Car at a local dealer, do we know the history? JH4NA1151MT002605

Re: Car at a local dealer, do we know the history?

don't know the car or the dealer,but whats up with the K instead of C:confused: My quick observations of the car,front wheels seem to stick out abit those wheels are not common on the nsx...no front spoiler,no spare tire,custom exhaust with odd rectangular tips,KN or other cone intake which is sucking hot engine air:rolleyes: ,but seats look pretty good.
 
Re: Car at a local dealer, do we know the history?

docjohn said:
don't know the car or the dealer,but whats up with the K instead of C:confused: My quick observations of the car,front wheels seem to stick out abit those wheels are not common on the nsx...no front spoiler,no spare tire,custom exhaust with odd rectangular tips,KN or other cone intake which is sucking hot engine air:rolleyes: ,but seats look pretty good.
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Yea the whole Kompact Kar Korner (KKK) thing is off putting.

With the odd aftermarket quirks the car has, I am hoping that I can find the previous owner. I was thinking about offering 30,000 out the door for the car, assuming it is in overall good shape.
 
Re: Car at a local dealer, do we know the history?

I've seen bone stock smilar mileage well-documented examples go for less than 30k. Like most dealers, they probably have little to no maint. records and they are definitely smoking rock when it comes to their asking price! If services aren't up to date, plan on spending 5k or more getting it up to snuff. As said above, wheels are of low quality and most likely don't have proper offsets, intake is a poor choice and exhaust is probably cheap as well and not manufactured specifically for the NSX. Not to mention that it likely doesn't have headers either. Looks like previous owner was playing dress-up on a budget with this car. Could be the lighting, but the driver's bolster leather appears shinier than the rest of the seat, and indication that it has been replaced because of wear. As for the front lip, it's missing for a reason. Either removed on purpose b/c of scraping issues, or more likely, it has been ripped off (I speak from experience). It does, however, have the original car cover and bag!:wink: Keep us posted on what you find if you decide to dig deeper on this one; I wouln't spend 30k though.
 
Re: Car at a local dealer, do we know the history?

20minutes left on the ebay auction... didn't meet reserve again... their reserve is prob over 30k...
 
Re: Car at a local dealer, do we know the history?

kamlung said:
just looks plain ricey to me...
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I agree, and that's part of what worries me. I don't want to touch the car if it turns out that it has been abused by the previous owner(s), but I also don't want to reject it just because I don't have the same sense of style.

My plan for now is to go check it out, and if I like it I will inform them that I need to have the mechanics at my dealership give it a full look over before I'm prepared to make an offer.

If it turns out to be in good shape, then I'll see how low I can get them in terms of price. I would be willing to pay high 20's (before taxs fees etc) for the car if the only thing wrong with it is cosmetic. I have the cash in hand, so hopefully they will deal. If not, back to the search.

Ideally one of the previous owners will stumble upon this thread...
 
I just got back from taking a look at the car in question. The interior is as nice as it looks online, the apparent higher gloss on certain sections of the interior were just an issue with the photos. The paint is in decent condition, looks great from a distance, but you can see clear coat scuffs etc. up close.

It is lacking service records, receipts for the aftermarket parts, and it doesn’t have the stock rims or spare tire.

The exhaust is just a cat-back system, the cone filter is odd, and I wonder how that will affect the car in hot weather.

They are fine with me taking the car to Acura of Lynnwood for a full inspection prior to final sale. They started the car up for me in the dealership and it actually sounded pretty good with the exhaust.

So a couple of questions, is there anything I should look/feel for tomorrow during the test drive? Is there anything that Acura of Lynnwood likely wouldn’t be able to find in an inspection? And lastly, if I offered 30,000 (and they accepted, and the car passes inspection) would that be a decent price?
 
CarterK said:
And lastly, if I offered 30,000 (and they accepted, and the car passes inspection) would that be a decent price?
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You mentioned there were no records so be prepared that you may need to put 3-4k in new belts, hoses, timing belt, water pump, fluids flush and a valve adjustment to bring the maintenance up to date.
 
It seems to be a clean car. The seats look really good. If they were recovered they may have been done in pleather:frown:. I think it is worth around 30k but a stated above, it may need some service work.

I would replace the wheels, put on a factory front chin spoiler, replace that lame intake with a factory airbox, and put a new muffler on.
 
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If the PPI checks out and the car has a clean carfax, I still wouldn't offer 30k. Use the fact that it has no records as a bargaining chip. As I and others have stated, you WILL have some deferred maint. to take care of. Nothing wrong with making an offer on the low side. For 30k you could find one offered by a private party, may be even a fellow Primer that is either completely stock or has light mods with documentation, similar/lower miles and up to/fairly up to date on maint. My .02.
 
I went and test drove the car yesterday. It made an odd noise twice early on in the test drive, sort of a high pitched rattle/screech. It doesn’t have power steering, which I like. In terms of feedback through the wheel, there was a slight shudder as you apply the brakes, nothing serious but I am unsure if that is normal.

No clunks or rattles on the road or while turning, AC blows cold from all vents.

I have a PPI and compression test scheduled for this Thursday at Acura of Lynnwood. I’ll let you know how that turns out.

*also, I purchased a 5 car pass from carfax and have only used 1, if I end up buying this car I’d be happy to let other members of Prime use the 4 remaining to check out cars.
 
tbnsxt said:
It seems to be a clean car. The seats look really good. If they were recovered they may have been done in pleather:frown:. I think it is worth around 30k but a stated above, it may need some service work.

I would replace the wheels, put on a factory front chin spoiler, replace that lame intake with a factory airbox, and put a new muffler on.
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Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Wheels will be going ASAP if I get the car, and that crappy cone filter as well. For now the exhaust sounds okay, even though it is just a little cat-back unit. So that can wait for a few months I suppose.
 
If there is a shudder under braking you need to have your rotors machined.


Or you could just get some slotted ones from sos for like $120 for the fronts and $100 for the rears
 
CarterK said:
I went and test drove the car yesterday. It made an odd noise twice early on in the test drive, sort of a high pitched rattle/screech.
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More of a "chirp" perhaps? You saying twice early in the drive makes me think of the ABS pump pressurizing.

With the wheels, assuming they're legit, you might look up what they each go for and specify the set you can sell for more to someone with a car on which they'll fit properly.
 
R13 said:
More of a "chirp" perhaps? You saying twice early in the drive makes me think of the ABS pump pressurizing.

With the wheels, assuming they're legit, you might look up what they each go for and specify the set you can sell for more to someone with a car on which they'll fit properly.
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How loud could the ABS be? My brother and I could hear it from 20 feet away over traffic noise while the salesperson was pulling the car out. It lasted about 4 seconds each time.

And the wheels aren't bad wheels, I just dislike the look.
 
CarterK said:
How loud could the ABS be? My brother and I could hear it from 20 feet away over traffic noise while the salesperson was pulling the car out. It lasted about 4 seconds each time.

And the wheels aren't bad wheels, I just dislike the look.
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Well, I came up empty handed on youtube, but it's definitely VERY audible from outside the car when it does that. It'll happen independent of any motion or engine speed.
 
Here is the text from my PPI and compression test results that Acura of Lynnwood mailed to me:

We have completed your buyer’s inspection with compression test. The following items are listed is matter of importance:

- clutch master cylinder is leaking - $580.00
- oilpan gasket is leaking oil $325.00
- the Vtec solenoid o-rings are leaking $290.00
- the camplugs and valve cover gaskets are leaking & timing belt also due if not replaced in the last 5 years ($3206.00 if all done at once due to overlapping labor)
- driver’s door glass adjustment (about ¾ of an inch gap between glass and top of door when rolled up all the way) - $240.00
- the antenna mast does not retract fully $233.00
- the right corner marker bulb, right inner brakelight bulb, and left highbeam lights out $145.00
- spare tire missing – no longer available from Acura and we have been unable to locate a used spare
- left rear tierod boot torn $387.00 (includes wheel alignment)
- the engine prop rod missing - $122.00


Also noted: there is a slight whine in first gear (not abnormal for age and mileage – fluid looks good), looks like vehicle is from the east coast and is showing some corrosion on the underside, there is damage to the driver’s lower dash panel, and the lost motion assemblys are making noise (not a function concern –would need to remove valves to replace - $2325.00)

The following are the readings from the compression test: cyl#1 = 210 / cyl#2 = 210 / cyl#3 = 210 / cyl#4 = 215 / cyl#5 = 220 / cyl#6 = 215

Tires are new and have even wear – brake are still at 80% and rotors are within specs


SO, what do you guys think? Is this a decent report for a 1991, or is this an abnormally poorly taken care of car? Any feedback at all would be helpful.
 
The great thing is that the compression numbers are consistent. Be a shark and take all of the items on the PPI off the asking price, much of that stuff can be done for less independently (or not at all)
 
Over $7,000 needed in basic maintnenence and repairs. Add another $2,000 for the stuff you don't know about yet. Add another $150 for an OEM airbox to replace that ridiculous cone filter. Add another $2,000 for OEM wheels to replace those ridiculous rims. And another $150 for an OEM front lip and fasteners (those little buggers are expensive- ask me how I know. ;)).

But, it looks fairly clean and the engine appears to be strong.

Let's see....

$34,000 minus $11,300 equals $22,700, which is the most I would offer for that car.
 
Made an offer of 26k. They laughed at it and let me know they paid more than that for the car. Then the salesman informed me I could pay 40,000 for "the bosses" NSX that was a salvage. I laughed and let him know that if they get tired of listing the car on eBay and not having their reserve met then they can find me.

I'm not too broken up that the deal fell through. The people at Kompact Kar Korner were abrasive and unpleasant to deal with from the start. They admitted they had no idea what the cars history was, and knew almost nothing about the NSX in general.

Oh well.
 
CarterK said:
Made an offer of 26k. They laughed at it and let me know they paid more than that for the car. Then the salesman informed me I could pay 40,000 for "the bosses" NSX that was a salvage. I laughed and let him know that if they get tired of listing the car on eBay and not having their reserve met then they can find me.

I'm not too broken up that the deal fell through. The people at Kompact Kar Korner were abrasive and unpleasant to deal with from the start. They admitted they had no idea what the cars history was, and knew almost nothing about the NSX in general.

Oh well.
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I don't like being a Debbie Downer when someone is excited about a potential acquisition (I know exactly how you feel), but I think you are wise to pass on this car. Personally, I do not buy vehicles that need documentation of maintenance from a dealer. They are professionals at turning a problem car into once that "seems" okay and charging a price that suggests it is in great shape. I know, I worked at one a long time ago. They are also much better actors and generally* less honest/upfront than private sellers.
 

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