For sale by owner: 1998 Acura NSX-T in Berlina Black over Camel.
The Particulars
So if the car is in such great shape, why am I selling? The long and the short of it is that my wife and I are going to try and start a family. My heart tells me to hang on to the car but my head tells me that it is a depreciating asset sitting under a cover in the garage and the value of that asset could be put to better use by investing it today to help pay for a college education down the road.
We're lucky enough to have had this NSX as our third car for the last three years and as much as it hurts my heart now, I know what the right thing to do is for my family.
Condition
Maintenance
As I stated above, I have been a fanatic about maintenance on the car. I bought it from a local owner that had relied on Ramon at Niguel Motors for the maintenance while he owned it. Do a quick search on Niguel Motors and you'll see that it's a highly respected local NSX service shop. Unfortunately, the previous owner did not have any maintenance info. from the original owner. I bought this car for the long haul and did not take any chances. So even though everything on the car looked great in the Pre Purchase Inspection, I took no chances as you'll see from the summary list of maintenance that I've had done on the car since I bought it.
- 3/05 purchased the car with 42,081 miles on the odo.
- 3/05 spend nearly $4,000 at Autowave doing all the maintenance that could be/should be/would be done on a 7 year old NSX no matter the mileage. If you're not familar with Autowave, please do a search and check them out. Along with Niguel Motors and Jon Martin, they are some of the most highly respected NSX shops in S. CA. The work I had Autowave complete at that time included: timing belt, water pump, all coolant hoses were replaced, 30K mile service completed, oil and filter change using Mobil 1, switch to the Comptech/Unifilter air filter, replace camshaft plugs, replace VTEC seals, etc. They also completed a 45 point inspection and made sure everything was in good working order. In a nutshell, I didn't cut any corners.
- 9/05 45,570 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection.
- 3/06 49,340 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. 45-point inspection. Fuel injection service completed.
- 9/06 51,284 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection.
- 10/06 51,440 miles. 4 brand new OEM Bridgestone Potenze RE010's installed and a four wheel alignment completed.
- 3/07 53,071 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection. New battery installed.
- 9/07 55,954 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection.
As you can see, I've been very diligent with maintenance and have not cut corners. I have copies of my receipts for this work and am happy to provide it to the buyer.
In addition, I have gone ahead and done a lot of preventive maintenance on the car as well as addressed any/all issues that have come up during my ownership. For example:
- I replaced all three tail lights and tail light gaskets. As is not uncommon for the NSX, I had a small leak in one tail light and rather than fix one today and worry about the others later, I had them all replaced at once.
- I had the ECM update completed per the Acura bulletin. For unknown reasons, the Acura dealer that the original owner returned the car to never completed this work. My local dealer was kind enough to do it free of charge.
- I replaced the O2 sensors when they failed at 50,000 miles.
- I replaced the trunk struts with the high quality SOS items when the OEM untis began to sag in June of 2007.
- I replaced the aspirator fan/fan assembly when it started to become noisy.
- I replaced the main relay in Sept. of 2007 when the car was hesitant to start.
In short, if the car needed something then I corrected it using OEM parts and not letting things go unaddressed. Essentially all of the work done on my car has been done by the recognized local NSX experts (Autowave, Niguel Motors and Jon Martin). Shane at Autowave is very, very familiar with my car and I am happy to put you in touch with him so that you can verify the excellent mechanical condition of the car. I am also happy to facilitate a pre-purchase inspection at the buyer's cost prior to the sale. I strongly encourage any buyer to do this on any NSX, mine or otherwise
Modifications
I have made a few of the more popular modifications to my NSX in the time I've owned it. I honestly feel that each modification has greatly enhanced my ownership and if you're not familiar with these products, I think a quick search will turn up a lot of info. The mod's include:
Other items included with the car
There are quite a few pictures of my car and the interior in my gallery here on Prime but I'll try and figure out how to post a few into this ad to make it easier. I'm also more than happy to email anyone other pictures if they want them.
Summary
I honestly thought I would keep this car forever and have maintained it as such. But family is everything to me so as hard as it is to do this, I'm going to part with this car. My NSX is not a garage queen and not the car for you if you're looking for a car that has been kept in a bubble and I think that my asking price reflects that. But it is in beautiful shape for a 10-year old car and can be proudly driven to the Cars and Coffee car show at PAG with no regrets. And it can be driven with confidence because it doesn't need any maintenance. As Shane at Autowave told me yesterday, you could hop in my NSX and drive to NYC today confident that you'd get there safely, smoothly and in style. I've loved this car every minute that I've owned it and hope to find someone who will love it as much as I have.
If you're looking for a strong, 3.2 L 6-speed car that can be driven every day in style then perhaps this the car for you.
Again, I am open to some negotiation and am happy to put you in touch with Shane to verify the condition of the car. But please be reasonable.
I can be reached as follows:
[email protected] - the best way to reach me.
949-677-5160 (cell phone). I don't always have this turned on but check it regularly.
or by PM here on Prime.
Thank you for your patience reading this obnoxiously long ad.:smile:
Happy and safe motoring.
Christian "Da Hapa" Asis
The Particulars
- I am asking $42,000 obo. My asking price is lower than the Pricing Guide here on Prime and between KBB private party value and retail value. I recognize that it is winter (traditionally a slow time for NSX sales) and believe this is a fair price. I am willing to negotiate but ask you to understand that I own the car free and clear, I am not interested in a trade or partial trade, and while I am willing to be reasonable, I'm not going to accept an offer that equates to what I can get for simply selling it to my local Acura dealer. Thank you in advance.
- My NSX has the 6 speed manual tranny
- As of this writing, the car has 56,597 miles on the odometer
- Clear and clean title
- Car is located in Dana Point, CA. Dana Point is in South Orange County.
- I am the 3rd owner. The car was originally a lease out of Florida. The original owner moved to CA. and returned the car to a dealer thereafter.
- Clean Carfax. Unfortunately, I noted one error in the Carfax report in that they list me as the 4th owner. The report also has some of the dates of ownership incorrect (it says the gentleman that I bough the car from had it for 12 days when it was 12 months) However, I have the Carfax that the 2nd owner ran before he purchased the car which corraborates the correct chain of ownership and am happy to provide a copy of both Carfax reports.
- No accidents. The passenger side rear quarter panel was repained by the Acura dealer due to what the previous owner said was a keying of the car. I have had Autowave, Jon Martin, and Niguel Motors verify that there is no frame damage and that there is no indication of an accident The paint is nearly flawless and as best as any of us can tell, the explanation of repairing the keying makes sense. Car has not been on a track, raced or drag raced in the 3 years that I've owned it. My guess is that based on the original clutch, etc. that statement holds true since the car was new.
- I have been obsessive and pro-active with maintenance (see below) and have all records since I bought the car.
- Car is in excellent mechanical shape. (see below)
So if the car is in such great shape, why am I selling? The long and the short of it is that my wife and I are going to try and start a family. My heart tells me to hang on to the car but my head tells me that it is a depreciating asset sitting under a cover in the garage and the value of that asset could be put to better use by investing it today to help pay for a college education down the road.
We're lucky enough to have had this NSX as our third car for the last three years and as much as it hurts my heart now, I know what the right thing to do is for my family.
Condition
- As I hope to make clear with this ad., I have spared no expense in taking excellent care of the car. I have done all the required maintenance and then some. I have also fixed most of the common items that go wrong on these cars.
- Motor runs strong and sweet. I avg. 21 mpg in mixed driving and have seen 27 mpg on long road trips. Super unleaded only and I'm fastidious about oil changes, etc.
- Original clutch. As is the case with many NA2 NSXs, I have a slightly notchy gearbox when cold and the occassional chatter when pulling away in 1st when the car is cold. Both symptoms disappear when warm and as you're research will tell you, both conditions are "normal" for an NA2 NSX.
- A/C and heater- both work perfectly.
- Stereo - as I detail below, I've replaced the OEM headunit with a newer OEM headunit and had all the speakers and amp's repaired/rebuilt by our own BrianK. This stereo sounds as good as the OEM system can.
- Paint and body. No accidents as verified by Autowave and Jon Martin. This is not a garage queen. I dirive it. So while I think the car is in magnificent shape for a 10-year old car, there are some rockchips on the front spoiler, a few small scratches, etc. and some curb ras on a few of the wheels. None of this is visible from 2 feet away and I routinely receive compliments on the condition of the car. But it's a real car that has been driven.
- Interior- FANTASTIC. No rips or tears in the seats. Everything works as it should and the learther is soft.
- Spare tire/tool kit. I do have the spare tire and the tools from the trunk. I removed them the day I bought the car since I have AAA flat bed service so I can't verify that any of these items work. I honestly wouldn't recommend anyone using them anyways, but I do have them to go with the car.
Maintenance
As I stated above, I have been a fanatic about maintenance on the car. I bought it from a local owner that had relied on Ramon at Niguel Motors for the maintenance while he owned it. Do a quick search on Niguel Motors and you'll see that it's a highly respected local NSX service shop. Unfortunately, the previous owner did not have any maintenance info. from the original owner. I bought this car for the long haul and did not take any chances. So even though everything on the car looked great in the Pre Purchase Inspection, I took no chances as you'll see from the summary list of maintenance that I've had done on the car since I bought it.
- 3/05 purchased the car with 42,081 miles on the odo.
- 3/05 spend nearly $4,000 at Autowave doing all the maintenance that could be/should be/would be done on a 7 year old NSX no matter the mileage. If you're not familar with Autowave, please do a search and check them out. Along with Niguel Motors and Jon Martin, they are some of the most highly respected NSX shops in S. CA. The work I had Autowave complete at that time included: timing belt, water pump, all coolant hoses were replaced, 30K mile service completed, oil and filter change using Mobil 1, switch to the Comptech/Unifilter air filter, replace camshaft plugs, replace VTEC seals, etc. They also completed a 45 point inspection and made sure everything was in good working order. In a nutshell, I didn't cut any corners.
- 9/05 45,570 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection.
- 3/06 49,340 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. 45-point inspection. Fuel injection service completed.
- 9/06 51,284 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection.
- 10/06 51,440 miles. 4 brand new OEM Bridgestone Potenze RE010's installed and a four wheel alignment completed.
- 3/07 53,071 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection. New battery installed.
- 9/07 55,954 miles. Oil/filter change using Mobile 1. Normal inspection.
As you can see, I've been very diligent with maintenance and have not cut corners. I have copies of my receipts for this work and am happy to provide it to the buyer.
In addition, I have gone ahead and done a lot of preventive maintenance on the car as well as addressed any/all issues that have come up during my ownership. For example:
- I replaced all three tail lights and tail light gaskets. As is not uncommon for the NSX, I had a small leak in one tail light and rather than fix one today and worry about the others later, I had them all replaced at once.
- I had the ECM update completed per the Acura bulletin. For unknown reasons, the Acura dealer that the original owner returned the car to never completed this work. My local dealer was kind enough to do it free of charge.
- I replaced the O2 sensors when they failed at 50,000 miles.
- I replaced the trunk struts with the high quality SOS items when the OEM untis began to sag in June of 2007.
- I replaced the aspirator fan/fan assembly when it started to become noisy.
- I replaced the main relay in Sept. of 2007 when the car was hesitant to start.
In short, if the car needed something then I corrected it using OEM parts and not letting things go unaddressed. Essentially all of the work done on my car has been done by the recognized local NSX experts (Autowave, Niguel Motors and Jon Martin). Shane at Autowave is very, very familiar with my car and I am happy to put you in touch with him so that you can verify the excellent mechanical condition of the car. I am also happy to facilitate a pre-purchase inspection at the buyer's cost prior to the sale. I strongly encourage any buyer to do this on any NSX, mine or otherwise
Modifications
I have made a few of the more popular modifications to my NSX in the time I've owned it. I honestly feel that each modification has greatly enhanced my ownership and if you're not familiar with these products, I think a quick search will turn up a lot of info. The mod's include:
- WhiteNSXs 5300 HID kit. A true plug and play kit that appears OEM and make a huge difference at night. A quick search of WhiteNSXs posts will turn up a huge amount of satisfied customers. http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44100
- An original Anytime/Borla street exhaust. One of the few specifically designed Boral exhausts that was offered for sale exclusively through Prime's own Anytime. This exhaust looks great, makes power, passes smog, and doesn't drone or resonate. http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24614&highlight=anytime+exhaust
- Science of Speed ("SOS") exhaust adaptor pipes. Please see the SOS website (http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/NSX/) for a detailed description of almost all of the following mod's.
- Cantrell Cold Air Intake System
- JDM NSX-R front and rear chassis bars. A wonderful mod.
- SOS harness bar. I installed this at Jon Martin's encouragement and was glad to find that it really did help firm up the chassis when the targa roof is removed.
- SOS billet aluminum cluster rings - slim line - machine finish
- 2006 Acura TL horns. I found the OEM NSX horns very weak. Jon Martin replaced one of the existing NSX horns with a TL horn and rectified this in a simple solution (I had the Hella airhorns for a while and hated them)
- SOS Type-S shift knob
- NA2 NSX-R shift boot and carbon fibre trim panel.
- SOS short shift kit
- Repaired/rebuillt Bose amps and speakers by Prime member BrianK. One speaker began that buzz that eventually gets all of us and rather than doing things one at a time, I replaced them all. Search for Prime member BrianK and you'll see that he's the man for these things.
- Used OEM NSX headunit. The buttons on my original headunit were pretty faded and I found a nearly pristine unit on Prime from another NA2. I wanted to keep the OEM look and this was perfect.
Other items included with the car
- OEM Acura 6-disc CD changer installed in the trunk
- Hrant's NSX specific indoor car cover. Dali Racing (www.daliracing.com) has product descrptions and pictures of all Hrant's products. In addition, a search by his user name should turn up all his products here on Prime.
- Hrant's NSX logo work mat. Excellent for protecting our paint when you lean over the car.
- OEM floormats. I replaced the originals last year and these look and feel brand new.
- An extra Unifilter air filter. I clean and oil the spare when ever I have the oil changed to make sure the one in the car is in perfect shape.
- ACI Supercharge Elite battery tender/charger. Autowave custom installed my new battery last March to facilitate my use of the battery tender when the car is garaged at home.
There are quite a few pictures of my car and the interior in my gallery here on Prime but I'll try and figure out how to post a few into this ad to make it easier. I'm also more than happy to email anyone other pictures if they want them.
Summary
I honestly thought I would keep this car forever and have maintained it as such. But family is everything to me so as hard as it is to do this, I'm going to part with this car. My NSX is not a garage queen and not the car for you if you're looking for a car that has been kept in a bubble and I think that my asking price reflects that. But it is in beautiful shape for a 10-year old car and can be proudly driven to the Cars and Coffee car show at PAG with no regrets. And it can be driven with confidence because it doesn't need any maintenance. As Shane at Autowave told me yesterday, you could hop in my NSX and drive to NYC today confident that you'd get there safely, smoothly and in style. I've loved this car every minute that I've owned it and hope to find someone who will love it as much as I have.
If you're looking for a strong, 3.2 L 6-speed car that can be driven every day in style then perhaps this the car for you.
Again, I am open to some negotiation and am happy to put you in touch with Shane to verify the condition of the car. But please be reasonable.
I can be reached as follows:
[email protected] - the best way to reach me.
949-677-5160 (cell phone). I don't always have this turned on but check it regularly.
or by PM here on Prime.
Thank you for your patience reading this obnoxiously long ad.:smile:
Happy and safe motoring.
Christian "Da Hapa" Asis
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