Is it true, if you can't afford a car new you can't afford it used?

damthatbeaver said:
It is untrue to state that you cannot get a good 91 NSX for $30,000 or less - I bought mine for $29,000 and it came with the following:

Tein Adjustable Suspension
Full Wings West Body Kit
18/19 Niche Rhine Rims/Tires
Dali Exhaust
Dali Coolant Resevoir
Updated Speaker/stereo system with LCD/DVD Monitor
Water Pump/Timing Belt Done
Cam Plugs/Seals Done
New Front Windshield
Tune-up
198,000kms - some paint chips - no dents/passenger door regulator needed
to be replaced

Be patient...:redface:

Dam:cool:
Click to expand...
He is correct. I gave $27K for my 91 w/51,000, all recent service done. I was very pleased.
 
damthatbeaver said:
It is untrue to state that you cannot get a good 91 NSX for $30,000 or less - I bought mine for $29,000 and it came with the following:

Tein Adjustable Suspension
Full Wings West Body Kit
18/19 Niche Rhine Rims/Tires
Dali Exhaust
Dali Coolant Resevoir
Updated Speaker/stereo system with LCD/DVD Monitor
Water Pump/Timing Belt Done
Cam Plugs/Seals Done
New Front Windshield
Tune-up
198,000kms - some paint chips - no dents/passenger door regulator needed
to be replaced

Be patient...:redface:

Dam:cool:
Click to expand...
Wow that's an amazing deal

davidf said:
He is correct. I gave $27K for my 91 w/51,000, all recent service done. I was very pleased.
Click to expand...
Yah but those are U.S. prices. Prices in Canada are anywhere from $6K to $10K more.
 
I don't agree.Smarter buyers purchase cars 2-3 years old to avoid the big depreciation hit on a new vehicle.

The beauty on the early cars is there is going to be Zero depreciation. You just pay for your insurance, tires, gas, and oil. Thats usually it.

You just have to be patient and get a 91-94 with around 60k miles that has all the maintenence up to date and you will enjoy the car worry free.

NSXFRIEND has a just such a car advertised...
 
Why don't you tell us how much you can budget for the NSX and we can tell you if your expectations are realistic.
 
Greetings

You can't buy an 02 to 05 with an automatic for 50K. Trust me -- it took me 10 months to find one and I had to pay a hell of a lot more than that for it.

I think that you will be able to wait 6 - 12 months, and then buy an NSX for a lot less money than you can now. There is still something like .5 TRILLION dollars worth of subprime mortgages that have not hit the fan yet. Anyone can make 10% on their money when times are good. You can make far more than that by having cash/equivalent when times are bad.

Cheers,
Martin
 
Jamolah said:
My hopes where raised when I saw that 1999 NSX for $42,000:
But it doesn't have service history and has 83,000miles on it. So that explains why it was so cheap. But after doing a bit more research NA2 are selling in the $50K range. Heck I'm seeing NA1 with low miles selling in the mid $50K range. I think I might have to re-asses whether or not I can "afford" this car or not.
Click to expand...

Why are you looking at NSX's in the higher price ranges? I've picked up a mint 1991 w/63,000 miles this past June and I couldn't be happier! It was almost half the price of the car you mentioned above. Paid cash and then paid cash for some mods to make the car look as she is now.

Let's say you pick an earlier one up for $28K, add another 8K for a complete conversion (Downforce), Lowering springs $1k, wheels another $3k = $40K.

Don't do a conversion and you're still looking at $32K ballpark modded tastefully...

Done. One damn sweet looking NSX that also you don't have to spend big $$ on all at once.
 
Last edited:
I've always used the rule of thumb that your car should cost no more than 1/2 your salary. The cheapest NSX you'll find will be a 1991 and it will be around $30,000 give or take. I think the 3 year old 2005s are probably down into the $70's by now. So you should be making between $60,000 and $150,000 depending what year you pick.
Now there are probably 100 variables here. The biggest of which is how much you roll into it. Say you sell your current car for $15,000, and you're shooting for a NA1 NSX. Now you only need a loan for another $15,000.

As far as how much it costs after the fact, I haven't kept track. I would guess around $2,000/year is my average(excluding tires, gas, oil, etc).
 
To put it in perspective -- Could you afford to buy a loaded Civic Si, new? Because for the same money you can get an early NSX. This rationale is one of the reasons why I have my car and I never looked back.

[QUOTE]Driving pleasure out weights the financial burden of owning a used NSX. The car is very reliable when well kept.[/QUOTE]

Yes! Another thing to factor into your thinking is the ready-made vacation phenomenon. Instead of doing other (perhaps more expensive) things you'll be looking for excuses to take the car out. Despite being relatively economical, the car is a complete blast.
I took mine to the gas station last night and had a stupid amount of fun driving there and back.
 
A little off topic here but since Randall mentioned Civic SI. Is the "SI" model premium fuel only? I'm toying the idea of an SI for a DD, but will not purchase another premium fuel only car since I already have one.
 
Guys you have to remember I'm in Canada. We just don't have any NSXs with less than 60K miles on the clock for less than $36K. As per my link above, some people are asking outrages prices.

If I could find something half decent with faily low kms for $30K to $32K, this would be a no brainer. I wouldn't even be posting this message. But when you are talking about $40K+ for a 11 to 16 year old car, it gets a bit "iffy".
 
Jamolah said:
Guys you have to remember I'm in Canada. We just don't have any NSXs with less than 60K miles on the clock for less than $36K. As per my link above, some people are asking outrages prices.

If I could find something half decent with faily low kms for $30K to $32K, this would be a no brainer. I wouldn't even be posting this message. But when you are talking about $40K+ for a 11 to 16 year old car, it gets a bit "iffy".
Click to expand...

I don't know the rules for doing this kind of thing but can't you just locate one in the states and have it shipped up there? I'm sure the market here has more than up there.
 
From one canuck to another, don't even bother looking for one here. A car from the states will be cheaper, in better shape, and you get to choose from way more. The only time I would buy ANY car in canada, is if I was purchasing a winter beater.
 
As another Canadian giving you advice go south of the border and purchase a NSX from the U.S. and make sure you adhere to:

www.riv.ca

Finding the type of NSX's we are describing will only happen in the U.S. and definately not in Canada!

Jetpilot
 
Also, is it your daily driver? What will you do if it goes down?

My 91 needed a new (auto) transmission, new A/C Evaporator and new right rear hub - it was in the shop for two trips for four months, the second one really long while I found a used transmission. And it cost way more than the typical Honda for all that service. Fortunately, Acura loaned me a car.

I also have summer and winter tires, and still spend over $500 a year in tires. And I only drive 14k a year or so.

So, I think in the best case it is a Honda, but in the worst case, it is a hand-built exotic sports car.
 
AR99NSX said:
Why don't you tell us how much you can budget for the NSX and we can tell you if your expectations are realistic.
Click to expand...
Okay, I'll post this just to make the analysis easier. After ALL expenses / bills are paid for I have $1,700/month as "play" money. This money ($1,700) is not factoring savings. And I don't have to worry about retirement, that is handled by my employer.

wilsonp said:
Also, is it your daily driver? What will you do if it goes down?

My 91 needed a new (auto) transmission, new A/C Evaporator and new right rear hub - it was in the shop for two trips for four months, the second one really long while I found a used transmission. And it cost way more than the typical Honda for all that service. Fortunately, Acura loaned me a car.

I also have summer and winter tires, and still spend over $500 a year in tires. And I only drive 14k a year or so.

So, I think in the best case it is a Honda, but in the worst case, it is a hand-built exotic sports car.
Click to expand...

That sounds expensive. It's stuff like this that scares me.

Can I get a 3rd party warranty for the NSX?
 
wilsonp said:
Also, is it your daily driver? What will you do if it goes down?

My 91 needed a new (auto) transmission, new A/C Evaporator and new right rear hub - it was in the shop for two trips for four months, the second one really long while I found a used transmission. And it cost way more than the typical Honda for all that service. Fortunately, Acura loaned me a car.

I also have summer and winter tires, and still spend over $500 a year in tires. And I only drive 14k a year or so.

So, I think in the best case it is a Honda, but in the worst case, it is a hand-built exotic sports car.
Click to expand...

Jamolah,
Allow me to comment on a few of the things he brought up.
1. Replacing an automatic trans. One major reason it took so long to find one is because there aren't very many auto trans NSX's to begine with. Then trying to find a used one is even harder. Manual trans are a lot easier to find/fix. I assure you of that.
2. Tires. You can adjust your control arms to help that problem. You can also drive like a normal person and not aggresive(i.e. burn outs, barking tires, seeing how many G's you can pull on on-ramps, etc.). If he is going thru tires that fast he might have an alignment issue also.
3. a/c evaporators are a known possible issue. I've had my car for 7yrs and have converted it to the new freon and gave it a shot of the cold stuff a few years ago and have never had a problem since. However, others have so that is something to consider.
4. Have to comment about hub as I haven't heard anything problems with those.

If you have $1,700 mo of 'play money' then I would say you could easily spend 1/3 of that for the car payment and the rest on something else or just saving it.
 
92NSX said:
Jamolah,
Allow me to comment on a few of the things he brought up.
1. Replacing an automatic trans. One major reason it took so long to find one is because there aren't very many auto trans NSX's to begine with. Then trying to find a used one is even harder. Manual trans are a lot easier to find/fix. I assure you of that.
2. Tires. You can adjust your control arms to help that problem. You can also drive like a normal person and not aggresive(i.e. burn outs, barking tires, seeing how many G's you can pull on on-ramps, etc.). If he is going thru tires that fast he might have an alignment issue also.
3. a/c evaporators are a known possible issue. I've had my car for 7yrs and have converted it to the new freon and gave it a shot of the cold stuff a few years ago and have never had a problem since. However, others have so that is something to consider.
4. Have to comment about hub as I haven't heard anything problems with those.

If you have $1,700 mo of 'play money' then I would say you could easily spend 1/3 of that for the car payment and the rest on something else or just saving it.
Click to expand...

Okay thanks 92NSX.

Is there any history of engines blowing up or transmissions (other than 91 and 92) blowing up?

Does anybody have good experience with a 3rd party warranty company for the NSX?

Thanks for all the input guys.
 
Jamolah said:
Okay thanks 92NSX.

Is there any history of engines blowing up or transmissions (other than 91 and 92) blowing up?

Does anybody have good experience with a 3rd party warranty company for the NSX?

Thanks for all the input guys.
Click to expand...

These engines are very robust hardly any fail and negligence or abuse will cause anything to fail. You do not need warranty on an NSX. Tires you can buy for $190 sumitomo W rated on tirerack.

FYI NSX in vancouver.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/car/653742993.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/car/623701620.html

Buy this car $33k new clutch and timing belt service, find out if it is in the snapring ask if the A/C blows cold etc.
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/car/635628631.html
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/car/650930234.html
 
WOW.

It's pretty amazing how many totally unhelpful posts are on this thread (and other recent potential-new-owner threads).


I can't comment that well on the typical maintenance costs for an early 90s NSX since mine is a 2005 but my guess would be:

Tires - rears every 8-10k at $400, fronts every 15k at $350 for top of the line Goodyear F1 GSD3s
Oil changes - like every other car
Insurance - no more than a typical $30k car (BMW 3series for example)
Clutches - [more] $1500-2000 I think, every 40+k miles
TB/WP - [more] $2000, every 6 years or 100k miles

Some stupid little things typical of an older car that can be 2x more expensive than a typical Honda. Figure $1-2k/year to be safe.

Major engine or tranny problems - $1k to $8k but are really quite rare. Nothing like a Ferrari or old Porsche.

Now -- you do the math and hopefully it works. It's a great car. :smile:
(also, it doesn't depreciate so come resale time, you'll get back everything you paid. Don't underestimate the importance of this when figuring the cost of ownership)
 
The cost of ownership becomes less important once you drive the car. Repairs can get expensive for the NSX, but you don't have to get it serviced as often as other exotics. So from a cost perspective, it is a more affordable exotic. Definitely a life changing experience for me. I don't even consider most common sports cars worthy sports cars anymore.
 

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