1995 JDM NSX-T Dates of Manufacture for Importing to U.S.

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Hello everyone,

I'm looking into the process to import a 1995 Japanese NSX-T with M/T (edit: not anymore, read below) within a couple of months and I'm trying to learn what months that the '95 Targa began production in Japan to satisfy the 25 year import rule (:mad:) in the U.S.

The only info I've been able to glean from trawling through Google is from the NSX Wikipedia page, which states that the NSX-T was first available in the U.S. starting in March of 1995 and references a broken website link. Other than that, the only way I know of verifying the month of manufacture of any NA1 NSX is by reading the sticker on the inner door sill which states the month/year the car was produced since the VIN doesn't go into that much detail.

Is there any information at all about what month the 1995 NSX-T's actually started rolling out of the Tochigi plant? Is it safe to assume that there were examples in the Japanese domestic market starting in January of 1995? (edit: My best guess is most were made in Nov. 1994 to March 1995 and beyond)

I understand the process of importing a car here is extremely tedious and somewhat pointless since the NSX was always sold in the U.S., but it's one of my absolute dream cars and my ideal one is a unique RHD Honda version with the removable top and I'm willing to put up with the extra headaches.

Thanks for your help!

******EDIT #1 :
Thanks for your replies. My replies seem to be getting automatically deleted every time I try to post but I'm still trying..


I had to take my Japanese registration certificate at face value that my car was in fact an 11/1990 when I decided to purchase it in Japan back in 2015. Looking at similar cars, their chassis numbers, and what month of manufacture they were claimed to be put my mind at ease that it was in fact an 11/1990.
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drew's link above suggests that there was a very small number of M/T NA1 NSX-Ts produced with the chassis number range of 1300001 - 1400000. I've found most of these in that range to be automatics though.
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Honestly, I haven't seen any 1995-1996 M/T NSX-Ts for sale in Japan, so I would consider any 1995-1996 M/T NSX-T you could find regardless of how close to 25 years old it may be. Surprisingly, automatic was more desirable and plentiful than manual and usually the coupe was more desirable than the NSX-T. It will take you a few months to find the car I would think, and prices are going to be close to $100K.




The fact that JDM cars don't come with some sort of FMVSS sticker equivalent is disappointing considering it lists the exact month/year, and relying on the date of first registration may push back when I'm able to get a 1995 car here by a few months which is unfortunate. However, I've seen several examples of USDM 1995 NSX-T's that were produced as early as 11/94, which leads me to believe that November or even earlier may be the 25 year mark especially for JDM models, but I might have to get creative to find concrete data for a specific car at auction. Thanks for the info about the chassis numbers.


I had to take my Japanese registration certificate at face value that my car was in fact an 11/1990 when I decided to purchase it in Japan back in 2015. Looking at similar cars, their chassis numbers, and what month of manufacture they were claimed to be put my mind at ease that it was in fact an 11/1990.


If you don't mind my asking, what verification process did you go through at U.S. Customs for the mo/yr? Besides filling in the box on Form HS-7 saying you believe the car was manufactured at some point in time, what method do they use to cross-reference that besides the export documents saying the date of first registration? I'm not sure how much convincing it would take if the first registration was 2-3 months after the car was actually produced.


In general MT's are extremely rare in JDM, they go for about 2x of an AT. Also, JDM NSX's are priced higher than the USDM ones. The parts alone cost for an AT to MT conversion on an RHD is a solid +$10K, closer to $15K, as the RHD parts are just rare.


After reading your posts and getting some more data for M/T's at auction I agree manuals going for 40-50% more at least, which surprised me considering the relatively minor premium they bring in the U.S. This leads me to plan instead to import a low mileage A/T NSX-T, hopefully from '95, and swap it to manual in the U.S. myself. A/T NSX's in Japan seem to be going for quite a bit cheaper than their U.S. counterparts at least.


So far my parts list puts me in the green in terms of relative value of buying a U.S. Targa versus a JDM M/T swap, even more so if it weren't for things like the shifter linkages that are $800 from Acura lol so I'm going to have to go salvage for some stuff. Plus I would be getting a lower mileage car with a completely new/refurbished transmission and upgraded gearing/final drive and various wear parts which is always nice.


I have yet to see a 1995-96 NSX-T go up at auction regardless of transmission, but hopefully they're just uncommon versus the 1990-1994 models and don't bring another huge price increase over the coupe versions as this would throw a wrench in my economics calculations. I'm lurking around to see what happens when one comes up for auction, but if anyone has data or contacts for where 1995's are going up for sale I would appreciate it.


And great looking car zangief! I would be interested to hear your experiences since I will hopefully be going through the same process soon.

*****EDIT #2 - My replies are still automatically deleted and I can't fix it so doing this in the meantime as an annoying workaround.
In general MT's are extremely rare in JDM, they go for about 2x of an AT. Also, JDM NSX's are priced higher than the USDM ones. The parts alone cost for an AT to MT conversion on an RHD is a solid +$10K, closer to $15K, as the RHD parts are just rare.

...

> my ideal one is a unique RHD Honda version with the removable top

It appears the car you are looking for is likely going be extremely unique. There is probably some MT-T conversion in JDM land, but don't expect it to be reasonably priced.. Happy Hunting.

Hi again drew (no option for me to send PM's, apologies),

I agree with your assessment that NSX-T's are simply rare across the board in Japan as I've recently discovered, as I've only come across one at auction for three months and read another random Yahoo posting that implied there were only 63 or so 1995 T's sold in Japan (not sure if that's just for that color or total in Japan). I've switched my focus to researching importing an automatic 1990-1994 model and converting it myself in the U.S. or getting a specialist shop in Japan to perform the work for easier parts sourcing.

From your past posts I see you have experience performing your own M/T swap, do you have any updates or writeups on that process? I've been in contact with Science of Speed and others to get an idea of what would be required to DIY the swap myself here in the U.S., but have been told by SoS I would need a half-cut or entire wrecked M/T car to be able to get all of the parts to do the swap, which has scared me off of doing it here.

Based on my parts lists so far that was scrounged up from across this forum, I've come up with a mostly comprehensive list that totals about $8000 from various domestic and international suppliers for everything but the engine work (M/T spec cams, ECU, harmonic balancer, valve springs) which I would plan to do myself at a later date with my YouTube Master Automotive Technician Certification.

Do you agree that it would be too difficult to source all the required parts myself? I'm unsure if I'm missing some huge component or unseen roadblock since I believe a have a fairly comprehensive list, and besides things that are abnormally expensive like the shifter change bracket/assembly (~$250), shifter linkages (~$700), and M/T specific center half-shaft/intermediate shaft (~$600) plus all of the million little bolts, gaskets, and whatever that I've added a price buffer to account for, I think I've accounted for all the major parts.

Below is the list I've made up, which may include unnecessary parts as I intended for it to be conservative, or may exclude some key component I don't yet know about.
-5 spd. SoS rebuild trans. w/short gears/4.23 final drive (not sure if I need to swap parts of the LSD to account for new gear ratios yet)
-Sport 275 lb-ft Clutch & Flywheel kit
-Clutch alignment tool
-Flywheel bolts
-Clutch slave hose kit from SoS to bypass factory hard line
-Engine/trans Mounts Left/Rear
-Center Half-shaft (intermediate shaft)
-Driver side axle (some say it's different between A/T and M/T, some not)
-Flywheel inspection plate
-Hanger A&B/stiffener brace/driveshaft hanger (whatever this is)
-Shift cables/linkages
-Shifter assembly
-Base/side brake change bracket
-Shift bracket, change lever
-Shift knob
-M/T ECU (only if cams/balancer/springs are also changed)
-M/T Wiring harness (I would probably just modify the existing A/T one)
-M/T TCS ECU (don't believe it's necessary to swap for 1990-1994 models)
-M/T Cruise control ECU (likely just need to change or wire the pulse unit/diff speed sensor)
-M/T Brake pedal + bracket
-Clutch pedal assembly w/2 switches + bracket
-Clutch master cylinder
-Clutch slave cylinder
-Clutch accumulator (I believe will be bypassed with the SoS dampener delete)
-Clutch A,B,C lines (Should be bypassed by the SoS kit though my understanding may be lacking, I know there is an easy workaround available somewhere)
-Clutch reservoir
-Half case Honda M/T fluid
-Hondabond + Urea grease
-1 zillion misc. bolts, clips, hoses I've added 10% contingency for
-EDIT: M/T gauge cluster, but I plan on using that cool S2000 cluster mod at a later date anyways.


Am I missing something that would make DIY-ing this a bad idea? I fear I may be missing something here.

Thanks for your help.

And thank you for your replies usafdarkhorse, this is very useful information for me. As somewhat of a bittersweet consolation personally, I won't have to deal with the 25 year rule at this point since I will be looking at 1990-1994 models due to the rarity of '95-'96 models appearing.

*****EDIT 3: still editing..
Here you go at US$89K (98M yen)
https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d342178754
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I recommend you find a RHD nsx and drive it around in your LHD drive world....extremely challenging to say the least. The car will be valued at 50% inside the States.

It might be a profit car to bring into to America and sell it to an Australian then register and insure it for a couple of years for AU importation (I don't know the rules, but NSX in AU are priced high enough to possiblyu make this a worthwhile venture.

Yup, I think that was the specific car & description I was referring to earlier. Suffice to say that my budget doesn't allow for that rare of a combination, lol.

I would be interested to try driving RHD in a LHD country, as I have driven a manual in Japan before and it was certainly challenging though not as bad as I thought and not exactly a good analogue. Fortunately for me, this is a non-issue as I don't mind the difficulties associated with the mismatch in handedness. I don't plan on daily-ing the NSX and going through many drive-throughs, and I fully understand the issues with keeping centered in your lane, left turns on unprotected lights, overtaking in certain scenarios, and the mirrored turn signals/wipers/gearshift or whatever else you could think of. After all this I would still prefer the RHD version as the cost-benefit works for me.

I also don't plan on selling the car for many years to come and resale, though obviously important, is something I will deal with hopefully in a decade or longer. I figure worst-case I will export it to a RHD country and lose a couple thousand, which I'm willing to absorb.

All these things being considered, would you be willing to share your transmission conversion experience? I really would value your first-hand input.

*****EDIT 4: I might be going for the forum record on number of edits since everything is still being auto-deleted.
Totally disagree.

I drove a LHD Ford F250 truck in Japan for work for years and I drive a RHD NSX in the US now. There are so many cars in Japan that are LHD that they specifically cater to both of them. In the US, sometimes I forget there's a difference until someone points it out. Your blind spot areas change and you just get used to it. If you want to pass someone on a 2 lane road, you get in the habit of looking out in front of them on the right instead of the left. I'm not sure where the 50% stat comes from either. :confused:


Big, I would recommend you get a LHD car here in the US simply for records, cost, and accessibility to them. It's hard to find records on vehicles in Japan, and unless you go and look at the car yourself you're not going to have a good idea of its condition until it shows up at the port and then at your doorstep. Skyline GT-R guys are finding that out the hard way.

I agree, I don't believe driving RHD will be that big of a deal for me. 50% seems a bit high of an estimate, though drew was right in that M/T cars go for 2x+ the price of A/T in Japan. I agree the market for RHD cars here is smaller, but I'm not hugely concerned by it when I plan to keep the car for many years to come.

I also agree that the records for a US car will on average be better and not every auction car there comes with them, this is one of my main concerns. I will have any car I want to bid on inspected by my broker and probably again by another 3rd party service as an added measure, though this obviously won't show internal/drivetrain problems. I would hope they would be thorough enough to spot previous exterior damage and whatnot, and I'm very exacting in my specifications for what problem areas to look for. In addition, since I'm planning on swapping the transmission, that solves pretty much any transmission related problem that might be held over from previous owners. Do you have examples of GT-R importers getting burned? It might be useful for me to try and learn from it or maybe dissuade me from going through the process.

In terms of cost, I have been comparing average values of US models versus getting an A/T JDM and converting it at a shop in Japan, versus doing the conversion myself, and especially in the case where I would perform the swap myself the final cost with everything considered works out in my favor. This is why I'm trying to find as much info as I can about the process to see if it's doable, lol. I worry that I might not find a key part or something will be too expensive to justify.

One good counterpoint example may be that '91 NSX that just sold for $43,250 on BaT, which would put it about the same price if I had imported a similar mileage JDM example and swapped it myself. However, it doesn't account for the fact that the JDM car would have effectively a new/rebuilt transmission with the clutch and every accessory component like the master/slave completely replaced, which for the clutch alone is a $2-3k value, plus new engine mounts, etc. PLUS, I would be swapping in a 4.23 final drive and short gears with converted LSD, which the other car wouldn't have. You might say that the JDM one has ~18 less b.h.p. than the US one, but that can more than be made up for with aftermarket exhaust headers for ~$1.5k. One the timing belt is being replaced I'd probably source the cams and valve myself for $2-3k and make it the same as the M/T original engine if I wanted, though the price might incentivize me to do other mods first.

Another important consideration is mileage, and many of the US cars in my price range have 80k+ miles and ones under $40k almost always have quite a bit over 100k miles. I could get a JDM A/T at 50k miles for the same price as one here with 100k miles once I swap the trans myself, so I'd consider that a bonus especially when I want to drive my car a lot. It can be hard to nail down the cost/benefit 100% because there is so much variation in NA1 prices due to transmission type, color, mileage, exterior condition, service records, accident history, number of owners, etc. but by my worst-case estimate, I might end up paying somewhere like $5k more than the average price in the U.S., but again that difference is hard to quantify especially when you look at how any listing on the internet for a U.S. M/T car that's available for more than a week has the car overpriced by $5-10k to start with anyways, lol. Cars listed for their market value always seem to get snatched up very quickly, which perhaps says something about the current US market dynamics for the NA1, and this sentiment is reflected in some other threads here on Prime.

Yes, US cars are much more accessible. I don't have anything to add to that, lol. I just want a RHD one more. I like the uniqueness and it's more appealing to me.


*****EDIT 5
Yes, the enviro in which the vehicle is driven matters. I frame my response in the Mad Max world of Los Angeles, where an RHD would not be reasonable, except for lazy non-commute driving. Doing the +80-mile round trip during a daily highly aggressive commute would be just difficult where every last inch of space on the road is a battleground.
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Currently a LHD NSX-T stateside is about US$60K. Seems fair based on known sale data.

The resale value of a RHD car in the US might be a tough sell, I'm estimating at US$50K due to the reduced pool of buyers. However, there may be a higher quality, but smaller, pool of RHD buyers and the vehicle may go for more, I dunno. I'm not one of those buyers.

Yes, as I mentioned in my edit above I agree with you that Japan NSX-T's are much more rare and expensive than I anticipated, so I've switched my focus to 1990-1994 models instead.

This (https://www.ebay.com/itm/1991-Acura...m43663.l44720&nordt=true&rt=nc&orig_cvip=true) 6-speed swapped NSX didn't meet a $36k reserve at 85k miles back in 2016, but it looks like it was being sold by Toprank International Vehicle Importers at (https://www.importavehicle.com/vehicles/10/1991-honda-nsx) and they were asking $44k when it sold. This seems a bit low (~$4000 less?) with all the reasonable improvements made to it and the mileage, so maybe you're right that they reduce the value by 5-10%, but again hard to say since it was 2016 and with a predictably small market. I'm sure it would've brought $50k on BaT as long as it endures the ridicule people would throw at it for being RHD, lol. Toprank has another tastefully modded black LHD for sale now for about $10k over market too, so who knows.
 
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You might direct this question to the UK board.

It appears there are zero, or very few, MT NA1's, verify for yourself as I just did a quick click tour.
http://jp-carparts.com/honda/cartypelist.php?maker=honda&type=NSX

In general MT's are extremely rare in JDM, they go for about 2x of an AT. Also, JDM NSX's are priced higher than the USDM ones. The parts alone cost for an AT to MT conversion on an RHD is a solid +$10K, closer to $15K, as the RHD parts are just rare.

There are RHD MT NSX's...probably not NA1 T's... in the USA already, you might bark those up. The RHD is very difficult to drive in the right in the USA.

Each to his own, but do consider that you are buying a higher priced JDM RHD car to take it to the US where it will be worth significantly less. Though I suppose it can always be exported to Australia as their laws have changed to allow such imports as well, and AU prices of the RHD NSX is insane. AU tends not to allow cars that have MT conversions as well, it's gotta be what the factory installed or it fails compliance.

> my ideal one is a unique RHD Honda version with the removable top

It appears the car you are looking for is likely going be extremely unique. There is probably some MT-T conversion in JDM land, but don't expect it to be reasonably priced.. Happy Hunting.
 
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It appears there are zero, or very few, MT NA1's, verify for yourself as I just did a quick click tour.
http://jp-carparts.com/honda/cartypelist.php?maker=honda&type=NSX

In general MT's are extremely rare in JDM, they go for about 2x of an AT. Also, JDM NSX's are priced higher than the USDM ones. The parts alone cost for an AT to MT conversion on an RHD is a solid +$10K, closer to $15K, as the RHD parts are just rare.

Thanks for your reply!

As I understand it, there is about a 2:1 ratio of A/T:M/T in Japan and there certainly are more A/T up for auction at any one time, but for example even just today there are two M/T NA1's and one NA2 ending this week, though in fairness they are 1992/1997 respectively and one is LHD.

I personally know of two clean A/T NA1's with about 50k miles and 100k miles each that sold within the past month or two on auction, both for about $8k-$10k less than what the Master NSX valuation sheet says they're worth (not that I'm planning on doing a M/T swap with that price difference at this point).

Is there some reference material you know of that has historical pricing for JDM M/T NA1's? I would be surprised and somewhat disappointed if they were worth more than 8-10% vs. A/T, but I haven't seen enough data to be sure and I'm sure you have more experience with it than I do.

Based on my research, as long as a M/T NSX-T sells for about 4.7 million yen or less it would about break even after all is said and done with the value of a USDM NSX-T, so that's my goal right now at least.


In reference to my initial question, I've found some FMVSS sticker data for USDM 1995 NSX-T's where serial numbers range from #000026 to #000434 , and the earliest dates of manufacture were 11/94 up until serial #000070 with the latest at 3/95 with examples at every month in between. Not sure how this translates to the JDM in any case, but I would guess it's safe to assume there were JDM NSX-T's built on 11/94 or maybe even earlier.

This also begs the question of how JDM chassis numbers correlate to MO/YR of manufacture since they don't have FMVSS stickers with the dates clearly spelled out, plus I still don't know how many NA1 RHD M/T NSX-T's were built in the first place.
 
If you're intent on buying a 95 model, you'll have to wait until next year. There's actually one for sale right now in Tokyo (black with updated fixed headlights). But i think this one was built in September 1995 if I remember the ad correctly. So you won't be able to attempt to import it until middle of next year. Some of the dealers do offer storage service so you can buy now and wait it out before shipping.

I actually just went through this process and bringing in a 1991 into the US. And in the spirit of Valentines day with the red color, here is a pic. I intend to document and do a write up of my experience when the car lands in about a month.

WhatsApp Image 2019-02-14 at 8.19.48 PM.jpeg
 
Congrats on the purchase! Looks super clean. I would be interested to see how your experience turns out since I'll be lurking for a few more months while hunting in any case.

Not sure why a reply I made earlier today hasn't been posted to the thread yet, but I cited some FMVSS sticker data for several 1995 USDM NSX-T's that were built starting on 11/94 onwards towards 3/95 at the latest. I'm sure production continued into the latter parts of the year, but it would be very surprising to me if somehow all the 1995 NSX-T's were produced for the USDM first and then afterwards for the JDM. This leads me to believe there are some JDM NSX-T's that were produced in Nov. 1994 or maybe even earlier.

> my ideal one is a unique RHD Honda version with the removable top

It appears the car you are looking for is likely going be extremely unique. There is probably some MT-T conversion in JDM land, but don't expect it to be reasonably priced.. Happy Hunting.
Is it really true that absolutely zero M/T 1995-96 NSX-T's were sold in Japan? I was under the impression that every 1995 model was a T-top and Honda made the coupe again in 1996. At this point I'll just take a sawzall and some copper tubing and make my own top :unconscious:
 
Hello everyone,

I'm looking into the process to import a 1995 Japanese NSX-T with M/T within a couple of months and I'm trying to learn what months that the '95 Targa began production in Japan to satisfy the 25 year import rule (:mad:) in the U.S.

The only info I've been able to glean from trawling through Google is from the NSX Wikipedia page, which states that the NSX-T was first available in the U.S. starting in March of 1995 and references a broken website link. Other than that, the only way I know of verifying the month of manufacture of any NA1 NSX is by reading the sticker on the inner door sill which states the month/year the car was produced since the VIN doesn't go into that much detail.

Is there any information at all about what month the 1995 NSX-T's actually started rolling out of the Tochigi plant? Is it safe to assume that there were examples in the Japanese domestic market starting in January of 1995?

I understand the process of importing a car here is extremely tedious and somewhat pointless since the NSX was always sold in the U.S., but it's one of my absolute dream cars and my ideal one is a unique RHD Honda version with the removable top and I'm willing to put up with the extra headaches.

Thanks for your help!


It's hard to say. Japanese cars do not have a sticker on the inner door sill that states month/year. All info is given by the chassis number/VIN, and Honda doesn't conventionally report that info like say Nissan does. You can easily find info on Nissan chassis numbers, but Honda is much harder.
I had to take my Japanese registration certificate at face value that my car was in fact an 11/1990 when I decided to purchase it in Japan back in 2015. Looking at similar cars, their chassis numbers, and what month of manufacture they were claimed to be put my mind at ease that it was in fact an 11/1990.

drew's link above suggests that there was a very small number of M/T NA1 NSX-Ts produced with the chassis number range of 1300001 - 1400000. I've found most of these in that range to be automatics though.

Maybe look through Japan car parts supplier websites and search for a part that's specific only to the NSX-T and see what month/year range it indicates.

Honestly, I haven't seen any 1995-1996 M/T NSX-Ts for sale in Japan, so I would consider any 1995-1996 M/T NSX-T you could find regardless of how close to 25 years old it may be. Surprisingly, automatic was more desirable and plentiful than manual and usually the coupe was more desirable than the NSX-T. It will take you a few months to find the car I would think, and prices are going to be close to $100K.
 
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Thanks for your replies. My replies seem to be getting automatically deleted every time I try to post but I'm still trying..

I had to take my Japanese registration certificate at face value that my car was in fact an 11/1990 when I decided to purchase it in Japan back in 2015. Looking at similar cars, their chassis numbers, and what month of manufacture they were claimed to be put my mind at ease that it was in fact an 11/1990.
...
drew's link above suggests that there was a very small number of M/T NA1 NSX-Ts produced with the chassis number range of 1300001 - 1400000. I've found most of these in that range to be automatics though.
...
Honestly, I haven't seen any 1995-1996 M/T NSX-Ts for sale in Japan, so I would consider any 1995-1996 M/T NSX-T you could find regardless of how close to 25 years old it may be. Surprisingly, automatic was more desirable and plentiful than manual and usually the coupe was more desirable than the NSX-T. It will take you a few months to find the car I would think, and prices are going to be close to $100K.


The fact that JDM cars don't come with some sort of FMVSS sticker equivalent is disappointing considering it lists the exact month/year, and relying on the date of first registration may push back when I'm able to get a 1995 car here by a few months which is unfortunate. However, I've seen several examples of USDM 1995 NSX-T's that were produced as early as 11/94, which leads me to believe that November or even earlier may be the 25 year mark especially for JDM models, but I might have to get creative to find concrete data for a specific car at auction. Thanks for the info about the chassis numbers.

I had to take my Japanese registration certificate at face value that my car was in fact an 11/1990 when I decided to purchase it in Japan back in 2015. Looking at similar cars, their chassis numbers, and what month of manufacture they were claimed to be put my mind at ease that it was in fact an 11/1990.

If you don't mind my asking, what verification process did you go through at U.S. Customs for the mo/yr? Besides filling in the box on Form HS-7 saying you believe the car was manufactured at some point in time, what method do they use to cross-reference that besides the export documents saying the date of first registration? I'm not sure how much convincing it would take if the first registration was 2-3 months after the car was actually produced.

In general MT's are extremely rare in JDM, they go for about 2x of an AT. Also, JDM NSX's are priced higher than the USDM ones. The parts alone cost for an AT to MT conversion on an RHD is a solid +$10K, closer to $15K, as the RHD parts are just rare.

After reading your posts and getting some more data for M/T's at auction I agree manuals going for 40-50% more at least, which surprised me considering the relatively minor premium they bring in the U.S. This leads me to plan instead to import a low mileage A/T NSX-T, hopefully from '95, and swap it to manual in the U.S. myself. A/T NSX's in Japan seem to be going for quite a bit cheaper than their U.S. counterparts at least.

So far my parts list puts me in the green in terms of relative value of buying a U.S. Targa versus a JDM M/T swap, even more so if it weren't for things like the shifter linkages that are $800 from Acura lol so I'm going to have to go salvage for some stuff. Plus I would be getting a lower mileage car with a completely new/refurbished transmission and upgraded gearing/final drive and various wear parts which is always nice.

I have yet to see a 1995-96 NSX-T go up at auction regardless of transmission, but hopefully they're just uncommon versus the 1990-1994 models and don't bring another huge price increase over the coupe versions as this would throw a wrench in my economics calculations. I'm lurking around to see what happens when one comes up for auction, but if anyone has data or contacts for where 1995's are going up for sale I would appreciate it.

And great looking car zangief! I would be interested to hear your experiences since I will hopefully be going through the same process soon.
 
The fact that JDM cars don't come with some sort of FMVSS sticker equivalent is disappointing considering it lists the exact month/year, and relying on the date of first registration may push back when I'm able to get a 1995 car here by a few months which is unfortunate. However, I've seen several examples of USDM 1995 NSX-T's that were produced as early as 11/94, which leads me to believe that November or even earlier may be the 25 year mark especially for JDM models, but I might have to get creative to find concrete data for a specific car at auction. Thanks for the info about the chassis numbers.

If you don't mind my asking, what verification process did you go through at U.S. Customs for the mo/yr? Besides filling in the box on Form HS-7 saying you believe the car was manufactured at some point in time, what method do they use to cross-reference that besides the export documents saying the date of first registration? I'm not sure how much convincing it would take if the first registration was 2-3 months after the car was actually produced.

Japanese Registration certificates should indicate month/year produced. I had a 1989 Skyline GT-R for a few years in Japan that I eventually imported back to the US in 2015. Looking at the VIN check for that car, records will tell you that Nissan built it in October 1989 and that's what the certificate said. Even when converted to the Export Certificate, these blocks carried over. I believe in some European markets that the date of first registration applies (eg, a 1991 NSX that sits on a showroom in the UK finally gets sold and registered in 1994, then it's a 1994), but Japan is pretty cut and dry with that.

That's the date format that you will generally input onto the NHTSA Form HS-7 and EPA Form 3520-1 (eg 12/1994). In fact, the EPA form is the only one that specifies it in that format, but the note under Code E (vehicle at least 21 years old) says that "Customs may require proof of age". Your Export Certificate (converted Japanese Registration cert) should qualify for that proof.

Once those forms are submitted and it's processed with CBP upon entry, make sure you retain the CBP Forms 3461 and 7501, your declaration and proof of release from CBP.
 
In general MT's are extremely rare in JDM, they go for about 2x of an AT. Also, JDM NSX's are priced higher than the USDM ones. The parts alone cost for an AT to MT conversion on an RHD is a solid +$10K, closer to $15K, as the RHD parts are just rare.

...

> my ideal one is a unique RHD Honda version with the removable top

It appears the car you are looking for is likely going be extremely unique. There is probably some MT-T conversion in JDM land, but don't expect it to be reasonably priced.. Happy Hunting.

Hi again drew (unsure if I can post and certainly can't send PM's, apologies),

I agree with your assessment that NSX-T's are simply rare across the board in Japan as I've recently discovered, as I've only come across one at auction for three months and read another random Yahoo posting that implied there were only 63 or so 1995 T's sold in Japan (not sure if that's just for that color or total in Japan). I've switched my focus to researching importing an automatic 1990-1994 model and converting it myself in the U.S. or getting a specialist shop in Japan to perform the work for easier parts sourcing.

From your past posts I see you have experience performing your own M/T swap, do you have any updates or writeups on that process? I've been in contact with Science of Speed and others to get an idea of what would be required to DIY the swap myself here in the U.S., but have been told by SoS I would need a half-cut or entire wrecked M/T car to be able to get all of the parts to do the swap, which has scared me off of doing it here.

Based on my parts lists so far that was scrounged up from across this forum, I've come up with a mostly comprehensive list that totals about $8000 from various domestic and international suppliers for everything but the engine work (M/T spec cams, ECU, harmonic balancer, valve springs) which I would plan to do myself at a later date with my YouTube Master Automotive Technician Certification.

Do you agree that it would be too difficult to source all the required parts myself? I'm unsure if I'm missing some huge component or unseen roadblock since I believe a have a fairly comprehensive list, and besides things that are abnormally expensive like the shifter change bracket/assembly (~$250), shifter linkages (~$700), and M/T specific center half-shaft/intermediate shaft (~$600) plus all of the million little bolts, gaskets, and whatever that I've added a price buffer to account for, I think I've accounted for all the major parts.

Below is the list I've made up, which may include unnecessary parts as I intended for it to be conservative, or may exclude some key component I don't yet know about.
-5 spd. SoS rebuild trans. w/short gears/4.23 final drive (not sure if I need to swap parts of the LSD to account for new gear ratios yet)
-Sport 275 lb-ft Clutch & Flywheel kit
-Clutch alignment tool
-Flywheel bolts
-Clutch slave hose kit from SoS to bypass factory hard line
-Engine/trans Mounts Left/Rear
-Center Half-shaft (intermediate shaft)
-Driver side axle (some say it's different between A/T and M/T, some not)
-Flywheel inspection plate
-Hanger A&B/stiffener brace/driveshaft hanger (whatever this is)
-Shift cables/linkages
-Shifter assembly
-Base/side brake change bracket
-Shift bracket, change lever
-Shift knob
-M/T ECU (only if cams/balancer/springs are also changed)
-M/T Wiring harness (I would probably just modify the existing A/T one)
-M/T TCS ECU (don't believe it's necessary to swap for 1990-1994 models)
-M/T Cruise control ECU (likely just need to change or wire the pulse unit/diff speed sensor)
-M/T Brake pedal + bracket
-Clutch pedal assembly w/2 switches + bracket
-Clutch master cylinder
-Clutch slave cylinder
-Clutch accumulator (I believe will be bypassed with the SoS dampener delete)
-Clutch A,B,C lines (Should be bypassed by the SoS kit)
-Clutch reservoir
-Half case Honda M/T fluid
-Hondabond + Urea grease
-1 zillion misc. bolts, clips, hoses I've added 10% contingency for


Am I missing something that would make DIY-ing this a bad idea? I fear I may be missing something here.

Thanks for your help.
 
Here you go at US$89K (98M yen)
https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d342178754

HONDA NSX type T F matic midnight pearl tan leather seat



The type T (AT car) produced in the 1995 model (Heisei 7) is only 62 units

First Year Registration Heisei 7
Body number NA1-13001 ** 134
Model E - NA 1
41,000 km

**

I recommend you find a RHD nsx and drive it around in your LHD drive world....extremely challenging to say the least. The car will be valued at 50% inside the States.

It might be a profitable car to bring into to America and sell it to an Australian; then register and insure it for a couple of years in the USA for AU importation (I don't know the rules, but NSX in AU are priced high enough to possibly make this a worthwhile venture.
 
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If you're intent on buying a 95 model, you'll have to wait until next year. There's actually one for sale right now in Tokyo (black with updated fixed headlights). But i think this one was built in September 1995 if I remember the ad correctly. So you won't be able to attempt to import it until middle of next year. Some of the dealers do offer storage service so you can buy now and wait it out before shipping.

I actually just went through this process and bringing in a 1991 into the US. And in the spirit of Valentines day with the red color, here is a pic. I intend to document and do a write up of my experience when the car lands in about a month.

I love the look of white headlights and wheels. I want to do the same to mine!
 
I recommend you find a RHD nsx and drive it around in your LHD drive world....extremely challenging to say the least. The car will be valued at 50% inside the States.

Totally disagree.

I drove a LHD Ford F250 truck in Japan for work for years and I drive a RHD NSX in the US now. There are so many cars in Japan that are LHD that they specifically cater to both of them. In the US, sometimes I forget there's a difference until someone points it out. Your blind spot areas change and you just get used to it. If you want to pass someone on a 2 lane road, you get in the habit of looking out in front of them on the right instead of the left. I'm not sure where the 50% stat comes from either. :confused:


Big, I would recommend you get a LHD car here in the US simply for records, cost, and accessibility to them. It's hard to find records on vehicles in Japan, and unless you go and look at the car yourself you're not going to have a good idea of its condition until it shows up at the port and then at your doorstep. Skyline GT-R guys are finding that out the hard way.
 
Totally disagree.

I drove a LHD Ford F250 truck in Japan for work for years and I drive a RHD NSX in the US now. There are so many cars in Japan that are LHD that they specifically cater to both of them. In the US, sometimes I forget there's a difference until someone points it out. Your blind spot areas change and you just get used to it. If you want to pass someone on a 2 lane road, you get in the habit of looking out in front of them on the right instead of the left. I'm not sure where the 50% stat comes from either. :confused:


Big, I would recommend you get a LHD car here in the US simply for records, cost, and accessibility to them. It's hard to find records on vehicles in Japan, and unless you go and look at the car yourself you're not going to have a good idea of its condition until it shows up at the port and then at your doorstep. Skyline GT-R guys are finding that out the hard way.

I agree, I don't believe driving RHD will be that big of a deal for me. 50% seems a bit high of an estimate, though drew was right in that M/T cars go for 2x+ the price of A/T in Japan. I agree the market for RHD cars here is smaller, but I'm not hugely concerned by it when I plan to keep the car for many years to come.

I also agree that the records for a US car will on average be better and not every auction car there comes with them, this is one of my main concerns. I will have any car I want to bid on inspected by my broker and probably again by another 3rd party service as an added measure, though this obviously won't show internal/drivetrain problems. I would hope they would be thorough enough to spot previous exterior damage and whatnot, and I'm very exacting in my specifications for what problem areas to look for. In addition, since I'm planning on swapping the transmission, that solves pretty much any transmission related problem that might be held over from previous owners. Do you have examples of GT-R importers getting burned? It might be useful for me to try and learn from it or maybe dissuade me from going through the process.

In terms of cost, I have been comparing average values of US models versus getting an A/T JDM and converting it at a shop in Japan, versus doing the conversion myself, and especially in the case where I would perform the swap myself the final cost with everything considered works out in my favor. This is why I'm trying to find as much info as I can about the process to see if it's doable, lol. I worry that I might not find a key part or something will be too expensive to justify.

One good counterpoint example may be that '91 NSX that just sold for $43,250 on BaT, which would put it about the same price if I had imported a similar mileage JDM example and swapped it myself. However, it doesn't account for the fact that the JDM car would have effectively a new/rebuilt transmission with the clutch and every accessory component like the master/slave completely replaced, which for the clutch alone is a $2-3k value, plus new engine mounts, etc. You might say that the JDM one has ~18 less b.h.p. than the US one, but that can more than be made up for with aftermarket exhaust headers for ~$1.5k. One the timing belt is being replaced I'd probably source the cams and valve myself for $2-3k and make it the same as the M/T original engine if I wanted, though the price might incentivize me to do other mods first.

Another important consideration is mileage, and many of the US cars in my price range have 80k+ miles and ones under $40k almost always have quite a bit over 100k miles. I could get a JDM A/T at 50k miles for the same price as one here with 100k miles once I swap the trans myself, so I'd consider that a bonus especially when I want to drive my car a lot. It can be hard to nail down the cost/benefit 100% because there is so much variation in NA1 prices due to transmission type, color, mileage, exterior condition, service records, accident history, number of owners, etc. but by my worst-case estimate, I might end up paying somewhere like $5k more than the average price in the U.S., but again that difference is hard to quantify especially when you look at how any listing on the internet for a U.S. M/T car that's available for more than a week has the car overpriced by $5-10k to start with anyways, lol. Cars listed for their market value always seem to get snatched up very quickly, which perhaps says something about the current US market dynamics for the NA1, and this sentiment is reflected in some other threads here on Prime.

Yes, US cars are much more accessible. I don't have anything to add to that, lol. I just want a RHD one more. I like the uniqueness and it's more appealing to me.
 
Yes, the enviro in which the vehicle is driven matters. I frame my response in the Mad Max world of Los Angeles, where an RHD would not be reasonable, except for lazy non-commute driving. Doing the +80-mile round trip during a daily highly aggressive commute would be just difficult where every last inch of space on the road is a battleground.

>I'm not sure where the 50% stat comes from either.

I'm estimating the expense of a RHD NSX-T stateside to cost US$100K+. I've already provided a single data point on this.

Currently a LHD NSX-T stateside is about US$60K. Seems fair based on known sale data.

The resale value of a RHD car in the US might be a tough sell, I'm estimating at US$50K due to the reduced pool of buyers. However, there may be a higher quality, but smaller, pool of RHD buyers and the vehicle may go for more, I dunno. I'm not one of those buyers.


Again, at the end of the day it is the buyers money and they can do as they wish.
 
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