Considering a beater

[Cap'n Carl]

I've been looking at NSX's priced around $30k, haven't quite found what I'm looking for. Now I see there's a '91 blk/blk in my area, selling for $15k. It has 160k miles, the engine ticks, and the ac relay needs to be replaced. Let's say worst case scenario, I need a new engine and some ac work. How much, roughly, are we talking?

 

[DocL]

Around $6k for a used engine installed. However, you'll still have a chasis with 160k which will always bite you in the a$$ when you go to sell the car.

What kind of ticking do you hear, and have you had a mechanic look at the car. Most NSX engines have a little ticking from the valvetrain. Mine sounds a little like a sewing machine at idle.

 

[clr1024]

Around $6k for a used engine installed. However, you'll still have a chasis with 160k which will always bite you in the a$$ when you go to sell the car.

What kind of ticking do you hear, and have you had a mechanic look at the car. Most NSX engines have a little ticking from the valvetrain. Mine sounds a little like a sewing machine at idle.

I agree with all of this!

 

[PDLNSX]

If you have around 30k to spend--you should look at the 2004 listed in the market--$ 36,000! There are several nice cars around at good prices. the 91 will always be a 91 with dried out hoses etc.

The 2004 is under DR Honda

 

[RJPKRP]

Beaters need love too!

I was thinking that SOS had an engine refresh program that was around $4500 or so. Can't remember offhand, but you'd have to get it to them in Arizona.

And say you get it for $14K and put $10K into, then you are into it $24K with a refreshed engine, new bushings, etc....and a chassis with 160K miles on it.

Or you could find something like THIS and have a chassis with 55K miles on it, and after you did some maintenance on it have roughly the same money in it!

Either way, you have to do whatever you are most comfortable with. Don't forget that even with a refreshed engine, the suspension and transmission of a beater will still have 160K miles on them.

 

[tbromley]

You have just been turned on to the 2 best ones I've seen come available for low dollars by RJP and PDL! Someone here is doing your work for you and before I ever launched myself on the track you are suggesting with that "beater" I'd lay down, take an asprin, and get over it. These other 2 are way better.

 

[R13]

I have done this, sort of.

I didn't have to replace the engine, but I did replace every hose, and nearly every ancillary oil seal, and a slew of other stuff. What I paid for the car, plus what I paid for parts to fix pretty much every issue the car had (doing ~70% of the labor myself) equaled about the same as what a well documented ~100k mile '91/'92 car would cost outright.

If you're masochistic like that, or if you want to spread the ~$10k or so over a year or two of picking at various problems, then sure, you'll still end up with a really nice car that will be fun to drive. If you are looking at it as an investment, or if you would need to sell it without taking a big loss, then it would be better spend the money up front to get a well documented car.

 

[trainingrevolution]

I have a friend (Tom) who likes to buy something cheap and then fix it up. Cheap is usually an undocumented car, or one that has had deferred maintenance. He has been able to find quite a few deals. Some cars have required new engines, or transmissions while others needed significant cosmetic or mechanical work.

We were talking about it a few weeks ago and he said that by the time he was done with each of the cars he probably paid as much as or more than the cost of a car that required nothing. But there was a argument that I thought was pretty valid, he said "At least I know it was done right".

What he also found was that by the time he was done fixing the car he really didn't want it anymore. He was tired of fixing the "little things". When we would all go out for a drive he would be the guy that didn't show up because the car still wasn't running. He would end up getting so frustrated with the car that he would sell it almost immediately after it was fixed. In fact it was a bit of a running joke with my friends, we'd always ask my friend Jim when he was going to get a garage queen and he'd always say "As soon as Tom gets done fixing it for me"".

Tom just bought a CPO M3, and he says its the best thing he has owned. I asked him why, and he said "I don't need to fix anything on it, I just drive it".

 

[Cap'n Carl]

Great advice from all, thanks! I'll stick to my original plan.

Unfortunately, $36k is at least $6k over my limit; even $30k is a stretch right now.

 

[R13]

Great advice from all, thanks! I'll stick to my original plan.

Unfortunately, $36k is at least $6k over my limit; even $30k is a stretch right now.

It'd be worth it to continue saving as you look for the right car. These are not pre-war Bugattis, so there will always be some on the market and you can be more discerning with your purchase.