NSX: What's the deal then

[pentoman]

Hi all,

I'm new here but a regular on other forums.

I am convinced that I want an NSX, for weekend fun, but will still park it on the street occasionally or use it for mundane journeys.

However, I read conflicting things about it. Some say it's expensive to service and very expensive when things go wrong; my inkling is that, compared to (say) a porsche 911 or 968, it's pretty cheap. What is the truth?

Other cars I've considered are the BMW E30 M3, Mercedes 190E 2.3./2.5 16v (cosworth one), SL500 (previous generation) and S2000.

Obviously the S2000 is newest and will cost peanuts to run, but I wonder if you can run an NSX for not much more, and save on depreciation too. I'm not trying to run one on a budget, but just don't fancy the idea of £500+ bills every few months. Is this likely, especially on an early/higher mileage car?


Could you give me some example prices for the cheap things, regular requirements & expensive parts? My dad runs an independent garage so my labour costs would be zero (although I am aware there's no such thing as a free lunch! :lol:).

Also, is it closer to the Porsche 993 or the 996 in driving experience? I prefer the 996.


cheers!

Russell

[imvarma]

not owning an NSX i dont know that much yet, but id say go for the NSX over the Porche or Beemer, everyones got them or driven them :roll:

I think the most important thing with maintaining the engine is the twice yearly oil change with a good Fully synth Oil. i dont think servicing is alot more than your average honda (depends what you define as alot though), certainly no more than other cars with similar performance!

as for parts failing, if you look after the car (and your not really unlucky) not alot will go wrong, even with older higher mileage cars.

im sure a search will reveal more information :wink:

hope that helps in some way, and im sure someone will fill in the gaps soon. :)

[UltraViolet]

Hi Russell and welcome to the forum.

Not sure why you think the S2000 will cost peanuts to run.... if you run one properly, they are not cheap cars to own. They are fantastic cars that handle much better than many will have you believe, but ONLY if set up is absolutly spot on. Many don't come from Honda that way. They are very fussy to alignment etc.
Also, they cost more to insure than the NSX (Both group 20 but S2000 is higher up the banding)
Great car - but not a peanuts budget.

NSX - great car, not peanuts budget, but not bad at all for what it is.

I tend to have one cheap year followed by one expensive (reletively) year. Service costs are very reasonable at about £150 per year excluding majors. On top of that the 'expensive years' are where I spend for Cambelt service, new clutch or new tyres.

I budget for circa £750 per year maintenance (some years much less, some years double that) plus around £600 insurance. Add another £500 for fuel (the car is very good on the old economy front and I only do about 4,000 miles a year in it) and £170 tax and you have about £2,000 per year plus depreciation.

That is just my findings, others may have different figures, but I've owned mine since Feb 2002 and I think it is reasonable for the car it is. Some parts costs are silly though - but that seems par for the course.