DJ Iceman

As you said, it's arbitrary. Its not that I can't afford an NSX at $180k, it's just that (in my mind) I would feel good about getting one at $120k. At $180k it doesn't feel like a particularly good value, so I'm not drawn to plunk down the money. I'm not suffering a mid-life crisis or otherwise clamoring for a sports car, in fact the only reason I'm interested at all is my like for the Acura brand and love for the original NSX. So I'm not cross-shopping it against other cars in the price range, although certainly others are and at least some of those others are choosing to get an R8, i8, 911, or whatever. The $120k number is indeed arbitrary, but I think Acura would have had a hot seller at that price point--it would clearly have been a tremendous value (like the original NSX was at it's price point), which I think would have driven both interest and sales from a much broader set of customers.

Fibonacci

The MSRP I recall being thrown around in the car mags when Acura was getting serious about building the NSX was 140k, so in that context, a starting price of $156k is not that far off. So I'm not quite sure what your stated basis for $120k is other than it is an ideal price and a "good deal". If that's your rationale, then heck I'd love to buy the 911R for 120k. Not gonna happen.

People don't buy exotic cars because they are a "good deal", its more of an emotional purchase than rational logic you would apply to your daily driver or family hauler. Don't want to sound like a shill for Acura corporate marketing because I have no special interest in promoting Honda, but it appears they are trying to take the brand upscale and the NSX is leading the way.

Who knows, maybe you'll see a lower priced option coming soon ala R8 V8 and you'll get your wish if price point is your priority in a supercar.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

ALL i know is that every single publication is trashing the Acura NSX.

https://www.driving.co.uk/car-review...017-honda-nsx/

https://drivetribe.com/p/RdUB0aSORVu...Tjq5IhnlFKtytA

after watching the drivetribe's review of the 911 vs GTR vs NSX...the NSX doesnt give me chills any more, it's not as an emotionally elicit car as the other two...

DJ Iceman

All good points. And if Acura is trying to appeal only to the uber-rich, then maybe their pricing makes sense. Unfortunately, the NSX lacks both the street cred and real-world performance to play in those rarified airs, at least it would appear so given the middle-of-the-pack magazine comparisons and seemingly slow sales numbers.

I wholeheartedly support Acura taking the brand upscale, but jumping from where they are to expecting a line of people out the door to drop $150K-$200K on a sports car may be a chasm too far.

And I've said it a couple of times already but maybe it bears repeating--I'm not looking for a de-contented NSX that's lower in price. Take away content, and my "willing to pay" price will also drop. I just think that if they could have built the NSX 2.0, just as it is today, and put $120K on the sticker (even if they lost money on every single one), they'd have shocked the market, made a lot more sales, built brand buzz, and taken a significant step toward moving the brand upscale. You can dismiss my point of view as unrealistic--I'm just telling you how I, as a consumer feel. And maybe there are others out there like me. If the 911R was $120K I still wouldn't buy one--I have no emotional attachment to Porsche cars and really have no desire to own one. I do like Acura, and as stated in my first post have owned at least one since 1997. They missed a chance with consumers like me, that's all I'm saying.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i'm in love with the 911R and would choose that over the stupid NSX. lol

Fibonacci

Every? There have been plenty of favorable reviews including (to my mind) the most important one: monkey likes it.

Disliking a car from second hand reviews puts you in the mag racer category, please drive one and form an own opinion from your own experience.

Otherwise you just start sounding like an irrational and a member of the sheeple nation.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Obviously, i exaggerated.

i have seen the articles that praise it.
these, articles, however....are new. dated Feb. 15th. 2017
and in my opinion, I would rather reach for a 911(doesnt even have to be the R) than the "everyday supercar" that doesnt excite me.

kurtatx

I think a fair compromise to say that yes, the NSX is a great car, but it probably does not live up to the hype of the original.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

in the clarkson review; he ended it with...if you want a pretty car, that sounds nice...the NSX is for you. (paraphrasing)

while style is important! I think driving feel or excitement should be the top priority in these kinds of machines

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Haha, when the price went up $10-20k within a couple years, it's understandable why the sales dropped so much.....

And yea, the death of Soichiro Honda had a impact of the NSX development. I feel that if he was still alive, he would have kept that project going with ongoing development.....shame...

I'm not quite sure what you mean..or what's your point with your last paragraph....sorry.

Yea, Lexus lost money on each LFA sold, but there are reasons for that:
- Lexus sold about 500 LFA before production ended. The NSX is selling at around 500-600 a year just in the US.
- The LFA also took 10 years to develop, compared to 4 years of the NSX.
- The LFA uses CF monocoque and CFRP bodywork. I'd imagine this alone is much more expensive than what the NSX uses.

Not saying the NSX will make money, but it seems like there's more chance of it making money than before.

Of course. I'd also love the 911R over a regular 911 turbo or 911 carrera, R8, GT-R, AMG GT, and most other "base" models.

That's quite an exaggeration...and I don't know if the dates matter that much considering they are all within the past few months. Some smaller mags might not get their hands on the NSX as fast as as the bigger publishing companies?

The highly respected Christ Harris loves the NSX..and it's pretty recent:

Road and Track crowned the NSX as the performance car of the year:
2017 Best Performance Car of the Year - 2017 Acura NSX Named Road & Track's PCOTY

Evo UK gave a 5-star rating to the NSX:
Honda NSX review - capable and composed, with an exceptional turn of pace | Evo

Autocar UK had a glowing review:
Honda NSX Review (2017) | Autocar

Most notably, it says, "...but for its fusion of remarkable pace, innovative technology, dynamic sophistication and natural, tactile driver appeal, the NSX gets our nod over every rival but one – and that is the formidable McLaren 570S."

It seems like the NSX is pretty darn fun to drive based on these reviews from more well known publications.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

there's no doubt that it's quick and might be fun to drive...but compared to a 911 or a GTR..it's sedated, according to the Feb. 15 articles.

which is fine if you want that sort of "Everyday super car!"
more power too you!

but shieet, if i'm already spending at least $120k...it better be something cooler. lol

TacoBello

But keep in mind, this is the first iteration of the NSX, while the GTR has been upped several times now. Didn't it start at 480hp? At the end, the Nismo was hitting 600hp. Same goes with Porsche, more or less.

the NSX was designed to have that future room to grow. As such, the initial one might be "sedated", but it won't always be like that.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i mean, we're all cucks who dont have the money to buy anyway.
just window shopping.

and for those that do have the funds and are on the edge of getting an NSX...MORE POWER TO YOU!
i'll be drooling all up in your seats....
but the Porsche 911 has my heart.

TacoBello

I prefer the term "tire kicker"

nist7

^Indeed.

We all have our opinions on the new NSX or the new 570S/911 Turbo/R8/whatever but at the end of the day if you've made it in life where you are in a position to realistically consider 150k+ cars? Well then that's just awesome. Enjoy the car whatever that tickles your fancy and the rest of us mere mortals can enjoy/live through that vicariously.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

For sure, you can't really go wrong with any of these cars (NSX, GTR, 911, R8, 570S, etc). The NSX is right up there in terms of performance with all of these cars too. Based on all these tests and reviews, while the GTR is as fast as the NSX, the NSX seems to be noticeable more comfortable and more fun to drive.

For the newest GTR, Nissan actually dialed back its performance a bit for more acceptable ride comfort.

For the NSX, if it's pure driving fun and fast lap times that you are looking for, you will need to wait for the Type R when it comes out. In its current base form, it obviously can't match the likes of 911R, 911 GT3 RS, Nismo GT-R etc for pure driving fun and/or track ability.

TacoBello

LOL... Wait for the Type R to come out...

I cant even afford a regular NSX now, never mind a Type R

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Weak marketing attempts... Lol

This Honda Marine concept engine brings a little NSX to the water - Autoblog

Fibonacci

By all means, if that is your dream car go for it and I will be the first to congratulate you. Was within the skin of my teeth of pulling the trigger on a 991.1 a few years a go until the sales manager pulled a dirty move at the last second. I've driven almost every variant of the modern 911's except for the GT2's and Turbo S - they are simply amazing cars. Exceptionally competent would be my summary. Just lacking what Moog Type-S always referred to as "presence". When you roll up to a 5 star hotel, the country club, etc. Nobody bats an eye and heads don't swivel at a 911. When you are spending well into the six figures, that starts to become a factor.

To me, the NSX feels special and the technology is compelling. But it looks cool minus the d-bag factor that comes with an Italian label. The performance is right there and I'm not going to get slagged off because it is a couple of tenths slower to 60mph or a bit off the pace of a 488 GTB around the ring.

If I could wave a magic wand and put the sound and fury of a 458 Speciale, declicious six speed manual from the 911R, lovely interior of the R8, curb weight of an Ariel Atom -- smash them together and deliver it all for the price of an Accord Sport. Now that's a deal baby!

TacoBello

Fib, I wonder if part of the reason no one really bats an eye at a Porsche is simply because they really haven't changed much over the last 50 years. Yeah, they get a bit wider, a bit longer, a bit more sporty, but it's still the same basic shape. Being a car guy, I have issues differentiating between some of the models because they don't differ all that much.

Granted, I know the Porsche diehards would say what I'm saying is sacrilegious, but outside of them, I think you're right- the average person doesn't seem to overly care. It likely also doesn't help that even for the 911, the price varies SO much, or that you can get a model and then still option it out with 40k worth of stuff on it. A normal person sees it and they can't tell if they're looking at a 90k Porsche, or a 190k Porsche.

You're right- the NSX does have a much bigger presence. I mean, it looks fast the second you see it. A Porsche can be rather confusing, lol.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i personally am not really a showboat kind of person.
sure, it would be nice to have people come up and say "awesome, gorgeous, luxurious, sporty machine...what the fuck do you do for a living?"...which would mostly be guys, anyway...
but that's not why i'm buying something of that caliber

nist7

You'll always have dudes who buy cars to show-off. And lot of those guys might not even know what all's different between a 911 Turbo or a NSX or the R8...or lap times or all the other car-guy knowledge. They just know 3 things: looks awesome (could be a porsche too), goes fast, and sounds mean.

It's a bit meaningless to us car guys to buy cars JUST based on looks.....but at the same time you don't need to shy away from cars that look awesome/showy if you like the car itself. I mean I personally don't care either way, and in fact I like to be a bit more understated, but if I like how a car looks to ME....I'll go get it.

But if you are truly wanting to fly under the radar, then that could be a VERY important factor in your decision making. Certainly no orange Aventadors or even a bright colored NSX.....

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

There's probably enough time to save up before the Type R actually comes out man

lol I was wondering the same thing recently too.

You are not alone man. Unless it's a GT3 RS, I would need to look closely before I can tell which 911 it is. And from some angles, even the $55k Cayman can look a bit like the 911. Whereas if I see a R8, AMG GT, NSX, or McLaren, I can right away tell it's a special car that is well over $150k.

Costco

I'll be happy with just the upcoming Cayman GT4 RS 4.0

I don't care if nobody knows what it is.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

all i know is that here in Vancouver a Cayman GT4 goes for $150k+ on Craigslist....

YeuEmMaiMai

The local dealer has a blue NSX new for *only* $188K.... Nice car looks amazing but the price....wowowow

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I've never had a Lambo or NSX poster hanging up above my bed.

fsttyms1

I never had a lambo poster above my head, i had them on a wall. But as a teen, i went to the Chicago auto show and while there grabbing every flyer/thing the manufacturers were handing out and stuffing them into my bag i stumbled upon the Chevrolet booth and the C4 corvette and they were handing out posters of a white C4. I took enough to cover my whole ceiling (which i did) and 2 whole walls (which required a few bags)

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

dont laugh, but i aspired to have a cool honda civic or prelude.
those things were so cool when i was in high school

nist7

Diff strokes for diff folks. Civic or Preludes were damn cool too when I was in high school....but also I had Viper/Lambo things as well.

Fibonacci

Sooo, initial quote to wrap an NSX is $6775.00 USD

As they say, if you have to ask...

00TL-P3.2

^ PPF or just a full vinyl wrap?

oonowindoo

Is that in CAD? if so.. meh... what is that? $50k USD?

fsttyms1

Fuck wrap. Get the car sprayed in Autoflex. Its like Plastidip (sold by DYC) but it can be a true gloss, wet sandable, buffable, just as many color/pearl combos (if not more) available and peelable just like plastidip.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

yup cad!

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Whoa, not bad at all. How much does that cost?

fsttyms1

A lot of it depends on the color/pearl. Material wise around 400+- Its the pearls that can get very pricey quick. I priced out enough to spray my Explorer with some nice pearls and it was around 800. Really nice thing about it is its not like Paint where you have to prep the whole car down by sanding it and everything. Just needs a really good bath. Any shop (or diyer with a HVLP spray gun) could apply it. I would guess it would be 1/4 of what a wrap costs to have it done.

fsttyms1

fsttyms1

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

saw my first NSX on the streets of Houston


it was driving into the suburbs, where I live...It has a very distinct tail end at night. i automatically knew it was an NSX because of the tails. I caught up to it, and it was a beautiful silver or grey.
well, that's the end of my cool story