Acura NSX pro's and con's...

[jibbby]

I came across a resonably priced deal on early model NSX and was thinking of just maybe buying it, to own and keep or even for a resale investment..... I had a look at the car today up close and test drove one for the first time....from my test drive I determined that they sit really low to the ground, little tight on the inside for a tall guy like myself, they idle, and run smoothe, sound great, handle absolutely fantastic, braking is awesome too, but I expected a little bit more power to be honest...It is quick don't get me wrong, but I would not say it is a super fast car...

Just what is the fascination with these cars anyway?

What can be done to make them move without breaking the bank, (modify)? Does anyone know about these cars and can give me some advice...I believe they are a collectors item if I am not mistaken...

Any feed back would be appreciated....

 

[JamesN]

NSX is definitely a collector car. They hold pretty good value for the age of the car. There are some issue with some NSX over the years. Like, the common ones are snap rings on the tranmissions (depends on the year). Water reserve tank broken, some seals. However, they are not cheap to fix.

On the Pros side they are very fun to drive IMO. Not as quick as it should on the highway but the light aluminum body makes it handle well on the track. Plus, the car have a very beautiful shape. I love the shape of the NSX.

If you want to get an NSX, get the 97 model and up are the good one. It upgrade from a 3.0 liter V6 to a 3.2 liter v6. The tranny is also upgraded from a 5sp to a 6sp.

The fascination with the car is owning and driving the car makes you feel like you owning and driving a supercar. Especially, with the right exhaust setup. The car absolutely screams as you hit V-tech.

Owning and maintaining the car is already breaking the bank IMO. As for Modifying Comptech make many parts for the car like exhaust, supercharger kit etc.. You can also turbo it too. But gotta watch your limit. These engine don't take boost very well IMO.

A good friend of mine just sold his 2jzgte SC to get an NSX. He told me he love the NSX looks and handling but miss the power of the SC. Hope this answer some of your question John.

 

[Lextreme II]

1997 NSX at $44,000 is still very pricy. I have many friends with them and they are an expensive toy to keep them running on the road. This car is extremely hard to turbo due to low engine and space. There were few low mount NSX running in Cali but lots money and work. If think turboing your SC is costly then u should ask few NSX owners.

 

[Treynon]

I was about to say what David just said, hard to turbo because of engine space and layout... The engine layout is transverse unfortunately not longitudinal. Still an awesome car.

 

[LondonBenji]

Like James said, they are all about handling rather than acceleration (although they aren't exactly shy!) or top speed.

One of them would probably kill an SC round track, even with the lack of power.

 

[jibbby]

Thanks for the replies fellas... This is a older one so I guess I will pass on it, too many reported mechanical problems.. I called the dealer to get the low down as well.....97's and up you guys say are the way to go...... Yeah, the owner told me they are not cheap to keep up either, but he took real good care of this one over the years....It's a black one with tint and it looks ohhhhh so good....


Lex - Yeah turbo and supercharging is expensive to me considering the SC4 car is only worth 7 or 8 grand and I am already into it for $18,000...... However, If the NSX is worth $35-$40 grand and I can get it for $25 and then put 5 grand more into to get it moving and keep it's value then that would make financial sense to me.. I always think about re-sale at some point.... Putting 3 to 4 grand into boosting an older SC that's basically worth peanuts just doesn't make financial sense to me at this point....$1500 I would do it in a heart beat.....There is reason behind my insanity... I think??????

I will pass on the older NSX, but they do ride and sound awesome...They don't look too shabby in black either...Too bad it is not a 97 or newer model, but then it would not be listed for $29,000 obo....

 

[Smitherz]

I was a HUGE fan of the NSX. But as time has passed the styling is just looking too old now. IMO it would take 3-4 thousand (minus some new rims) in cosmetic work to make one look trick. When I would see guys working on them in the pits at the track they would always have the fender guards (blankets) thrown over the sides. To work on them you have to be under them or bent up over the side and it's painful! I would NEVER recommend getting one to hot-rod around in as they cost too much and require too much work to modify and they have some weak points. There are much faster cars for the money and the "neatness" of them wear off the more you own one. I think the NSX is a money pit and not a good investment at all.

Now a Ferrari 348 is a hot car and affordable just as much as an NSX I think. Oooolala I've considered picking up one of these!

I know a VERY wealthy gentleman who own and has access to LOTS of the most expensive sport scars there are. He had a super tricked out NSX, RX-7 (3rd gen), Supra etc etc. He let them all go eventually and started playing with a Lotus Exige, a Porsche GT2 and different Ferrari's. You know what he had the most fun in? He absolutely loved his Honda S2000! I recommend everyone drive one of these if you already haven't. I've swapped a JDM engine in one and got some quality time with it. The engineering in that car is pretty amazing. If you look at the frame you will be surprised. They have awesome handling and the VTEC kick is pretty amazing. You really have to make sure you have some room in front of you when it kicks in cause is has more punch than you would expect. But if you just want a smooth road car that is comfortable to travel in and gets a lot of looks then the NSX is a smooth ride. I know a couple guys that own them, have modded them just a little and have a great time driving them all over California. The bad part about them is that people tell these guys that they are just wanna-be Ferraris.

 

[stevechumo]

I've also been looking at the NSX for a long time and always wanted one. It has one of the best handling car comparing to Ferrari, Lambo...etc. I've read several professional reviews from Motor Trend, Sport Compact Car..etc, the driving test gave its more points than the Z06 or Viper. Does it sound amazing?

Smith, I know you only say it's a Ferrari Wannabe because you heard it from other people. However, I wouldn't say it's a Ferrari Wannabe. Period. I believe people say that to degrade it without any reasons. It's actually called by the pros "The Ferrari Fighter" on Comsumer Guide. Its body doesn't look like a Ferrari at all. Its engine engineering is different from Ferrari. Its handling is on par with the Ferrari. What else? It's cheaper but it doesn't mean it's copied from the Ferrari.

I agree with all of you that the NSX costs a lot of money to make it fast. A Comptech Supercharger kit costs around $8K and a Cartech Turbo kit also costs around $8K. I also saw it's dynoed at around 500 whp with a turbo kit in stock form. Comparing to its stock 290 hp for a 3.2 L, it's not too bad.

 

[stevechumo]

Let me try to upload some pics.

 

[Smitherz]

Oh I love the NSX don't get me wrong. I'm sure the Acura would spank a F 348... they actually did a head to head test with them that I haven't read but of course you know the NSX handled better. Yeah I've seen the turbo packages and SC as well selling for $8 uninstalled. They are great kits and well thought out but ouch, that is some dough. Gotta pay to play I guess. I would opt for a new Vette over the NSX (unless Acura releases the new NSX!) but the Viper is not even on the list of cars I even want. I dated a girl that had one and it was fun but you get tired of driving them after the first few times. The girl was smokin hot so she never got old.

 

[jibbby]

I think the Ferrari's would smoke the NSX's in the power department....Also to invest in a Ferrari is going to be a money pit even more so then an NSX in my opinion...The Ferrari parts are absolutely bank brand new....

 

[stevechumo]

A new Vette is also on my list...But the idea of driving a rare car like the NSX just seems to be jumping over the Vette. With the supercharger or turbo kit, the NSX can hang around the Ferrari, Lambo..etc. easily. And not to say another $20K (maybe slightly more) in engine & tranny upgrade, the power is the sky limit. I've seen a lot of track races that has the NSX, Vette, and Ferrari together. Anyway, I never happened to see any Lambo in any track races. I guess the Lambo is too big (not too good handling) for the tracks.

 

[stevechumo]

It keeps saying "Database Error" when I post another picture. Umh!

 

[stevechumo]

Who would say no to a car like this? It's funny that i have a friend who's been around Domestic classic cars (he builds them) for years and when I took him to the Auto Show, he said the NSX is the copy body from the new Vette. I just kept laughing but didn't want to piss him off. I had to tell him the NSX is on the market since 1991 and the Z06 Vette came out more than a decade later...

 

[jibbby]

Steve, I can tell you really like these NSX's....They really are nice looking sports cars for sure.. However, they really need more power at stock to be an awesome sports car in my opinion... I was looking at the early model NSX model 91 which is the slowest, but I guess the newer ones 97 and up are made to move a bit faster.. I still think they are lacking in the lowend power department... I can honestly say that I think I can take one in my SC400....For sure 0-50mph...Maybe even 0-100mph but it may get close.....On the track those NSX's should rip the corners...

 

[Vdog]

Years ago when I had a 1985 VW GTI, I used to get European Car Magazine and there was an add in there for a supercharger kit for the Accura Interga. The add said for $2500.00 your Interga will have the same horsepower as an Accura NSX. I want to say this was 92 or 93.
The add listed the Interga at 170 hp and the kit would bump it up to 270 hp the same as the NSX. I keep my old magazines so if I come accross it, I will post it here. Guys I've talked to say they dont like it because it does not have the supercar feel, the rough idle of other supercars. They said their grandmothers could drive one.
Well I say grandma can drive mine, im a big fan of the NSX. Anything can be expensive, heck look at the cars we own, most of us bought them used and they come with problems, yet we love them anyway.
My GTI when I got it was 8 years old, had 2 fuel pumps, one was priced $300 the other $200, you would thing a car like that could not be that expensive. You pay for what you like or love.

 

[Vdog]

Years ago when I had a 1985 VW GTI, I used to get European Car Magazine and there was an add in there for a supercharger kit for the Accura Interga. The add said for $2500.00 your Interga will have the same horsepower as an Accura NSX. I want to say this was 92 or 93.
The add listed the Interga at 170 hp and the kit would bump it up to 270 hp the same as the NSX. I keep my old magazines so if I come accross it, I will post it here. Guys I've talked to say they dont like it because it does not have the supercar feel, the rough idle of other supercars. They said their grandmothers could drive one.
Well I say grandma can drive mine, im a big fan of the NSX. Anything can be expensive, heck look at the cars we own, most of us bought them used and they come with problems, yet we love them anyway.
My GTI when I got it was 8 years old, had 2 fuel pumps, one was priced $300 the other $200, you would thing a car like that could not be that expensive. You pay for what you like or love.

 

[SCV8]

Having owned mid-engined cars for over twenty years, I can say that the low position does get old; people cut you off more often, and getting in and out can be taxing on a daily basis.
But drifting at 100, w/one hand on the wheel is very nice when you do get the chance.

 

[jibbby]

Drifting....I tried that....I spun out, rolled, crashed and burned... Just kidding... That sounds insane to me though...Drifting at 100mph...