new guy looking for......

argus

argus

Registered Member
Joined
26 May 2011
Messages
15
Location
Illinois
Hello, I am new here. I joined last night and the reason I joined it to get info about the NSX. My car background is a Triumph GT6 as a first car at 16. Then a XKE, sold it to race Reynard FF1600 for 10 years. I had a semi tricked RX7 twin turbo. Then a 74 Lotus Twin Cam Special. Then a 05 Lotus Elise.
I am very intrested in a 93 to 95 NSX. I just came off the Elise that handled like a Formula Ford with an extra seat but I had problem after problem so I want something fast but with no problems. So came to the NSX. A friend of mine is a car dealer and said of all the cars out there the NSX is the car to have. Performance of a Ferrari but the reliablity of a Honda Accord.
I have found out the 2 big service things are the timing belt/water pump and a clutch. The clutch is $2,700 repair. I just don't want a ton of expensive service or repairs. I have searched the internet and can not seem to find any major issues can some of the owners tell me what to look for and issues I should be on the look out for. Thanks in advance.
 
Need more info if you do not mind sharing:

1. What is your budjet?
2. Are you looking for a Bone Stock or Modded car?
3. Will you be tracking the car? DE or 1/4 mile?
4. Will this be your daily driver?
5. Do you do your own maintenance on cars now?

Dave
 
Wow...going from an Elise to an NSX is like going from an EVO8 to a 335i. You will probably be a little disappointed in the steering response and weight of the NXS but you are gonna love the beast on drives of over 5 miles on public roads! The seats are great, the interior is rich in a sort of old school way, the climate control actually works in almost any conditions, the ride is supple for the level of handling, the power seats/windows/door locks are a nice luxury, and the car is an outstanding all around performer.

Plus you can always drop several hundred pounds with cf race buckets, a light weight battery, a lexan rear hatch, light weight exhaust system, and removal of the AC, ICE, spare tire, engine cover, some of the interior panels, etc. Of course then you would just have a very stylish, fairly reliable Elise.

One question...ever driven an S2000?
 
Welcome! I'm just curious as to why you're limiting your search to "1993-1995" years. 1993-1994 were coupes and the 1995 was a Targa...
 
Let me answer a couple of questions. Elise to NSX is a big jump some say up others say down. Elise is a great car when everything is working. But for long trips your back is sore as is your leg since there is no cruise. As an example the lights quit, finally tracked down to one bad wire the the air con quit for no reason. Loved the car when things worked.
The NSX is a car that you seem to be able to do 500 miles a day with out much problem an it is suppose to be reliable just what I want. It may not perform like an Elise but you can not use the Elise performance on the street.
I had a typo I will look for stock 93 to 94 car to ensure I don't get a snap ring issue. I want a hard top no targa. I will some work my self depending on what it is. I maintained my own race car. The upgrades I would will stay in the simple stuff like brake pads things like that. Maybe more since I will be retired with in the next 7 months. It will not be my daily driver but will get used more in the 3 to 5 k miles a year or less.
Springfield, Il.
28k to 33k with 40 to 60k miles. I plan to have the belts changed right away if needed a clutch same thing.
Thought about a S2000 but I want something alittle more "on the edge."
 
Hapa88 said:
Welcome! I'm just curious as to why you're limiting your search to "1993-1995" years. 1993-1994 were coupes and the 1995 was a Targa...
Click to expand...

I was wondering the same thing, if you would consider a '93 why wouldn't you consider 91-92 as the only real difference is the passenger airbag, likewise '96 is identical to '95 in both spec as well as current market value.
 
possible to stay away from snap ring my guess, but only #3542-5978 transmission are affected
 
anesthesia said:
possible to stay away from snap ring my guess, but only #3542-5978 transmission are affected
Click to expand...

I bought my 1991 which had a snap ring failure. It was replaced under warranty by the previous owner.
So there's a lot of 1991-1992s out there that are fixed that you'd be missing out on.
I'd open up your search to 1991-1994. Snap ring should be the first question you ask a 1991-1992 seller.
 
Some of the follow up to my post is the stuff the that the blanket posts don't cover. My fear is the snap ring but I guess Acrua could tell me if that has been fixed. So I guess I should look at 91 to 94.
Is my budget out of line? I would think with this market I am in line budget wise. Given the budget can I afford to get a lets say 94?
One question I can not seem to find an answer is are there years that are better to have than ohers. I would guess the newer the car the more expensive untill there is a max point just as bottom point.
I have a NSX book but I never could figure out if all NSX after 95 are Targas. All they seem to test was the targa NSX.
I would guess that MSX prime members would tend to have alittle nicer car if they take the effort to join this board. Same as the Elise and Europa boards I use to belong to. So when it is time to buy I will look here first.
 
argus said:
Some of the follow up to my post is the stuff the that the blanket posts don't cover. My fear is the snap ring but I guess Acrua could tell me if that has been fixed. So I guess I should look at 91 to 94.
Is my budget out of line? I would think with this market I am in line budget wise. Given the budget can I afford to get a lets say 94?
One question I can not seem to find an answer is are there years that are better to have than ohers. I would guess the newer the car the more expensive untill there is a max point just as bottom point.
I have a NSX book but I never could figure out if all NSX after 95 are Targas. All they seem to test was the targa NSX.
I would guess that MSX prime members would tend to have alittle nicer car if they take the effort to join this board. Same as the Elise and Europa boards I use to belong to. So when it is time to buy I will look here first.
Click to expand...

Don't be as concerned about year/miles as maintenence record. Yes, these cars are reliable, but only when properly maintained. A high-mile 91 with full service records and up-to-date maintnence is a much better buy than a low mile 94 with spotty or no records. Deferred maintenence can be a very expensive issue on the NSX.
 
argus said:
Some of the follow up to my post is the stuff the that the blanket posts don't cover. My fear is the snap ring but I guess Acura could tell me if that has been fixed. So I guess I should look at 91 to 94.
Click to expand...

Snap ring as a failure is not really as big a deal as it is made out to be, I had a 92 that failed and it did not cause any major damage to the transmission, most failures do not cause permanent damage. Once they fail the end case from the transmission has to be replaced with a new part and of course the snap ring itself. The dealer performing the work is the only one that will have records of the repair, so if the seller tells you it has been repaired you should ask for proof with the proper paperwork to back it up. A lot of 91-92 with the JDM short gears were added as a result of snap ring failures, once the need to open the transmission was there it just made since to add the additional parts to get the short gears.

argus said:
Is my budget out of line? I would think with this market I am in line budget wise. Given the budget can I afford to get a lets say 94?
Click to expand...

Your budget is right in line for a really well maintained clean low mile 91-94 car, on the 91-94 the selling price is down to condition and mileage. A clean 91 can bring more than a not so clean 94. These cars have hit the bottom of depreciation so find the nicest car in your budget and drive it a couple of years then sell it and move on to another NSX if you like, you should not loose much if any on the car as long as the condition is the same as when you got it. Both my 91 and 92 NSX cost me almost nothing to own other than maintenance, my 2004 will be a different story.


argus said:
One question I can not seem to find an answer is are there years that are better to have than others.
Click to expand...

Since you do not want a NSX-T you have only two choices 91-94 were all coupes and from 97 on there were so few coupes that you will have a hard time finding one, and it will be out of your stated budget. There are 72 coupes made from 95 on, not a lot to pick from and when they come around for sale they go fast. From the 91-94 cars not much changed through those years mainly small stuff like cup holders, color choices, passenger air bag other than that mo major mechanical changes. The big mechanical improvements came in 97. http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Changes_by_Year

Good luck in your search, you will love these cars, there is something special about them that really does get under you skin, take your time but when you find the one do not wait or it will be gone, Prime is the best place to look but all the other used auto sites are good as well. Everything you need to know about these cars can be found here just read and ask questions. http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Main_Page
 
Ok guys my first questions after a couple of weeks looking at the board and reading some reviews. The hard tops handle better than the targas but does the targa handle as well with the targa top in? All the reviews say there is some handling lose with the top out but I was wondering what happened with the top in? If the handling is close I may expand my search to 1995.
I have seen some cars with supercharges. Does that upgrade hurt the car is it something that the motor can take without problems? I think almost everyone feels like Jermey Clarkson; more power.
I am planning to search for at least 6 months before I buy. I think by then I will have a good guide of the market, what is out there, issues with the car in general and come in line with a realistic price for whay I am looking for.
I would welcome any thoughts.
 
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If you think you may be planning to change the clutch on a possible car you might be interested in purchasing, I wouldn't be too concerned about the snap ring issue. You could have the fix done at that time.

My car is in snap ring range... it was basically too nice a car for the price (figured I could pay for the snap ring fix with what I purchased the car for at the time). Plus the previous owner worked at a Honda dealership. He said it had been fixed, BUT didn't have any receipt or proof. I do know my transmission S/N is within the range. (The wiki has great information about the snap ring issue, the cause etc., it is a hit or miss type issue for those transmissions within the range.)

Anyway like others have mentioned coupes above 94 are almost impossible to find. They did make some, but not very many. Actually the numbers dwinded on all the NSX's as the years went by. Hapa88 posted the link for the production numbers on the wiki. That will show you the break down by year, color combos, MT or AT, coupe or targa, etc.

Most will say purchase the newest you can afford. It seems like 97 to 02's are popular with those of us who like the pop-up lights. 97 went to the 3.2L and the 6 spd. (somebody posted a link above for the changes by year).

DDozier posted the Wiki Main page above also.

Here is a link to all the articles on the wiki. It may be helpful. You can search through and select what interests you.

http://www.nsxprime.com/w/index.php?title=Special:Allpages&from=&namespace=0

Good luck on your search... keep us posted.

Side note: A 05 Elise beat my car in a car show I participated in last year. It was a neat car. It looked a little less comfortable than the NSX for sure. But it sure drew the attention. Some of that may have been his presentation. He was a seasoned car show guy, where this was only the 2nd show I had particpated. I was happy to walk away with 2nd place in our class.
He was very nice and gave me some pointers... so this year who knows, maybe I can up my game.
 
I had my Elise at the Route 66 car show and I was worn out by the end of both days talking about the car. It is such an aggresive looking car and the #1 thing is the Elise is in all of the Xbox and Playstations race car games. Everyone sees the car in the games but no one actually sees them. Where ever I parked my Europa or Elise I alays came out to find people looking at the thing. I mean every time.
By the way the Elise is alot less confrontable. Drive one for a hour and you will see what I mean.
Does the targa handle as good as a hard top with the roof in?
 
argus said:
I had my Elise at the Route 66 car show and I was worn out by the end of both days talking about the car. It is such an aggresive looking car and the #1 thing is the Elise is in all of the Xbox and Playstations race car games. Everyone sees the car in the games but no one actually sees them. Where ever I parked my Europa or Elise I alays came out to find people looking at the thing. I mean every time.
By the way the Elise is alot less confrontable. Drive one for a hour and you will see what I mean.
Does the targa handle as good as a hard top with the roof in?
Click to expand...
I've only tracked my car twice, but there are quite a few out there that do so regularly, and obviously it's with the targa top in.....I don't think your going to notice the difference....my first NSX was a 96, and I noticed a big difference between the 3.0L 5 speed and 3.2L 6 speed, but unless you are going to the track with the car, even with the newer cars, they lack power with the 290hp engine. Enjoy your hunt!
 
argus said:
It is such an aggresive looking car and the #1 thing is the Elise is in all of the Xbox and Playstations race car games. Everyone sees the car in the games but no one actually sees them. Where ever I parked my Europa or Elise I alays came out to find people looking at the thing. I mean every time.
QUOTE]

cause you live in Illinois. by the way, Integra type-R engine will do better than Toyota in that little car.
Click to expand...
 
argus said:
I had my Elise at the Route 66 car show and I was worn out by the end of both days talking about the car. It is such an aggresive looking car and the #1 thing is the Elise is in all of the Xbox and Playstations race car games. Everyone sees the car in the games but no one actually sees them. Where ever I parked my Europa or Elise I alays came out to find people looking at the thing. I mean every time.
By the way the Elise is alot less confrontable. Drive one for a hour and you will see what I mean.
Does the targa handle as good as a hard top with the roof in?
Click to expand...

You can say the same thing about the NSX- all the young kids know it from Gran Turismo and Forza. Putting the roof on helps, but it's still not as rigid as a coupe. However, there are some great bracing options out that there that will eliminate the flex.
 
Assuming those budget #s were fixed, a 97+ is going to be have to be pretty ratted out to be 28-33k. Either that or the seller would have to be *really* desperate and you'd have to get *really* lucky to grab it before someone else did.

It must be a geographic thing, but I see the Elise constantly. Literally every day I see them here in the NE.
 
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