NSX/M3 dilemma

[gtm]

Honda NSX vs M3?

Ok, so I won't garner any sympathy with this sort of dilemma, but I'd appreciate a few pointers re the NSX. I'm rationalising my current crop of cars, and the NSX has come into the equation. At the moment I have a Merc 300CE, an MGBGT V8 and a Maserati Merak SS. While the MG is an absolute hoot, especially on a wet track, the classic angle is covered by the Maserati, which is gorgeous and a keeper. The Merc is the shopping trolley.

I'm going to replace the MG with a track oriented car, and the original idea was a straight replacement with a Honda NSX for around 20k. Then a chat with a fellow car nut (who had the best combination of cars known to man before The Crash) threw up the idea of the M3 as a replacement for both the Merc and the MG.

The reason I went for the NSX is that it is a truly great car but also very reliable: the Merak is very high maintenance, and I can do without double the grief. The NSX sounds glorious, and the handling is spot on; I test drove a couple recently and loved them, especially the non power streering version. However, I think the M3 may tick the NSX and runabout box in one go, and I also like the novel (to me) little comforts such as sat nav. But then the NSX is rare and special, and I don't need a daily driver...

So, the questions:
Has anyone owned/driven both NSX and M3?
If so, how do they compare as straight driver's cars?
And does the M3 sound as good as the NSX?

[AR]

Honda NSX vs M3?
So, the questions:
Has anyone owned/driven both NSX and M3?
If so, how do they compare as straight driver's cars?
And does the M3 sound as good as the NSX?

I have not owned an M3 but I can tell you that as you already know the NSX is rare. Can you make and M3 sound as good as an NSX? That is debateable as it is a personnal taste. I like the NSX sound, specially with a Tubi.

Hope that helps.

Cheers

AR

[unloaded]

When I'm looking for a change of car I usually end up spending £10K more than intended, not that I'm trying to suggest you do the same but what about an M3 CSL for a car that will give you track day joy and still do the shopping run?

Recommending a car in favour of an NSX feels a bit weird, but I have never liked the thought of tracking the NSX, I know other members love the track but for me there's is a lot of weight to strip out before it becomes a real track tool - and then there would be no Bose stereo to go shopping with :-)

[Rob_Fenn]

My dad had an M3 a couple of years ago, and even with a titanium exhaust. Since the day he sold it i don't think he's uttered a word about it!

I think part of owning a sports car is the full experience, flaws included. The M3 is a great all round car but i cant' see it ever capturing your imagination. Not a car you would ever love. Unlike an NSX!

-Rob

[gtm]

Thanks for both tips. The CSL is on the radar, but I've been warned off it as an everyday car. It does sound glorious, though: I heard one at Goodwood on the track at the same time as a Ferrari F50, and I can still hear the CSL but not the F50...
I'd use the NSX on the track only ocassionally, and perhaps driving it there might give me a few mid engined pointers for the Maserati (not a car I'd like to experiment with at the limit). Outright performance is not a big issue: it's more the feel of the car and the sense of ocassion, which is why I really liked the non power steering NSX: it felt alive. You're right there about the CSL, but I doubt it's as useable as the NSX. So I suppose I'm asking which out of (standard) M3 and NSX has more 'edge', a greater sense of ocassion. Which one am I more likely to cast a final furtive admiring look over the soulder at as it slowly pings away on the drive?

[Rob_Fenn]

Surely you can answer that one for yourself

[unloaded]

Which one am I more likely to cast a final furtive admiring look over the soulder at as it slowly pings away on the drive?

I stand corrected you need an NSX 8)

[gtm]

Yes, I knew where I was going with it as I typed. Actually the choice is NSX+Merc coupe vs M3: I'd be running an extra car with the NSX, but I reckon I'd save on the insurance (classic insurance for early NSX?; only £250 on Merc).
The allusion to passion was interesting: most M3 owners have a deep admiration for their cars, but I have not sensed an affection like there is on this forum for the NSX. This is curious. Originally, the NSX was seen as the rational, sensible choice; the 'practical supercar'. It was designed to a precise brief and clinically executed. This is perhaps why old hands in motoring journalism, who experienced the normality of the driving experience at launch, still think of it as somehow soulless and clinical (Tiff 'too easy to drive' Needell). But I think in the meantime the NSX has been imbued with soul by two events: the death of Senna and the cessation of production. The mystique of my Maserati is based on nostalgia, and the NSX now has some of that. The M3 never will.
I remember an old comparison test by Car magazine between the Lotus Esprit turbo and the Ferrari 308 GTB. The conclusion went along the lines that if you had a fleet of good cars already and wanted to add a mid engined coupe, then the Lotus was the better option, but if you yearn to own one great car, just one (and go to work in a Ford Escort), then you must take the Ferrari. Such considerations are now driving the purchase of the NSX.
However, I'm looking for something to complement the Maserati, and I don't think I'm any closer to solving the dilemma. Not that I'll be getting much sympathy...

[wgmr]

some more food for thought:

New M3 out next year with a V8, so old M3 likely to crash in value and prestige
NSX has much more prestige than an M3, is cheaper to service and will never go out of style
M3's are every where
M3's are to drugs what Ice cream vans are to ice cream
M3's are faster
NSX image is of a cool car, a true rare classic and you get let out in front of people, often with a nice car mate
M3 image, see drugs above, or if you prefer, the boss of the firm that no one likes, but does at least have money and a good car.

In short, m3's are awesome cars, I always look at them, but when I drove one earlier this year I could not wait to get back into the NSX.

If you want a track car, then pick up a cheaper NSX and do lots of work on it, if you do it right you could make it likely Darren's car, which is awesome, then put that up against an M3, come to think of it Darren, want to go M3 baiting?


So how about an RS4, much better than an M3.

[sportyking]

I think if you are faced with a decision like M3 or NSX, then you don't really know what you want/want to do, a position I have found myself in many times with buying cars . One supercar in a household is surely enough, if you want choice then maybe one of these special clubs is a better bet? If Time is no issue to you just sit back and eventually something you see will make you tingle with excitement, and you will know it is the right car. Then, if you can afford it (could be Mclaren F1), buy it.
Buying an NSX is not a rational decision even if it is the most practical supercar on the planet, it comes from the heart in 99% of cases. I was set on a Noble 3R because of the all important statistics until I saw Darrens NSX and a few others at the ring last Easter. They all had a presence and great poise on the track compared to the German stuff hurtling around. From the day I left the ring in my S2000 (a more likely comparison with an M3 than an NSX) I never considered the faster Noble again.
It still took me 9 months to find the one that I knew was right, at least it's in time for Easter 06