Looking to buy first NSX

[agc23]

I've been reading about NSX for some time and have always wanted to buy one. I've been reading the various threads on this forum but this is the first time I'm posting.

I have been looking at buying an NSX for some time but prices have been out of reach. Ive finally come to the conclusion that I will need to pay up for a nice car. I've been looking at a manual 96 with less than 10k miles and wondering what I should expect to pay. Are there any downside to a 96 over other years and what should I be careful about.

 

[blue_myriddn]

I've been looking at a manual 96 with less than 10k miles and wondering what I should expect to pay. Are there any downside to a 96 over other years and what should I be careful about.

There are 4 main "categories" of NSX:
1991-1994 = the early "raw" years. They are all coupes and have manual steering racks. These are the purist cars.

1995-1996 = Targa ver 1. Heaviest cars, Acuras first move towards turning the car in to more of a grand tourer with power steering becoming standard. Generally regarded as the weakest year as you have the extra weight from the targa, without the NA2 upgrades. With that said, most people won't notice much of a difference between a good 1996 and a good 1997. Don't get too wrapped up in numbers on a piece of paper.

1997-2001 = final popups. NA2 cars with the 3.2L engine and 6spd gear box. Tend to be highly desired by previous NSX owners who want to upgrade a bit. Tend to be hard to find.

2002+ = fixed headlights, most modern.

Highly over simplified, check out this for MUCH more detail: http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Changes_by_Year

With that said, if you are looking at a low mileage "investment" car I am not sure I would drop a lot of coin on a 1996.
If you are looking for a driver, find something with a few more miles (anything around 50ish is "low" for a NSX) at a little better price point. Currently the dealers are getting in to the low mileage NSX game and pushing the pricing up there. A low mileage car will be great in your garage, but if you want to take it out on the road, prepare to spend upwards to $8-16k getting everything properly sorted. Cars like to run, not sit and that means that you need to do catch up maintenance.

I *do* support the idea of not going for the lowest price NSX you can find. Odds are whatever you spend you will be able to get back out of the car if you sell it so don't get too frazzled over the initial purchase price.

To answer the question about 96 problems, probably the problem most specific to that model year is improper maintenance of the targa seals. This will give you wind noise and possible water leaks. The seal will appear cracked in places if you look at it carefully. Unless they let you test drive it over 100MPH, you may not notice the wind noise.

 

[Shrink]

If you are looking to purchase a car to drive on a frequent basis, don't spend the money to purchase a low milage car. Also, I agree with the above comments. Find a car that have been driven and over time maintained properly. This way, someone else has taken care of the various items that will need to be addressed (starter, battery, hoses, alternator, generator, etc). I purchased a car with over 200K miles on her and could not be happier. Good luck!

 

[SW2 Heritage Cars]

For me personally, nothing beats the '91-'94 coupes. Those are the NSXs that represent the chassis & dynamics that Ayrton Senna signed off on.

That said, the later cars have their place too, it all depends on what you're looking for.

 

[skafia]

I would explore other options as well. For the price you're paying for the 96 with 10k miles, assuming it's manual, you can find early coupes with relatively low mileage or 97+ with decent mileage as well (The 6 speed is fun!).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[agc23]

Thanks everyone for your input, I really appreciate the feedback.

Will definitely keep looking to see what's out there, should I stay away from the 96 all together. If I found a very nice 96 with all records, etc. what would be too good to pass it deal be?

 

[Seizan]

Hi,

As a new buyer of my first NSX I was in the same boat as you. At first you feel blind folded then gradually you get the picture. There are the purists and the racers and those in between. Most of the cars I have seen are not totally original. Would after market parts be a turn off? Ask yourself questions like this one then proceed looking for your ideal car. The main thing to me is the drive train followed closely by the cosmetics and those I want to be original and in like new condition. A 20-25 year old car is going to show wear inside and out, especially anything made out of rubber. Factor in high mileage and the wear increases. Most importantly to me is knowing the car I'm going to own. How do you do this? Find a real NSX technician and watch and listen closely as he inspects it before you purchase. One thing I have learned is that many if not most Acura dealership mechanics are not real NSX technicians. The years have passed since the trainng was there when the cars were first sold. The real Acura Dealer Techs for NSX are not wrenching anymore. I inquired about the best in my area on this forum and found my way to Shad Huntley who may be the best of the best nationwide. In my humble opinion if you follow this route you'll be on your way to the car that you're after.

 

[jeffreygebhart]

Learn as much about the NSX as you can and what the differences are between the model years. I bought a 92 and though I love the car, had I done more research before buying (and been more patient) I might have bought a 97-01 instead. I think that Shrink raised a good point...these cars last a long time if well maintained, so don't spend a fortune on a low-milage car unless you're going to just park it and look at it (one of our local guys sold a 91 with well over 300,000 miles on it). Be patient, take the plunge and post pics of your new purchase!

 

[Speedmaster]

Learn as much about the NSX as you can and what the differences are between the model years. I bought a 92 and though I love the car, had I done more research before buying (and been more patient) I might have bought a 97-01 instead. I think that Shrink raised a good point...these cars last a long time if well maintained, so don't spend a fortune on a low-milage car unless you're going to just park it and look at it (one of our local guys sold a 91 with well over 300,000 miles on it). Be patient, take the plunge and post pics of your new purchase!

Ahem, it was over 340,000 miles and it was one tight machine.

 

[clutch1]

Yup, the biggest question is what *you* want out of the car.

Do you want the targa for the top-off sunny days, or would you rather have a stiffer chassis for tracking?

Is the low mileage because you value having a low mileage car, or because you're worried about repairs and costs and the mileage creeps up?

I don't think there's any question about why a person would want the 3rd pedal, so nothing to debate there, haha.

An example for me was;
I wanted a 5 speed for the fun of driving, and also liked the removable top because I favor features that make it more of a 'fun summer car' vs something I want to push to the edge of its performance limits. Color wasn't a thing for me either, because I liked just about all of them. Red and green were my two top choices since they were fairly common and not as expensive as blue, yellow, etc.
I knew I was doing to drive it, so anything under 150k miles was fine with me, give or take. I wanted it to be in either 'pretty good' shape, or something that was dirt cheap because it was so rough. I didn't want to pay for immaculate, because as more miles go onto the car there can only be more stone chips.
In the end I found one with a new clutch, headgaskets, timing belt, brakes, tires, and paint that was in nice shape aside from a couple dings it acquired through the years. The dings keep in honest, and as I find a couple new stone chips every season I don't lose much sleep over it, because they just add to the other ones on the car.

For me the only thing that would've been better would've been paying $10k less for a salvage or something (there was a car similar to mine that popped up for $25k a couple months later on here with a salvage title. Now THAT would've been sweet.. If I remember right it sold the day it was posted?).

So in the end, narrow down what you're plans are with it and go from there. If you plan to drive it a couple thousand miles a year or more, take into account that the depreciation will be drastic as miles go on it if it starts at 10k miles. As opposed to if you buy a 60k miles car, it won't be quite as drastic.
On the other hand if it's a crown jewel in a collection and only see a few hundred miles a year, a 10k mile NSX promises to probably be showroom crispy still.

Sorry that doesn't help much with pricing, but that's all the insight I've got.

 

[fastaussie]

I have been looking at buying an NSX for some time but prices have been out of reach. Ive finally come to the conclusion that I will need to pay up for a nice car. I've been looking at a manual 96 with less than 10k miles and wondering what I should expect to pay. Are there any downside to a 96 over other years and what should I be careful about.

i wouldn't say there is any downside to a '96 NSX-T. my first NSX was a stocker 1996 red/tan 5 speed, my current is a 2002 Imola orange/orange 6-speed. i initially intended to purchase a 1991 NSX red/white 5-speed. i've had no problems with either of my cars.

here's my take, i'll simplify even more:

1991 to 1994: the stiffest, lightest (save for a Zanardi). smaller wheels and brakes. but the early ones have a good bit of issues to watch out for. transmissions, windows, air cons, ABS, etc.

driving them at slow speeds (with no power steering) is like working out your arms pretty heavily. you'll need both arms and some decent muscle parking the car in a space, or three point or U-turns.

1995, 1996: as mentioned, the heaviest of the NSX's, but with power steering and a lift roof. for me, having the roof come out is the best feature of this car, it's like a different machine in experience and sound with only sky overhead. and the power steering makes the car soooooooooooooooooooo much easier to drive at slow speeds.

it was said to me like this once, the extra 80 lbs. of the '95 and '96 is like having a 9-year old in the passenger seat. obviously, you'll never notice. 1995+ have lower gear ratios in the bottom three gears of the transmission, so they accelerate quicker than the '91 thru '94 models, which more than offsets the extra 80 lbs.

1997 and up. 6-speed and 20 more horsepower, again you'll never notice that slight gain in power.

personally, the ratios of the 5-speed seem better suited to street driving than the 6-speed. naturally the brakes and clutch are better on the newer models. they all have the same tape player regardless of year!

having had a '96 and an '02, i can personally tell you there is really very little difference between them unless you have a lot of seat time in NSX's. i've driven '91s and '97s, it's all the same, so i wouldn't be too swayed by getting "the heaviest" version, or "the lightest". my advice, find a nice clean one (the more stock, the more appreciation), thoroughly get it checked out. if the maintenance hasn't been done, have it deducted from the price and have it serviced yourself. and then enjoy it...

 

[JD Cross]

My experience suggests that the best NSX to buy is the one with the best maintenance records.
Regardless of year, engine, and body style these cars, if well maintained can offer years of trouble free driving.
And as fastaussie says, there are no great performance differences between the years.

In addition just about everything that can go wrong with an NSX has been identified on the Prime website and usually a fix is provided.
The presence of good maintenance records usually identifies that previous owners have shown respect and care for the car while in their possession.
Mileage should not be a major concern although yes, lower is usually better.

I'd choose the one closest to stock, or if modified, has all the original parts.
There's nothing wrong with a modified example as long as you can determine that the spending on mods did not come at the expense of basic maintenance.

It's worth keeping in mind that, by today's standards, the NSX is not a fast car.
However in stock form it is being recognized as a classic, and good examples have been increasing in value.
And I think most owners would agree that in normal street driving, a stock NSX is plenty fast enough.

It's also worth noting it is an old car too, and an owner has to expect continued attention to maintenance and replacing aging components.
It helps keep the cost of ownership down if you can do most of the work yourself and use a qualified tech for the heavy jobs like a TB/WP etc.

Lastly I'd suggest avoiding any heavily modified NSX's with no original parts, regardless of price.

 

[shinjyo]

I think the first thing you need to tell us is how much you want to spend.
You say NSX price is out of reach but you want 96 with 10k miles on it? There is a little conflict there.

 

[mwagner10702]

+1 to everything above.

IMO documented maintenance is critical. Some will disagree with me, but I'd take a higher mileage car over a 20 year old car with 10k on the clock assuming the higher mileage car had solid documented maintenance. Mine has over 143k on the clock and it drives (virtually) like a new car (no squeaks, no clunks, no odd noises, everything works). Of course the previous owner did a considerable amount of work to the car and I am pretty fastidious about replacing or fixing anything that is worn out or looks to be wearing out.

Read up the NSX Wiki. There is a lot of good information there that will make you a better informed buyer. Know what you are getting yourself into. Keep in mind that ownership comes with high parts prices (or NLA parts), limited availability of NSX certified mechanics or shops with the knowledge of the NSX. You didn't mention where you are located. Is there a shop nearby that can work on an NSX? Have you located a shop that can do a PPI?

Good luck with your search. Keep us posted with your progress.

 

[docjohn]

the 94 cars are a little different from the 91-93....

 

[NSX9]

They are all great cars......Just trying to be helpful!

 

[bullithollywood]

Listen to FastAussie and JDCross's opinions, they are both exactly right. They're such great cars, just find one that has evidence it's been loved and cared for by a mature owner and you'll be happy with it. Guaranteed!

 

[agc23]

Thanks for all of your advice. I'm definitely going to keep looking as the deal for the 96 fell through. Unfortunately my deal is a little more complicated as I have trade ins. I will definitely keep looking and will focus on the condition of the car and the service history instead of just mileage

Thanks again and I'll definitely keep you folks post d.

 

[Seizan]

If you are in CA check out the threads concerning smog test then deduct from any offer.

 

[kennyvb]

If you are in CA check out the threads concerning smog test then deduct from any offer.

Are you suggesting simply because of the stringent emission requirements in CA, someone should offer less money for an NSX? That's not the seller's problem if he/she is out of state. If the transaction is indeed in CA, it is the seller's responsibility to pass smog prior to sale, so as a buyer, I don't see how one can offer less money... I could see a buyer shopping a car with a history of failing emissions using that fact as a bargaining chip. Besides, CA will always be a seller's market because of the strong car culture.

 

[Seizan]

In my opinion yes. Read the long list of problems in anesthesia's reply to my question on the subject. CA is excessively stringent and every CA buyer should be aware of this in formulating an offer. The fellow I just ran into has spent alot of money trying to get his car smogged. Others have passed no problem.

 

[docjohn]

there are very few stock nsx that can't pass smog..its the boosted cars , or folks who removed cats that sometimes have problems...

 

[kennyvb]

In my opinion yes. Read the long list of problems in anesthesia's reply to my question on the subject. CA is excessively stringent and every CA buyer should be aware of this in formulating an offer. The fellow I just ran into has spent alot of money trying to get his car smogged. Others have passed no problem.

Sounds like someone didn't do their homework.

I bought an NSX out-of-state that was running test pipes and an aftermarket exhaust. Swapped back the stock cats but left the catback. Passed no problem which allowed me to transfer title and registration here. Counting my lucky stars.