1996 Honda NSX 3.0 from UK and Ireland - Comments

Air conditioning needed recharging (warranty)

Blown brake light bulb.

After owning a BMW 328i which I really enjoyed, I wanted something a bit different. Wandering round various car dealers, I saw the NSX and fell in love. One test drive was enough to finish the sale.

It's older than the BMW and has done more miles, but boy is it more entertaining. It cost £3,000 less than the BMW cost as a 3 month old ex-demo car three years ago. Yet it looks, goes, handles and stops like a true supercar, but is as docile and easy to live with as the BMW was.

The engine is a masterpiece. The growl as the revs build, and the race car like howl as you scream towards 9,000 RPM makes my neck hair stand up. Performance is blistering. I don't know the exact figures, but 60 must come up in the mid 5's and it charges past 140 (on private roads) like the BMW charged past 80.

Handling is mindblowing, although a recent track day at Brands Hatch proved it needs to be treated with some respect. My only criticism is that the transition between undramatic, on-rails cornering and suddenly exiting the track backwards is very fine indeed - as I found out to my cost, thankfully without hitting anything. On the road however, it is just phenomenal. The cornering limits are defined by balls and reaction times rather than the car itself.

It's early days, but reliability and build quality are typical Honda. It starts first time, everything works and it can be ambled around town under 3,000 RPM as easily as any Civic or Accord. The clutch and steering are light, the gearbox is rifle bolt precise, and when it needs servicing, the dealers are absolutely first class. The car comes back looking and feeling like new.

The other beauty about the NSX is its rarity. I've seen one other on the road since I bought mine (accompanied by a cheery flash of lights and a wave from the driver). If I could afford a new supercar, I'd do what everyone else does and pick a Porsche or a Ferrari, but at current secondhand prices, the Honda really does offer supercar motoring for German saloon money.

Running costs are a little steep, mostly thanks to insurance which is truly horrendous (group 20). Fuel economy is actually not bad - I average about 26 mpg with a mixture of motorway and fast A-road use. On a relatively steady trip to Leeds recently, I got 34 mpg, and using all the revs regularly, a worrying 17 mpg. 26 isn't hard to achieve though.

My only problem is what do I replace it with? Now I've experienced something like this, I can't go back to a "normal" car.

Where the heck can you buy an nsx for german saloon, I want to know mate! a second hand nsx costs over £20,000, I've looked in the auto trader several time, and never has there been an nsx for a bmw's price. Also the m3 evo is faster than the nsx, 321 bhp standard, and cheaper to buy!

Try looking on Ebay.. 3 NSXs last week for less than 20k.

To the commenter of 6th July 2005, what planet do you live on? The old 330i was around the 30k mark new, and for a late, low mileage one, I was looking at 25k+. I'm not going to say what I spent on the NSX, but let's just say I got it down to just a fiver more than the local BMW dealer were asking for a year old, 8,000 mile 330Ci Sport.

The M3 is a great car, and yes it is quicker than the NSX in a straight line, but the NSX would take the BMW apart on any half decent road. Proper supercar levels of grip, better brakes, better steering and I would argue even better sounding (and that's saying something). It's also rare, truly exclusive, and doesn't scream "tosser or drug dealer" like the 3 series tends does. You also cannot argue with Honda's engineering prowess, build quality or reliability.

A handbuilt, beautifully crafted supercar for ten-a-penny German saloon money, as I said before. You do the sums.

BMW's are getting as common as Ford Focus these days and all credit is due to the guy who had the balls to buy a Honda NSX. The M3 is faster I agree, but come on fellas on clogged up roads where can you use the cars true performance? Its all about looks now and the NSX wins hands down.

I like the space age chasis,never rust and super durable.

I've owned a bmw m3 evo and I now own a honda nsx...sorry, but nsx wins everytime.

Regarding the reviewer's question on what you would replace an NSX with (I assume when his current NSX wears out and needs/wants a newer car)... some suggestions:

Honda S2000

Saturn Sky with the 2.0L 260HP Direct Injection Turbo engine (or the Opel equivalent available in Europe)

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO

Subaru Impreza WRX STI

Ford/Shelby Mustang GT500.

Just to add another comment here is the proof that even with less hp the nsx kicks the m3's ass easily. please view and enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzhT2NDQx6U.

Just buy a corvette with with the z51 performance package. 0-60 in 4.2 seconds top speed over 185 and ~.98 g's on the skid pad. Or you could go for the corvette z06 (outperforms the ferrari f430 on some race courses) if you have the money and have a car with true supercar performance (sorry the nsx lost it's supercar title around the mid to late 90's).

Horsepower is not everything guys, you should look at the biger picture... Its the whole package of power delivery, chassis setup, braking, power to weight ratio, aerodynamics that make a performance car. The NSX excels in all these fields and more...

In reply to how to replace the NSX a 2002 NSX-R white with white wheels...Yeah.