91 NSX with 224K miles

[BlackWindEXE]

I know what some people are thinking when they look at our cars for sale on Prime and most out there for sale and then along comes one out there that looks half decent in photos and a "come on add" that says 7500 spent last year - going back to school and then when you check on it you find that it's not as presented - oh really??? Imagine that - but here's the catcher - the guys that are attracted to a car like this are guys that most likely see the price tag - know nothing about NSXs and are hoping beyond all hope that they "stumbled" upon a "real steal" - when in fact they've found a turkey that us more seasoned primers know all to well.

The hope is usually found in fellow that has a very small budget and thinks that perhaps he has found a way to get his dream car - CHEAP.

Now to those folks that this address I'm making applies - THERE AIN"T NO CHEAP GOOD NSX out there for 12,500 - ok so get that out of your head and move on down the road and while you're at it start saving and keep saving till you get about 22 to 25k and then start again and even at that you'll be looking at high mile early gen cars - ok. The only way anyone would buy this particular NSX is if they wanted a good track car and they had about 15k to put towards that end on top of the purchase price of this car and in that regard one of the more seasoned individuals that would even look at this car would get a PPI or was so savy that he could do that himself and he'd probably offer less.

You can't get something for nothing or little to nothing and think you won't have to dump a pile of dough into the car!!! :smile: That should be plain enough and that would go right along with the reason that you see the prices on our market that reflect good vehicles for honest prices - THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT - so you didn't find some great buy here with this 12,500 buck car. It's frought with danger "Will Robinson". Hope that analogy makes sense to you - Will Robinson was a charater on a show called "Lost in Space". Oh well my attempt at humor, but hopefully you get the picture.

I'm not trying to be mean or harsh - it's just that folks need to understand when something looks to good to be true - it always is.

I'm not even going into the issues surrounding this car the PO has found - no one even mentioned the stereo and AC - ooooooo the AC - can cost a lots of money! Yes indeed! There are many things that cost lots of money on old cars like this - steering rack for 1100 anyone????? And ON and ON and ON.....

Hope this helps.....:wink:

Haha if the car was being sold for 12,500 then it would be worth it! Not sure where you saw that it was 12,500. The bidding may be at 12k but I highly doubt he'll let it go for that less.

He posted the claimed "7k" maintenance in the photos if you look at the ad. He's also giving a bunch of spare parts (timing belt, water pump, seals, gaskets, filters, etc.) if the buyer pays the buy it now price. At 18,500 though, I still think that is high. But if it went for your 12,500 then that would be a great price.

If you look at the history of the car on prime (in this thread) there was maintenance done back in 2005 and it has had the R134a conversion as well I think.

This isn't a terrible car because at least a little maintenance was done. Obviously if more was done it would be better and that would raise the price. You wouldn't want this car to step into the low 20s (after maintenance) especially when there are well-maintained lower mileage cars (than this one) in the low 20s. At 18,500 you are sure to get into mid 20s after fixing it up. At 12,500 (not going to happen) then you would probably still make it under the 20k mark after restoring it and at that point it's a deal, especially if you want it to be a track car. People know it's not a steal for 18k because of the lack of all the maintenance when you compare it to cars you can get for a couple grand more. That's pretty self-explanatory for even newbie.

Let's not forget, all these cars need love. We don't want to lose these cars to neglect. Hopefully a prime member buys it and takes care of it. It would be nice to see these brought back to our community.

 

[tbromley]

You know Blackwind - I don't know which car it is....I saw posts by RSO and another that showed the link to a black car that had a list of things done including the TB and other stuff and then a post by someone that has been PMing the owner and getting a little list of stuff that doesn't amount to 7500 in maintenance so I'm not sure what to believe about what's been done.


I agree that 12,500 would be a good deal - but is it a steal - I mean if you had to put a bunch of money in this car and maybe you wouldn't, but say you bought it for 12,500 and put 5k in it - it would most likely be worth about what you had in it at 17,500. But I went back and looked at the two links to the car - I'm not sure about RSO's claim that it was in Germany in 05 - where did that come from? The othe one says that a bunch of work was done at some Acura dealer and gives a list of stuff including the TB but where is that paper work?

It's a bit of a mystery. You know if the car has been driven and maintained and taken car of and the interior isn't racked - might need a drivers seat or covering - which isn't that much - but what is a car with that many miles that needs a respray as someone mentioned and that it had some dents, etc??? Even if maintained well - it's going to need a cash infussion - hell most the cars I've seen that are used with damn few exceptions need a min. of 5k if not more! Having 20k in this one may not be bad. Hard to peg a value on something like this with a sketchy past.

Hope it finds a good home - we all know these cars can go a really long time - hell it still has half it's engine life ahead of it. These are trully amazing machines!

 

[BlackWindEXE]

You know Blackwind - I don't know which car it is....I saw posts by RSO and another that showed the link to a black car that had a list of things done including the TB and other stuff and then a post by someone that has been PMing the owner and getting a little list of stuff that doesn't amount to 7500 in maintenance so I'm not sure what to believe about what's been done.


[/IMG]

The 7500 worth in maintenance is posted in the ad in the photos. The last photo is hard to read which is why I posted what it said so that whoever is looking at it didn't have to ask questions about it. Albeit, the maintenance isn't much and 7500 is nothing when dealing with stealership prices.

The car was probably in Germany. The car still has the same two-tone seats. There is a gap in the vehicle history report where the car isn't registered but it came back to the US in 2006 I think. The timing belt was done by the previous owner. But that only means it needs to be done again. This owner is offering the belt/pump parts so all you need to pay for is labor.

Like I said, the car isn't going to sell for 12,500. Obviously the guy wants more than that which is why his buy it now as at 18,500. At 12,500 it's a good deal because you can slowly put it back together. At 18,500 I'm not so sure because another 5k and you could have bought a lower mileage one (than this). It's a numbers game and how much you're willing to spend now and whether or not you are willing to restore. The paint/dents really do hurt this which is why a lower price is better.

 

[RSO 34]

I'm not sure about RSO's claim that it was in Germany in 05

Searched the VIN on Prime and found it.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56868&highlight=JH4NA1156MT001823

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60300&highlight=jh4na1156mt001823

 

[tbromley]

I don't know why I would ever doubt you RSO....should have known you'd produce the evidence. This guy is dreaming if he thinks he'll get 18,500 for it. The guy is in over his head and he's bailing out! I've seen this kind of thing before.

It's still a Honda as they say - but I agree with Blackwind that at 18,500 - and maybe 5k staring you immediately in the face - I don't know. Doubt it gets up to the buy it now personally - which in a way is too bad. You know these cars one day will be collectors and this reminds me of when you could get old 356 Porsches for next to nothing. Now look at them. People buying rust buckets to restore - selling for 150k and stuff - crazy - the NSX will one day reach that too - when - well I have no idea but after this recession or whatever the hell it is things will get better for us.

 

[R13]

Yeah, after finally looking at the pictures and the ad I have a few observations.

1) The current owner got straight sold by the dealer. Replacing the entire ABS unit vs. un-sticking the soleniod (or even better skipping the dealer and updating to the '01+ system). Then replacing an aftermarket muffler (grant it of unknown origins) with a stock one.

2) The inclusion of head gaskets would make me very nervous. As does the not-so-well executed aftermarket shenanigans in the engine bay.

3) That said, this car looks in way better shape than mine when I bought it.

I'll still stick by my earlier statement that this could be a deal for a mechanic, but could be a money-pit for a prospective owner that doesn't like touching oily bits.

 

[BlackWindEXE]

Yeah I think the engine would need to be dropped, cleaned, and taken care of.

I think parts-wise, he bought the parts to do the job but probably decided not to because labor was expensive and/or he knew he was going to sell it and didn't want to deal with it anyway.

Like you said, someone who knows their way around an NSX would love this. It would be a quick fixer-upper.

And there are prime members selling their NSXs here and on ebay for 20k with 100k miles. So the buyer just needs to do the math.

If my car would sell to give me cash, I would pick one of these up immediately and put them back in good condition.

 

[Huck]

Lost records-? Really! Major service performed--not really. High miles ok but without proof of continual service---you are taking all the risk, not the seller. Why do this---I guarantee you will need to spend $2-4,000. to bring it up to reliable daily driver status according to Acura's service recommendations. Weak paint, dents, ----humm.
I bought a second owner 92 for $18,500. where the reconds were lost?! However, a check at the local dealership showed regular service for the past 16 years. I still get to put in $5,000. worth of stuff like--TB,WP,Clutch, Master and slave, etc. With 114K miles, I feel pretty good that the car will be a super solid driver for years to come. If you want a decent NSX, don't jump into the first one that looks like a bargin because once you know the weak links in the car, then you will realize the real cost of purchase and can plan accordingly. I based my willingness to buy based on factoring the additional cost of bringing it up to maintenance requirements. Even a minor accident if no frame or suspension damage/repair is OK al long as you figure that into the deal. Just don't be tricked into believing that CarFAx or any other BS history research company can assure you of history---they all depend on reports submitted from dealers when often repairs are performed outside the dealer networks.