Need help making a decision

[TimeH8R]

I'm a newbie here and am about to make a decision on one of two NSX models.

I wanted to know your opinions regarding which model you guys think I should go with.

Here are the details for the two cars:
1st NSX
Model year: 2000
Engine: 3.2L (6-speed manual tranny)
Miles: ~105,000
Mods: none, completely stock all the way around.

2nd NSX
Model year: 1996
Engine: 3.0L (5-speed manual tranny)
Miles: ~84,000
Mods: Exhaust, intake, upgraded sound system, chin spoiler, seats

The 1996 model is about $1,000 less, so price is almost the same.

The 2000 model is obviously four years newer and thus has the larger C32 engine and 6-speed transmission, but yet has a little over 20,000 more miles on it. Is this a good trade off? Four years of a newer car, but with more miles? How long do they engines last? I heard that overall, the C32 is a better engine than the C30, but I don't know if that's true.

Also, the 1996 model has had several mods and thus has been altered much more than the 2000 model. The cool thing is that they are mods that I would see myself doing, but obviously I can't confirm the quality of installation.

The 1996 model is the color I've always wanted.

The 2000 model is a single owner versus the 1996 model has had 6 owners. Both have clean Carfaxs (no accidents).

Any suggestions?

 

[tosugrad]

In the same condition the newer car for the same money is your best bet.

and WELCOME!

 

[RPM217]

Maintenance history on both would be an important aid to making the correct decision. Are they both all up to date? History available with receipts?

 

[4AU4LIFE]

That is a lot of miles for the newer model.
I would still go for it though.

 

[docjohn]

There is one vote for the 96 lol ,probably the current owner of the 96:tongue:

 

[tbromley]

Gotta go along with Doc and OSU on this one - a one owner stocker with 105k miles for the same as the 96 with 6 owners, all things being equal on maintenance on both, you gotta take the newer car! I sure would and these engines last a really long time!

Now one thing to remember - a clutch in the later model is 4 grand - in the older model - it's 2400 (this included the master/slave/flywheel at 2400 from Barney) Don't know exactly about the 4k figure but that would include the flywheel as well in the 4k.

With the miles on each of those cars if the clutch hasn't been done - figure it will need it. A one owner car has to be better maintained but maybe not. That is so much of it - proper maintenance and verfiable records - no substitute for records. But 6 owners vs 1 - man that's surely sounding like a no brainer to me.

Good luck what ever you decide. Save some bucks for repairs and maintenance!

Tim

 

[curtsr]

More powerful base motor + one more gear + five fewer owners for ~ the same money is indeed a no-brainer- at least to me.

Next, spice up the thread by naming the paint colors of the prospects and watch the fur fly.

+1 Welcome! (search is your friend...)

 

[flaminio]

There is one vote for the 96 lol ,probably the current owner of the 96:tongue:

Now two; looks like his wife joined 'prime :biggrin:

 

[slamstrom]

I would go with the 2000 single owner.

That is a lot of miles for the newer model.
I would still go for it though.

Probably a DD. My 98 DD has roughly the same mileage. That's an owner that enjoys driving his/her NSX instead of saving the mileage for the next owner.:biggrin:

 

[TimeH8R]

Thanks to everyone who has replied on this thread, I definitely got a lot of good information out this. It looks like the 2000 model is the overwhelmingly wiser choice and I'll take the next steps to aquiring it.

To reply to curtsr's question, the 96 model is Formula Red (which is the color I've wanted for my dream NSX since I was a kid) and the 2000 model is Silverstone (which is still beautiful, but not exactly my favorite color).

 

[curtsr]

To reply to curtsr's question, the 96 model is Formula Red (which is the color I've wanted for my dream NSX since I was a kid) and the 2000 model is Silverstone (which is still beautiful, but not exactly my favorite color).

Like I said, buy the 96. Formula Red is by far the fastest color by far- and certainly faster than Silverstone.
We need to prove that sometime, don't we SOURCE? Now that the playing field is more level? :smile:

 

[TimeH8R]

I don't know if this is the correct section of the forum for this question (if not, I apologize), but here is what I experienced when I test drove the 2000 NSX model and I wanted to know your opinions:

Everything felt solid. The (manual) transmission shifted beautifully. The engine felt strong, but when I'd take the car out of gear (like when slowing down for a red light), the rpms would dip super low and most of the time the car would turn off. I could either pop the clutch or turn the key to start it back up, but it happened several times.

The dealer claims that they did some work on it that morning that involved disconnecting the battery and he said that the mechanic said that the computer system in the NSX just needed to be driven more so that it could auto-correct the idle. But, when we let the car sit in idle (without driving it), it seemed to be ok. It's just when we were actually driving it and letting the rpms go high and when you would take the car out of gear, the idle would dip down and the car would shut off.

We drove the car for 10+ miles and it never seemed to "auto-fix" it. The next day he says they drove it some more and that the computer finally adjusted and that the problem went away. I went back to test drive it again and it seemed to work fine.

Any suggestions? Does this seem right?

 

[slamstrom]

No, that doesn't seem right. If the dealer is giving you that, tell them to auto-fix it first.

 

[Jerry@Mobile]

I have a 2000 and I love it. When I first purchased the car it had 16K miles on it. A few times a day it would stall if the rpms got too low. I cleaned the TB and that was the end of it. If the TB was never cleaned on a car with 105K mikes, I can see it stalling on occasion. The fix is quick and cheap. I bet that is what the dealer did. Jerry

 

[PhiAlpha44]

Honestly, miles don't really matter with these cars if they've been taken care of. If you want to be happy, you get the color that you've always wanted.

 

[tbromley]

In response to TimeH8R,

If its a 2000 and the timing belt hasn't been REPLACED then it sure needs more than cleaning. TB/wp/hoses/fluids/valve adjust/ and that should take care of the basics unless the miles are high. If that hasn't been done - hope you're getting a good deal cause you'll have to do it.

 

[TimeH8R]

In response to TimeH8R,

If its a 2000 and the timing belt hasn't been REPLACED then it sure needs more than cleaning. TB/wp/hoses/fluids/valve adjust/ and that should take care of the basics unless the miles are high. If that hasn't been done - hope you're getting a good deal cause you'll have to do it.

Thanks again to everyone responding here, I appreciate the help.

The timing belt was supposedly changed around the 90,000 mile mark, but the dealer says that the previous owner didn't supply the documentation.

The car I'm looking at can be currently seen on Autotrader. It's a 2000 Silverstone colored NSX listed at $32,999 (in the Los Angeles area). It seems like a pretty good deal to me.

 

[ftuhy]

As to the stalling on the 2000, its very possible the drive-by-wire idle speed needs to be reset. There's a special procedure for that in the manual - its quick and easy for the dealer (or anyone with a manual) to do. (Larry B and I were just discussing this on Prime with someone who had the problem occur after their battery went dead.) If the dealer can't fix it in under 15 minutes, they don't understand NSXs.

As a '96 formula red owner who plans to keep the car until I'm too old to get in/out of it, I'd still go with the 2000. 6 owners to me makes it seem like the car had issues or it had too many owners who couldn't afford to maintain it properly.

 

[UnhuZ]

As a '96 formula red owner who plans to keep the car until I'm too old to get in/out of it, I'd still go with the 2000. 6 owners to me makes it seem like the car had issues or it had too many owners who couldn't afford to maintain it properly.

6 owners could be like 3 actual owners and 3 leasing registrations, can't it??

Here in Portugal, when a car is bought with some kind of credit, except personal bank loan, the car end up having a reserve that when is removed increases the number of owners by 1.

Nuno