Nsx

[Qikhawk]

So I've become incredibly tired of owning boring cars, the Firehawk was interesting if only for it's rarity. However it was still basically a Firebird with some stickers. The NSX has been my dream car since I was right around 6, and since the NA1's are getting much cheaper and in a reasonable range for someone like me I was thinking about just biting the bullet and driving my cheap car for a couple years while saving up to get that instead of just blowing a few grand on another common boring car.

I noticed quickly at 2k11 that NSX's were few and far between, and when I say that I mean there was one there that's it. More Gallardo's than NSX's in the parking lot, I guess that's why I'm so fond of it. It's incredibly rare and exotic, it's body lines are timeless and it makes an amazing sound.

Are there any specific things I should look for in the NA1's? I know that if I get one with more miles I have to worry about it being withing snapring range but, are there any other similar maintenance issues? The snapring thing and maybe the balancer are the only things I can think of.

Also do y'all have any thoughts of other stuff out there like this? Or stories of getting your dream car?

[MisterTwo]

I've had my NSX for 6 years and would be happy to discuss everything with you and let you check out mine to see if it's something you would really want. The NSX is an odd car, if you appreciate amazing engineering instead of $ per HP you will probably like it. Straight line it is slightly slower than your f-body, but it would probably do much better at MSR. The car is as reliable as any Honda if you take care of it, however anything that needs to be done is VERY expensive and must be done by a qualified mechanic. If you want to make the car faster it works out to around $100 per HP gained. The snap ring issue is not a huge problem, it only affects 91 to 92 models with a transmission serial number between J4A4-1003542 and J4A4-1005978. If an NSX you are looking at is in this range and has not been fixed just offer $1k less and have it fixed first thing.

Common NA1 issues:

Snap ring issue - <$1k to fix before it breaks, $3k to fix after it breaks
Main relay failure - $45 part that is very easy to replace
Ignition switch failure - harder to replace but part is under $100
Coolant hoses - You are talking about a 20 year old car, if not replaced the rubber coolant hoses are most likely very brittle and there are two in the engine bay that love to break after about 10 years. To replace all the coolant hoses is about $300 in parts or a couple grand to pay someone. I've done a lot of my own maintenance and nothing will have you inventing new curse words quite like replacing these coolant hoses :banghead:


Common NA1 mods:

I/H/E - I gained 25rwhp after my header install
Boost - Unfortunately after that it's Comptech SC time and the kit will run you $10k, the good news is one of the best NSX tuners in the country (Jotech) is right down the street.


Resources:

Check out NSXPrime (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/) for all your NSX research
Science Of Speed (http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/NSX/) is the main place for aftermarket parts, although Jotech can order a lot of that stuff for you too.


Make sure you do a pre-purchase inspection at a qualified Acura dealership (in DFW that usually means Goodson). The main issue with maintenance on these cars is time not miles. The timing belt needs to be replaced every 90k miles OR six years, if this maintenance has not been done do some research on how much it will cost you and figure that into the cost of buying the car (approx $2-3k). After getting past all that, the car is amazing! The entire sound and feel of the car changes at 4500rpm and keeps screaming all the way to 8000 :D

[Qikhawk]

I've had my NSX for 6 years and would be happy to discuss everything with you and let you check out mine to see if it's something you would really want. The NSX is an odd car, if you appreciate amazing engineering instead of $ per HP you will probably like it. Straight line it is slightly slower than your f-body, but it would probably do much better at MSR. The car is as reliable as any Honda if you take care of it, however anything that needs to be done is VERY expensive and must be done by a qualified mechanic. If you want to make the car faster it works out to around $100 per HP gained. The snap ring issue is not a huge problem, it only affects 91 to 92 models with a transmission serial number between J4A4-1003542 and J4A4-1005978. If an NSX you are looking at is in this range and has not been fixed just offer $1k less and have it fixed first thing.

Common NA1 issues:

Snap ring issue - <$1k to fix before it breaks, $3k to fix after it breaks
Main relay failure - $45 part that is very easy to replace
Ignition switch failure - harder to replace but part is under $100
Coolant hoses - You are talking about a 20 year old car, if not replaced the rubber coolant hoses are most likely very brittle and there are two in the engine bay that love to break after about 10 years. To replace all the coolant hoses is about $300 in parts or a couple grand to pay someone. I've done a lot of my own maintenance and nothing will have you inventing new curse words quite like replacing these coolant hoses :banghead:


Common NA1 mods:

I/H/E - I gained 25rwhp after my header install
Boost - Unfortunately after that it's Comptech SC time and the kit will run you $10k, the good news is one of the best NSX tuners in the country (Jotech) is right down the street.


Resources:

Check out NSXPrime (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/) for all your NSX research
Science Of Speed (http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/NSX/) is the main place for aftermarket parts, although Jotech can order a lot of that stuff for you too.


Make sure you do a pre-purchase inspection at a qualified Acura dealership (in DFW that usually means Goodson). The main issue with maintenance on these cars is time not miles. The timing belt needs to be replaced every 90k miles OR six years, if this maintenance has not been done do some research on how much it will cost you and figure that into the cost of buying the car (approx $2-3k). After getting past all that, the car is amazing! The entire sound and feel of the car changes at 4500rpm and keeps screaming all the way to 8000 :D


Thanks for the info, I actually do believe that I saw your NSX when I was coming back from having to put my dog to sleep, it made the day a little bit easier. I've been on prime for a couple years been reading up and such. I have been talking with my brother about everything, my plans are basically going to be drop as much weight out of it while still keeping it comfortable if it was a daily (it wouldn't be) and then strap a turbo onto it, as from the exhaust setup it seems pretty easy to do. I didn't know Jotech tuned NSX's but I will definitely keep that in mind.

I know that they have never been crazy straight line monsters but, that is why I have always liked the car it was based more on being a stable, awesome handling car. I have had a couple fast straight line cars, now I would just like a good handling car that turns heads.

I might take you up on that offer the next time I am in Dallas, were you in Houston for 2k11? Because it might have been your NSX I noticed.

[MisterTwo]

Thanks for the info, I actually do believe that I saw your NSX when I was coming back from having to put my dog to sleep, it made the day a little bit easier. I've been on prime for a couple years been reading up and such. I have been talking with my brother about everything, my plans are basically going to be drop as much weight out of it while still keeping it comfortable if it was a daily (it wouldn't be) and then strap a turbo onto it, as from the exhaust setup it seems pretty easy to do. I didn't know Jotech tuned NSX's but I will definitely keep that in mind.

I know that they have never been crazy straight line monsters but, that is why I have always liked the car it was based more on being a stable, awesome handling car. I have had a couple fast straight line cars, now I would just like a good handling car that turns heads.

I might take you up on that offer the next time I am in Dallas, were you in Houston for 2k11? Because it might have been your NSX I noticed.

I'm sorry to hear about your dog :(

I didn't realize you were in Houston, it wasn't my car you saw but there are ~10 NSXs out there and they have a much more active community than the DFW members. I drove down for NSXCraze and had a great time with those guys. There is a Houston forum on Prime and I'm sure several people would be willing to meet with you and let you ride / check out the car up close if you are interested. If not my Dad lives in Spring, TX so I head down there ever few months and I'm always looking for an excuse to take the NSX :)

As for weight reduction this thread (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78963) has tons of good info. Most people do the free mods which help remove 60lbs at the expense of a working spare tire.

I have attached a word doc that is a pretty good guide for installing your headers but keep in mind this line "This article will have done its job if, after reading it, you decide it’s best to let a mechanic install your headers." :D

I'm assuming you would be doing the Angus turbo install? I'm very interested in that kit as well however I know Kenny at Jotech advised against it. Next time I head down there I would like to discuss it further with him, but he did mention the turbo placement is non-optimal. That said everyone on Prime seems to love it. Good luck in your NSX search and let me know if you have any questions!

[Qikhawk]

I'm sorry to hear about your dog :(

I didn't realize you were in Houston, it wasn't my car you saw but there are ~10 NSXs out there and they have a much more active community than the DFW members. I drove down for NSXCraze and had a great time with those guys. There is a Houston forum on Prime and I'm sure several people would be willing to meet with you and let you ride / check out the car up close if you are interested. If not my Dad lives in Spring, TX so I head down there ever few months and I'm always looking for an excuse to take the NSX :)

As for weight reduction this thread (http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=78963) has tons of good info. Most people do the free mods which help remove 60lbs at the expense of a working spare tire.

I have attached a word doc that is a pretty good guide for installing your headers but keep in mind this line "This article will have done its job if, after reading it, you decide it’s best to let a mechanic install your headers." :D

I'm assuming you would be doing the Angus turbo install? I'm very interested in that kit as well however I know Kenny at Jotech advised against it. Next time I head down there I would like to discuss it further with him, but he did mention the turbo placement is non-optimal. That said everyone on Prime seems to love it. Good luck in your NSX search and let me know if you have any questions!


Thanks again, the kit would actually be custom, my brother is a great fabricator, the angus kit looks good however the lack of a well placed intercooler and a few things make me a bit wary of it. I have looked on prime and I figure with a few of the things I wanted to do anyways (volks and recaro pole positions) it would be easy to drop over 130lbs I was surprised how heavy the seats and tire and such is. Hell dropping the cat and switching to a test pipe is a good 17lbs from what i've seen.

It would be awesome if you got that angus kit, turbo nsx's are something else. I don't know what it is about the car itself but I really go crazy over them, favorite driver helped develop it, it has so much tech its insane, its under-appreciated, and it's not something you see everyday.

[MisterTwo]

Thanks again, the kit would actually be custom, my brother is a great fabricator, the angus kit looks good however the lack of a well placed intercooler and a few things make me a bit wary of it. I have looked on prime and I figure with a few of the things I wanted to do anyways (volks and recaro pole positions) it would be easy to drop over 130lbs I was surprised how heavy the seats and tire and such is. Hell dropping the cat and switching to a test pipe is a good 17lbs from what i've seen.

It would be awesome if you got that angus kit, turbo nsx's are something else. I don't know what it is about the car itself but I really go crazy over them, favorite driver helped develop it, it has so much tech its insane, its under-appreciated, and it's not something you see everyday.

Sounds like you are good to go! Once you get closer to buying if you have any questions that come up PM me if I can help in any way. Let me know when you start working on the custom turbo setup, there have been a few online that are beasts. :beer:

I remembered two more gotcha's on the NA1 model...


Power window issues - The power windows are notoriously slow on the NA1 and have a plastic guide clip that cracks and can cause the motors to burn out. Dali Racing sells new metal clips and honda grease online for $26 to prevent any issues.
NA1 ABS issues - The NA1 ABS system is four wheel independent and at the time it was pretty high tech. A lot of the early units (including mine) have solenoid issues that cause very slow leaks making the very loud ABS pump run every few minutes. There are various ways to fix the units on Prime but if those don't work you are looking at $3.5k to buy a new (NA2) ABS unit. Most people (myself included) just turn off ABS.

[FriscoMMM]

Thanks for the great info MisterTwo!!!

[tranman329]

got an '02 for sale if anyone's serious.

[Qikhawk]

Thanks again for the info MisterTwo, if there is a way to get rid of the abs I would do that, the 'Hawk didn't have it and I don't mind not having it. I already looked at a fix for the windows as well, I can't remember the name but, one of the members on prime that lives in Portugal has a fix for it. I spend a lot of my time these days on prime researching stuff.