The NSX and people that don't get it

[simonprelude]

OK I've still not driven a Lamborghini but drool after one. Hopefully the dream will not be shattered when I do eventually drive one.

I used to want a Lotus Esprit, then drove one.

I've driven Ferrari's and the sound is intoxicating, but still wouldn't want one.

Porsche, driven a few, again no thanks.

NSX, well as we are all on here then I can assume most peoples opinions.
However, what about all the people who haven't driven one and come out with the comments saying the car is old fashioned, out dated etc etc etc.
You know the type that say why would anyone in their right mind spend £60k on something that is no longer that good.

So, probably over to some of you that have driven more other exotic cars than me and for longer periods of time.

Why the NSX rather than something else.

[Lankstarr]

I have driven a Gallardo and have to say that it was fantastic.

Really smooth paddle shift, easy to drive, superb confidence when cornering and the noise wow the noise!

I agree though after the Lambos my first choice is definitely the X (unless we are talking silly money!)

[gsuds]

Probably has to be the combo of "exoticism" / rarity / driving experience esp. handling / noise / not "obvious"....


........and you can use it, quite sensibly, every day.

Nothing else can do it! Probably only the Porsches come close on that score, but way too common.

Downsides? Well, car interior design has come a long way - see TVR etc - but surely we spend most of the time looking out of the window.... performance nothing special these days, although it's still no slouch.

Mind you, I'm about to pick mine up having wheel bearings and a cracked wishbone replaced. Will post tomorrow once I find out exactly what bespoke forged aluminium suspension components cost (plus about a week's labour trying to free off ancient bolts etc). This might taint my view a little.

Graham

[Papalazarou]

Peoples high expectations, the result of stupid magazines telling us what to buy what opinions to have. Basically what to think, means that many will never look seriously at the NSX.
I'm happy about that because whilst everyone around us make their 'safe' choices, which ironically aren't! We get to cruise around in our aluminium rocket ships with excellent reliability, resale and credibility (for those who get it).

Damn I feel smug now.

Cheers,

James.

[Senninha]

OK I've still not driven a Lamborghini but drool after one. Hopefully the dream will not be shattered when I do eventually drive one.

Simon,

Found this and thought of you .....
http://www.driversdreamdays.co.uk/product.asp?id=232

James,

Like you I like the fact that those of us here 'get it' while those that dont play safe with their Porsche etc.

BTW, I was complemented today when filling up with petrol. This mature chappy commented on how whenever he does see an NSX (I was his 2nd this year) they always look so sleek and clean. Interestingly he said that he had never seen one without an NSX plate.

regards

Paul

[Pande]

I agree with a recent letter I found in an Evo mag which said...

I think the NSXs sales failure tells us not how poor a car it was for the money-it was worth every penny-but how much of a minority true car enthusiasts are.

[osiris_x11]

Do you think the image of Honda had a lot to do w/ the notoriety and perception of the NSX to the British masses?

The rock-solid feel/construction and reliability have left me in awe. Nothing even comes close, whether less expensive or 2-3x the costs... when it comes to build-quality.

[DamianW]

I agree with a recent letter I found in an Evo mag which said...

I think the NSXs sales failure tells us not how poor a car it was for the money-it was worth every penny-but how much of a minority true car enthusiasts are.

I like that.

For me it was the sheer engineering that went into the NSX, the fact that it showed up the Ferraris and Porsches of the day as antiquated sheds. I always wanted one.

[kevinpsw]

The image problem begins and ends with the word Honda. If the car had a prancing horse or trident on it, it would be lauded as the best (handling, build quality, reliability etc) either of them had produced, up until the mid 90s (Ferrari) or 99 (Maserati). Most people who wish to spend £60k do of course expect the image of Porsche, Ferrari etc.

The truth is, however, that unless you have money to burn, Ferrari or Maserati ownership is not the fun you expect it to be. Pre 355, Ferraris are not good cars to drive and live with day to day, and the 355 has yet to prove it can live with high miles without truly horrible bills. Maseratis pre 3200 were awful and even these, although now increasingly affordable and cheaper to buy than an NSX of the same age, are very expensive to service and thirsty.

I have owned my NSX for just over six months and, if anything, I love it more now than when I first got it. I have spent a few quid, mats, new DAB stereo, Xenons but the only worry I have had is a blown bulb and condensation in the rear light cluster - I know, to have such serious problems I must have got a bad one! Assuming its first service in my ownership (1,000 miles away) goes OK - touch wood - I will know that I have the best value for money supercar there is.

Note Quentin Wilson offered the NSX as an alternative to a 355 in one of the classic car mags this months. I didn't read the whole article but I'm sure that he did not go so far as to suggest it was better than the 355. The key thing to add to the equation is the fact that most RHD 355s are £40-60k (+~£3k pa for servicing) whereas a decent NSX is available at half the price with much, much lower running costs.

The NSX is a dream car that I (and others not on pop star wages) can afford to run. If those who are obsessed by badges don't get it, that's their loss.

[Lankstarr]

If those who are obsessed by badges don't get it, that's their loss.


here here ... and those that do "get it" will give you a lot more respect OTR than they would a porsche or ferrari driver;)

[Andy]

In my opinion the question is not "what is the best car?", instead for most normal people it is "what is the best car I get get for my budget?". In my case I wanted a two seater sports car for under £20k. The choice narrowed down to an early 1980's Ferrari 308 or a late eighties Porsche 911.

I have driven a Ferrari 308 GTB over a full weekend and it was a flawed car. The clutch was extremely heavy, various things did not work, it was rusting through the wheel arches and at the back of the flying buttresses, it was not particularly fast.

I have also driven several Porsche 911's and quite like them. The problem is there are loads of them and they look ugly next to an NSX or Ferrari.

I bought my 1991 Coupe Auto with 51,000 miles in mint condiution for £18k including a private plate (to disguise the age), and I have been delighted with it.

I like the NSX for the performance, the looks, the technology, the alloy body (so it does not rust) the reliability and low costs of owenership.

It does not have a Horse on the bonnet (just an H), but nor does it have the problems of a Ferrari (my friend sold his 348 after a garage bill for £8000!!)

[darkblueturbo]

OK I've still not driven a Lamborghini but drool after one. Hopefully the dream will not be shattered when I do eventually drive one.



Sory to shatter your dream but... While I can't speak for the Gallardo or Murcie (though I'd love to know) I recently drove a Diablo.
Now it's a very special event to drive because of what it is. But what it is is a BITCH!

The first bend I took at speed I didn't think I was going to make it - the steering is so heavy!
The throttle seemed to lack any control... Try to put it down gently and it felt like an on off switch.
And the clutch had my arse cheek lifting out of the seat as I was putting it down.


Now the NSX, of which I drove a small handful before purchasing a silver 95, it an absolute dream by comparision.
As a young boy I lusted after a Countach... But having driven a Diablo and being told "it's much easier compare to my old Countach" I quickly changed my mind...

I've been looking for a few years for a car that gives me everything and what and, within my budget or otherwise, I really can't think of anything I'd rather have than an NSX.

Granted, if I had a bottomless pit of money I'd be after a Ferrari 550, or a Gallardo, but I simply could not even imagine those servicing costs - or parts if things go wrong - as I am now, even if I could stretch enough to buy one!!
But with a bottomless pit of money to spend on cars I'd still have an NSX...!

[Nick Graves]

I always wanted a Ferrari 328 GTS. Until about 1991.

Then I realised I'd bought into a myth. Which suddenly exploded.

Why shouldn't a car be as capable, as involving and as cheap to run as an NSX?

I understand why some people want a car that is a challenge to drive - I like the S2000 so much, I've not actually bothered to swap it - and that is fais enough.

But modern cars are too derivative, too stylised, too heavy, too remote.

The only supercar/luxury car that's really advanced the game since the NSX is the McLaren.

That's how significant the car is.

[QuietJim]

I agree with a recent letter I found in an Evo mag which said...

I think the NSXs sales failure tells us not how poor a car it was for the money-it was worth every penny-but how much of a minority true car enthusiasts are.
Hey, that's spooky - my mate Rob Manser wrote that letter!

I've driven a Diablo, Ferrari 355, 328 and Testarossa and all of them felt extremely cumbersome to drive, like it would take a lifetime to learn to drive properly. The Testarossa in particular felt like a tank, and the Diablo twitched violently sideways at 100+ with no warning whatsoever (under minimal acceleration) - good job it was catchable. The early Maser 3200GT I tried had a stupidly sensitive throttle, and the Viper was just laughably poor. On the whole I've been hugely disappointed with seriously quick cars. Even the Noble I drove had bizarre steering that was way too quick around the straight-ahead position (although I'm the only person to find this difficult, it seems).

I've tried a 996 and a 1984-ish 911 and both were gorgeous, really nice to drive in a driver-centric way, unlike the aforementioned "super" cars. The NSX is the only other car of this ilk that I've tried that feels like it's on your side, rather than fighting you.

But if you want something that's "as capable, as involving and as cheap to run as an NSX", you only need to look at an Elise (see other thread!). Just don't expect to cross continents in it!

[Paul]

Why an NSX?

Lovely clean lines ... no huge spoilers, over the top air dams, or scoops ... very much ‘less is more’ imho and it is no bigger than it needs to be. A point that was emphasised when I visited a Ferrari dealership earlier this year with a friend and I just felt that they all seemed to almost be too big. Maybe it’s an optical illusion and an NSX is no smaller than an F430, 360, Superamerica or Stradale. But, to me they seem a lot bigger and for whatever reason, I don’t see why. I can also honestly say none of the cars on display (this included various colours of the three mentioned above plus a Testerossa and a Scaglietti) really appealed to me visually like the NSX does. I’m sure they’re all great cars in their own right, but they just don’t appeal to me and all seem bigger than they really need to be.

An NSX is just as easy to drive around town as it is on long cross country jaunts ... there are no problems of an aching backside, ear ache or rattling teeth. In fact it’s just as comfortable to drive as any decent family sized car.

Ongoing cost of ownership ... how many other super cars can go through and well beyond 100,000 miles with nothing mechanically more done to them other than routine servicing.

Also, how many other ‘super cars’ do you see on any reasonable length drive, two or three, half a dozen or more if you go any real distance. Cover over a hundred miles of busy road looking out for other ‘exotics’ and ‘performance’ sports cars and you could easily hit double figures. How many NSX’s would you see on the same journeys? Any, one, two? The NSX is certainly rarer than Porsches, Astons and Ferraris. It’s quite possibly rarer than Lambos and Masserati’s too.

So exclusivity is another bonus of ownership!

[Nick Graves]

That's a very good point about the size;

The F430 is HUUUGE - the spyder looks like a swimming pool.

If it were Dino-sized, I think it would look pretty instead of monstrous.

[Senninha]

It’s quite possibly rarer than Lambos and Masserati’s too.

So exclusivity is another bonus of ownership!

Been out today and lost count of P&F cars in the sunshine. Even saw 3 Gallardo's, Black, Grey with Grey rims, Yellow with the plate V10 EGO :rolleyes:

How many NSX? Err, that'll be the one and it was my own reflection in a shop front :D

[RobM77]

Hey, that's spooky - my mate Rob Manser wrote that letter!

Here I am! Glad to be of service defending the NSX against the Boxster! Never thought I'd have to though!

The defining moment of the NSX for me was when I first introduced to the car at Bedford Autodrome a couple of years ago. I was already a fan of the car from reading numerous car reviews, but here I was sat in one ready to go! The first thing that struck me as I adjusted the electrically controlled seat was that I was sat in the perfect car interior for long distance driving - a wonderful 'jet fighter' style view out of the front, leather seats, full stero, air con etc'. Once I got going I noticed the engine was already warm so I took it into the red in 2nd gear approaching the first hairpin and the sound! ohh.. the sound!! The biggest defining moment for though came a few seconds later when I was going flat out round a right hand sweeper. The car in front unexpectedly slowed and I had to back off. The transition from balance to oversteer was the most gentle and benign I've ever experienced in a car. Sure, the mid engined handling can be rather 'sudden', but the body control during that transition was just superb. Here was a car that I had been driving all of 20 seconds and I was happy drifting it serenly on the limit. That chassis really is quite something - so is the engine - and so is the interior! A truly fantastic car. Just why I didn't grab a ride in QuietJim's NSX at the ring is beyond me!

[AR]

If they don't get the NSX is usually because they are either posseurs, insecured or lack intestinal fortitude.

Cheers

AR

[Sagacitas]

or they don't get it because they have not yet seen the view of the front wheel arches from the drivers seat.

Maybe it is just me but that view is incredible. Been dreaming of those arches ever since the test drive.l ;)

Richard

[WhyOne?]

or they don't get it because they have not yet seen the view of the front wheel arches from the drivers seat.


Agreed - the front wheel arches are far more apparent from the drivers seat than they are from outside. They make for a great view forwards!

[darkblueturbo]

I'm loving that view from the drivers seat...!! Especially with the headlights up!

Being new to the NSX (and having wanted popuplights since I was 3!) I've turned into a really courteous driver and keep letting people go - just so I can flash them out :)

[stewart]

One earlier post in this line mentioned a compliment from a fellow buyer at the petrol pumps and how he had noticed that all NSX's seemed to have NSX registration plates.

May I volunteer my NSX plates - B9 XTC

For me this summarises the value of the car, and if you didn't geddit then you haven't driven one.

[Lankstarr]

I too cant help but let people out. When I get my HiDs fitted soon I have been told that repetitive flashing will significantly decrease the life of the bulbs... At £80 a go this is no laughing matter - it's not going to stop me letting people ouut though:D