Hi team, I am considering putting down 20k on either a 30k nsx or on a 40k 348. I have never owned a ferrari and wish not to have any nightmares At my budget i have seen salvage 348 from 26k-35k and clean title ones with some miles around 38-41k. I plan on driving the car on weekends and on nice weather. I know the nsx is reliable my brother has owned 2 of them and can attest to its solid build. Any suggestions/recommendations are welcomed. Thanks in advanced.
If you're thinking of buying a 348 for $26-$35, then you should do yourself a favor and buy the NSX as the 348 will be a POS nightmare.
Unless you have some cash in the bank for service and maintenance I would not go for the 348. I love mine, but buying one that cheap will most likely mean $$$$ in the short term.
The NSX its a cool car, but I prefer Italians, if you can buy a Ferrari im assuming you can pay for its maintainance, however if you want a nice car to drive on the weekends, I think Ferrari is the best choice, if you have $20k to put down, I think you should go for a F355 GTS or Spider('95-'96). The NSX might be fast, powerful and all that, but to me it looks like a used civic. no offense
Definitely do not buy a 348 at the price you stated. You'll be buying nothing but a huge problem, and you'll spend your time fixing instead of driving, not to mention the amount of money you will have to fork in order to fix it.
You know honestly, If your on a tight budjet, you should definatly go for the NSX. There beautiful cars, and very hardy. What do you expect it is a Honda. I would just like to share a thought though. The sound of the Ferrari. I would just like to share the fact that even though the NSX is a great car, but that incredible sound the Ferrari makes, is something your going to have to learn to live without. Many years ago when I was considering purchasing an NSX, I really didn't understand, it looked great, handled great. I honestly couldn't figure out excatly what iwas actually missing. Then it hit me, it sounds like a honda.
I had an NSX for 7 years before I bought my F355 and it was a wonderful car. You can definitely improve the sound with a tubi or other aftermarket exhaust. It will not sound like a Ferrari (no matter what the advertisements tell you), nothing else does, but it is not the soulless car some on this site portray it to be. If you plan on putting many miles on the car, I would highly recommend getting the NSX, it will not cost much to maintain and if you buy an earlier one it will not cost you much in depreciation even if you rack up the mile. For what its worth in 3 months of owning the F355 I have spent almost half of the total of what it cost me in service and depreciation for 7 years and 58,000 miles) for the NSX. Drive several examples of both cars, call your insurance agent and make sure you get a PPI on either. Do not make your decision without driving both, a lot of very smart people, (most of the major car magazines included) believe the NSX handles better than the 348. The ownership group of both cars is fantastic; though I would rate the Colorado Ferrari owners to be a little better than the NSX club, especially in the quality, number of events and organization. They are both very special cars and should provide a ton of enjoyment, but a 348 at that price is going to have plenty of issues, so make sure you have the $ to put it right. I love my Ferrari and it is fulfilling a lifelong dream, but is it twice as great of an ownership and driving experience as the NSX, that I cannot say without prejudice at this time. The only suggestion I can make without hesitation, is to by either one of these cars and drive them for pure enjoyment, they will put a very big smile on your face.
Like some previous threads have mentioned if you don't have the funding to properly maintain the 348, do yourself a favor and go for the NSX. It's a good thing to stay away from cheap Ferrari's salvage or not. The deal you think you're getting today will in all probability bite you tomorrow. Ferraris are a unique breed , but like all thoroughbreds require attention and regular maintenance,$$$. On the other hand the NSX is a great car, probably the closest thing to race car for the street around. It's bulletproof (V-Tech) engine is almost maintenance free. It's fairly forgiving and for the most part worry free., it's styling is a little dated, but still a head turner. Hey, I've owned both and they are both beautiful, classic, ahead of their time examples of cool engineering on four wheels. The NSX is amazing but it's just not a Ferrari. The choice is tough but go with your gut feeling, it will set you free.
Neither. Get a Porsche 993 - best 911 ever made, reliable as hell, sounds great, get it serviced anywhere, sell it for what you paid in a couple of years. I agree with the above comments, you'll be getting a money pit of a car in a $30K 348, and the NSX is a tad sterile and nerdy for my tastes (although I've had 3 Hondas and the quality is there.) It's the exotic that Consumer Reports and your mom would tell you to buy. EDIT: Also there have been a ton of discussions about financing old Ferrari's - basically the price of an old Ferrari is just the start. Routine maintenance and other 'things that come up' even on a good one can suck down a few grand in short order. Decide whether you're OK with a hypothetical sudden $2K parts/service bill for something, and proceed from there...
Please! stop comparing an Honda with a Ferrari. I can understand if you compare a Porsche with a Ferrari, however they are very different kind of sport cars. I also could understand a comparation between a P 993 and a NSX. But, a Ferrari is a matter of...passion! If you don't love it, stay away from it.... Nuno.
Agree with the boys on this one. I looked at 348 last year that was around AU$30K under market value of 348's here. Was AU$84K. Average 348 here is AU$110K-$125K. This car would have eaten AU$30K in NO TIME to get it 100%. And maybe more.........Plus all the headaches in doing so. Buy the best 348 you can afford. In this case, if you havent got the cash, then why dont you wait a few more months/years and save more money and buy an excellent example. You wont regret it.
hasnt anyone addressed the issue that he is coming to a ferrari enthusaist site to ask if he should by a honda? lol
I say go for the NSX. Less surprises, more reliable, and nobody will hang you if you modify it. I think they are great cars with lots of enthusiastic owners. I have not met an NSX owner that was not really happy with their choice of car. Good luck! BT
With your budget I would get the NSX. Not only that you could put more miles on the NSX and take less of hit if you want to sell it.
Nuno did, and I agree. My recommendation for the Porsche was due to a $30K budget being way low for Ferrari ownership.
If you have a limited budget......don't buy a 'cheap' Ferrari. Rule of thumb....there is no such thing as a cheap Ferrari. Buy the NSX......save your $$ and step up to a Ferrari when the time is right
I would say get the NSX, just for the reliability and the affordability. Even if you have to take it in to get it repaired, it shouldn't be Ferrari expensive to have it fixed. The added expense (Ferrari)in the back of your mind could really ruin the experience. The 348 could leave you for broke fast, especially if something breaks, and an engine out service is required. Stay away from salvage title anything, just because when it comes time to sell it, you won't get your money back.
I was suprised to see someone asking whether to buy a Honda or a Ferrari in here? Hmmm... Sort of like asking your wife's friends and family if you should you should hook up with the young neighbor girl? This site is a family of people who share a passion. If you have to ask yourself Honda or Ferrari you do not possess the passion. You might as well continue your shopping with the Lancer EVO, WRX STi...
Sounds like you're trying to a buy a car outside of your budget. Be honest with yourself. The NSX will require next to no maintenance. Parts are cheap, because they are shared with other cars. For example, the NSX A/C compressor is the same as an Integra. That makes it a $150 part, instead of a several thousand dollar part. Plus your regular mechanic can work on the NSX, most won't want to touch the 348 for fear of messing up and being held responsible. I'm not sure where you are seeing 348s for $25-36K. Even higher mileage examples seem to be north of $40K. However, on the flip side, I don't see why people insist on looking for concourse quality cars when looking for an entry level Ferrari for driving. As long as the drivetrain and mechanics are solid, why not get an "average" example and save $10-20K? These cars have pretty much depreciated as far as they will go. I'm not saying buy a basket case. Maybe it's the snob mentality. Buy one that already has a door dent or a few scratches, it'll save you from freaking out when it happens to your presitine 10,000 mile example with the plastic still on the seats. Both cars have pretty much bottomed out for price. Early 90s NSXs sell for more now than they did 5-7 years ago.
it's funny that i've seen the word passion listed several times in this thread, yet NO ONE seems to understand that soichiro honda (founder) had probably equal passion as enzo himself did.. the difference is the route they took with their cars and who they marketed/appealed to in the long run. comparing a car like an NSX to a Ferrari isn't really too far off in terms of the "passion" involved with the cars (not the crazy $$, the pretentious owners, and the general lack of knowledge that floats around with a lot of F-owners regarding other brands..). both were rabid fans of motorsports and racing, and both are heavily involved in F1, etc.. the NSX was a great car for what it's worth and some of the japanese examples will run circles around some newer F-cars including the 355 and 360 on the track. take two seconds to pull the plugs out of your butts, step back, and THINK for two seconds rather than just start spouting off at the mouth about "passion" and "it's a Ferrari, all others bow down" before actually speaking. considering that most owners on here will never track their cars for what they are worth (considering they were built out of this so called "passion"), and would most likely get smoked by an NSX anyway, then there's really no reason to even talk about it. i respect the members on this board who actually put their money where their mouth is and race their cars for real (not the random organized "track day"), but to the rest that sit idly on the sidelines throwing rocks, before you speak, THINK. full discolsure: i DO NOT own an NSX although i respect the car (after researching the car indepth and realizing the attention to detail put into the car, especially the NSX-R) and appreciate it for the extraordinary machine that it is. and no, the NSX is not just another honda. a civic is a honda. and that wonderful variable valve timing (just like in those F-cars), came from where else?? those "hondas"..
Perfectly well said, I second that. Even though I owned an NSX long before the 9 Ferraris, I can't imagine why would anyone compare the 2 as a prospective purchase. They are both fine cars, but they are also completely different breeds.
