RE: Honda NSX | Spotted
Discussion
Bit late on this. But still. I happen to own a car equivalent to - perhaps even better than - the one in the advert. It is perfect and maintained by the best person in the UK and has never had to have its paint or underbody buffed up (which this one appears to have needed). I am lucky but I am immensely conscious of how much it is worth now and thus how much care I need to take to ensure that it doesn't get trashed by the tractors around our way (we live in the middle of nowhere). This sort of spoils the driving experience. However, when I do get in it I am always entranced by how nice it is. Tractable, reasonably easy to drive (but it's not like a Civic), nice sounding (all gurgles and howls), nice steering (even with EPS), and good old long travel throttle and brakes that need a firm shove. It's not like a new car at all in those respects. Everything is much more visceral and the gear change is ever so mechanical and precise. But it does need a while before fifth gear loosens up.
It's not fast (certainly not now) and you spend most of your time at 3-4000 rpm because it prefers it. My BMW 3.0 litre N/A engine on the other hand potters around rpms much less than this as an example. There is little opportunity to use VTEC in any gear above third as third takes you to 100mph, but it's slow enough to allow you to use more of the performance than a car with more bhp would allow.
NSX are reliable but not infallible and maintenance costs can be steep. After all, most of them are well over 25 years old. Engines tend to last for ever but electrics do stop working and, of course, you can't get replacements or if you could they would be the price of a small car. This is no longer a cheap car to own or run. Is it any better than a 993/F355 of the same vintage? On the basis of how many people tell me that it's so nice to see it then it wins every time. And it probably is at least as good to drive as the other two and is certainly built a lot better than the Ferrari. But actually better than a 993 (equipped with a/c etc) probably not. Just different. But one thing the 911/F355 owners have is a strong line up of firms around the country who will gladly and competently look after your car. Even rebuild it. Here, you have just one who specialises in NSX and perhaps a few others who might have come across them as part of their work on other sports cars. Other than one or two Honda dealers who had them way back when and who still have the staff, they just aren't interested. And there is one person who is the expert. An NSX is not an easy choice and if I didn't already have one (and I am on my third) I probably wouldn't wish to pay that sort of money for one. I'd get something much newer. But then I'm not a collector.
It's not fast (certainly not now) and you spend most of your time at 3-4000 rpm because it prefers it. My BMW 3.0 litre N/A engine on the other hand potters around rpms much less than this as an example. There is little opportunity to use VTEC in any gear above third as third takes you to 100mph, but it's slow enough to allow you to use more of the performance than a car with more bhp would allow.
NSX are reliable but not infallible and maintenance costs can be steep. After all, most of them are well over 25 years old. Engines tend to last for ever but electrics do stop working and, of course, you can't get replacements or if you could they would be the price of a small car. This is no longer a cheap car to own or run. Is it any better than a 993/F355 of the same vintage? On the basis of how many people tell me that it's so nice to see it then it wins every time. And it probably is at least as good to drive as the other two and is certainly built a lot better than the Ferrari. But actually better than a 993 (equipped with a/c etc) probably not. Just different. But one thing the 911/F355 owners have is a strong line up of firms around the country who will gladly and competently look after your car. Even rebuild it. Here, you have just one who specialises in NSX and perhaps a few others who might have come across them as part of their work on other sports cars. Other than one or two Honda dealers who had them way back when and who still have the staff, they just aren't interested. And there is one person who is the expert. An NSX is not an easy choice and if I didn't already have one (and I am on my third) I probably wouldn't wish to pay that sort of money for one. I'd get something much newer. But then I'm not a collector.
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