Topic: One From the Vault: 2003 Acura NSX First Drive

[Autos_Editor]

The Acura NSX: The car that, more than ten years on from its introduction, is still one of the closest things you can get to driving an F1 car on the road. Without actually driving an F1 car on the road.

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[Fobroader]

Great article, still one of my favorite cars of all time!!

[Sir Osis of Liver]

18000 sold globally over 15 years, about what the Corvette sold in the US last year, which was an off year for it.

I think it suffered because the stats never really looked as good as other sports cars on paper, and it was left to whither on the vine too long. The early ones with the popups looked better than the googly eyes on the later ones. Terrific car though.

[Solstice2006]

18000 sold over 15 years, about what the Corvette sold in the US last year, which was an off year for it.

I think it suffered because the stats never really looked as good as other sports cars on paper, and it was left to whither on the vine too long. The early ones with the popups looked better than the googly eyes on the later ones. Terrific car though.

If I had $40k -$50k to put towards a fully restored Acura NSX, or a Corvette.  It would easily be the NSX.  To me it's not about the hp numbers.  I just like the styling of the NSX more. 

Kinda makes you wonder why the Viper suffers in sales so much, it has the hp numbers.  Maybe priced too high?  Maybe it just don't have enough of brand recognition like the Corvette? 

But hey, to each their own...

[johngenx]

The car was actually good value when introduced, but prices went sky-high later.  It went form being well under $100K to $140K.  That's a big jump, and in 2003, the car was seriously expensive compared to 911, etc.

My "perfect Honda stable" would be a 97 NSX (pop up light front, but 3.2L engine and 6M) and an AP2 S2000.  Both of those can be had for about the price of a new Boxster.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

If I had $40k -$50k to put towards a fully restored Acura NSX, or a Corvette.  It would easily be the NSX.  To me it's not about the hp numbers.  I just like the styling of the NSX more. 

Kinda makes you wonder why the Viper suffers in sales so much, it has the hp numbers.  Maybe priced too high?  Maybe it just don't have enough of brand recognition like the Corvette? 

But hey, to each their own...

The performance of the Viper is similar to the Corvette's, but as you said, it's priced much higher. I think that kills it for a lot of people.

I thought the styling of the NSX was just ok. To me it looked a bit too much like a pumped up MR2. Certainly not a deal breaker, but nothing to write home about either.

[Solstice2006]

I miss Laurence Yaps reviews... He did a good one of the RSX-Type S as well.  Not that the talent we have now isn't great...

[2JDM]

  :bow2:I love this car.

[Snowman]

[Snowman]

The car was actually good value when introduced, but prices went sky-high later.  It went form being well under $100K to $140K.  That's a big jump, and in 2003, the car was seriously expensive compared to 911, etc.

My "perfect Honda stable" would be a 97 NSX (pop up light front, but 3.2L engine and 6M) and an AP2 S2000.  Both of those can be had for about the price of a new Boxster.

You and me both, half way there.

[Jaeger]

Great article, still one of my favorite cars of all time!!

This.

[johngenx]

Way back when, at a PCA track event, a member showed up with a semi including a 40' trailer filled with cars.  After stuffing his 911 badly, he casually rolled out an NSX, and proceeded to put down many of the faster laps of the day.  The completely stock NSX looked slow compared to the tail-wagging turbos and scrabbling-for-traction C4s, but the lap times showed it was stupidly quick.

Whether from the pits or through my windscreen, I'd never seen a road car going that fast on the track looking so calm and controlled.

[quadzilla]

I've been in love with this car since I saw the first one. Amazing how for some cars that feeling never goes away.

And look, there is a 2003 on AT for only $90K.

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Acura/NSX/Woodbridge/Ontario/5_20603345_20120201164434495/?showcpo=ShowCPO

[bluelines]

I just love these cars. The theory about it selling better if it came with a Honda badge doesn't really hold up, though. It was sold as the Honda NSX in the UK, and sold in tiny numbers there as well.

[Snowman]

I've been in love with this car since I saw the first one. Amazing how for some cars that feeling never goes away.

And look, there is a 2003 on AT for only $90K.

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Acura/NSX/Woodbridge/Ontario/5_20603345_20120201164434495/?showcpo=ShowCPO

OMG 

[rrocket]

Shop for an NSX here: http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/22-NSXs-For-Sale

[jyarkony]

I've been in love with this car since I saw the first one. Amazing how for some cars that feeling never goes away.

And look, there is a 2003 on AT for only $90K.

http://wwwb.autotrader.ca/a/Acura/NSX/Woodbridge/Ontario/5_20603345_20120201164434495/?showcpo=ShowCPO

This ad is the reason we dug this article out of the archives. Laurance posted it on his Facebook page, so it made me want to read what he thought of it back in the day... I figured a few of you would too.

There are many great stories here in the archives. It just takes time, or a trigger to go find the good ones.

And Laurance took some great photos as well, so that's a bonus!

[rrocket]

Yea...he used to have this PDF "magazine" with all of his articles in it.  I have it on a hard drive somewhere...

[OliverD]

The performance of the Viper is similar to the Corvette's, but as you said, it's priced much higher. I think that kills it for a lot of people.

I thought the styling of the NSX was just ok. To me it looked a bit too much like a pumped up MR2. Certainly not a deal breaker, but nothing to write home about either.

The Viper is also not quite as "usable" of a car as a Corvette is, although I've heard that's changed with the new one.