- Joined
- 3 February 2000
- Messages
- 3,942
I was driving by the dealer that currently has this car on the showroom floor so I stopped in to take a quick look.
The short version is that it looks like a factory stock car that falls short of mint condition.
All the panels line up well except the bottom half of the nose. However, the lower nose does have the rock chips and wear and tear you'd expect for mileage. So it may have just been taken off to be resprayed due to rock chips. Or maybe it a steep driveway knocked it slightly out of alignment. Would need a more thorough inspection to figure it out.
It shows more orange peel effect than I'm used to on an NSX. Maybe it just had more from the factory than most? I didn't see obvious paintwork, but it's hard to spot on a black car if it was done well without a more thorough inspection.
I noticed a bunch of little things that aren't right but most are easily corrected:
Power antenna stuck/broken, common issue.
The little triangular interior trim panel on the top rear of the driver's door is missing. I have no idea why it would have been removed or where it went. I've removed them before while working on my NSXs and they don't just pop off by accident. Typically removed if you are pulling off the interior door panel.
The spare tire bracket is missing the bolt that holds it to the firewall. I went back and looked at the pics on the BAT auction just last month and the bolt is there on those pictures. I'd guess someone removed the spare tire and bracket to change/charge the battery and forgot to replace that bolt when they reinstalled it. I wouldn't drive it like that because the bracket will rub the paint off the firewall.
Drivers seat bolster and drivers door inside trim panel / door handle show more wear than is typical for mileage. Interior otherwise looks pretty good.
The factory phone was previously installed and the control panel for that is still in the coin tray, and the storage compartment has the holes from mounting the handset. The phone itself is in the trunk.
Someone installed XM radio at some point. The XM antenna is hanging loose inside the top of the engine hatch (where it meets the roof). I am not sure how it's connected to the stereo system. The XM receiver box is in the trunk.
It has a CD changer installed in the trunk using the factory bracket.
Engine hatch release lever is installed incorrectly. Again it was correct in the recent BAT photos so I'd guess someone recently removed it for interior detailing and didn't reinstall it correctly.
Engine hatch struts are dead.
Trunk lid struts are dead.
Forward dash trim is cracked by the sunlight sensor, as is common with the older cars.
I didn't get underneath, but just from looking through the wheel wells I could see the suspension was very clean, so I assume the whole undercarriage is clean.
The only serious issue I noticed was several serious scratches on the right rear quarter panel that were poorly touched up. That was very disappointing. I hope whoever ultimately buys the car gets it fixed correctly. I attached two photos showing two different areas of the panel with scratches.
Again this was just a 10 minute walk-around, not a real inspection. I did not check the transmission number to see if it was in snap ring range, I did not check any electronics or try to start it, I didn't look underneath, I didn't look through the folder with some paperwork on the passenger seat, etc. If you are serious about the car I would be happy to take a more thorough "experienced owner" look at it if you coordinate that with the dealer. That is NOT a substitute for a real inspection by a qualified mechanic; I would only be looking over the car, not checking anything mechanically.
The short version is that it looks like a factory stock car that falls short of mint condition.
All the panels line up well except the bottom half of the nose. However, the lower nose does have the rock chips and wear and tear you'd expect for mileage. So it may have just been taken off to be resprayed due to rock chips. Or maybe it a steep driveway knocked it slightly out of alignment. Would need a more thorough inspection to figure it out.
It shows more orange peel effect than I'm used to on an NSX. Maybe it just had more from the factory than most? I didn't see obvious paintwork, but it's hard to spot on a black car if it was done well without a more thorough inspection.
I noticed a bunch of little things that aren't right but most are easily corrected:
Power antenna stuck/broken, common issue.
The little triangular interior trim panel on the top rear of the driver's door is missing. I have no idea why it would have been removed or where it went. I've removed them before while working on my NSXs and they don't just pop off by accident. Typically removed if you are pulling off the interior door panel.
The spare tire bracket is missing the bolt that holds it to the firewall. I went back and looked at the pics on the BAT auction just last month and the bolt is there on those pictures. I'd guess someone removed the spare tire and bracket to change/charge the battery and forgot to replace that bolt when they reinstalled it. I wouldn't drive it like that because the bracket will rub the paint off the firewall.
Drivers seat bolster and drivers door inside trim panel / door handle show more wear than is typical for mileage. Interior otherwise looks pretty good.
The factory phone was previously installed and the control panel for that is still in the coin tray, and the storage compartment has the holes from mounting the handset. The phone itself is in the trunk.
Someone installed XM radio at some point. The XM antenna is hanging loose inside the top of the engine hatch (where it meets the roof). I am not sure how it's connected to the stereo system. The XM receiver box is in the trunk.
It has a CD changer installed in the trunk using the factory bracket.
Engine hatch release lever is installed incorrectly. Again it was correct in the recent BAT photos so I'd guess someone recently removed it for interior detailing and didn't reinstall it correctly.
Engine hatch struts are dead.
Trunk lid struts are dead.
Forward dash trim is cracked by the sunlight sensor, as is common with the older cars.
I didn't get underneath, but just from looking through the wheel wells I could see the suspension was very clean, so I assume the whole undercarriage is clean.
The only serious issue I noticed was several serious scratches on the right rear quarter panel that were poorly touched up. That was very disappointing. I hope whoever ultimately buys the car gets it fixed correctly. I attached two photos showing two different areas of the panel with scratches.
Again this was just a 10 minute walk-around, not a real inspection. I did not check the transmission number to see if it was in snap ring range, I did not check any electronics or try to start it, I didn't look underneath, I didn't look through the folder with some paperwork on the passenger seat, etc. If you are serious about the car I would be happy to take a more thorough "experienced owner" look at it if you coordinate that with the dealer. That is NOT a substitute for a real inspection by a qualified mechanic; I would only be looking over the car, not checking anything mechanically.
