for honda to make a halo car... and when they finally do it....