Two more questions...

[Tom_]

With the prospect (rather than merely the idealised dream) of actually owning an NSX looming closer, the reality has also hit home.

1. How scary should the NSX's bodywork be to an owner?
The NSX is known for heinously expensive body panels; obviously, should one or more need to be completely replaced it would be financially painful. How about smaller amounts of damage - no more problematic than any other car?

(Has anyone ever made moulds from the bodywork, for the purpose of making CF/FG replacements, should the worst happen?)


2. Nurburgring...
The brief for my next car requires it to be able to drive comfortably to/from the 'Ring, and be enjoyable around it, which the NSX obviously fulfills. Bearing in mind the bodywork issue, do those of you who visit the 'Ring insure your NSXs visit by visit, have a policy which includes 'Ring cover, or not at all?

[Senninha]

Hi Tom,

Panel prices can be scary, particularly if bought new or priced OEM as part of an insurance claim/quote. This has seen a number of good early cars 'written off' with high repair bills. A couple of recent examples had £20k+ insurance bills but the new owners have completed them to as new finish for about 25% of this. There are also a number of places to buy undamaged panels from specialists that will be significantly more cost effective. This can be a good option as the panels unbolt quite easily after remoaval a some trim/finishing panels. This is of cource relative to the value of your NSX, so if you're looking at a later car, the chance of write off is slightly lower .... but not by much.

As for moulds etc, I thin a couple of the wide body or regular racers may have done this, but not for standard road car quality.

I would not take an NSX (or your Elise) on track without insurance. A few hundred pounds for peace of mind just has to make sense. The drive to the 'Ring is sooooo easy. Taking it on track (I haven't done this yet) without insurance, and especially if you want to push hard is a high risk strategy. One spin and and a knock of the armco and suddenly that few hundred pound track policy is great value....asuming you can still get cover. I did'nt go on track as my insurance company with whom I have track cover, does not include the 'Ring. They base this on their history of recovering customers cars to the UK at an average price of £5k for the transportation home to the UK. read that policy carefully.

Welcome to the forum and you say ownership is imminent ... have you found a car?

regards, Paul

[TheSebringOne]

Welcome too Tom!

Aswell as track insurance being a no brainer, if you unfortunately have a off and damaged any part of the Armco or safety barriers at the ring, you have to pay for this too!

Also a previous owner had a nightmare problem of having a accident abroad (not tracked), so inform your insurers when you are driving abroad EVEN if your policy allows you to drive abroad! READ the fine/small prints carefully. I think in the end the insurers did not pay for the accident?

Sorry for the rather gloomy response but HTH :)

[AR]

Tom,

I used to worry a lot about things, in fact I still do sometimes. Best advice I got is that you can "what if" yourself insane!

Any good quality carbon panel will be more expensive than OEM. Yet if you happen to prang it there are always panels popping everywhere and worse case scenario go wide!

Insurance is a must the NSX is not a 3rd party, fire and theft car.

Just get a car with no known issues and a good history and you'll be good to go.

Have you tried a WTB add here.

There are lots of owners that lurk but will reply by PM.

Remember that when it comes to good NSX it is still a sellers market as the people that have them know their value, so budget accordingly and don't get upset if the sellers don't budge.

Good luck on your hunt!

Cheers,

AR

[Senninha]

........Remember that when it comes to good NSX it is still a sellers market as the people that have them know their value, so budget accordingly and don't get upset if the sellers don't budge.

Good luck on your hunt!

Cheers,

AR

Well said that man ... :thumbsup:

[Tom_]

Thanks for the answers :)

I'm well aware of the risks of track driving, and the potential extra costs of the 'Ring in particular. Although I used to track my 200sx uninsured, my Elise has track cover built into its policy (although sadly I never had the chance this last year, and they refused to cover the 'Ring on it, likewise!) and there's no way I'd go uninsured with an NSX!

Trouble is, it's somewhere I'd like to go fairly regularly, and £160/day for extra cover would limit this, to an extent. :( Is anyone aware of any cheaper options?

---

I might well have found an NSX, following PMs from a couple of people on here mentioning theirs. One of them in particular interests me, and the owner is even willing to take my Elise in part-ex, if needs be, which would help speed up the process significantly. Just need to find a chance to meet him, look at each other's cars, and hope we can agree a price!



ETA: thanks for the welcomes; I've been lurking for a while :)

[markc]

The problem with track day insurance cover is that they impose a significant additional excess, (typically >£2000) and limit the maximum claim (Typically <£20K). Both those examples are based on a vehicle worth £30K. So you have to ask yourself if paying circa £200 for a day is worth it?

A small "off" and nudge into a barrier will in most cases cost <£2K to repair (NSX is possibly an exception) and how often do you see big accidents at track days? (not that often despite our experience at Japfest 2yrs ago)

Most trackday virgins and novices are right to be worried about insurance cover and should probably take some out for the first few times. However, when you've done a few, know the ropes, learn to spot and stay out of the way of any nutters, and can control your own "red mist" you'll likely come to the conclusion that it's not worth it. I have anyway.

The Nurburgring is differant to normal track days. It's designated public toll road but your normal insurance probably won't cover you there. I've been a couple of times and my rule is to avoid the really busy middle of the day period. Much better to wait until later when all the day trippers have headed home then go out on track. You'll be sharing it with the 'ringmeisters who also wait for a less crowded track to put in some fast laps but at least they know what they're doing. Much safer than sharing it with novices who have no idea of the correct line, which way the next corner goes or where to brake. You'll have to get used to being overtaken by tatty old Kadett's and Polo's in your 170mph supercar though :)

Cheers

Mark

[Dave J]

A few of my friends and customers go to tracks on a regular basis now but rather than risk their expensive cars they've bought a cheap Impreza or similar and use that instead. It would be a cheaper option over paying out for track day insurance on a regular basis as you could run on a 3rd party policy and if you bent it then you'd only have to break it to get your money back.

[Silver Surfer]

That's why I got a mk1 MR2 for £900.......but it has cost me another £1000 to get it in a trackable state (better shocks, better wheels....and a supercharger).

Now it is a 'miniNSX'

SS

[markc]

A few of my friends and customers go to tracks on a regular basis now but rather than risk their expensive cars they've bought a cheap Impreza or similar and use that instead. It would be a cheaper option over paying out for track day insurance on a regular basis as you could run on a 3rd party policy and if you bent it then you'd only have to break it to get your money back.

That's certainly one way of moving on when once you get more experienced and want to push harder. However it doesn't let you learn how your "expensive" car behaves at the limit so that you can enjoy it even more. For me that's the point of taking the NSX on track :)

Another issue with "expensive" cars like Porsche's, Ferrari's, NSX's and to a certain extent Imprezza's and Evo's is the running costs. Consumables like brakes and tyres are horrendously expensive and boy do these heavy cars consume them!

If you're going to go this route you're probably better off with a real lightweight car like a stripped Golf GTi, MX5 or the king of trackdays a Caterham 7 (or clone). Just don't forget to treat yourself and the NSX to the occassional trackday as well :)

Cheers

Mark

[Tom_]

If I had the space, I'd have a range of cars; unfortunately, I'm limited to 1 plus the company car at the moment. :)

The problem is finding that one car that is a satisfactory jack of all trades - special in its own right, comfortable enough GT for Le Mans and holidays, sporty and rapid for weekend fun, able to cope with occasional track fun, and not too ruinous to keep on the road. The Elise is pretty good, but is too compromised in terms of comfort and luggage carrying, and too slow in a straight line.

The NSX is pretty good, also, but the main concern is the potential cost of minor/medium damage vs trackday insurance. I'd not be so worried about taking, say, a £8-10k 968 to the 'Ring, but an NSX worth ~£25k and with higher potential costs for a bump tips the balance.

[AR]

Tom,

Have you forgotten the fact that we only go around once, that if go around more than once we can't ususally remember it, that the NSX pool is getting smaller and that the longer you leave it the older the NSX is going to get!

How is that for a run-on sentence!

[ctrlaltdelboy]

hello

as some may know, I was once very regular here but nowadays sadly don't find the time to pop in as often as I'd like

however, being a long-time and quite experienced NSXer with trackday and Ring experience under my belt, my comments are this:

remember, the Nurburgring is technically no different from any other road in Europe - it is a privately owned public toll road, and as such all the usual rules of the road apply, including the need for insurance.

provided your fully comp policy does not specifically exclude the Nurburgring then your European cover applies when driving the ring - check your policy and if the ring is excluded just change insurer - it's not really that big a deal.

good luck, and have a blast

[markdas]

Tom,

Sounds like you are trying to talk yourself into the NSX but maybe not for the right reasons.

If its going to be so precious that you dont want to use it (as Darren said, at the ring, you either drive like your ass is on fire or you get around in your pride and joy with a smile on your face for the tour home). You could after all crash it on the way to Tesco for the weekly shop?

There are plenty of cars that will get you around the ring, maybe quicker than the NSX depending on your skill but what do you want sat on your drive each evening.

For me, an NSX does it all, not to excess, just to perfection.

Mark

[Tom_]

Sounds like you are trying to talk yourself into the NSX but maybe not for the right reasons.It feels more like I'm talking myself out of an NSX :(

The NSX is one of my all-time favourite cars, so it's definitely a heart choice, and like the Elise, the ethos behind its design and realisation hit a chord with me.



If its going to be so precious that you dont want to use it (as Darren said, at the ring, you either drive like your ass is on fire or you get around in your pride and joy with a smile on your face for the tour home). You could after all crash it on the way to Tesco for the weekly shop?What I'm cautious of is buying a car that is great for some activities, but limits me for other things I want to do. I've had a couple of years of sometimes frustrating compromise with the Elise, and during this time that I can only house one special car, need to ensure that I'm not restricting myself.

A 968 would be a decent choice for the time being, but it's not got the straight line pace, and simply isn't anything like as special as an NSX.

[AR]

If you don't mind me asking Tom, how old are you?

[Tom_]

Just hit the big 3-oh. Why? :)

[AR]

Just me thinking that a young person should not worry too much about those things. If you want the NSX get it, if worse comes to worse, insurance shall pay if you get a good policy.

Enjoy life as much as you can, if you want an NSX and can afford one get it, more so if you havve already found a car, you might regret not getting it everytime you think about it!