zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?
At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?-March 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:34

Image for article titled At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?

It took Acura more than a decade to bring about a successor to its much-loved original NSX, but as today’s candidate shows, there’s no waiting for that successor on the pre-owned market. Let’s see just how much of a success its price proves to be.

It’s somewhat surprising to look at the small cars of today — the Golf, Mini or Fiat 500, for instance — in comparison to their ancestral editions. In that light, the new cars seem absolutely huge. That’s partly a factor of the necessary safety and convenience features that modern cars must carry to be legal and competitive. Yesterday’s was one of those old-school cars, and it had none of that safety and convenience baloney. Hell, entry to that Fiat was gained through portals whose rear-hinged operation earned themthe unfortunate nickname of “suicide doors.”

That’s not to say that the little Fiat didn’t have appeal. It was cute as a bug, and with its Abarth underpinnings and engine upgrades it likely would be one of those famed fun slow cars to drive fast. Unfortunately for the seller, the $10,700 asking price meant it wasn’t going anywhere. That was according to the 57 percent of you who voted it down in a No Dice loss.

The 600 played bigger brother to the older 500. That model had a laudable initial run of 18 years, then settling in for a Rip Van Winkle-like 32-year slumber until it was reconstituted as a new retro-styled model in 2007. That’s a sizable gap in the run, but then the new 500 shares only its name and a hint of its styling with its ancestor.

Image for article titled At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?

Today’s represents another model that had a fairly lengthy hiatus between editions. The first NSX, born of Accord and Ayrton Senna, arrived in 1989 for the ’90 model year and continued in production through the end of 2005. When that model’s assembly line went dark, Acura promised that the model would be back, eventually.

It took Acura and its parent company, Honda, 11 years to make good on that promise with the late 2016 introduction of the second generation NSX. Leading up to that introduction was an interminable wait for production cars to hit the road after literally years of the new model being teased in promos, movies and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Yeah, Seinfeld, I’m looking at you.

Image for article titled At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?

Much like the modern Fiat 500 having little to do with its namesake, the new NSX eschews the lightness and relative simplicity of its predecessor. Instead, the new hybrid NSX serves as a technological tour de force for Honda’s engineering and design capabilities. At least the gas engine is still behind the driver, unlike the similarly reconstituted Fiat 500, which migrated its mill to the front.

Along with that over-the-shoulder 3.5 liter V6, this NSX carries three electric motors — two in the front and a single helper motor sandwiched between the 500-horsepower gas motor and the 9-speed dual-clutch auto/manual gearbox. This arrangement gives the NSX 573 horsepower in total, and AWD delivers limpet-like grip. Adaptive suspension and exhaust mean that it can make use of all of that power, or just some of it, as the mood demands.

Image for article titled At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?

You’d think that a car with such venerated history and amazing technological bona fides would sell like hotcakes. Sadly, that has not been the case. Part of the reason for that is likely the new NSX’s eyebrow-raising price tag, which starts at $157,000 and when fully optioned can tickle the toes of $200k.

This one is far less than that, and it looks for all intents to be as-new. Well, not quite, but we’ll get to that in a minute. To be certain, it’s not new. It has 16,605 miles of use under its belt. That’s not a lot and there doesn’t seem to be much evidence of even those few miles in either the white exterior paint or the red and black leather/Alcantara interior. That all should take the sting out of its apparent depreciation.

Image for article titled At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?

Another plus is the addition of the ceramic brake rotor option. That cost a staggering $10,600 to add when new. Here, it’s like you’re getting them for free. On the downside, the car comes with an aftermarket exhaust installed. The original pieces are included in the sale, but if you don’t go for such shenanigans you’ll need to account for the refitting in your buying decision. Also, those red wheels that the car wears in most of the pictures stay with the seller. The car wears its factory alloys out the door. Those are wrapped in Continental meats.

Image for article titled At $120,000, Is This 2017 Acura NSX Worth The Wait?

The asking price for all this is $120,000, which buys you a clean-title car and entry into a fairly exclusive club. As I noted, the new NSX has not been a big seller for Acura. In this model year, they managed to move only 581 cars off dealer lots.

The question for you is whether, at $120,000, this NSX should move into a new owner’s home. What do you say, does that seem like a sane price for such a crazy cool car? Or, does that price make this NSX DOA?

You decide!

Denver, Colorado,, or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Don C. for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Check Out This Conversation With a BMW Dealer Who Really Didn't Want to Sell a Used M3
Check Out This Conversation With a BMW Dealer Who Really Didn't Want to Sell a Used M3
When it comes to buying pre-owned cars, I always stress the . Getting a second opinion is more crucial for some cars than others. It’s especially important if it’s a performance-oriented car without a warranty. That is why you should always be suspicious of a dealer, like the one below,...
Mar 22, 2026
At $11,980, Is This 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt a Classic for a New Generation?
At $11,980, Is This 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt a Classic for a New Generation?
There are very few truly iconic movie cars. There are even fewer cars like today’s Mustang that try to recapture that movie magic for today’s enthusiasts. Let’s see if this Ford’s price makes it box-office boffo. Let’s be honest here—if you’re going to have a special edition car, notably one...
Mar 22, 2026
At $3,200, Would You Put Your Designs On This 2000 Mercedes E320 ‘designo’ Edition?
At $3,200, Would You Put Your Designs On This 2000 Mercedes E320 ‘designo’ Edition?
Designo sounds like the worst superhero ever, one whose super power is infallible fashion sense. It also sounds like today’s Mercedes E class, which features special trim and… some other attributes. You know who would have liked yesterday’s ? Oscar the Grouch, that’s who. The monobrowed would not only have...
Mar 22, 2026
You Can Get Up to $5,000 Off a Wonderful Lexus LC Coupe Right Now
You Can Get Up to $5,000 Off a Wonderful Lexus LC Coupe Right Now
The flagship coupes, Jalopnik favorites, are apparently getting a dealer cash incentive until the end of the month. This is big if you’re currently in the market for one. With starting MSRPs of $92,995 and $97,505 respectively for the LC 500 and LC500h, the cars aren’t exactly cheap to buy....
Mar 22, 2026
The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Is An Electrified Car That Doesn't Demand Compromises
The 2018 Honda Clarity Plug-In Is An Electrified Car That Doesn't Demand Compromises
Every electric car asks you for something. Maybe it’s asking you to deal with range anxiety, maybe it’s a steep price. Some just feel weird or give up too much space to their conventionally powered counterparts. The 2018 Plug-In Hybrid, though, doesn’t ask you for anything. It’s just a car,...
Mar 22, 2026
The 2019 Genesis G70 Should Make German Automakers Very Nervous
The 2019 Genesis G70 Should Make German Automakers Very Nervous
Of the three current Genesis offerings, I was most excited for the . The smaller and more athletic one. The one with a manual. And rear-wheel drive. And a mechanical limited-slip differential and launch control. The sports sedan. It didn’t disappoint at all. If the Germans think they can keep...
Mar 22, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved