Buying a tracked NSX

[riddl3r]

Hey all,

I did some searching but didn't find any threads particularly on this topic. What are your thoughts on purchasing an NSX that has been heavily tracked? (In one instance 4 times in two months) It seems the maintenance is up to date but so a bit hesitant about whether wear has been accelerated and I'll have to deal with a lot of replacement as the next owner.

Thoughts appreciated.

 

[06_typeS]

At least there won't be any carbon build up lol. I'm not sure how I would feel about buying one. Do you know the owner? Would you be using it for road use only? It would def need to be inspected well. But then again, if it's track worthy I'm sure they maintain it quite well.

Good luck.

 

[RSO 34]

I have a '96 with 146,000+ miles, 100+ track days and 11,000+ track miles. LarryB maintains mine with no major issues and most maintenance involves oil changes, brake fluid changes and more often changes of pads/rotors due to track usage but otherwise I would say mine is in better condition than many I see listed here for sale with deferred maintenance. If car is kept up to date and owner knows how to drive then track usage would not be a concern to me.

 

[silver2002]

I would have second thoughts only if the Engine had a S/C or Turbo.

 

[docjohn]

all depends on the owner...ideally the owner should be knowledgeable about the consumables and have an open checkbook policy.A car that has seen many track miles needs to have a careful inspection of all ball joints ,and bearings.

 

[TURBO2GO]

1/2 the maintenance and changes on my car would probably not be done if it never saw the track. Those few days I go to the track force me to make sure all is 100%. Not 95%, or 93%, but 100%. Does a pad look like its separating at some corner? Change it. Does a tire not balance out absolutely perfect on a road force machine? Dump it. My car gets all fresh fluids before AND after every event. It comes out so clean I ask myself why I am changing it. Most NSX's don't get gearbox oil changes more than every 60-100K miles. My car has 20K miles, it's been changed 5 times. My brake fluid has been changed like 15 times. Everything is synthetic and very expensive. There is an oil pan baffle that isn't even there on a stock NSX. Soon to be an oil cooler even though my car has NEVER ran hot. Even on the track, I shift at 7K. I just never take it to redline. Can you tell me that the used NSX you are looking at that has never been tracked, has had that kind of maintenance and has never been over rev'ed? Condition of a car depends on its owner, how he drives it, and how he maintains it. The fact that it went fast down a track road versus a country road, or the fact that it took fast turns on a track versus a parking lot or public road are irrelevant. I am 100% certain my NSX is in better condition that most that have never seen a track. The car is gone through with a fine toothed comb several times every year.

 

[RYU]

I will argue that a conscious owner, like many of us here, who do track their cars overly maintain their cars. I've seen some tracked cars that may have bad paint but the internals are closer to immaculate than cars 20yo cars with 20k miles. Bushings and motor mounts tend to be in proper working order. Timing belt and other accessories are always in excellent shape. Brake fluid is clean and otherwise, in tip top working condition. I'd rather have this car than a low mile NSX that's been ignored in the name of preservation or what not.

When buying NSXs you have to evaluate the owner just as much as the car.

$0.02

 

[TURBO2GO]

And I would always prefer a car from a long term prime member than some random person. If you are here, your car means a lot to you. Hence, it's most likely well cared for.

 

[riddl3r]

@TURBO2GO let me know when you sell your car. Very impressed by how well you care for it.

Thanks to all that responded. This all makes sense to me. I'll be sure to feel out the seller to see how well they took care of the car. It's just the previous owners that I won't be able to survey.

 

[itrsteve]

PPI, PPI, PPI.

It's a Honda, not a cup car.

 

[NSX2398]

I can understand your anxiety .. I went through the same concerns .. with the add'l issue that my car was also at the 90k miles mark. Bought mine in 2001 from a guy who only used it on weekends and as a track car although I think he was pretty much a novice. Since then, I've put another 90k on myself and have road raced it at an NSX event and autocrossed it locally .. and have no regrets. In my case, the car had just had the 90k major service by a well-respected NSX mechanic which influenced my decision. Other than the wear items mentioned (pads, fluid, etc), I think the only significant concern is that at some tracks with long high g corners, it is possible to get some oil starvation and short of a compression test, I'm not sure how else you could protect yourself. The other concern might be if it overheated while tracking and weakened the head gasket. Final comment was that if it's an automatic, you might want to do a search on Prime for comments from user mcano (IIRC) who had issues with his after tracking it at the NSXPO event in Vegas in 2010.

 

[Reber]

Hey Mr. Riddl3r - how did it turn out?

Reason I ask is that I'm selling my '93. It has 135k miles and about 20 track days. Very well maintained. Right now it needs rotors and pads, and a clutch soon. I will either do that or leave it up to the buyer if they want to personalize things.

I'm moving on to a SC model so will be parting with this one after 5 years of very faithful service (on my part and the car's).