Need opinion: 1992 vs 1995

[Motegi]

Hello guys I'm in the market for an NSX (who isn't?). I have two vehicles which I am considering at the moment and would like your opinions.

Both are clean according to CarFax (checked by me on 2/17)

1) 1995 NSX-T Red/Tan. 68K miles. Private party seller asking $34K. Some cosmetic blemishes (10cm scrape above rear wheel arch, worn fender liners). Was inspected today by NSX tech at a dealer who states repairs including A/C control unit approx $2000. Still original clutch (w/ high release according to tech). Timing belt/water pump NOT done.

2) 1992 NSX Red/Black. 38K miles. Local new car (not acura) dealer asking $34K. Cosmetically exterior and interior perfect. Will not allow me to take to dealer for inspection unless I place full amount as refundable deposit. Timing belt done last year. Dealer believes car to be in snap-ring range and have had service done.

What do you all think about these cars? Of course both are pushing for a quick decision. Or should I wait for something else?

Late,
Motegi

 

[jagtiger]

Hi Motegi,

Make sure u get a current carfax report for the two vehicle. You are looking for accident/salvage history.Get the V.I.N. and post a request for CARFAX history at this forum. I'm sure a number of members here will be glad to help.


It will also help if you can get a Service Maintenance History.
The clutch, timing belt, water pump, Window regulator, etc are quite expensive and must be considered during the price negotiation.

GOOD LUCK!

 

[NetViper]

1) 1995 NSX-T Red/Tan. 68K miles. Private party seller asking $34K. Some cosmetic blemishes (10cm scrape above rear wheel arch, worn fender liners). Was inspected today by NSX tech at a dealer who states repairs including A/C control unit approx $2000. Still original clutch (w/ high release according to tech). Timing belt not done.

This sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Most NSX clutches release high. Timing belt will be coming up soon. Are they saying it will cost you another 2K for the fix on the AC? Make sure the 60K service was done. You might get another 10K out of the clutch or 2K.. hard to say. That is also an expensive replacement. (~2K)

I would say a pristine 95 with all maintenance and decent miles should still fetch near 40K.

2) 1992 NSX Red/Black. 38K miles. Local new car (not acura) dealer asking $34K. Cosmetically exterior and interior perfect. Will not allow me to take to dealer for inspection unless I place full amount as refundable deposit. Timing belt done last year. Dealer believes car to be in snap-ring range and have had service done.

i

That price is too high, even for the mileage. There is no service for the Snap ring. Either it went or it didnt. Was it replaced?

I think the 95 is a better deal. Plus you get a better 2nd gear and the targa.

 

[Motegi]

Thanks for the quick replies! Please keep them coming. I want to get as many opinions as I can.

I checked the CarFax personally on both.

For the '95 the clutch releases "somewhat higher than normal" for an NSX per the tech (he had 3 NSXs in service bay today). No services done on the car aside from oil changes (no oil sludge on inspection). There is some oil leakage around valve cover as well as some valve chatter. 60K service not done. The ~$2000 repairs (A/C and oil leaks) quoted is not covered in the purchase price.

For the '92 some service records provided with sale (since late 90's). As I mentioned before the timing belt/water pump were done - receipt provided. An interesting note is that the CarFax records only begin at '96 (odd for a '92) at which time it was sold as "Dealer Inventory" w/ only 4K miles. Perhaps a dealer personal or display car? Or is that worrisome? Snap ring tranny replacement was done.

Late,
Motegi

 

[nsxtasy]

There are three categories of cars:

1. Those which have been well-maintained, with service history available.

2. Those with unknown service history.

3. Those which have been poorly maintained.

You are comparing a car in category 1 with a car in category 3. I find category 3 cars scary - you won't know what will go wrong next. Do you like taking risks?

The '95 needs over $4K of service right away ($2K A/C, $1K 60K, $1K+ TB/WP) and even then it still may be unreliable due to lack of scheduled maintenance. This car is not worth the total expenditure of $38-39K IMO. Bad deal all around.

The '92 sounds fairly priced to me.

If you like the '92, get it. If you really want an NSX-T with the removable roof panel, keep looking until you find a good one (or, at a minimum, one that is fairly priced).

 

[Joel]

I'll go with the 92 between these two.

Make sure they provide you with a documented proof that the snap ring issue is addressed like you say they did.

 

[91 X]

another thing to consider is if you have or plan on having kids in the future, you better consider a 91-92(no passenger side airbag)

That way your little one can cruz in your X with you......

 

[huckster]

everyones already said it....but id go 92--unless the targa is super important. performance wise the 92 should be slightly quicker as well.

with cars like this, the quality is more important than the year. low mileage and high quality is a plus.

 

[Bram]

Both cars have issues...91-92, Snap ring, ac, windows reg, etc.

Price is way to high for 92, wothout proper history.

95, T-top, some work to be done to get into shape, priced ok...why don't you get the sell to fix these problems of reduce the price accordingly.

If it was me, I work go for the 95, at a reduce cost or the problems repaired.

Bram

 

[4AU4LIFE]

I vote for the '92. Then again I'm a little biased.

 

[hlweyl]

2) Will not allow me to take to dealer for inspection unless I place full amount as refundable deposit.

Will HE take it to the dealer if you pay for the pre-purchase inspection? If he says no to that, it would raise a red flag with me.

 

[deadeye]

Yea, I agree with hlweyl... I'd be a bit concerned that the seller refused (or gave outrageous stipulations) on letting your mechanic look at it. Biiiig red flag.

Allow him to accompany you and personally pay for the inspection... if he refuses that, I would walk away without looking back.

Nick.

 

[Motegi]

Thanks for all of your replies!

Yeah, I thought that the full-price deposit stipulation was a bit extreme. Their reasoning was that "its an exotic car and so we cannot let it off the lot to you otherwise everyone will want to take it to be inspected". They are willing to place it on a lift and have a mechanic come to their dealership to inspect the car. The car is absolutely cosmetically flawless but I will not be pressured to make a decision without a thorough mechanical inspection. So it appears that the inspection (or lack of) is going to be a deal breaker.

I believe the '95 sold yesterday to a couple from Canada. I hope them all the best (perhaps the A/C problem wont bother them too much).

I looked at a clean '94 today the owner of whom is a member of local and national NSX clubs and who regularly takes his car for service to the same dealer I use for inspections. The owner was very pleasant and is selling for financial reasons. I am now considering this car.

Choices... choices.

Late,
Motegi