Newby thinking of buying NSX

[superdave]

Hi all,

I was driving behind an NSX on Monday and I've always liked these cars since they came out. Also I liked the Lotus Esprit too so went down this route ove past few years. Having owned 4 Esprits and now have a V8. It's currently running 400BHP and before I get all the usual stories about reliability issues, all of my Esprits have been very reliable. I also benefit from meeting a now very good friend of mine who owns a Lotus garage, so service costs are pretty low as too insurance costs.

Now to my questions
1. I going to test drive an NSX, my budget is about £25-30K, what should I expect to get for this price?
2. Is there a particular model/year I should go for/avoid?
3. What are the known problems?
4. Would you consider private purchase or dealer only? I know this is an issue with 911 cars.
5. Are there any independant NSX suppliers in the UK, if so, which one would you recommend?


Thanks in advance for your assistance.



Dave

[Rob_Fenn]

Hi Dave,

Unfortunately you have started this in the wrong forum but i'm sure it will get moved at some point ;)

It's worth starting by reading this thread:
http://nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=688

For your price range, there will be a lot of Targas and Autos to sift through, although if you're interested Elton John's Targa is for sale on Piston Heads :D

-Rob

[kevinpsw]

For £25-30k you should expect to get a 3.2l 6-speed manual pop up lights (97-01) when of course one comes up for sale. You might be very lucky and find a 94 NSX-R for less than £30k.
You'll need at least another £5k to get a 2002+ facelift version.
For about £20-22k you should be able to get a late (95-97) 3.0l 5 speed.
In each case, you should expect no accident damage and a documented FHSH. Look out for when the clutch was changed (a £2k bill, anything over 50k miles on the clutch and it may need doing soon) and do all the obvious checks. Aircon repairs can work out quite expensive if the system hasn't been working for a while.
I'd avoid auto but that's a matter of personal taste. Targas are fine.
I'm not aware of any known problems although it seems to me that the Bose stereos are prone to faults. These are hugely expensive to replace through the dealer network. I've gone aftermarket but there are ways of gettings Bose components repaired, especially in the US.
Chiswick Honda generally have 2-3 cars for sale but these are normally late models. So, private is probably your best bet but get it inspected by an NSX accredited Honda dealer if you are not entirely confident in what you see (and I include supporting paperwork).
Advertise as wanted on here and on Pistonheads. Don't expect to find the car for you quickly and be prepared to travel widely to view cars.

[Kevin]

Well there's aren't really 'models' of NSX to choose from, unlike the Esprit or other cars.

You basically get a choice between manual and auto, and coupe and targa.

The engine on the manual changed to a 3.2l, and gained a 6-speed box in late 1997. Then there are the facelifted versions from 2002, but they are out of your budget. The early, and I mean early (up to 93), manual cars had non-assisted steering.

So all the interiors and gadgets are the same on all cars.

So choosing is easy. Manual or auto, and whether you can locate a 3.2 at your budget.

There's no reliability issues to speak of on any particular model.

Another question is what you want to do with the car? Weekend driving, or more track use? If it's the latter, then a cheap old manual car is best. Spend a few pounds on new suspension and brakes, and your all set with the best option, IMO of course.

Biggest decision once you have settled on a type, is the condition of the car itself. Some owners here may look at a car with you, as it will be likely you won't be getting to see lots of cars to compare.

Kevin
(Owner of a 1992 track prepared NSX)

[superdave]

It looks like I need to go to £35k to get later car.
I also have an 05 Saab Aero convertible which I could sell to go towards an decent NSx and buy a cheaper daily car. We already have another new daily car my wife drives.
Need to weigh up finances but first I need to test drive one first to see if I like it more than the Esprit.

Thanks for the input so far

[rkanaga]

Dave, what part of the country are you in. there might be a club member near you who can show you round their NSX?

If you used to Esprits you may also want to consider whether you want a PAS or non PAS car (one of the early ones) as these are said to have better steering feel (I've only driven a non PAS model so I can't compare myself)

I would echo what has been said before. Don't get too hung up over stereo amplifiers as these can be replaced for about £60 from Germany and are easy to fit. Lots of cars have been modified and it is getting hard to find one in original condition if that is what you are looking for.

The main issues as has been pointed out are

auto or manual
targa or coupe
condition (esp bodywork as it is aluminium and tricky to fix)
clutch wear

the early cars had 2 issues that might cause concern
- the electric window regulators can fail on pre-93 cars and are £230 each to replace. If they haven't failed yet then there is a cheap preventative fix that you can do for £20
- the very early manual gearboxes had a manufacturing fault that can cause them to fail randomly needing a gearbox rebuild. If you buy an early car you can have a preventative repair done for about £1500. You can check whether a car you are considering might have this issue by checking the gearbox serial number

other than that they are bulletproof, and I'm sure would be a lot cheaper to run than your previous cars. I'm fairly new to the NSX club but after having owned a 'European' supercar (Renault GTA to be fair) the NSX feels so much better engineered that I can't imagine not sticking with it!

good luck

Robin

[Paul G]

Hi rakanga,

Can you give me any info on the £180 window regulator replacement? my NS one has packed up, I have been quoted £500.00 !

Renault GTA - Brings back fond memorys! also had A610 good car but IMO NSX is in a totally different league

Any help much appriciated, I guess the cheap repair option is as you say perventative only?!

Thanks again

PG

[Paul G]

Forgot to mention, and more on the origianl topic!

My brother had a late Esprit, the main diference I felt having driven it for a fair few miles were the following:
General bulid quality -you kind of get used to the little things that rattle!
Engine note! - IMO - No contest
driving positon - NSX wins hands down

All in all, both very good cars in their own right. I hope you get the chance to drive the NSX and feel the difference for yourself.

Good luck in your search

PG

[superdave]

That's really useful info everyone, thanks for that.
What are the service intervals and average costs for these?
Is there a major service with cambelts?

The Esprit V8 is quite reasonable to run. I am blessed with having a Lotus Specialist about a mile away from my home. I live on Wirral, Merseyside.
In the last two years my costs are as follows:-
2No. A Service which is less than £200 (I paid even less), every 6000 miles or 12 months.
Radiator £500 (but this only cost me £250 because I was owed a favour)
Clutch Slave cylinder.
Oil cooler pipe split (£50)

Insurance is £570 on driveway (no garage) for 5000 miles which isn't bad.

I've spent a fair odd wad on upgrades like brakes, discs & bells, 2002 round light conversion and spoilers, 2002 alloys, twin dump valves, alloy wastegates actuators, boost controller, clear indicators etc.

A cam belt major service is about £1K from a dealer how does this compare to the NSX?

[superdave]

Have to agree about build quality and can see you point about engine note. Lotus used too much silencing in their exhaust on the V8 and it sounded really puny. I now have a centre exit twin pipes and it's sounds really nice and throaty, like it always should have. Sounds more like a racing car now so engine note could be argued.

Main reason for changing is the NSX is a more modern car.


Last questions, power output is this around 280BHP?
Does anyone know the torque figures please?



Dave Walters
ps. Anyone going to Supercar Sunday next month, if so can I'll hook up with you there?



Forgot to mention, and more on the origianl topic!

My brother had a late Esprit, the main diference I felt having driven it for a fair few miles were the following:
General bulid quality -you kind of get used to the little things that rattle!
Engine note! - IMO - No contest
driving positon - NSX wins hands down

All in all, both very good cars in their own right. I hope you get the chance to drive the NSX and feel the difference for yourself.

Good luck in your search

PG

[Rob_Fenn]

For torque figures, it's worth browsing this rolling road thread:
http://nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=1757

-Rob

[superdave]

Thanks Rob, it makes a good read, will have a good look tomorrow. Tonight Iam off to watch the match!

[gumball]

Thanks Rob, it makes a good read, will have a good look tomorrow. Tonight Iam off to watch the match!

what match?, I thought they'red had there final thing, does it never stop.

[TheSebringOne]

Dave, cambelts (2 needed) changes from a Honda dealer should be less than 1k, probably around £800-900ish. The manual 3.0 had 270 BHP, the later 3.2 have 290BHP, but the Japanese car makers had a gentleman's agreement not to exceed a "quoted 276 BHP", so the car brochures claimed it had 276 on the later 3.2s