Need advice on 1994 NSX!

[bhamvett]

I have a some good friends with a 1994 NSX with 76,000
miles.I am thinking about buying the car and I would like
to know if that mileage is too high and what are some of
the common problems with the NSX's.The car is well
maintained and has had a new starter and master cylinder.
It is a manual transmission.Red with black interior.I have driven
the car and it drives incredible.And what would be a good price
for the car?
Thank's
Steve

 

[NSX/MR2]

Check out the `FAQ` section, your questions will be answered in there. 76,000 miles is nothing to the NSX, absolutely nothing. Think more in the way of 200,000 if maintain on schedule.

 

[Andymi]

Pricing depends a lot on the condition of the car and the maintenance history.

I did a lot of research on 94's as I was in the market a few months ago. I have seen the price range, so if you give me some more information, I can try to give you some recent sales, as I looked at several in the 60,000-85,000 mile range.

 

[bhamvett]

Thank's for the replies.The car is in very good condition.I
am best friends with the owners.The car has never been
raced or dogged out.Female driven most of the time.
They bought the car with about 40,000 miles on the odometer.
I have driven the car several times and all oil changes
were\are done at the Acura dealership.When is the major
timing belt service due on the NSX? That would be a concern,
because I know that is an expensive service.
Thank's again,
Steve

 

[hlweyl]

I have a some good friends with a 1994 NSX with 76,000
miles.I am thinking about buying the car and I would like
to know if that mileage is too high and what are some of
the common problems with the NSX's.The car is well
maintained and has had a new starter and master cylinder.
It is a manual transmission.Red with black interior.I have driven
the car and it drives incredible.And what would be a good price
for the car?
Thank's
Steve

First Steve, learn all you can about the NSX. This website's FAQ section is excellent. If you really want the car, pay for a pre-purchase inspection (about $150) at an Acura dealer.... sometimes members on this site are willing to go check the car out for you if they live nearby but DO get the PPI. Make sure that is the year you want.... 94's don't have the targa top, that came out in 95.

Good luck

 

[Andymi]

It seems the concensus is that the timing belt and water pump are recommended at the 60,000 mile service, and because the car is 10 years old, it should be done.

 

[mskrotzki]

You may be interested in this as a rather rough indication of average prices asked.

FWIW I conclude, for my purposes and budget, the 94 is my choice year; price break is perfect[depreciation basically bottomed out], significant stock modifications are true improvements, [bigger stock wheels, quieter gearbox, vastly better looking wheels, weight is substantially less than 95+ Ts, all this added to 93s already meaningful improvements: R134A A/C refrigerent, realligned rear suspension, dual airbags.

Good luck

 

[hyuan]

You may be interested in this as a rather rough indication of average prices asked.

FWIW I conclude, for my purposes and budget, the 94 is my choice year; price break is perfect[depreciation basically bottomed out], significant stock modifications are true improvements, [bigger stock wheels, quieter gearbox, vastly better looking wheels, weight is substantially less than 95+ Ts, all this added to 93s already meaningful improvements: R134A A/C refrigerent, realligned rear suspension, dual airbags.

Good luck

Good post and I concur. Short of getting a 97+ coupe, the 94 coupe is a great buy. You also don't have to worry about investigating some of the issues that plagued a proportion of the earlier cars (like snap ring).

I bought my 94' at around the same mileage. No major problems, just a bunch of things that have worn with age and replaced. I now have 106.

 

[nsxtasy]

It seems the concensus is that the timing belt and water pump are recommended at the 60,000 mile service, and because the car is 10 years old, it should be done.

No, that's not the consensus at all. Acura's recommendation for the timing belt on a '91-96 is that it be changed every 90,000 miles or 6 years, whichever comes first. The time interval is why it should have been changed by now on a '94.

Given that the timing belt service is overdue, I would ask about how frequently other services have been performed. There are fluid changes (coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid) that are specified for every 30K miles or 2 years. It's a bad idea to wait for the mileage interval when you're already over the time interval, particularly for fluids which can deteriorate over time, not just mileage.

Beware - 90+ percent of owners consider their car's condition to be "above average". Some really are, but some aren't. Maintenance history is an important aspect of the car's condition, just like the condition of the paint, the interior, etc.

EDIT: Clarified timing belt interval.

 

[bhamvett]

Thank's for the great suggestions and replies.I have always
loved the NSX.I currently drive a C5 corvette and it is a great
car,pretty fast,but the NSX looks more exotic! I just hope that
I won't miss the torque of the LS1 V8.They are both great cars.
I am going to check and see if they had the 60,000 mile service.
The Acura dealership is very close by,and if I decide to buy
the car I think I will let them take a closer look at the car.
Thank's
Steve
1998 corvette
1991 ZR1 corvette(just sold)

 

[NSX/MR2]

The NSX will be as fast, less torquy (very linear torque delivering,) but better cornering ability. Trust me, once you get the NSX, you will have no regret. I am on my second NSX and fifth mid-engined, reliable cars already.

 

[tucsonsx]

Another good thing about the 1994 coupes ( unless I'm mistaken all the 1995 and later cars have the EPS ) IMO is that the sticks don't have the electric power steering. I have talked to people who have NOT had a good experience with the power steering. The manual rack is touch heavy when parking but no problem once the car is moving; just think of it as good exercise and be happy in the thought that you have one less thing to add weight and cause a costly repair.

 

[Jett]

1994 NSX

Of all years, I prefer a 1994. Although I have a black car, I prefer the older black top look to the unicolor look of the later cars. I agree with Mskrotzski for all the reasons cited. However, I prefer the automatic and power steering, as I am more interested in "Grand Touring" than "Road Racing." All that shifting and clutching, and "exercising" at low speed, just doesn't do anything for me. My other car is a convertible; when I want to drive top-down, the top goes all the way down. So I really don't miss the lack of Targa Top. The rigidity of the coupe makes for a really tight driving experience. Also, I wanted an NSX to drive frequently as opposed to a fair-weather, weekend car. All these factors, in my opinion, make the 1994 a great choice.

 

[brickdds]

For me, 94 was the perfect year for several reasons:
coupe = less weight as well as more structural rigidity than 95+
wheels are bigger and look better than 91-93
no power steering issues as with 95+
less weight = faster than 95-96
much cheaper than 97+ (save the $ for FI and other mods)
tan interior, if you don't want black it looks better than ivory IMO
But at the heart of it, it is an NSX

 

[LeftLane]

I went from a 98 C5 convertible to a 95 NSX-T - completely different driving sensation. The Vette is brutal force and V8 rumble, whereas the NSX seems much more refined. Plus, you won't have to look at that interior from the Cavalier parts bin anymore!

 

[wctsao]

I'm looking at my owners manual for my 97 NSX and it says the timing belt and water pump should be replaced every 7 years or at 105k miles.

Regardless, it should probably get changed because of time.

 

[NSXTC]

94 is the best right now.

That was exactly the point I made when selling mine:

http://www.1017.org/nsx/


"1994 was the last year of the “true” lightweight NSX coupes. In 1995, the NSX gained weight with the addition of power steering and heavier frame rails. 1994 is also the first year of the highly desirable 16/17” 7-spoke wheel design, and has a driver’s side airbag. All of the first gen problems like the snap ring and window regulator were fixed by 1993. In short, 1994 is one of the most desirable years for this car. While many buyers may opt for a 1997+ NSX, citing the additional 20 HP increase that year, they miss the point that the 1991-1994 cars were 150+ pounds lighter, more than making up for the horsepower difference."

If the car is clean and the price is right, GO FOR IT! You will be very happy. The fellow who bought mine a couple of weeks ago is still sending me emails about what a great car it is and how happy he is with it!!!

 

[FGG]

Don't discount the 95-96 due to comments about weight. Look at the FAQ sections on General Information (Changes by year) and Technical Information (Performance) and you will note the 0-60 time for at least one magazine has the 96 at 5.3 sec, faster than several of the magazine ratings for the 91-94. Also, you should note the many changes made to the 95-96 cars, including an impact on cornering speed (a reference therein states that cornering speeds are 10% higher with the 95-96 cars due to changes to the limited slip diff.)

The bottom line is the same, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the models--they are all fabulous

 

[nsxtasy]

I'm looking at my owners manual for my 97 NSX and it says the timing belt and water pump should be replaced every 7 years or at 105k miles.

Yes, they changed the interval in '97.

I've updated my post above to reflect this.