The economics of supply and demand mean that some cars can command serious markups while others are subject to awesome discounts. One of the latest examples: If you are shopping for a Civic Type R, good luck! But if you have the cash for an Acura NSX, I have better news for you.
While the NSX and Civic Type R are wildly different cars—also at a massive price gap—they are arguably the two most important performance cars in Honda/Acura’s lineup. Both have a legacy to uphold and appeal to a specific buyer that has been longing for a serious performance car from Honda Motor Company.
Currently, the market for the Civic Type R can be difficult if you want to score one anywhere near MSRP. Most dealers that offered them for sticker price sell their cars before they arrive, and the ones that are left are saddled with hefty dealer markups.
Here, for example, is one with a ridiculous asking price of almost $60,000... for a Civic. But it’s not uncommon to see dealers asking $10,000 or more for the chance to buy a Type R.
The reason for these prices is obvious: There is more demand than supply, and when some dealers have more buyers than cars, they will take advantage of it.
But when the market cools and the first batch of buyers pay top dollar, those that waited are able to score some killer deals, which is exactly what has happened with the NSX.
The NSX has been out for a while and despite the long gestation time and hype, it turns out the car is actually pretty damn awesome. It’s not the same as the original NSX, but it’s not supposed to be. What it is is a “bargain” hybrid supercar, especially compared with the likes of the Porsche 918 and McLaren P1.
Not only are some Acura dealers offering $10,000 or more off the MSRP, there is a forum thread where one NJ dealer is advertising an insane $44,800 discount on a brand new 2017 NSX.
That means you can buy a new NSX and still have enough money left over to get a stupidly marked up Civic Type R.
Update: Here’s what the folks at Acura had to say about this:
The NSX is a made-to-order vehicle, but in some cases, dealers have ordered inventory units, especially early in production, to showcase front-and-center in their dealerships. Most new buyers are special ordering NSXs to their unique, individual taste, opting to wait for a custom build rather than purchase a unit from inventory. In addition, many of these customers are visiting the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio to witness and participate in the build of their custom car.
In certain cases, we’ve provided lease and financing assistance to our dealers to help them find homes for inventory units. Ultimately, we want NSXs on the road, as there’s no better way to build awareness for the car or the brand. We remain incredibly happy with how the NSX has been received by our customers.
(Jalopnik reached out to the dealership to get confirmation that these advertised prices were legit. We were told that the salesman that specializes in NSX sales was out delivering a new NSX to a customer. We will update this post if we get a response.)