RJMDAD996

Mooty - I had the same thoughts before - :-) I just love the looks of that baby.

houldsworth1

Take them both for a drive down a nice twisty back lane and see which one speaks to you...

evo_333

have you test driven both? I would guess that would answer your questions performance wise.

In terms of looks, I assume the NSX is the older looking body style, right? Personally, I think the older style looks dated, as for the newer body... well, that's a different story.

If you can handle the 996 financially, go with the C2, you won't regret it.

Good luck!

Moogle

the seat of your pants will tell you what to choose.

kpeden

You really need to drive them. They are very different. I think the NSX is more engaging than the 996 but that's just me (or it could have been the tubi exhaust, it sang). I had a '96 for 5 years and still love it like a first love. The earliest cars did have some issues with the transmission but if you pick up a '95 or later (they sort of performed a 1/2 way upgrade then) you should be good. Bulletproof. Find one in good condition, take care of it, and you will only have to worry about oil changes & tire wear.

Having said that ... I'm now in the market for a Porsche. Really scared of potential mechanical issues associated with the 996s but nothing else out there speaks to me like my NSX than a P car.

In the end, I really don't think you can go wrong with either choice. Like the man said, let your butt decide.

rhunt

I currently own both. My NSX is now heavily modified. The 2 cars are different in a lot of ways. I get more looks in the NSX, because you don't see them everyday. The Porsche is more comfortable to drive. The NSX is more reliable. You have to drive both and see what you like. I am fortunate enough to have the choice every morning which one to drive to work. Good luck and happy motoring in whatever you decide to buy.

Mani

wow, amazed by the amount of responses...

I have actually driven both. I've driven the NSX over 1500 miles because my best friend has one, and we have taken it for long distance drives(Houston to Dallas). When I test drove the Porsche, I felt a little uncomfortable in the drivers seat, but with the NSX, I felt more in control.

All things said, the NSX nevertheless, is not a porsche.

My two main factors for considering the NSX are as listed:

-Reliability, my friend can attest to the fact that there is very little maint. cost involved with the NSX. Yes, replacing the tires is expensive, but it has never broken down on him. On the contrary, I have read many horror stories while researching the 996s. ( For the record, I have not performed an indepth research on the NSX)

-Resale value- the 996s seem to be dropping in prices like crazy. I remember just a few months ago, u put in a search for 99 996 on autotrader for less than 35k, you get 20 responses. Now you get more than 40. I feel like I could buy an NSX, keep it for a yr or two, and then buy a 03 or 04 C2 and not loose too much on depreciation costs. Anyone agree?

equ

Having owned a C2 (but not an NSX) I will recommend that you go along with the NSX if you don't need the small back seats, I was swayed by back seat reasons as well. The nsx seems to be a very well balanced car. Its faults are that it has a dated interior and may be considered underpowered by some. I'm a big believer in working your way up to high power cars, so I'd recommend the NSX. When you have more money and experience, go for a porsche or something comparable. This gives you something to grow into in the future.

rhunt

The NSX has similar performance numbers to a 996. Where do you get more power in the 996?

[MB] This month's Car and Driver features a 0 - 150 - 0 competition as it's cover story. The article was set-up to compare some supertuned cars (Mustangs, Vipers, a Vette, and a Mercedes SL), but they tested several stock cars to use as a baseline. One of these cars was a Kaiser Silver and Onyx 1998 Acura NSX Coupe (not targa) with the 6-speed manual transmission. For the stock cars, the NSX came in second overall, beating all but the Viper Coupe. It beat (in order) the C5, the BMW 540, the Jag XJR, the Camaro Z28 SS, and the Porsche 911 (996). They had a few interesting things to say about it:

"[the NSX] diced with the Corvette to 130 mph before pulling decisively ahead to reach 150mph two seconds in front of the Vette."

"the NSX returned the fourth-best OVERALL (including modified) stopping distance at 742 feet, trailing only the Corvette among the stockers."

"Our low-miliage Porsche was neither the fastest not the slowest 911 we've tested, but it was no match for the rocket NSX........... The 911's 10 - second time from 140 to 150 mph was the longest of any car's in the test, and five seconds longer than the NSX's."

The performance numbers for the NSX were as follows:

0 - 60: 4.5
0 - 100: 10.6
1/4 mile: 12.9 @ 110

Braking (feet)

996FLT6

Make the nsx red and we're talking : ). My friend has a '94 NSX with 165k miles-that's darn reliable and still kicking. Very well balnced car and great sound when vtec kicks in. My only beef is interior very much like any honda accord. Can only hold 2 people is that is a consideration. I could stick 2 golfbags(full size) in the back seat area or 2 kids where only put one golf bag in the nsx in the back and gold buddy holding one in the passenger seat. Still a very nice car but would never buy a new one-price is way up there. Another thing to consider is it's all aluminum body-mite be expensive to fix if dented. Regards. Mike

cab2u

Regarding the golf bag issue, I put 2 bags in the trunk of my NSX's hundreds of times. I am glad to see that people on this board are not bashing the NSX or any other car for that matter.

I have to disagree with the performance numbers. The NSX does not do 0-60 in 4.5. And all of the power is at the high RPM's, which I used to find a bit annoying.

rhunt

Once you get into cars on this level, it is all personal preference. No need to bash any cars as the 2 cars in question are both awsome cars.

chitownbob

I agree with you all and Im glad to hear that we are giving respect to non P-cars. Over the past few months, whenver I wrote about NSX or the new C6 or any other car, I had to read about about how much better the 996, and how crappy everything else is and then have my loyalty to the 996 questioned. Look at it like this, if we acknowledge and respect other cars performance, PAG will have to increase the performance/refinement in its own products. Its good to hear from true performance car lovers and not just blind Pcar addicts.

Bobby

996FLT6

CAB2u-can you stick 2 kids in the back too : )-less noise is a plus!!!I'm saying 2 full size golf bags not those compact thingies : ). Regards. Mike

JustAnotherPorsche

I can't believe this discussion is continuing. The NSX is a fine car but isn't in anyway comparable to the 996. There's not a stock 996 out there that won't run circles arround the Honda. Don't get me wrong, the Honda is a nice car, but it's an entry level sport car.