If the NSX was in great condition. Hands down, I wouldn't even think of the Lexus.

NSX + rusted K car

 

Amen to that
-hass

 

Depends on what beater you had in mind... I guess if the beater was a Ford Maverick I'd be leaning more towards keeping the IS.

But with a solid beater... Honda Civic, Accord, maybe an older GS300 or ES... I'd be all over the NSX. There are several good independent shops that can/will service the NSX for less than dealer prices. The NSX is an exotic, but at the end of the day, it's still a Honda- it's unlikely it would ever leave you stranded.

I'd do a few things to it:

-Update the alignment (less toe-in on the rear)
-Change the Main Relay (these have been known to fail, car won't start)
-Make sure the clutch is in good shape
-Save up a few bucks for the big 90K service. It will cost you about $2K+ to do the timing belt/plugs/belts/hoses, but the car will be good until 180K
-springs & shocks
-wheels & tires (the OE 15/16" wheels look ridiculous!)

-Enjoy!

 

How much more significant is the reliability of an IS250 over a late 90/early 2000 civic or corolla? My guess is not much. When you have a well built car with lots of simple mechanical parts, hardly does it ever go wrong and if it does, it's only a minor fix. Remember, these cars are known to last at least 250k miles on the odometer with no major mechanical failure. And besides, the IS250 hasn't been out long enough to know how reliable it is relative to a civic/corolla


But back to the topic, NSX plus a beater would be my choice. Driving a beater for awhile and then jumping back into the NSX will give you that great feeling. Do that all the time and you'll never get bored of the car. I'd personally be bored of the IS250 if I had to drive it every day. A few minutes in an NSX will surely make up for the days you drive the beater

 

Thanks. I couldn't remember if they were 15/16 or 16/17"

 

94+ models came with the 16/17" wheels.
You might be able to find a set if used 16/17s
or 17/17 off of the 2000+ cars.

I went with 17/18" 5Zigen FN01-RCs with Toyo tires....
looks killer with the Eibach/Bilstein combination

 

Oh yea..another reason you should hop into the NSX is because you have an opportunity to do so. Not too many people have that kind of chance to be able to get an NSX. It's one of those things you must do once in your lifetime.

You can always get an IS250 again as a beater down the road since they're everywhere, but an NSX? Take your chances

 

I basically did the same thing as you and sold my 06 IS350. I bought an 03 NSX and leased a Honda Accord as my "beater". Let's just say I am in heaven

 

ditto . . . . . .

 

i'd go with NSX+beater too.

totally worth it

 

I'd keep the IS250 as a daily driver. I cant imagine driving corolla as a daily driver after having owned IS.

 

If i could sell my 250 and get a reasonable NSX i would too, but there aint too many reasonable 10-15 y.o NSXs around.

I give the NSX credit for being timeless and on performance. Not quite rare as hen's teeth but rare enough to be THE choice sports car up to now.

 

Agree. If you can swing the $.

Life is short, as mentioned above, but I guess it comes down to how much you will enjoy the NSX on the weekends v. having to drive the beater every day.

I'd rather have a nice car to drive every day.

 

wow...total no brainer if you ask me (i previously owned a 05 NSX targa). my first day on here...having had many cars i would say you have had your fun with the IS and its time to retire it. The IS isnt going anywhere anytime soon. Drive the NSX for a year and then get the ISF....

i never did anything to the car but change the tires. Yes i read someone posted that the tires wear fast. this is so ture. i think the OEM window sticker says 7k miles if you are lucky. depends on how you drive the car. the hardest thing is to not drive it all the time as it is soo much fun!

i lost my car but made a lot of money off it as it was wrapped on the expressway in rain. both me and my passenger walked away from the car.

glad to meet everyone!

 

This can be mitigated a little by going with a different toe setting. As with most things, you have to give to get as the handling will probably suffer slightly.