Edmunds | Help Contact Editor Sign In | Follow Inside Line
We dropped our 1991 Acura NSX off at Autowave this morning to finally extinguish the SRS warning light that's been staring us in the eye. It took some time, but now parts are in and the car is in. We look forward to getting her back on the road soon.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 54,815 miles
In a recent interview, Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda listed his favorite Japanese cars that were/are not made by Toyota. Surprisingly enough, Akio did not mention the Insight or Crosstour when bringing up Toyota's main rival, Honda, but instead took a trip in the way back machine to single out the Honda NSX. And why not? Not only is is stunning and a masterpiece of form and function, but Toyota didn't have anything to compete with it. Plus, Toyoda's a car guy and like most of us, he's got a soft spot for the NSX. I bet he likes the M3 and Corvette, too.
To see the other cars on his list, click here.
Mike Magrath, Features Editor, Inside Line
As Mark has already remarked, working the wheel of our NSX while parking can be a bit of a workout, especially if you have sore arms from overzealous rock wall climbing. My bigger gripe is that this two-seat sports car has a turning circle that rivals a Tahoe's. Indeed, at 38 feet, the NSX's turning circle is just one foot less than that Chevy SUV's. By comparison, our long-term 911's specs out at 34 feet.
During my otherwise ridiculously enjoyable time with the NSX this weekend, I had to execute a couple of U-turns and was unpleasantly surprised when I couldn't do it in one shot. With no engine sitting between the wheelhouses nor crazy-wide tires, I don't know why Acura couldn't have allowed more steering lock. That is, to allow the wheels to turn more so that the turning circle would be smaller. That said, I otherwise love the non-assisted steering that provides great feedback and progressively building effort as you crank the NSX into the curves.
John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 55,150 miles.
I've been hitting a local indoor rock climbing gym and last night I overdid it. I essentially ended up with a pair of useless arms that could barely get the door open; you know, T-Rex arms. But that was just the beginning of my problems.
Welcome to premium audio, circa 1991.
Yet this big ol' trunk-mounted factory CD changer wasn't enough for the previous owner of our longterm 1991 Acura NSX.
"You've never heard of the Aluminum Falcon? It's the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs!"
"You're making that up. A parsec is a unit of distance, not time. It's like saying I made it from Los Angeles to New York in 1,200 miles."
"Shut up. How about it's made out of aluminum, it has a huge cargo hold for such an exotic sports ship and it has the first hyperdrive to feature VTEC! Sure, the cabin smells suspiciously like damp Wookiee, but there's a whole closet full of my clothing available for you to wear should you need a change. I'm looking at you Lando. Oh, And pop-up headlights! Because, you know, it's dark in space and they come in super handy when you fly into a giant space worm."
Captain Han Riswick, Don't Get Cocky Kid @ 945,600 hours
When we drove the one-of-a-kind Acura NSX used in The Avengers movie, we naturally brought our 1991 NSX along for the ride. Here are some shots of our 1991 long-term NSX with the stunningly elegant car from the movie that is Tony Stark's personal NSX Roadster.
The NSX used in the movie was actually built around a 1991 NSX. You can read more about its transformation in this story on Inside Line:
Driving The Avengers Acura NSX Roadster
More photos after the jump...
At some point during its prior ownership, our longterm 1991 Acura NSX was sandwiched between two vehicles. Likely it was rear-ended at a stop which then nosed the car's pointy prow into the car in front of it. Doesn't appear to have been a colossal crunching.
It's speculation on my part. Here's what I see. Beyond the earlier cues of dewey tailights and leaky trunk there's some light mottling of the paint on the wing like it's been resprayed, the decklid doesn't quite sit flush no matter how much you fiddle with the stops, and there's some crazing evident beneath the paint on the nose like it, too, has been repainted.
None of it is terrible, but it would've been spotted by a good PPI and at minimum used as a bargaining chip. Carfaxes are helpful but don't always tell the whole story - the Carfax for this car has no accidents reported.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
Honda released this little commercial, chronicling notable vehicles in the company's history. Somewhere, right in the middle, is a silver NSX; just like our beloved long-termer. I have no idea what the announcer is saying, but apparently, it's overall theme is, "We won't be beaten." I'll get Frio to translate, hopefully. Click through to see the video, plus a bonus.
After an initial estimate from our local Acura dealer to fix the SRS warning light in our NSX we decided to get a second opinion. This time we went to Autowave in Huntington Beach, a local Acura/Honda specialist. It also happens to be well versed in the ways of the NSX.
They agreed to take a look and seemed familiar with the problem. Later that day I got a call from Shane who said that the SRS control unit was indeed bad as the dealer had originally diagnosed. He had already done a little research and was able to source a replacement for a few hundred dollars. Combined with the labor involved to install and test the new part, the bill from Autowave was still going to be less than half what the dealer was asking. Needless to say, we're going to give it a shot. We'll let you know how it goes when the part arrives.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line @ 54,815 miles
We've been annoyed by the lean-and-reach center stack and audio/climate controls in our long-term Toyotas. The Sienna comes to mind, and the Camry isn't much better. Most of us liked the Kia Optima's upright center stack that canted toward the driver. The Infiniti M56's bulging waterfall center was pretty classy, and the Volvo S60's brushed metallic suspended vee-stack is just painfully Scandinavian hip.
But the NSX's sloping center stack still wins after all these years. Easy reach, every thing at hand, and adds a subtle dynamic effect to the cabin.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor
Our longterm 1991 Acura NSX's turn signal lever is so... dainty.
That is all.
Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor
"Hey, will this thing hold a normal, non-carry-on piece of luggage?" I ask Takahashi as I'm leaving the office. "Yep."
Okay! I had an airport run and thought it would be fun to do in the NSX as opposed to something normal, new and convenient. (Plus, it was for the GF's sister who doesn't like fast driving and I figured I could have some fun with her.)
It didn't work out that way.
After 21 years of service, the under side of our NSX is showing some wear. Most specifically, the airdam. Photog Kurt Niebuhr mentioned in a previous post that the airdam touches down in some corners when driving aggressively on back roads.
And I'll admit the front kissed the pavement once or twice in the midst of my spirited road trip to Laguna Seca, Part 1 and Part 2.
Steep driveways have also proved problematic for the NSX, despite our best efforts to angle the car in properly. To sum up, there's been some scraping, as much as it pains us.
So Mark Takahashi and I put the NSX on our Rotary Lift to inspect the level of damage.
Following yesterday's Acura NSX Road Trip, Part 1, here's more in-car action of my recent road trip to Laguna Seca. This is another fantastic bit of completely deserted, ultra-twisty California back road.
Great times in a great car.
Follow the jump for the video:
Late last week I took the Acura NSX on a road trip to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca near Monterey, California for a press event. But just sticking to Interstate 5 North or the 101 is boring. It's gotta be back roads. Or else, why bother?
And California's Central Valley has some of the best ones in the country, super twisty with exceedingly little traffic.
Follow the jump for some in-car video, to give you just a bit of the sensation of the NSX's glorious music.
Yesterday we dropped our 1991 Acura NSX off at Santa Monica Acura to diagnose the issue behind our SRS warning light. There was a $148.88 fee to open up the car and locate the problem. We said okay.
Later that afternoon our advisor called, "Mike, I hoped the light was seat belt related so that we could cover it under warranty. After digging around we found the SRS control unit needed to be replaced instead. That job will cost $1,713."
We have dealt with this advisor, Henry, for years, dating back to when he was at a another dealership. He has always been up-front with us, which is why we keep going back. I told him we'd like to get another opinion. He understood. Then I asked him what we could do about the initial diagnosis fee. He was able to knock it down to $99.95, which was better than nothing.
We're off to another garage to see if we can save some dough.
Total Cost: $99.95
Days out of service: 1
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 54,675 miles
We dropped our 1991 Acura NSX off at Santa Monica Acura this morning to address the SRS warning light that Mike mentioned yesterday. A brief conversation with our service advisor taught us a couple of things concerning our situation.
One, if the SRS warning is due to an issue with the seatbelt system then our visit is covered under warranty. Acura offers lifetime seatbelt repairs. Cool. But two, if the problem is not belt-related, the diagnosis fee is $150. Well, $148.88 to be precise.
We'll get to the bottom of the issue and let you know how it goes.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 54,673 miles
I had barely gotten my road trip to Monterey/Laguna Seca going in the NSX, and this SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light came on.
So we'll add this airbag problem to the list of things (including the horrible-sounding audio system) we need to have looked at on the NSX.
Oh, and my road trip report will also be coming shortly. I'm serious.
Mike Monticello, Road Test Editor @ 53,805 miles.
I'm heading up to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca today for a press event that's going on there tomorrow. My ride to and from? The Acura NSX.
Why?
Advertisement
Latest Poll
My next car will be:
Recent Posts
2012 Volvo S60 T5: Backseat Action
May 23, 2012 7:00 AM
1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata: The Door Bars
May 23, 2012 6:00 AM
2012 Ford Explorer XLT EcoBoost: Gets a Passing Mark for Road-Tripability
May 23, 2012 12:01 AM
2012 Toyota Prius C: Introduction
May 22, 2012 9:05 PM
2012 Audi A8L: The Sound of No Hands Clapping
May 22, 2012 4:46 PM
Advertisement
Tip the Editors
Got a breaking news tip for the Inside Line editors?
Send it to tips@edmunds.com
Awards
Vehicles
Past Vehicles
Browse Archives