Acura NSX NA1 Worth it?
 

Whats so special about the NSX? Is it really worth the $60,000< Just a quick look online, early 90s ones are easily $60k

I've been looking for a weekend warrior lately and alot of options are open; but I've always dreamed of having an NSX. $60k is alot of coin to drop on a car, and at that range it opens up alot of options. But I guess its not too outrageous compared to the cost of ITR, S2K, MK4 Supras nowadays

A lot of people aren't going to like what I have to say about the NSX.

Buy the NSX for looks, buy it for nostalgia, buy it because you've always wanted one, buy it because other enthusiasts love seeing it.

Do not buy the NSX if you want a lot of car for the money, do not buy the NSX if you like basic modern technology, do not buy the NSX is you like a powerful engine, do not buy the NSX if you need headroom, do not buy the NSX if you have little money set aside for repairs/mods etc.

I found the NSX to be dull and boring, it's amazing to look at... but that only helps other people looking at you drive the car. The targa has very limited head room, the parts from Acura cost a fortune and are constantly at risk of being discontinued, the capacitors in all the electronics will eventually fail (Electric assist power steering, ecu, radio, cluster, traction control, etc.). The door panels are usually fill of broke clips, the interior door handle linkage eventually breaks, the stock brakes are feeble (I'm comparing them to proper brakes aka Brembo's on a 911 etc.), the trim starts to peel and bubble over time and it's A BITCH to remove and refinish... I could go on and on.

IMO, spend 30K on an S2000 or 40K on an E92 M3, skip the temptation to buy a 30 year old honda "supercar" with an Accord engine.

I love Honda, I always wanted an NSX, I've driven stock and modified, no way they are worth the current market price.. certainly not to me anyway.

Lots of NSX owners seem to think it's the greatest car ever made... then there are the NSX owners that sold it and moved on to other cars and never looked back. Don't be fooled by the biased owners that tell you how perfect the car is, go read what people have to say that have moved on to other (IMO better) cars.

Scratched the NSX itch and I'm done, scratching the Porsche itch feels much better.

^
agree to most points mentioned above

having had quite a bit of cars myself (996, E46 M3, Lotus Exige S, E90 M3)

my main reasoning for wanting an NSX was mainly because of 2 reasonings
1) dream car
2) how the car felt when you drive it

every car will have its pros and cons - but the pros of the NSX (for me atleast) outweighs the cons - you just have to approach ownership of the NSX with the proper mindset that it is a 27 year old car so lots of things will need fixing/replacing

speaking to several ex-nsx owners and currently porsche owner (1 in particular tracks a 964 previously and currently a 991.1 GT3RS ) - he misses the NSX for the driving feedback that it gives you

its hard to explain? maybe? so if you could sit in 1 or drive one then maybe you will get sucked in like i did after i drove my friends NSX at the track. I couldn't go back to my lotus exige after, so i decided to move forward and sell it to get my own NSX

Thanks for taking the time to post that Jasonturbo! Its great to hear from someone had som experience before, ive never had the chance to drive one unfortunately. S2000 was as close as I ever got to having an NSX, which I've heard is pretty close substitute.

Alot of the points you made make sense, for $60k there are options that could be more well spent. Euros are definitely tempting, but maintennace just scares me. I'm b no means anything handy with cars haha

Kchan makes valid point about feel/feedback. It’s certainly an analog car, would have to drive 5-6 different cars back to back on same track to really fairly asses driving feel vs comparables. Worth noting is steering ratio lol it’s very 80’s, lots of arm work to make it turn.

I never tracked my NSX, and for good reason, it was boosted, long periods of elevated temps probably would have destroyed the engine lol

I don’t want to make it seem like I think NSX is total pieceof shit, but it’s a HEFTY premium to pay for that level of performance, especially considering the mileage of most cars and the cost/availability of parts.

My ITR is my weekend car and I have owned a few on the list you mentioned like MK4 Supra, S2K.

The truth is that prices are being driven by collectors, nostalgia and driving feel. There are better modern cars in the 60k price range such as Cayman and M2.

The air cooled Porsche market has followed the same curve. The 964/993 especially as I owned a 97 C4S (993). 993 = 285 HP. MK4 Supra = 320HP. When stock both cars don't feel very fast by today's standards. The other downside to older cars is maintenance and parts. These older cars are facing many discontinued parts. There is hoarding going on and others are just buying parts to store to keep their cars on the road a long time.

I will say the S2K and ITR are bargains if you want to do autox and lapping days. Low entry cost ($35k or less) and low operating costs (fuel, insurance, maintenance, upgrades). Sure there are faster cars but you will still have a blast.

Like Jason and kchan said buy because you want to enjoy the driving feel and love the car.

The NSX styling is timeless.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KaEPWvHGoL4/maxresdefault.jpg

As others have said, it is an expensive and tedious itch to scratch. Nostalgia wins the day here with driving feel coming in second and I'd even put a large gap between the two considering how pricey they are. A major reason why I never stepped up and bought one over the years.

It really depends on what you want out of a car. If it's nostalgia and the ability to drive a high school dream car then by all means buy one as I'm sure it will satisfy that itch with the comfort that it will be worth similarly to what you paid (not withstanding collisions or mods). Newer and higher HP cars can be had for similar money so if tech and amenities is desirable then you may what to look elsewhere.

As an ITR owner I know all about chasing nostalgia but if someone told me I'd have to pay $35K+ to get into a relatively stock one I'd laugh them off my property even though that's what the current market bares.

It's a little weird to compare the NSX directly to the ITR and S2k.. it was twice the price, or more, and was really a different class of car. If ITR/S2K prices approach even close to NSX prices, the ITR/S2Ks should be considered overpriced before the NSX is.

When you're looking at a car like the NSX, you use a different pricing strategy than you do a newer or more modern car.
You're basically ignoring most 'car' qualities, like power, speed, even dare I say looks and handling. You're instead looking at the market, the following, nostalgia, history, resale, etc.

I'm not saying they're not fun cars to drive, they are, but you have to justify the amount you're spending on the market for the car, not the driving experience.

I current own a 94 NSX and i have to agreed to some of the point above.
NSX is a 20+ years old car. so really can't be compared to anything modern. Is same asking how fast and joyful is to drive a Ferrari F355?

NSX to me is a great cruiser. Driving it on a nice sunny day to me make it worth every penny. To me is about driving my childhood dream, the dam pop up light, how low the car seat.

The only problem to me now is i have a newborn when I have free time i rather spend time him my baby and wife. So i take them out in my Civic Type R.

Agree. But even s2k prices are jacked up, sigh~~ M3 is more attempting to me at this point.

I know RS is all about nut hugging the ITR, but to me it’s one of the most over rated cars there ever was.

NSX is not even in the same convo whatsoever

Finding a decent NSX is tough now. I haven't seen one for sale in Victoria since RS member hondatech sold his red 91. That was in 2014. There was an overpriced auto as well but that doesn't count.

It's cool we all have our own taste in cars.

A few people are chasing this one. Might be collectors?

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...gra-type-r-11/

I'm pretty sure the mediocre car channels with spastic hosts on youtube aren't helping...

You think a e46 or e92 is more fun to drive than a s2k as a daily?

^ not even close...e46 or E92 is light years ahead of S2k as a daily......the torque alone is worth it.....

Resounding YES! The E92 or E46 is so practical even in coupe form. Ride is comfy enough but sporty enough also. Good compromise, engine is a gem also; like 2 F20C welded together really. NSX is a great experience, and really as a rational sports experience I'd say its better than a 964, 993, 996 bar some of the GT models. (offset pedals? controls that don't really make sense by modern standards?) BUT as a complete package, I think the level of polish and overall capability and the fact its been carried on into modern relevance means almost ANY Porsche is a better car. Also the E92 M3 is a better "CAR" than the NSX. Now if you factor cost into it, I think no sane person really NEED a car over $100,000 do we? A fully loaded SUV from any of the German brand will suffice.

But yes, in isolated moments, the NSX makes my M3 feels like a Malibu, it makes a 996 C2 feel outdated, it makes a 997.1 C2 feel mildly relevant. Forget about a Targa, go for the Coupe without any of the refinement, because face it its a 27 year old car and its like adding garnish to a rotting meal. Buy it for the feel, buy it for the experience, buy it for nostalgia.

TLDR: Yes its worth 60K, no its not worth 60K.

light years? In your opinion maybe. Torque and power isn't everything. The s2k is one of the most balanced cars and probably has the best gearbox ever. It hugs the road and is more fun to mod and tune. well imo anyways.

people that pay over 15k for the average ITR, 25 for the average S2000 and 40 for the average NSX, are fools

these are not average cars
but they are also over-glorified (yes I certainly dont help)

if you have all the money in the world to change toys constantly i guess it doesn't matter
for the rest of mere mortals it stops making sense once you pass a certain threshold for the honda premium

these are aging designs (nothing wrong with that) yet have skyrocketed like GVR properties
are they desirable sure, are they 250%+ value over 5 years desirable, hell no

it's valuable to sit in modern cars that compete with these hondas...then to try theses older cars if you can to see what you're really after

dont just take the feedback only from a forum that was started in the early 2000s when their favourite car in high school was the crx, prelude etc...we're more willing to drop a pretty coin for the halo products from that era

Speaking of value of legends, do you guys think 2013+ GTR will hold their values? It's going for around $80-90k.

An NSX is worth 60k because the demand dictates that it is. We cant measure that car's dollar value based on technology or driving experience. If we literally looked at the price of a '68 mustang the same argument could be made that its parts are not worth the 30-100k they go for, the NSX should be no different. In fact, I think the going rate for an NSX accurately represents its worth more than the manufacture set prices could 20 years ago since now it is based purely on demand.

Now if you are asking about value for money, which I consider completely different, then I would say it's not a good deal compared to the other cars you can get at 60k today. But again, a 100k classic sting ray isn't value for money either, it comes down to individual situation and preference.

Tldr unless you're paying 100k for 60k nsx, it's not a rip off.

^ Could argue that price isn't going to drop much from when you buy it and sell it off.

Agreed, however, I was using it as a reference point to show that customer demand dictates value far beyond driving feel, tech, power, etc. To get comfortable with current pricing one must get on board with nostalgia and industry trends based on demand rather than what the car offers in terms of performance. Same can be said for the E30 M3, another super-hyped car that has it's place among it's loyal enthusiasts yet doesn't boast high performance numbers and yet still, commands insane pricing in today's market. Yes, the NSX offers better performance than either of those cars but plenty of cars in the same price range would have better performance specs.

You buy an old Honda/Acura because it was your high school dream car not because it's the best performance car for the money. Same reason why muscle cars sho up in value.

I remember I was at Racing Greed a few years back and a guy came in with an NSX to have some work done. I’ve never driven an nsx but have always lusted over them. The styling is what does it for me. The nsx and fd rx-7 have managed to bypass their age in this respect unlike many cars since. I couldn’t help but pick his brain.

To my surprise the owner told me not to buy one. He was disappointed with the performance and complained about all the miscellaneous things that needed tlc due to age. But his biggest gripe was the performance. He said the car felt slow and generally didn’t offer the level of performance that he expected. He owned all the jdm legends like the mkIV supra, r34, fd etc and I this was the latest to cross off the list for him. I suppose it’s one of those cases where it’s better not to meet your hero.

I think it’s one of those things you build up in your mind of what the car will be like but the reality is it’s 20+ years too late. The Senna pedigree, the technology way ahead of its time. I think if you are used to a certain level of performance driving newer cars and jump into an old legend, you will inevitably be disappointed by the the performance. However if you accept things for what they are and stop trying to compare oranges to apples then the car will be everything you want it to be.

Likewise if you are willing to spend there’s the journey of transforming the car you love into whatever you want it to be. And that is a unique journey from one owner to another. Some will value bringing every nut and bold back to factory perfection while others will chase the performance limits of the car as they modify every aspect of the drivetrain and suspension.

You have to separate the ego from vehicle itself. Is it worth spending 60k on an nsx? That’s completely dependant on the joy you will get out of it. If that joy will depend on how the car performs relative to other cars then you will inevitably face disappointment. But if the joy is taking a Sunday drive, parking her up and looking back with a smile that you’ve finally got her, then you’ve won my friend. If you’re buying an nsx, buy it to enjoy the sight, sound and personal driving experience it will offer.