Currently drive an '06 s2k. Thinking about 2 cars as a replacement- '06 M3 (~30k miles) or 2000+ NSX (~45k miles). Question- which car will have the higher cost of ownership? Forget insurance and tires, I'm concerned with problems and preventative maintenance. Consider boh frequency of problems AND cost to repair. Thanks.

 

Go with the NSX. In the end of the day, no matter how many Acura badges you put on the thing, it's still a Honda. "What's so great about it being a Honda?" you ask. Well, Honda is known for reliability.

 

Is the m3 SMG of 6spd? Is it CPO-ed? I personally would definately not get any SMG that is not CPO-ed and would prefer to get a any m3 CPO-ed. If that M3 is CPO-ed then you shouldn't really have to worry about anything since its covered until 2012.

When I had my M3 I never had any major problems with. Just the little knick knacks; but beware the subframe failure.

 

I'd take the NSX. It's just so...exotic-looking, plus a few other things. Oh, the handling of its mid-engine setup is amazing as well.

 

NSX will end up costing you less over 3 years because it will barely lose any value whereas the M3 will depreciate like any other sports car.

And IMHO the driving experience is so superior in the NSX that it would offset any slight $$$ difference.

A more fair comparison would be a Z4M to an NSX.

 

I'd take the NSX for its rarity - you won't get lost in a sea of NSXs like you will with a BMW.

 

You said to ignore insurance and tires but tires are a significant cost in an NSX. With stock alignment, you'll still eat tires fairly quickly (rears). Keep that in mind.

That said, an NSX should be incredibly reliable as 2000+ models were well out of the snap ring failure VIN range and generally are bulletproof. I would expect reliability similar to any other Honda.

 

thats a tough choice, I think both are great cars

I think I would go with the nsx- I especially agree with them being better cause it will hold value, that way if you get tired of it (not sure I see that happening) you can sell it without a major loss

 

I prefer the M3 but I'm biased as I've had a few of them.
The M3 is easy to work on for all your normal stuff, very much like the s2k in how you do fluid changes, brakes, etc. I actually installed a set of Tein coil-overs on one of my M3's by myself in the garage with hand tools in less than 3 hours.

I'd stick with a 6 speed unless the SMG is CPO'd, even then I prefer the 6 speed for fun and smoother driving in town, SMG CAN be a little herky-jerky at slow speeds on/off throttle and at frequent slow speed stops but this can be handled once you get more comfortable with the car.

The M3 will outperform the NSX when comparing stock/stock, I mean you can get a nice 6 year old E46 M3 for $20-25k depending on your area of the country, what can you get in an NSX for that kind of money? Something thats twice as old which just by age alone will likely need bushings/shocks replaced if they are still original. The M3 has a very large aftermarket support network and therefore prices on replacement parts and upgrades/mods will be cheaper than on the NSX I'm guessing.

I'd buy an 01-03 M3 with some mods for about $20k, one with intake, exhaust, and suspension upgrades will straight out smoke an NSX unless the NSX is running forced induction or NO2.

I love the NSX, beautiful and amazing piece of machinery but it doesn't have enough balls to back up its appearance unless you drop allot of cash.

If you get an earlier E46 M3 make sure all the recalls have been done on it and yuo'll be good to go. I know club racers in BMWCCA that have bought 120k mile 01/02 M3's for like $15k, spent $5k in track upgrades and raced them hard for 2 seasons without ever having to do makor repairs, thats says allot about the car to me.

 

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Cost_of_Ownership