I just wanted to warn potential buyers of a bad NSX I almost bought in Springfield, MO. Car is a 1991 black/black automatic with a new Missouri VIN in place of the original (not a salvage or rebuild title, but something to do with possible seizure at one point). It was on Ebay as item number 3003308625755. If you can still pull up that item you notice the lack of pics of the driver's door and rear quarter.
I was the high bidder on this car on Friday April 24, 2009. I bought the car expecting to pay to replace the timing belt, water pump and repair the AC system (figured about $3000 at my local Acura dealer). I live about 400 miles from Springfield (omaha, NE) and had arrangements for a ride the next day (Saturday) to pick up the car and drive it back to my Acura dealer. When I told the buyer this he said I would have to wait until Monday as the title was in the bank and the bank was not open Saturday.
Since I already had concerns about the timing belt age, I elected to drive our truck and car hauler down early Monday morning and just pick up the car and haul it home the same day (800 miles round trip). I showed up with the money as arranged about noon Monday morning. Seller said he was still at work. So I grabbed a bite and filled up on fuel and waited for seller to meet me. Seller called and said he would still be a few minutes as he had been moving some things in his garage and a file cabinet had tipped over and put a scratch on the driver's door that he was having buffed out and they were not done yet. After trying to meet him at his house, more phone calls, more delays, it finally ends up that I get him to disclose where the the bodyshop is and go there (which is another long story in itself). So I end up at this shade tree bodyshop in the middle of nowhere, junk cars all around, mud puddles, puddles of water on the floor of the shop, etc. Basically a place to fix a beater car cheap. I have to say here that the bodyshop man (Mike) was super nice and upstanding. Right away he said that he told the seller that the door needed a new skin but that the seller told him he just wanted it fixed fast and cheap.
Now for the damage. Turns out the damage was not recent, but was done to the car prior to listing it on Ebay. The filing cabinet must have been big and heavy. It actually hit around the door lock and the lock was still pushed in and bent. There was a deep horizontal dent about 8-10" long that had been poorly filled with bondo and was very wavy. Both the driver's door and rear quarter had been reshot with paint and it was literally dripping off the side scoop. I am talking large stalagtites, not just runs. The bodyshop guy apologized for the messy paint but said he had been rushed by the seller.
The entire bodyshop scene was like a Seinfeld episode. First seeing the place and then the car. This seedy seller sort of sulking in the corner not wanting to look at me, and myself in disbelief about what I am seeing. I said, why didn't you ever mention this. He says, I told people. I said, WHO? He says, people that asked. I said, what people that asked. They asked on Ebay, I have emails. I'm just shaking my head like I'm trying to clear it or wake up from a bad dream. I said, did it ever occur to you to tell ME, to tell the BUYER? It was so bad it was comical.
I asked why he didn't have his insurance fix it and he said he didn't have insurance. A minute later it changes to his deductable was too high so he was fixing it this way. I said, you just stated you didn't have insurance a minute ago, now you are telling me your deductable is over $5000?? (cost estimate I got when I called a dealer on my cell phone). He says, no my deductable is $1200. And on and on.
Sorry for the rant, but I wanted to give an idea of what a slippery guy this is. He basically was not going to disclose the damage to me in the hopes of getting a cheap fast fix I would not notice until after the car changed hands. I have to think there are other undisclosed issues with the car that he is aware of, but failing to mention. Sellers Ebay ID is yadastore, run away if he lists this NSX.
I was the high bidder on this car on Friday April 24, 2009. I bought the car expecting to pay to replace the timing belt, water pump and repair the AC system (figured about $3000 at my local Acura dealer). I live about 400 miles from Springfield (omaha, NE) and had arrangements for a ride the next day (Saturday) to pick up the car and drive it back to my Acura dealer. When I told the buyer this he said I would have to wait until Monday as the title was in the bank and the bank was not open Saturday.
Since I already had concerns about the timing belt age, I elected to drive our truck and car hauler down early Monday morning and just pick up the car and haul it home the same day (800 miles round trip). I showed up with the money as arranged about noon Monday morning. Seller said he was still at work. So I grabbed a bite and filled up on fuel and waited for seller to meet me. Seller called and said he would still be a few minutes as he had been moving some things in his garage and a file cabinet had tipped over and put a scratch on the driver's door that he was having buffed out and they were not done yet. After trying to meet him at his house, more phone calls, more delays, it finally ends up that I get him to disclose where the the bodyshop is and go there (which is another long story in itself). So I end up at this shade tree bodyshop in the middle of nowhere, junk cars all around, mud puddles, puddles of water on the floor of the shop, etc. Basically a place to fix a beater car cheap. I have to say here that the bodyshop man (Mike) was super nice and upstanding. Right away he said that he told the seller that the door needed a new skin but that the seller told him he just wanted it fixed fast and cheap.
Now for the damage. Turns out the damage was not recent, but was done to the car prior to listing it on Ebay. The filing cabinet must have been big and heavy. It actually hit around the door lock and the lock was still pushed in and bent. There was a deep horizontal dent about 8-10" long that had been poorly filled with bondo and was very wavy. Both the driver's door and rear quarter had been reshot with paint and it was literally dripping off the side scoop. I am talking large stalagtites, not just runs. The bodyshop guy apologized for the messy paint but said he had been rushed by the seller.
The entire bodyshop scene was like a Seinfeld episode. First seeing the place and then the car. This seedy seller sort of sulking in the corner not wanting to look at me, and myself in disbelief about what I am seeing. I said, why didn't you ever mention this. He says, I told people. I said, WHO? He says, people that asked. I said, what people that asked. They asked on Ebay, I have emails. I'm just shaking my head like I'm trying to clear it or wake up from a bad dream. I said, did it ever occur to you to tell ME, to tell the BUYER? It was so bad it was comical.
I asked why he didn't have his insurance fix it and he said he didn't have insurance. A minute later it changes to his deductable was too high so he was fixing it this way. I said, you just stated you didn't have insurance a minute ago, now you are telling me your deductable is over $5000?? (cost estimate I got when I called a dealer on my cell phone). He says, no my deductable is $1200. And on and on.
Sorry for the rant, but I wanted to give an idea of what a slippery guy this is. He basically was not going to disclose the damage to me in the hopes of getting a cheap fast fix I would not notice until after the car changed hands. I have to think there are other undisclosed issues with the car that he is aware of, but failing to mention. Sellers Ebay ID is yadastore, run away if he lists this NSX.
