Disillusioned buyer looking for words of encouragement

[itmstgofast]

Hi all! You all seem like a pretty awesome community, so I'm hoping someone has some sage like advice for a potential buyer. I'm new to the forums, but have been a long time enthusiast. I'm happy to say I'm finally in a place financially that I can afford to take proper care of a nsx. The problem I'm having is finding a good one that isn't already sold. Some are literally selling in a matter of hours. I feel like I'm swimming in a school of piranha. Once I tried pm'ing a seller only a few hours after he posted, only to find someone has already placed a deposit.

The closest i've been to making a deal was a few weeks ago. I got one seller on the phone less than half a day after he posted it. We agreed on a price and I told him I would make arrangements to have it picked up. I tried calling back the next day with my plan, but no luck. I finally got a hold of him a few days later and he told me he wasn't sure he wanted to sell anymore. He asked to think about it over the weekend. I waited the weekend and haven't been able to get a hold of him since. Oh man I was soo pumped up, I was looking at wheels, and listening to exhaust clips. Dreaming about what its going to be like behind the wheel. I was soo close and it all just evaporated away.

So, here I am hoping that some of you have advice on how to make a purchase. Or want to share stories about the hoops you had to go through, or failed deals.

 

[angelo619]

i think your frustration stems more from your strong desire to own an nsx. they might be disappearing a bit faster because of seasonal demand. nothing to get too frustrated about, it'll happen. good luck

 

[RSO 34]

The closest i've been to making a deal was a few weeks ago. I got one seller on the phone less than half a day after he posted it. We agreed on a price and I told him I would make arrangements to have it picked up. I tried calling back the next day with my plan, but no luck. I finally got a hold of him a few days later and he told me he wasn't sure he wanted to sell anymore.

If you tried to make, or try to make, a deal with someone whose car is for sale on prime and they flake out like that, post it and I will delete their ad. That is a rules violation.

 

[liftnot]

Don't despair. it took me 4yr+ to find mine and I live in the land of NSX and there were many for sale locally but not what I was looking for. I wanted an early coupe with a 6-spd. in black or white and I paid dearly for that extra gear. I found my in Chicago of all places. Never saw the car in person, no PPI, he had detail history of the car, plenty of photos/emails exchanged. The seller cared who he sells the car to. He chased away all the local tire kickers/ricers who wanted test drives. He took good care of the car and wanted the new owner to do the same. Flew out and bought it. What I also did was, after learning on Prime how much it might cost me that is in great shape, no accident, clean title,etc. ($30k+IMO) I put that money aside so when the car comes up, pull the trigger quick. I can go on and on but gotta have the money ready and have the attitude of if its meant to be, it will happen.

 

[Lamchop168]

It took me two years, but it all will fall in place. When I was first looking, I was so sure that I was going to be driving a 97 - 99 Red/Tan or Black interior NSX. This Feb, I happened to be in Arlington VA for a conference and happened to see a AD on prime for a 03 LBBP CTSC with 33k miles. I called the owner and stop by after the conference and saw it in person. Once I saw the car, I was sold and fell in love with the LBBP. Owner and I shook hands, no deposit necessary. Pick up the car in 2 weeks, all cash and drove it home. Never in my dream would I thought I ever own a blue sports car. But like I said, you never will know until that faithful day. Here my prize!

 

[Computron]

I think it all depends on your criteria and how willing you are to deviate from it a bit. I was just in your same situation a few weeks ago. Between price, year, mileage, condition, stock or modded, and color, it would take a perfect alignment of the planets to get exactly what you want. I settled for a color that I never thought I would choose, but all the other criteria were met, so I went for it. I was worried that the perfect criteria would never be met especially since these cars are getting more and more rare with each passing year.

So I would say prioritize the things you are looking for and be willing to bend a bit on the less important stuff and you'll find one. That's my best suggestion based on my own personal experience recently. Good luck!

 

[TURBO2GO]

Hi all! You all seem like a pretty awesome community, so I'm hoping someone has some sage like advice for a potential buyer. I'm new to the forums, but have been a long time enthusiast. I'm happy to say I'm finally in a place financially that I can afford to take proper care of a nsx. The problem I'm having is finding a good one that isn't already sold. Some are literally selling in a matter of hours. I feel like I'm swimming in a school of piranha. Once I tried pm'ing a seller only a few hours after he posted, only to find someone has already placed a deposit.

The closest i've been to making a deal was a few weeks ago. I got one seller on the phone less than half a day after he posted it. We agreed on a price and I told him I would make arrangements to have it picked up. I tried calling back the next day with my plan, but no luck. I finally got a hold of him a few days later and he told me he wasn't sure he wanted to sell anymore. He asked to think about it over the weekend. I waited the weekend and haven't been able to get a hold of him since. Oh man I was soo pumped up, I was looking at wheels, and listening to exhaust clips. Dreaming about what its going to be like behind the wheel. I was soo close and it all just evaporated away.

So, here I am hoping that some of you have advice on how to make a purchase. Or want to share stories about the hoops you had to go through, or failed deals.

Everytime this has happened to me and I've been heartbroken, eventually an even better car has come along and I've said "thank God those others fell through". Every single time. Just be patient.

 

[socalx]

Right now two of the most rare (to find color and no accident history ) nsx's are for sale. There is an early Sebring silver in the marketplace in ga that I would take a serious look at , along with a very low mile uncrashed Sebring in ny up for sale in ebay. Sebring is the best color for the car (shows of the f16) styling and is very rare. You show seriously look at both of these cars

 

[itmstgofast]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I've done what you suggested liftnot and have the cash ready to go. Now i just need to be patient, which is tough with the money just sitting there. Being the engineer that i am I've gathered a lot of asking and sale prices of 91-93's over the last 6 months and done some regression to give me a set of curves that I use to determine what's a good deal. it's far from perfect, but it gives me a price range vs. mileage. Where it falls in that range is based on condition, records, and modifications. That's where priorities set in.. I still need to work on those.

Right now two of the most rare (to find color and no accident history ) nsx's are for sale. There is an early Sebring silver in the marketplace in ga that I would take a serious look at , along with a very low mile uncrashed Sebring in ny up for sale in ebay. Sebring is the best color for the car (shows of the f16) styling and is very rare. You show seriously look at both of these cars

Yeah the GA car was the one i mentioned where i Pm'd the seller a few hours after he posted. That was a screaming deal, who ever got that car is super lucky. The one on Ebay only has 20k miles and according to my curve will probably sell for mid to high 40's which sadly is above my price range. Never the less i tried to give the number a call and it went straight to voice mail.

I did have a short convo over Email with a guy in MN with a 92 for sale. I am pretty sure he is a primer( is primer the right term??). He responded to one email, but sadly hasn't responded to anymore.

 

[NSXonwheels]

You can also post a want to buy ad here on prime and have it working for you when you're not. I ultimately found my NSX that way and have no regrets. And like others said, be patient when looking, there's 8,000 of them here in the US and given enough time the right one will come up for sale. But when it does, you have to be ready to make a quick offer and make it worthwhile for the seller.

 

[kevgk]

I must have been lucky and it took a long time but All of my criteria were met and I ended up with my 93 Sebring silver. I have missed out on deals on real estate and other things but a better opportunity always comes up. Be patient.

 

[posterchild2]

Be patient man, and at least you are in a financial position to strike when the right car comes up! I recently picked mine up this weekend a few months before I really wanted ; but had I hesitated for a second that car would have been gone and I would have been very sad!

 

[davidf]

Ask for records. Most worthy NSX owners keep records/receipts, ect.

 

[91 X]

Yes, I know the feeling...I recently bought by third NSX over the last 11 years...sold my last one over 6 years ago and started looking for my current one 2 years ago...finally found the right deal ten minutes from my house when I lucked out and found an original owner 92 blk/blk.... I wanted GPW, but silver and black were on my must have list...

Keep in mind though, I looked for a great deal and wouldn't even bother calling ads that were over priced IMO .
With a 20 year old car, unless everything is up to date with records, be prepared to drop some $$$ Because in the 3 months I've had her, I already put close to $8,000 into her. Hoses, seals and just dropped a new clutch in yesterday...she was bone stock, so I had to update the rims tires and exhaust , not to mention HIDs, tint, etc....and luckily for me my good friend is one of the premier NSX techs in so cal, or it would have been over $10,000...

Just a couple things you need to keep in mind as far as budget I concerned.. If you find an NSX with all the current maintenance done(hoses, belts, etc.) the color you like and rims and suspension to your liking hop on it... If it needs maint/mods to your liking be prepared to spend some money...

I had all the car finding apps( autotrader, cars.com and Craigslist) and checked them pretty much every day twice a day...
It paid off when I found "the one" and made the deal...

Be patient and you will find the right deal.

Good luck.

 

[blue_myriddn]

With a 20 year old car, unless everything is up to date with records, be prepared to drop some $$$ Because in the 3 months I've had her, I already put close to $8,000 into her. Hoses, seals and just dropped a new clutch in yesterday...she was bone stock, so I had to update the rims tires and exhaust , not to mention HIDs, tint, etc....and luckily for me my good friend is one of the premier NSX techs in so cal, or it would have been over $10,000...

This is good info for prospective buyers and provides an explanation for why pricing can appear to be all over the place. A "cheap" NSX will often end up being about the same price (and a LOT less hassle) than a well sorted out and more expensive NSX.

Also keep in mind that the NSX is an exotic car and you will run in to this issue of finding a good exotic with just about any brand (Ferrari, Lambo, etc) due to rarity and diversity in exotic car owners (some of them treat their cars like crap and the next owner has to suffer). Here is a neat video about a guy and his quest to get a Ferrari 355, that to me nicely sums up the difficulties inherent in purchasing any exotic: http://dougdemuro.jalopnik.com/buying-a-ferrari-is-harder-than-you-might-think-video-1516788481

 

[91 X]

This is good info for prospective buyers and provides an explanation for why pricing can appear to be all over the place. A "cheap" NSX will often end up being about the same price (and a LOT less hassle) than a well sorted out and more expensive NSX.

Also keep in mind that the NSX is an exotic car and you will run in to this issue of finding a good exotic with just about any brand (Ferrari, Lambo, etc) due to rarity and diversity in exotic car owners (some of them treat their cars like crap and the next owner has to suffer). Here is a neat video about a guy and his quest to get a Ferrari 355, that to me nicely sums up the difficulties inherent in purchasing any exotic: http://dougdemuro.jalopnik.com/buying-a-ferrari-is-harder-than-you-might-think-video-1516788481

lol..don't wanna scare him off with that Ferrari story...a lot of people can afford a Ferrari, just that very few can afford to drive them.:tongue:

But, yes as it is with most cars rare cars over 10 years old, be prepared to spend some $$$
To be fair, I've only had to spend about $5,000 on actual maintenance, $2000 of that was preventative and $3000 of must have maintenance( clutch and front pads and rotors) all of which I was fully prepared for when I purchased the car..the other $3000 was on cosmetics (rims, exhaust, etc.)

But, also, like I said, it also helps to be friends with an NSX expert. The clutch job from my local dealership would have cost @$4500 alone..

This is why I searched and waited for the right car at the right price...I paid a good $5000 under market, so I figure I'm still ahead of the game....

 

[vivanshah]

stick with it. I've gotten close to buying 2 in the past year, but realized they weren't the car for me. the right one will find you.

 

[bluegill7]

Just remember, when one door closes another one opens up.