In the process of making it happen! (Help?)

[joshuapc]

Ok, so I'm finally pulling the trigger. It's a 2001.
I want to thank everyone for their input on my previous thread:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/184853-The-big-decision

I think a black on black 2001 will satisfy my love of the dark canopy of the coupes + the mechanical upgrades of the 1997-2001's

JH4NA21631T000090

That's the VIN up there... I searched the wiki and the forum posts extensively, but to the best of my ability, this car looks clean like a clean one owner car
I'm obviously still a bit weary considering it's a sight unseen purchase off eBay, so any history, sightings info or otherwise would be tremendous! Anyone who is able to run a full CarFax on it?

Here is the original eBay listing on it as well for those interested. I think if the car checks out OK on the PPI, the price seems fair.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Acura...04DEOeUhS%2BVK%2FMXP0%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

And really, it's a long shot here, but if anyone is in the Burbank, CA area and has the time/inclination to take a look and report back I would be greatly appreciative. I'm going to hire a proper inspector to take a look and document everything appropriately as well (on which I'm happy to take recommendations on).

I'm very nervous and very excited about finally finding what I think is as close to exactly what I want that I could ever find!

Any advice on handling the cross country transaction from people who have done something similar would be greatly appreciated.

 

[shawn110975]

Make sure he can show you in person the receipts his comment " all maint perfrormed " not receipts form 6 years ago current ones.

don't give one penny till you fly in hand him a bank cashiers check.

never wire money not even to family

 

[joshuapc]

Make sure he can show you in person the receipts his comment " all maint perfrormed " not receipts form 6 years ago current ones.

don't give one penny till you fly in hand him a bank cashiers check.

never wire money not even to family

Not even the $1,000 "good faith" deposit thru the eBay system?

 

[shawn110975]

I wouldn't send nothing. if its a scammer you just lost 1000 and no way to recover but it now.... contact seller fly in the next day hand check maybe 500 good faith
but have in sign something saying the 500 is a " RETURNABLE DEPOSIT " word of mouth contract means shit/nothing

I wired 1000 over to a guy and tells me im a scammer and keeps my 1000 I drive 8 hours to meet the guy face to face to get my money back
and when I arrived I thought..... if I was him I would shoot thru the front door with my rifle and ask questions later to get my 1000 back would cost me
2000 so I ate the 1000 and learned never again send shit.

- - - Updated - - -

that was like 10 NSX purchases ago

 

[jtrikakis]

Deposits

I have to agree with Shawn. I purchased my 91 on eBay, but the seller lived in my state. He always responded to my questions so I took chance and won the auction. I did pay him a $500 deposit as he requested. A friend of mine drove me to his house to get the car and pay the balance. I wrote him a personal check, but before we closed the deal we went a branch bank I do my banking and they verified I had funds to cover the cost. Worked out well for the both of us. Fast forward September this year. I saw a prime member wanting to buy an NSX and would pay cash. Hum, lets see if he is serious. After he keep asking for pics and video or 2, he wanted to pay be using an escrow service. The would be, he deposited the money, took possession of the car, and if he didn't like what he got, we would have to negotiate to settle the deal. I said flat No and would only make a deal if he paid up front. Well, he sort of agreed to that, except he wanted someone to vouch that my car was as I stated (I sent him a CarFax report on my own dime). That was the deal breaker for me. I still have the car and have no plans to sell it. As Shawn said, pay no one until you are happy what you see. I hope this helps.

 

[joshuapc]

I have to agree with Shawn. I purchased my 91 on eBay, but the seller lived in my state. He always responded to my questions so I took chance and won the auction. I did pay him a $500 deposit as he requested. A friend of mine drove me to his house to get the car and pay the balance. I wrote him a personal check, but before we closed the deal we went a branch bank I do my banking and they verified I had funds to cover the cost. Worked out well for the both of us. Fast forward September this year. I saw a prime member wanting to buy an NSX and would pay cash. Hum, lets see if he is serious. After he keep asking for pics and video or 2, he wanted to pay be using an escrow service. The would be, he deposited the money, took possession of the car, and if he didn't like what he got, we would have to negotiate to settle the deal. I said flat No and would only make a deal if he paid up front. Well, he sort of agreed to that, except he wanted someone to vouch that my car was as I stated (I sent him a CarFax report on my own dime). That was the deal breaker for me. I still have the car and have no plans to sell it. As Shawn said, pay no one until you are happy what you see. I hope this helps.

So basically, there's no other way but to fly out there myself and put it on the trailer myself in your opinion? Even if I use a 3rd party inspection service?

 

[rusky]

I am near burbank, I can see if I can look but I am not expert by any means. I suggest you make him take it to dealer for PPI (there is no experts near burbank that do PPI). As far as buying car without seeing it, I did it, and many other people have done it. It depends how comfortable you feel with what seller telling you.

 

[shawn110975]

and remember one very important thing...... the seller could be a Catholic priest and his word when selling a car is just like the pimp down the street.

only trust a 3rd party that you pick.

if things get to complicated walk away there is always another one. Trust your gut feeling

 

[jtrikakis]

I'm not sure about those priest, but I live in the DC Metro area and I know how fast money can disappear. My work place is a mile from the IRS and I once worked in the TARP office. It might cost you some travel time and expense, but at least you know what you are buying. Its your money (well at least some it, the IRS will have a say in that -))

 

[mcano]

See if the seller will take the car to Glendale Acura. In CA you have the right to have a PPI performed, but it is your responsibility. They will do a PPI. My car had 111,000 miles on it so I also had them perform a compression test. They will only look at the car from a mechanical point of view. They will not assess the condition of the paint, upholstery and other such items.

Good luck,

Mario

 

[joshuapc]

I got some more detailed pictures of the car and I'm now a bit concerned. The car seems to have some serious neglect going on here... thoughts guys?

 

[BamaFan]

I don't see huge signs of neglect from these few pictures, but it is quite odd that the seller did not clean up that car at all before shooting these.

 

[joshuapc]

I don't see huge signs of neglect from these few pictures, but it is quite odd that the seller did not clean up that car at all before shooting these.

I guess I'm a bit concerned by what I see in the bottom left of the 3rd pic. Not to mention what i see in the door sill pic.

 

[BamaFan]

I see what you are referring to. It looked like dirty water had been allowed to dry, but perhaps it could be an issue with the paint.

 

[91 X]

I don't see huge signs of neglect from these few pictures, but it is quite odd that the seller did not clean up that car at all before shooting these.

I never understood that....you're trying to sell a high priced car and you take pictures of a filthy car??? Brilliant!!!!

If I'm spending $50k I want to see a spotless car.....but as long as it all checks out and the Acura dealership with certified NSX tech gives it the ok on the PPI, should be good.

Looks like it could use a new home.

 

[shawn110975]

SUPER CLEAN NSX.... LOL my mufflers insides are cleaner.

this car I can tell you has sat under a car cover outside for atleast a year. they put a new battery in and it started right up drove it to work a few times
and posted it for sale. the water build up where the glass meet the chassis is evident of this.

so all coolant, tran oil, engine oil, a/c prob needs to be charged if not all the seals replaced.

" I waited 5 months for this car the dealer only had red " you waited 5 months to begin its slow torture of a life under a tarp in your backyard. LOL

now with that said minor accident but was repaired by the factory? show me the paperwork and the pics of the damage since we all know whe take pics of the damage to show friends and family etc.

I would walk to many out there in better shape.

- - - Updated - - -

not to metion the Timing belt/waterpump, valve adjustment hoses. this guy did nothing to the car but let it sit.

I would offer 35K

- - - Updated - - -

but hell what do I know this car could be the cleanest on earth and everything I just said is a lie.... LOL

 

[BamaFan]

You're no liar, Shawn!

Might be able to get this one fairly cheaply...just make sure you have the budget to bring it back ti life.

 

[Spa2KJT]

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't buy it. I saw this car when it was originally listed on Ebay and there's a reason why it didn't sell when first listed at auction. What that reason is, I have no idea. However, since I was in your position (purchasing cross country sight unseen), I'll offer my tidbit of advice. I would strongly recommend purchasing from a private seller. Someone in the business of making money selling cars wants to mainly just do that, make money. When I went through my purchase, I had a feeling I had found the right car but instead focused on getting to know the seller first. Specifically, why he was selling the car, if he was enthusiastic about the car, if he mentioned maintenance records, and lastly, if he wanted me to be the next owner of his car! Once a rapport was established, we came to a figure we agreed that we both could live with.

In regards to completing the transaction, I was lucky in the fact that another Prime member needed me to check out a vehicle local to me he was interested in and he checked out the vehicle I wanted. Once we gave each other the green light for each other's purchases, he actually sent me the checks (close to $20K) to pay for his car and I kept it at my house until the transport arrived and picked it up. (I'm not saying YOU should do that, but he felt he could trust me enough to do so.) As for me, since my purchase was much larger and I wanted to also see the vehicle in person, I booked a flight out to handle everything in one day. This also allowed me to show the seller I was serious about purchasing his car and I kept him informed of every step in the process from everything to flight numbers to photographs of the checks that he would be receiving. (This also helps to show how committed you are in case other offers come in!)

I know it seems like this is the one but it takes time. You will find it. Just be patient. As for this car, if you are dead set on it, I would definitely fly out to see it if you are intent on purchasing it. Better to just spend airfare than to be out of $50K for a car that seems to meet your expectations only in pictures.

 

[Hass]

A good friend of mine purchased his 2006 s2000 in 2008 without seeing in person, he hired a a 3rd party company to the extensive inspection on the vehicle. The inspection company reported back with 75 pictures, the reported the slightest scratch on the front bumper. They also test drove it for over 20 miles. My friend said it was the best $150 he ever spent. The bank money to the seller without hesitation. We flew out to Vegas, the seller left the S2000 in valet at the airport. We drove it back to Michigan without any issues. Sure it only has 6k miles on it, but that inspection gave him peace spending $24k on a car he never saw in person.

if you are spending $50,000 on a car, what's another $500-1000 to fly out there and inspect it yourself.

 

[Computron]

Just to throw in another experience... I think it's all about how you feel about the seller. I bought my 04 from a private party who has also been a prime member for many years. I had several conversations with the person, saw some pics and bought it sight unseen and wired him all the money and then had a transport company go pick up the car. First time I ever saw it was when it arrived at my house. And this was a low mileage 04, so the price was well above $50K. I didn't do a PPI or anything. A couple other prime members said they know him and the car and that he was a legit seller and based on that, the pics, and my conversations with the seller, I felt good enough to go for it. When I tell my friends, they all think I am nuts to wire that much money to a complete stranger cross country for a site unseen car. But it all turned out good in the end... not saying you or anyone else should do it, but it worked out for me. Just go with your gut... But I have to say, after seeing those pics, I'm not sure I would pull the trigger on that car!

 

[posterchild2]

That engine bay was filthy, and like previous posts stated...clean the car up at least! If you are having apprehensions on this deal I would walk away. I waited 9 months for the right deal to present itself! Patience man, the right deal will pop up! Don't compromise your dream investment and make a bad deal that you will regret later.