Finally............ [Archive]

NSX100

27-11-2009, 02:25 PM

It has taken only 3 years of patient waiting to find the perfect NSX. Perfect, to me, is a 3.2, 6 speed manual, targa, NA2 non-facelift, un-modified with less than 50,000 miles in excellent condition with FHSH and for around £25,000. Yes, I know. That’s why it has taken 3 years. In all this time there have been none that came close– a couple of autos and coupes and one manual targa up north which was withdrawn unsold after 7 months with a much higher mileage and price. I even considered lowering my sights to an NA1 equivalent but they are as rare as hens’ teeth too. The targas are either automatic, silly prices, very high mileage or, in some cases, all three.

So, as of Saturday, I am the new owner of a 1999, 3.2 litre, manual targa with 35,000 miles, FHSH in superb original condition and beautifully maintained by its previous owner. It looks like it just came out of the showroom. OK it was a little more than £25,000 but it comes with a very nice registration which more than compensates for the difference hence my new avatar.

Perfect? Not quite. It is red. Not a big deal and it does suit the car except the humiliation of the uninformed masses thinking it is a Ferrari. They are as common as muck in London, where I live. It appears though that if you drive a Ferrari in London you have to rev the engine to max decibels at the traffic lights and drive like an idiot.

I will have lots of questions for you experts – and given how truly impressive this forum is (having avidly followed it for 3 years) I very much look forward to regularly contributing too.

So, first question. An easy one. Where can I buy a good car cover? I have secure underground parking beneath my apartment building but I would like to keep the car discretely covered.

Second. The only upgrade I would envisage at this stage is HID lights. I have followed the various threads on here on this subject and DTA seems to be the place to go. Is this correct?

And third. Curiously, it has no space-saving spare wheel and, according to the previous owner, never had one. Is this usual?

Cheers,

David

Sudesh

27-11-2009, 02:31 PM

Congrats and welcome to the club!

They all came with spare wheel however some/most, have ditched it as the tyre [even not used] perishes over time and a replacement spare from Honda, which is the only place to buy one new, will cost £1000++ Can or two of tyre foam is what some of us use.

WhyOne?

27-11-2009, 02:55 PM

Welcome and congratulations on both your patience and your purchase David.

As you have been following events on this forum for a little while, you are no doubt aware that it is generally better / more cost effective to source NSX 'bits' outside the UK.

In the case of car covers, Covercraft are widely regarded as one of the best manufacturers of tailored covers, and I have used this company int eh US on more than opne occasion with zero hassle.

My car lives outside, so I use a Weathersheild cover, you may want to consider one of the indoor versions, though I can highly recomend the Weathersheild - there is no reason you can,t use it indoors!

http://www.autoanything.com/car-covers/10A50166.aspx

(PS. Remember the NSX is branded 'Acura' in the US!)

Dragonlady

27-11-2009, 04:08 PM

Welcome to the club.
Agree about the cover, we use a Weathershield HP that we bought from America. Fantastic quality and easy to use. Hunt around and you can get a really good price.

Regards Sharon

27-11-2009, 04:48 PM

Second. The only upgrade I would envisage at this stage is HID lights. I have followed the various threads on here on this subject and DTA seems to be the place to go. Is this correct?

And third. Curiously, it has no space-saving spare wheel and, according to the previous owner, never had one. Is this usual?

Cheers,

David

Would you trust a tyre that is over 5 years old?

Don't worry about it get a fix a flat in a can and keep it handy.

As for the lights I've had a good result with some slimline digital ones from the US. Don't go over 6K unless you want the Chav look.

PS after a while you will want a new exhaust. :)

All the best,

AR

TheSebringOne

28-11-2009, 11:17 PM

Congratulations and after three years of waiting, your patience has finally been rewarded! Three yrs is a long wait when mine was about 6-9 months, but that was over 3 yrs ago and these cars are getting rare.

Some pics will be welcome IDC. :)

NSX100

30-11-2009, 09:51 AM

Thanks for all the valuable comments and I really am looking forward to driving this car. I was tempted to drive back to London from Herts via Yorkshire on Saturday just because it was so enjoyable a drive and the weather was perfect!!

I will follow up on your advice on the cover - that is my first priority.

The car comes with a can of gooey stuff for flats so I will trust to luck that the tyre is not ripped on some mountain road in the western Highlands. And I suppose with no spare there is a tad extra storage space.

Cheers,

David

30-11-2009, 05:03 PM

And I suppose with no spare there is a tad extra storage space.

Cheers,

David

David, just in case, the spare is in the front, no extra storage.

Cheers,

AR

NSX100

30-11-2009, 05:19 PM

I know but there is the empty tyre well where the tyre is supposed to sit - I was being slightly facetious!!!

On a more serious note, I see that there are several types of Weathershield car cover and that Dragonlady has "HP" - are there any differences other than price??

Cheers,

David

TheSebringOne

05-12-2009, 08:14 PM

eclipse1501

05-12-2009, 09:11 PM

Like many I ditched my spare and carry a decent size repair foam suitable for the volume of an 18" rim. Although when i had a tyre house in the UK many years ago you could happily do a single legal vulcanised repair on a high speed rated tyre (Z rated was top then) I myself still get pretty nervous at the thought of travelling at 200 kmh+ on a repaired tyre.

simonprelude

06-12-2009, 09:36 AM

I know fellow members have ditched their spare tyre since they've perished & to save weight, but I have read mix messages about these puncture repair can kits. Quite a few users (not here) stated when they were getting the puncture repaired, they found the foam reacted or damaged the inner tyre and in some cases, the tyre was replaced! Any comments please. :think::undecided:

Some of the puncture repair gels indeed do this, others can fill the airspace with a solid foam which your friendly tyre shop will charge you a fortune to remove. I have only uver had to use the stuff once and used the Holts one, when the tyre was removed there was a small amount of gloop inside the tyre but nothing a quick blast with a hose pipe wouldn't resolve. I still ditched the tyre as didn't fancy running with a repair.

Nick Graves

06-12-2009, 03:05 PM

Well done, that man!

I saw that car advertised; then it was gone. Thought it sounded like a very good buy.

nsx60

13-12-2009, 06:18 AM

With regards the spare , ditch it and get some foam. I had a puncture a while ago and thought no problem , sat there for half an hour trying to inflate the spare with the compressor. Eventually phoned a mobile guy who turned up with a big compressor and inflated the tyre in about 5 seconds !!! Then had to drive to a tyre shop who had one in stock anyway , the wife was well impressed that the shopping trip was cancelled !!!!!

steve

NSX100

14-12-2009, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the comments. The car actually came with a can of foam for the tyre in the event that I get a puncture so I should be able to get to a garage on that. I was just curious about the missing "spare". Also, AA membership would be cheap insuance.

David

14-12-2009, 01:55 PM