Need advice on buying '91 NSX

[Zearnold]

I am looking at some '91 NSX's with about 70-90,000 miles on them. If I buy such a car, what kind of maintaince am I looking at it since it is out of warranty. What are the major things that could go wrong that I need to budget for and how much cash should I be setting aside every year to maintain it?

Thanks for all the help,
Zearnold

 

[Briank]

Your biggest expense will be bringing the maintenance up to date.

Things generally needed on a 91:

Timing belt and water pump, valve adjustment, Spool valve seals, coolant hoses and cam plugs will run you about $4000.

Things you may have to address:

Clutch $2400
Transmission snap ring repair $2000
Bose Speaker amp repair $70 X 3
Climate control unit repair $125
AC evaporator $1800

Once everything is up to date your biggest expense will be tires.

That being said when buying an NSX like any car knowing the maintenance history and knowing what needs to be done is as important as the price you pay.

http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/BuySell/used_nsx_checklist.htm
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/BuySell/nsx_purchase_process.htm

 

[nsxtasy]

I am looking at some '91 NSX's with about 70-90,000 miles on them. If I buy such a car, what kind of maintaince am I looking at it since it is out of warranty. What are the major things that could go wrong that I need to budget for and how much cash should I be setting aside every year to maintain it?

There are basically three different kinds of maintenance:

1. Scheduled maintenance - This is defined by Acura's recommended maintenance schedule. You can find the maintenance schedule and typical costs in the NSX FAQ (answers to Frequently Asked Questions), in the Maintenance section.

It sounds like you haven't looked in the FAQ yet. You can access it by clicking on the word FAQ in the red bar at the top of the page, the one that looks like this:

2. Parts that wear out - These include tires, brake pads, and clutches. Again, their lifespans and cost are relatively predictable. See the FAQ for more information.

3. Unscheduled repairs - These are relatively infrequent on a well-maintained car. Things that don't work when you buy the car can turn up in a thorough inspection and can vary in price. Other than that, on an ongoing basis, if you budget $1000 every 10,000 miles for these, you will probably have money left over.

Your biggest expense will be bringing the maintenance up to date.

If it needs it. You can find out when the most recent maintenance was done on the car for the various maintenance intervals, and use the schedule and costs in the FAQ to figure out what needs to be done when.

Things generally needed on a 91:

Timing belt and water pump, valve adjustment, Spool valve seals, coolant hoses and cam plugs will run you about $4000.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the spool valve seals and/or cam plugs only need to be done if the car is leaking oil. Otherwise, again, check the maintenance schedule and see what needs to be done. Replacement of the cooling system hoses isn't in there but it's a very good idea to do them when the timing belt and water pump is done.

Oh, and replacing the timing belt and water pump should run around $1200-1500, and add another $400 or so for the cooling system hoses. The valve adjustment is part of the 15K/30K/etc service that you will need to find out when it was last done.

Things you may have to address:

Clutch $2400
Transmission snap ring repair $2000
Bose Speaker amp repair $70 X 3
Climate control unit repair $125
AC evaporator $1800

These are things that you may or may not need to do, and may turn up in an inspection of the car. I wouldn't repair the snap ring unless it failed or needed other transmission work. If you need the stereo or climate control repaired, contact Briank (yes, same guy) who repairs them for the above prices, which are very inexpensive.

 

[TAG]

I am looking at some '91 NSX's with about 70-90,000 miles on them. If I buy such a car, what kind of maintaince am I looking at it since it is out of warranty. What are the major things that could go wrong that I need to budget for and how much cash should I be setting aside every year to maintain it?

Thanks for all the help,
Zearnold

You should really set aside some money upfront, before even buying the car. Having some money set aside in addition to the purchase price will help with repairing things that were discovered after you bought the car. Parts and service are very expensive for the NSX. It's likely that you will experience this first-hand when buying an early NSX.

 

[nsxtasy]

You should really set aside some money upfront, before even buying the car. Having some money set aside in addition to the purchase price will help with repairing things that were discovered after you bought the car. Parts and service are very expensive for the NSX. It's likely that you will experience this first-hand when buying an early NSX.

That's often the case. Occasionally (a minority of used cars, to be sure) the seller is a very finicky, knowledgeable enthusiast who insists on making sure all the maintenance is done on time and all known problems are fixed. That's why such cars are sold at a premium price - because they don't require the additional initial expenditures that neglected cars do.