Better not let Honda hear this. The S2k will have a new sticker, $54,995. Of course they will throw in a couple more features, for us to consider it better.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TimTheFoolMan
[B]In my office, only a couple of people would agree with me that my '01 S was worth the $30,150 that I paid for it new, almost exactly a year ago. Ask the same question in my office, and I'd expect to see the exact same answers as I've seen here, such as "buy it to impress your neighbors," and so on.

There are people that want, and will buy, a new 350Z, because performance/$ ratio is all that matters, and they have a fixed $$ limit it falls under. There are people who want, and will buy, a BMW, just because it's a prestige marquee, and not "just a Honda."

By the same token, there are people who will buy an NSX because of its combination of styling, performance, and exclusiveness. For that set of people, it's worth the $90k price of admission.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by GChambers
[B]I read an interesting and very entertaining article in the latest issue of Road

 

I call bull$hit on this statement. The 405 hp, 5.7L Z06 can easily get better highway mileage than the S2000, which depends on short gearing and high revs (both of which negatively impact fuel consumption) to boost performance. My S2000

 

I don't drive my S2000 on the highway too much, and I still get between 26 and 31 MPG all the time. And I have plenty of fun doing so, never needing to skip-shift 1-4 to get the mileage either.

I constantly get stuck behind Corvette drivers moping along at 5 MPH below the speed limit. I guess they're just trying to conserve gas.

Any car can be driven energy efficiently. If you're getting sucky gas mileage, maybe you need a lesson or two in physics.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JT-KGY
[B]
Fine.

 

Well.. they wont make as much per unit.. but they should sell a ton!

 

A car, or any other item for that matter, is worth exactly what people are willing to pay for it. If people are willing (for whatever reason) to spend $90,000 for the NSX it is worth the price. That is how the market works, and that is how worth is determined.

If the NSX was priced lower would more people buy it? Maybe, maybe not. To those people who are willing to pay the price, it is worth it.

 

i suppose this topic has been beat to death.... but here's my perspective. pardon me while i make a long winded analogy :

my previous car was a 2000 prelude sh. it cost around 25k new. i supercharged it, blew the motor, then rebuilt the motor and ran it at 10psi. it wil do the 1/4 in the low 13s, although traction is a huge problem, and it is a lot of fun to drive.... but it is somewhat tricky and unpredictable in many ways.

i got the s2k a few months ago because i wanted a "stock" car that was still quick and fun to drive, paying 33k new. the s2k is not as fast as the prelude, but is more rewarding to drive because of it's balance and poise.

since the nsx-t came out, my father has had about 5 of them, the latest two being a 2000 or 2001 (i forget) and the new one. in a way, i think the comparison between a viper and a nsx is the same as the comparison between my prelude and my s2k. the nsx is not a fast as a viper, it has less power, but it is worth more because it is balanced, refined, comfortable, predictable, and does everything it is meant to do extremely well. while it may not have 500 horsepower, it is still a damn fast car, pulling low or even 13 flat 1/4 miles. it can cruise on the highway in complete comfort and get 25 miles per gallon. you can take it cross country without even putting another quart of oil in, and arrive at your destination feeling better than when you left.

finally, when one is paying more than 50grand for a sports car, a certain degree of "exoticism" or rarity is very important to many. whatever the nameplate, the nsx provides this to a greater degree than almost any other car on the road (exceptions : z8, any ferrari, any lamborghini) simply because there are not many of them around. since the initial years, they've sold very slowly (around 200 a year iirc.) a 911 turbo, despite superior performance and higher price, does not have the same exoticism for most because it looks more or less like every 996 and 993 sold.

 

90k isn't even close to getting a Ferrari. If you're talking about used cars then you can get an NSX for 40k.