I'm buying a Type-R

[jamieburke]

I'm at serious consideration stage.

Want opinions- the car we all revere so so highly- the 02 type-r, was described bu evo as being secondary to the then new (now old) GT3.

They said that it was so much faster and more exciting than the nsx.

Do we idolise this car because it is so rare?

Should I buy one over a diablo, R8, GTR, sending my 91 to SOS for major work etc etc.

Could I have opinions from you all? Please nothing about importing or costs.

Just driving and WHY? and WHY NOTS?

I am a lifetime nsx fan (i'm 32) and i just don't know if its a step too far for what you get and its time to move on to something bigger and faster.

I have heard from owners that it is such an evolution from the original car it feels like something altogether different and better in everyway.

Many thanks

Jamie

[simonprelude]

If money is no object then why not.

For me importing one from Japan at current exchange rates just does not make sense.
Is it really that much better than a standard NSX possibly. Is it that much better than an NSX with £10k - £20k spent on it............ no.

Also don't forget the issues you're going to have with SVA etc, even Honda UK couldn't just bring an 02 NSX-R over and road register it.

For me it would be a Diablo or Murcielago, if you're going new school then I'd probably test drive an R8, 911 GT3 etc etc etc and see what I felt.

[AR]

Is it that much better than an NSX with £10k - £20k spent on it............ no.

Make that emphatically no!

In other words unless you are a collectors don't waste your money!

I did have a special Mugen fettled one, but that is a different kettle of fish!

[Senninha]

Hi,

I cant comment from a drivers POV as never driven one. I have been for short passenger ride. Did it feel that it would deliver three times the fun or satisfaction as my car .... err, No.

VFM may be sought from the Type S but even then I still think you can tune the 'standard' car to your liking for a lot less and have a resaleable car.

Many have considered the same as you but I just done see that you getting any bragging rights being #2.

most in the know suggest that the R suspension is simply too stiff for the UK roads and that the S may be the better option. Given the state of them lately I think even the S may be too hard?

All that said, if you want one, can find one, and can get it here, good luck and bagsy another passenger ride please!

regards, Paul

[NSX 2000]

Hi Jaime

I'm not going to mention money and how much and what else you could buy because if you want it then you get it.

I know a few people have driven the one and only 02+ and I was taken for a spin then had a quick go myself back in 2007. Two things stood out for me, they were the ride and the gearing.

The ride was hard and firm but not unpleasent unlike the wifes Mini Copper S Works, that was uncomfortable. I think you could live with it as plenty of people live with caterhams, lotii, atoms etc.

The gearing was the biggest single differance for me, it made the car that bit quicker and you had to change more often as the revs seemed to rise faster.

If money was no object I would get one in a heart beat as I always belive an orignal is always going to be a better bet than a replica.

Hope this helps

Paul

[jamieburke]

Guys thank you for all the input, I appreciate it.

Some of the options I am considereing are- 6.0 diablo (the audi one)

or

SOS 3.5 conversion on my own car, 3.5 turbo or 3.8 NA build etc.

My 91 is showroom condition, it- and anything else i get- will get a thousand miles a year tops and sits in a garage.

Cars don't go out in the rain. Some don't go out in the dark! (OCD):)

I really like the nsx, I am just not sure that the typer is different enough for me to justify the price. I do like mid engined cars and huge, NA power, or any kind really in a mid engined set up, if properly balanced.

Ary- I know about your car- if you remember I was coming to see it before Barry slipped in and bought it! ( even had it provisionally booked in bodyshop for CW respray)

I guess I just don't know if the nsx itch has been well and truly scratched enough yet......One of the main 'problems' of owning a honda is that you begin to believe that all cars are as 'good'- in terms of reliability and build etc- they are just more powerful- i remember being sorely disappointed withthe new gtr, f355, noblem400, tvr tuscan, a 500bhp r34 amongst others. Capable machines but nowhere near as well constructed or finished.

As a long time honda owner I tend to be deluded that all cars are as well made and reliable.

Jamie

[markc]

I'm at serious consideration stage.

Want opinions- the car we all revere so so highly- the 02 type-r, was described bu evo as being secondary to the then new (now old) GT3.

They said that it was so much faster and more exciting than the nsx.

Do we idolise this car because it is so rare?

Should I buy one over a diablo, R8, GTR, sending my 91 to SOS for major work etc etc.

Could I have opinions from you all? Please nothing about importing or costs.

Just driving and WHY? and WHY NOTS?

I am a lifetime nsx fan (i'm 32) and i just don't know if its a step too far for what you get and its time to move on to something bigger and faster.

I have heard from owners that it is such an evolution from the original car it feels like something altogether different and better in everyway.

Jamie

Here's my take on it Jamie and I'll stick to the later +02 NSX-R only for the purposes of this debate...

The NSX-R just isn't that much faster than a normal NSX, in a straight line anyway. It's a bit lighter and maybe a tiny bit more powerful... maybe 5% faster than a standard +97 car. The gearing and chassis revisions mean it'll be quicker around challenging roads and definately quicker on a circuit. A +02 NSX-R would however be a fair bit faster everywhere than your stock '91... maybe 15-20% overall.

A genuine NSX-R will ALWAYS be worth more than a NSX modded with NSX-R (or even better quality) parts. Does that make it a car for collectors only? Maybe. If you're doing less than 1000 miles a year, it renders practical considerations like hard suspension, parts availability or even flaky reliability virtually irrelevant. It could be a good bet for you and certainly not a waste of money.

Look at the original Porsche 911RS from 1972, perhaps the original "evolution" (for motorsport homologation) car. A bit lighter, a bit more powerful than the 2.4S it was based on, but essentially similar. Today a '72 RS is worth worth 3 or 4 times more than a '72 S. Is it 3 or 4 times better or more fun ... of course not.

Which evo report were you refering to? In evo 66 "The Greatest Drivers Cars" they placed the NSX-R 0.2 points behind the Mk2 GT3 (just 1 more point from 1 judge would have seen them tie). The NSX-R used in the test had the airbag steering wheel and the wrong tyres. The former adds weight (to the helm) and makes the steering slower, because the diameter is bigger (367mm vs 350mm) while the latter takes a slight edge off the handling. A MK1 GT3 finished above both of them but a properly spec'd NSX-R might have split the 2 GT3's??

I suspect, from reading between the lines of your question, that you need to try something definitively faster than your NSX (or the NSX-R). Personally I wouldn't go near an older Lambo (do you know how BIG they are) but I can also see how it appeals to many. I tried a 550 Maranello (available under £40K now) a while back and while it was a lovely thing, the sheer bulk would take some getting used to.

Only you can decide if you really want a genuine NSX-R. The cars you mention as alternatives are all fairly different from each other as well so I think you may have to try them all. It's not as if you can't sell up and move on to the next if you find you don't like the current one as much as you thought you would :)

Cheers

Mark

[AR]

...

A genuine NSX-R will ALWAYS be worth more than a NSX modded with NSX-R (or even better quality) parts. Cheers

Mark

Mark,

ALWAYS?

I'll take a turbo spoon anyday over the R, even if it is more expensive.

Cheers,

AR

[markc]

Mark,

ALWAYS?

I'll take a turbo spoon anyday over the R, even if it is more expensive.

Cheers,

AR

Hi AR, yes I really think so.

The performance parts of a modded car will have some value in themselves and might add value to the car overall but not always, in fact not usually. Your best chance of getting any of your money spent on aftermarket parts back is to return the car to standard and sell the parts separately.

The vast majority of people want to purchase a "clean" standard car and assign value to that status.

Personally I'd take the NSX-R, hook it up to the nearest Rotatest dyno and if it didn't make 320bhp (with a proper exhaust fitted) go down the SOS stroker route. If my lottery ticket ever comes up with 5 numbers let alone 6 my Type S will get this treatment :)

Cheers

Mark

[NSX 2000]

A genuine NSX-R will ALWAYS be worth more than a NSX modded with NSX-R (or even better quality) parts. Does that make it a car for collectors only? Maybe. If you're doing less than 1000 miles a year, it renders practical considerations like hard suspension, parts availability or even flaky reliability virtually irrelevant. It could be a good bet for you and certainly not a waste of money.
Mark

Mark I think you hit the nail on the head with the less than 1000 mile. There are only a few cars I would trust to jump in and drive hard if it has not moved for the last six months, and none of those would be Itilian!

We also know that the NSX-R punches well above it's alleged 290 bhp. This is one of the reasons that I belive makes not just the R but all NSX's great.

If this was me the NSX-R would be the 2nd car on my list, the first would also be a V6 supercar, but of British decent. It would have to be an XJ220.

Paul

[dan the man]

Passengered In bazzas R and had a NA1 myself...

the R just felt more special.I could list all the reasons why and how u could buy them all and put them on a standard NSX but it dosent matter.

The NSX is a very special car.. the NSX-R more so and i for one would love to have one.

Time is a non renewable source- Get On It !

[AR]

To each their own. If I hit 6 or how ever many numbersit will just be a case of different things going on my current NSX. Yes I would probably seek out an NA2 R from Japan, but it will only be as a collector's item. Period, full stop.

There is no "magic" to an NSX-R it is a simple case of powe r to weight and a few thingamajobs.

It can all be replicated and bettered.

If you want the R get the R, but don't be surprissed if other NSXs are faster, stop and handle better than yours.

FWIW I would not trade my current car for my R, no offense to a car that was great. My current car is what I want it to be and there needs be no guilt if I change one bit or the other. No thinking of depreciation. No what ifs, no sense that rather than owning it one is a steward for the next owners.

Just my two pence.

Cheers,

AR

[Minch]

I second that Paul . . . XJ220 for me too . . . its such a beautiful looking car (shame about the ford interior!)

[markc]

It would have to be an XJ220.

Paul


I second that Paul . . . XJ220 for me too . . . its such a beautiful looking car (shame about the ford interior!)

I think you've probably exceeded the theoretical budget though chaps.

I suspect you could get an (the) NSX-R for £50K-£60K, a Diablo could be had for between £50K and £80K, an R8 £50K-£80K and a GTR is sub £60K new. Average among that lot appears to be about £70K.

An XJ220 will set you back £140K ish.

Did you see that last copy of evo mag? An XJ220 showed a clean pair of heels (well just) to the latest Murcialago :)

Cheers

Mark

[jaytip]

I suspect you could get an (the) NSX-R for £50K-£60K,
Mark
Are you talking about the NA2.If so then everything i have read on here suggests a price of 100K+ one landed and on the road over here.

[markc]

Are you talking about the NA2.If so then everything i have read on here suggests a price of 100K+ one landed and on the road over here.

Very possibly. I suspect the car already here (registered in the UK) will change hands for considerably less than that though.

Cheers

Mark

[Rob_Fenn]

As a die hard NSX fan, i would love one. However, would only have one if i had enough money to keep it as a bit of automotive art. I would rarely drive it. The fact it would only be one of two in the country would just nurture the need to 'care' for it!

The suspension, in the same way as my CSL, is bordering on so harsh that the standard car is actually a better drive on the road. The R will be quick-ish on track, but why bother when you can go just as fast in a cheaper Caterham/Elise?

I respect the GT3 Porsches, but they are common and are bought just as much for being status symbols as they are driving tools.

[Senninha]

One other thought for you to consider about the R models (3.0 & 3.2).

Because of the low volume of cars actually built, some of the components specific to these cars are simply not produced any more. So in some instances you will have to replace damaged/failed components with parts from the stock NSX (or have specialist built parts) and thereby start to loose some of the 'magic'....

regards,

[jamieburke]

Guys

Really appreciate all the feedback. I have looked into modifying (at 20k plus its more like re-engineering!) my current nsx and it would certainly be faster than a type-r (02 btw) but i don't know if it'd be as good.....

Don't like the gallardo, gtr left me cold..... xj220 a fave of mine, but its funny how much less you can want these cars when you you have the money to actually buy one!

Rob- what suspension are you using if you don't mind me asking?

Anyone know what the 'best' set up is for nsx?

Whatever it is, it'll be garaged all year and driven 1000k or less...

Keep it coming guys, thanks

Jamie

[NSXGB]

Anyone know what the 'best' set up is for nsx?


Very subjective question....not sure there is an answer.

Best if your 1k miles are on the track = Type-R or similar setup possibly.
Best if your 1k miles are on UK roads = OEM...probably, Type-S maybe.

Would be interested in replies to this question too as I'm looking at a suspension rebuild at the moment. I'm personally leaning toward the Type-S setup but if not will probably go OEM.

[markc]

Very subjective question....not sure there is an answer.

Best if your 1k miles are on the track = Type-R or similar setup possibly.
Best if your 1k miles are on UK roads = OEM...probably, Type-S maybe.

Would be interested in replies to this question too as I'm looking at a suspension rebuild at the moment. I'm personally leaning toward the Type-S setup but if not will probably go OEM.

Standard suspension is a little soft by modern sports car standards. The famous motoring journalist LJK Setright once described the NSX as "... the safest, fastest, best-made LUXURY car in the world", the ride is luxurious. It does roll a fair bit compared to modern stuff.

Type S is IMHO very good, but them I'm biased :) Don't forget the matching anti-roll bars front and rear for the full effect effect.

It's been discussed before here... http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=4862&highlight=suspension

Cheers

Mark

[dan the man]

1k a year.. :( Thats not a lot is it..

Go buy an FD2 and thrash the a4se off it instead everyday.

[jaytip]

Very possibly. I suspect the car already here (registered in the UK) will change hands for considerably less than that though.

Cheers

Mark
Why would he? It is the only one already here in the UK and if it cost's someone over 100K to bring one in themselves,he has no need to sell it cheaper.Factor in trips to Japan to view the potential car to be bought as well and it becomes a right P.I.T.A to import one.