Looking at a '91 Formula Red/Ivory - advise?

[nsxtasy]

Pricing wise, if I could find a 91 or 92 under 36k, i'd be really interested but there are no cars for sale (that I could find) near me that fit the bill.

That right there (with bold added) is part of your problem. When you limit yourself to one relatively small geographical area, you are eliminating 90+ percent of the cars for sale. Given the rarity of the NSX, especially of pristine examples, searching nationwide is a must. Even if you insist on seeing it before committing to the sale, you can have a distant car inspected by a nearby NSX specialist mechanic (such as one on this map) before you get on a plane to see it in person, finalize the deal, and drive it home. That can reduce the risk that the car is not accurately represented or something is otherwise wrong with it.

Also, you said...

The problem for me is finding one with relatively low mileage and near stock in good condition. I'm fine with exhaust and a few mods but nothing too crazy.
.
.
.
Thoughts on this one? http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...lina-Black-NSX-for-sale-VIN-JH4NA1150MT002532

That one is quite the opposite of what you're looking for. It's VERY heavily modded. And unless you want almost precisely that set of mods, that is probably not the right car for you.

 

[bleudyno]

LOL! You caught me! I know I was being contradictory in what I wanted vs what I was looking at. I was being weak and desperate and looking at all sorts of different cars to see if I'd be willing to settle for one. I've calmed down and do have a clearer perspective on what I want now. I know I am limiting myself by only looking locally but I've never bought a car out of state before and, to be honest, and kind of hesitant about it. My situation right now kind of limits me from travelling so if I do happen to find one out of state, I'd probably need to have the PPI done and then take their word and purchase the car to be shipped over to SoCal. Anyone purchase a car just on the PPI report and was happy with it when they got it? I've just been looking so long that I'm kind of getting burned out....

 

[tof]

So can I assume you are in the Southwest somewhere? California maybe?

And +1 on what nsxtasy said about casting a wider net. Spending a few hundred dollars on air fare could mean finding almost exactly what you want at the best possible price.

 

[nsxtasy]

So can I assume you are in the Southwest somewhere? California maybe?

My bet is Southern California. Based on his mentioning that after an out-of-town purchase he would need to ship the car to SoCal. Just a guess though. :biggrin:

 

[tof]

My bet is Southern California. Based on his mentioning that after an out-of-town purchase he would need to ship the car to SoCal. Just a guess though. :biggrin:

Um....

 

[bleudyno]

Yup, I'm in Torrance, CA to be exact. I'm looking further out but still not much available and even 91's are listed at over $40k.

 

[Voodoo08]

Um....

I realize he is looking local, but he seems to be open to the idea of looking nationally.

 

[bleudyno]

Anyone in Wichita want to take a look for me? http://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/5103736057.html

 

[tof]

I realize he is looking local, but he seems to be open to the idea of looking nationally.

Hey, [MENTION=31337]Voodoo08[/MENTION]...That was directed at myself for asking if the OP was from California after he said he would have to ship his car to SoCal. Not at you for your offer. Sorry for the mix-up..

 

[bleudyno]

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/639347925/overview/

 

[Voodoo08]

http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/639347925/overview/

id be weary of that one, just being from a dealer for one, and the fact they strategically took interior pictures to miss some of the problem areas. Seat bolsters, center console cracks etc...you can see some of the bubbling on the door sill, that I messaged you about.

good luck!
[MENTION=24712]tof[/MENTION] no big deal wasn't coming back with a snarky comment, all good!

 

[bleudyno]

Thanks for the input. They're weren't budging on the price either. My eyes are getting tired from looking at NSX ads lol!

 

[nsxvtecvtec]

After searching several months, I bought a 91 few weeks ago.

I paid 37k for my red 91 with 100k miles. The car is absolutely clean inside and outside. The owner is on the top of maintenance, and he kept everything recorded. All the mods he put are probably worth at least 7k, and all the oem parts are included.

To OP, you need to let a bodyshop guy to check out the accident history and make sure every panel is original. No frame damage is a must. For the ABS, you won't feel a huge difference until you brake too hard. Find an empty area and test the brake until you feel confident. My car is ABS deleted as of now. The ABS unit is sitting in the garage.

 

[bleudyno]

After searching several months, I bought a 91 few weeks ago.

I paid 37k for my red 91 with 100k miles. The car is absolutely clean inside and outside. The owner is on the top of maintenance, and he kept everything recorded. All the mods he put are probably worth at least 7k, and all the oem parts are included.

To OP, you need to let a bodyshop guy to check out the accident history and make sure every panel is original. No frame damage is a must. For the ABS, you won't feel a huge difference until you brake too hard. Find an empty area and test the brake until you feel confident. My car is ABS deleted as of now. The ABS unit is sitting in the garage.

Did you get yours locally? I have my own mechanic that knows about NSX's so thats why I'd prefer a local sale - so I can have him look at it. Im hoping one will pop in the near future.

 

[jazzmann]

And +1 on what nsxtasy said about casting a wider net. Spending a few hundred dollars on air fare could mean finding almost exactly what you want at the best possible price.

Make that +2. I had been perusing the market and learning about NSXs here on Prime since last summer and when I decided to look with intent to buy earlier this spring, the only listings I excluded due to geography were those from CA b/c I didn't want to deal with their smog stuff. Ended up buying a '91 from CO and had it shipped to PA. Sure, the shipping cost a bit, but I got exactly what I wanted at a very fair price for what it came with.

 

[nsxvtecvtec]

yes, it's a local deal which is only 40 miles away from my home. eventually, seller regret to sell the car. I was the only person who went to check it out, and I couldn't let it pass.

 

[bleudyno]

Make that +2. I had been perusing the market and learning about NSXs here on Prime since last summer and when I decided to look with intent to buy earlier this spring, the only listings I excluded due to geography were those from CA b/c I didn't want to deal with their smog stuff. Ended up buying a '91 from CO and had it shipped to PA. Sure, the shipping cost a bit, but I got exactly what I wanted at a very fair price for what it came with.

Did you fly out to see the car?

 

[nsxvtecvtec]

it is really hard to find a clean one these days compared to 5 years ago, and the situation will be even tougher later.

 

[jazzmann]

Did you fly out to see the car?

ummm.... no. bought it sight unseen except for pix, believe it or not. special circumstances, very special car. I can provide details, but this from another member pretty much sums it up:

"unless you're buying a car like Honcho just sold, a PPI is a must." I bought Honcho's car.

 

[bleudyno]

Okay so I found another one that I'm going to take a look at tomorrow morning. White on black with 113k miles. He had the whole car repainted not too long ago and when I asked why he did that, he said he spun out one night when it was raining and hit the rear into a tree. He assure no frame damage but he replace the tail lights and rear valance to the 05 one. I ran a carfax on it and I found something a little strange. For the passed 3 years, the car would fail the smog and then pass about 2 or 3 weeks later. When I brought this up to the owner he said that there was nothing wrong and that he would just pour in a bottle of engine cleaner and take it back and it would pass. Odd to me that it happened that many years in a row. Anyone have an idea what might be he problem? He does have some sort of aftermarket exhaust on there though. He also did mention that he services his car at Niguel motors. If I called them up, do you think they would be able to look up the car history and let me know the issues they've dealt with in the past?

- - - Updated - - -

Exhaust is a Taitec GT Parallel in stainless.

 

[JD Cross]

Okay so I found another one that I'm going to take a look at tomorrow morning. White on black with 113k miles. He had the whole car repainted not too long ago and when I asked why he did that, he said he spun out one night when it was raining and hit the rear into a tree. He assure no frame damage but he replace the tail lights and rear valance to the 05 one. I ran a carfax on it and I found something a little strange. For the passed 3 years, the car would fail the smog and then pass about 2 or 3 weeks later. When I brought this up to the owner he said that there was nothing wrong and that he would just pour in a bottle of engine cleaner and take it back and it would pass. Odd to me that it happened that many years in a row. Anyone have an idea what might be he problem? He does have some sort of aftermarket exhaust on there though. He also did mention that he services his car at Niguel motors. If I called them up, do you think they would be able to look up the car history and let me know the issues they've dealt with in the past?
- - - Updated - - -
Exhaust is a Taitec GT Parallel in stainless.

I've been following your search thread for some time.
Now you're on to a repainted, 02 converted, occasional smog passer/failer with some maintenance records if you dig them out rather than the owner presenting them with the car.
Is this all there is for sale in SoCal?

 

[bleudyno]

I've been following your search thread for some time.
Now you're on to a repainted, 02 converted, occasional smog passer/failer with some maintenance records if you dig them out rather than the owner presenting them with the car.
Is this all there is for sale in SoCal?

To be honest, there is not much available for sale here. That's why I'm checking out everything that becomes available around me. Whatever is for sale here, the seller is asking for way too much. I called a guy in Santa Monica who has a 91 with 171,000 miles and he was $47.5! Wtf!?

This guy actually has all the maintenance records and is supposed good friends with Ramon at Niguel motors. I just haven't gone to look at the car yet. As for the repaint, I'd have to do some more investigation to see if there was any damage. If everything looks okay, what's wrong with a repaint? I mean the car is 22 years old. He only converted the rear bumper so it's not a full conversion. The only thing that concerns me is the smog not passing. If I like it and we agree on a price, I'd ask to take it to a smog right away and will buy it only if the smog passes.

 

[nsxtasy]

what's wrong with a repaint?

When a car is in a minor accident (say one corner of it), there's no need to repaint the entire car. When the entire car has been repainted, that usually means the accident was far more serious than the seller is claiming - possibly serious enough that the car should have been totaled. It's a red flag - meaning, not only is the repaint in itself an issue, but it raises the possibility that there are other serious issues and/or that the seller isn't being totally honest (or, if it was done by a prior owner, isn't aware of the car's entire history).

 

[bleudyno]

When a car is in a minor accident (say one corner of it), there's no need to repaint the entire car. When the entire car has been repainted, that usually means the accident was far more serious than the seller is claiming - possibly serious enough that the car should have been totaled. It's a red flag - meaning, not only is the repaint in itself an issue, but it raises the possibility that there are other serious issues and/or that the seller isn't being totally honest (or, if it was done by a prior owner, isn't aware of the car's entire history).

Point well taken. I called Ramon at Niguel and he confirmed that it was a small accident. He also confirmed the work he did on the car and gave me the okay with it. As for the smog failures, he says that a lot of NSX's have issues with the cats and that racing fuel clears it up for emissions. In any case, I have all this in mind and am going to take a look at the car now. He has receipts for everything and I'm going to take close attention to the repaint and repair receipts. I'll check back in in a few hours to let you all know how it went.

 

[nsxvtecvtec]

to OP, don't waste your time on a car like that. Repaint the whole car for a rear corner spin? seriously, you really trust that?

I can send you a few pictures regarding how terrible if nsx is involved in a "minor accident" including my previous 97. and then you will understand something.