If you are going to have a PPI done, definitely use someone with NSX knowledge! Too many quirks of the NSX that even the solid mechanic may not know to watch for....
New prospective owner/ Nut checking in ! Looking for suggestions
- Thread starter Ravi
- Start date
I would if at all possible have someone familiar with the NSX do the PPI. There are items particular to the NSX that need to be looked at. And a good NSX tech will know what to look for that would give me peace of mind that I'm getting either a good deal or a raw deal. $30K is a lot of money and if that engine cooked or important maintenance was overlooked it wouldn't take much to be spending money that would get you a well maintained NSX. I'm not familiar with the Birmingham area so maybe an NSX owner in that area can help you find an NSX tech. Post a request for NSX Tech contact info in the Southeast Section of this forum. Good Luck in your search.
I definitely agree and that's what I usually do when I buy a car. But with Birmingham the closest I can come with a "NSX specialist" is empire autohaus ( going by a few recommendations here). I haven't go too much luck in terms of reply with the SE section of the board yet. The question is can I trust them to do a good through report when I am not in person. I am kinda worried about doing a PPI while I sit a few hundred miles away
Unless it's an NSX like Honcho just sold, it's a must to get a PPI done by a qualified NSX tech.
The car you're looking at may be fine and a good PPI will confirm that, a bad PPI won't.
If you can't find a qualified NSX Tech to do a PPI on the car you're looking at, I'd find another car.
No point getting a second rate NSX because you couldn't get a good PPI.
If you don't go ahead with this one I'd find an NSX with solid maintenance records regardless of asking price.
Solid maintenance records means the owner(s) have looked after it.
That usually means the interior, exterior etc. have also been looked after.
Once you find this NSX make sure the owner wants to sell it and is not fishing about etc.
If the owner wants to sell he'll take a fair market price regardless of the original asking level.
In a strongish NSX market like we have now lots of NSX's will be offered and sold.
You've wanted an NSX for a long time.
Do yourself a favor and buy the right one.
The car you're looking at may be fine and a good PPI will confirm that, a bad PPI won't.
If you can't find a qualified NSX Tech to do a PPI on the car you're looking at, I'd find another car.
No point getting a second rate NSX because you couldn't get a good PPI.
If you don't go ahead with this one I'd find an NSX with solid maintenance records regardless of asking price.
Solid maintenance records means the owner(s) have looked after it.
That usually means the interior, exterior etc. have also been looked after.
Once you find this NSX make sure the owner wants to sell it and is not fishing about etc.
If the owner wants to sell he'll take a fair market price regardless of the original asking level.
In a strongish NSX market like we have now lots of NSX's will be offered and sold.
You've wanted an NSX for a long time.
Do yourself a favor and buy the right one.
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I wish that "dealer" = "NSX expert", but that is not the case. My NSX was well cared-for by a great technician at a Plano, TX Acura dealer for over 20 years. It was a real pleasure to meet with him when I was purchasing the car from the owner who had it serviced there. Here in Indy, I have to spoon feed the dealer in order to get work done properly.
There is a great Used NSX Check list on this forum wiki. You can used this as a guild to get your PPI done. Assuming that your Tech is willing to follow it and used his own experience to give you a solid report on the car. Doing this should put your mind to ease.
Good luck.
Bram
Good luck.
Bram
Thank you all the useful tips and suggestions. I decided to pass on the car with the not so great PPI report. The major issue was with over heating and oil pan leak. The original plan was to do a leakdown test for head gasket leak but the service manager called in to tell me that I don't need to run that with the over heating issues this vehicle has. Apparently the there is no pressure in the coolant hose which is probably why its heating up ? Other baffling problem was the use of 17mm lug nut when it should be 19mm in one of the wheel ? Lot more minor issues which surely cost money but the over heating was frankly the deal breaker considering potential boost and overheating history.
So the wait and the search continues. Appreciate everyone's help on this vehicle. Lesson learnt ? next time do the PPI first before flying in !
So the wait and the search continues. Appreciate everyone's help on this vehicle. Lesson learnt ? next time do the PPI first before flying in !
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So after a bit of searching I found this car on craigslist in redwood city CA red/black ( he sent me the engine no so still waiting on the transmission no for snap ring) which seems like a decent stock car ( with ugly aftermarket wheels). The timing belt/fluids and other work was done in 2008 and 10k miles ago but the car just did 200 mile ( bad knee ) before the current owner bought her in 2013 and put 10k miles. The current owner also has record of the PPI done at acura in 2013 ( He fixed the issues reported in the PPI as well).
I suppose 6 years is long for the timing belt ? Also there is no information on the WP change or the hoses too. It seems like a clean car but the fact that it was not driven for 5 years before this current owner scares me a bit ( but to be fair it did pass inspection 18 months back )
Does anyone have any more information on this car ? VIN JH4NA1158MT000494. The carfax report for some odd reason doesn't show the number of owners. I had to look through the detailed report and count them.
Also I did post in it the local Norcal section but I thought I'd attach that post here as well. Is there anyone or know anyone who is open to checking this car out for me ? I am more than happy to compensate you for the time !
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...and-suggestions-for-PPI?p=1843338#post1843338
I suppose 6 years is long for the timing belt ? Also there is no information on the WP change or the hoses too. It seems like a clean car but the fact that it was not driven for 5 years before this current owner scares me a bit ( but to be fair it did pass inspection 18 months back )
Does anyone have any more information on this car ? VIN JH4NA1158MT000494. The carfax report for some odd reason doesn't show the number of owners. I had to look through the detailed report and count them.
Also I did post in it the local Norcal section but I thought I'd attach that post here as well. Is there anyone or know anyone who is open to checking this car out for me ? I am more than happy to compensate you for the time !
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...and-suggestions-for-PPI?p=1843338#post1843338
$30k is too much. Most I would pay for this car is $27.5k, given what it needs done.
Thanks Jim, that is very generous.
Will gets it on Saturday and he's very excited. 
You have one year left on the belt and it will need to be done again. The timing belt is a time-or-miles, whichever comes first. More concerning is how long the car sat. This can KILL a NSX. Just read Kaz's blog to see what happens inside these "museum" cars that sit for so long. They look good on the outside, but the brake pistons rot, the coolant neck rusts, the water pump impeller rots and seizes, most of the rubber dries out and cracks, etc. The A/C system is probably shot. Good news is it saw 10k after sitting for so long, so most of the above is probably sorted just by driving it. Still, I'd be worried about brakes and A/C.
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Thank you so much ! That was pretty detailed answer to the question I had. Needless to say, I didn't buy that car especially with the heating issues
The time it sat is the biggest worry for me as well. But it did pass all the PPI inspection at Acura dealer (A/C etc) when the current owner bought it. I do have that record and the details with me but I am not sure how much I can trust that though. A good PPI should throw some light on the A/C and other rubber cracks ? ( atleast to an extent ? )
Also I am in a bit of dilemma. Most of the bay area guys recommend Don at daly city or foreign affairs at Santa Clara but the seller feels that 30 min drive for a PPI might be far and was wondering if Hopkins Acura ( 2 miles for him ) could work. There are good reviews of that place here when a certain Jim used to work but I dont see anymore. Should I stick to my original choice and request the seller to take it to the PPI place that is 30 mins away ? Is that too much to ask of a seller ? I am just wondering if that is a reasonable request from someone
$30k is too much. Most I would pay for this car is $27.5k, given what it needs done.
Thanks Jim, that is very generous.
You have one year left on the belt and it will need to be done again. The timing belt is a time-or-miles, whichever comes first. More concerning is how long the car sat. This can KILL a NSX. Just read Kaz's blog to see what happens inside these "museum" cars that sit for so long. They look good on the outside, but the brake pistons rot, the coolant neck rusts, the water pump impeller rots and seizes, most of the rubber dries out and cracks, etc. The A/C system is probably shot. Good news is it saw 10k after sitting for so long, so most of the above is probably sorted just by driving it. Still, I'd be worried about brakes and A/C.
The time it sat is the biggest worry for me as well. But it did pass all the PPI inspection at Acura dealer (A/C etc) when the current owner bought it. I do have that record and the details with me but I am not sure how much I can trust that though. A good PPI should throw some light on the A/C and other rubber cracks ? ( atleast to an extent ? )
Also I am in a bit of dilemma. Most of the bay area guys recommend Don at daly city or foreign affairs at Santa Clara but the seller feels that 30 min drive for a PPI might be far and was wondering if Hopkins Acura ( 2 miles for him ) could work. There are good reviews of that place here when a certain Jim used to work but I dont see anymore. Should I stick to my original choice and request the seller to take it to the PPI place that is 30 mins away ? Is that too much to ask of a seller ? I am just wondering if that is a reasonable request from someone
Have you called the service manager at Hopkins and discussed your situation with him?
Do you know for sure that Hopkins cannot do a proper PPI?
If Hopkins can't do the PPI to your satisfaction and the buyer thinks the other two shops are too far then go find another deal.
This is really quite a straightforward process and no need to be feeling you have dilemmas all the time.
I am going to call tomorrow but I cannot know for sure if they can or cannot do a proper PPI and I am sure the manager is not going to say NO for a PPI request either. I can only go by the wealth of information here and the over the last couple of the years people in the bay area have "only" recommended the 2 shops. I haven't go any reply about Hopkins on the local Norcal section of the forum so I'd rather go with the where local guys usually take their cars.
I have a dilemma because I wonder if my request of a 30 mins drive one way is fair enough request, I mean would you guys do that as a seller ? I would do the 30 min drive if I was a seller but I don't expect every person to agree, especially when there is a Acura dealer just 2 miles away.
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When I purchased my 1992 nsx I had Foreign Affair, Santa Clara do the PPI. You are located out of state. If seller is unwilling to drive vehicle 30 minutes to have PPI performed for you which I feel is fair since ur paying for it I would look elsewhere . When searching for my car I had FA do 3 PPI's on NSX's that interested me. They said nay on the first two I brought in and approved the third one which I purchased. I trust them to take care of u. GL
If it were me I'd call the service manager at Hopkins and ask him if he as an NSX tech who can do a PPI.
He'll tell you if he has or hasn't got a qualified NSX tech so then make up your mind if the Hopkins PPI will be what you feel you need.
Nothing difficult about that and no need to prejudge the service manager's response.
Do your homework then make a decision.
Until you decide on Hopkins no need to get worked up about whether the seller thinks your request to drive 30 minutes is reasonable or not.
Again it's your decision, not the sellers nor any Prime posters, whether you think your request is reasonable or not.
If you think a 30 minute drive for a PPI in order to sell a car is a reasonable request and the seller says no, then make your decision.
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Thank you ! This is what I wondering, IF it is okay for me to ask the seller that. Cars being part of my life, I wouldn't hesitate spending couple of hour drive for a PPI but I wanted to see if it was just me !
I did speak to the manager and they have a tech who has works on NSX and won some competition with for a NSX ( which I can only assume he because he owns a NSX as well ). I think you got me wrong here, my question is actually not if the dealer can do a good job, it is more so about asking someone to travel 30 or more minutes for PPI. I prefer to take it to a "locals" primer recommend" indie over a dealership even if the dealer had a "qualified" tech.
JD, the thing is it does not matter what I think is reasonable in this matter. I might think driving even 1 hour drive for a PPI request is okay but if in "general" it is not ON, I am going to loose all the decent cars in the market.
That is why I am asking the primers here, not to make a call for me but rather to get a general consensus here of former and future buyers/sellers
Ravi
You've got an NSX you're interested in and need a PPI done on it.
You've got a seller who wants to take it to Hopkins two miles away to do the PPI.
The dealer has a qualified NSX tech.
So there is a doable deal if you agree to the seller's suggestion.
However you're hesitating using Hopkins because local owners recommend an independent shop or two for the PPI and you don't know if you should ask the seller if he will drive some distance to these independents.
I don't understand the dilemma here.
Ask the seller if he'll take it to one of the independents.
If he will, no need to keeping asking the forum for guidance.
If the seller won't take it to the independent then decide if a qualified NSX tech at a dealer can do a PPI that meets with your approval.
If you don't think the dealer can do the job and the seller won't drive to an independent then go find another NSX.
This is a PPI not a heart transplant.
I guess I'd add that if you're hesitating on the above process, which should take less than an hour to sort out, perhaps you're not really that motivated on this NSX.
If that's the case then find another NSX that you really want to buy.
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JD,
Again I am not asking IF I should ask the seller. I did ask him and he suggested Hopkins but I would prefer one of the other 2.
Apologies if I did not word it right , there is NO dilemma here. I "was" just asking for opinion here if it is normal to take it 30 mins away before I go ahead and "insist" on a unreasonable demand !!
One person 94710 already did confirm it is OKAY. That is pretty much all I wanted and end of the story here. Also my day job is working with cars so I know its not a "heart transplant". I am normally not very particular on the type of PPI but over here I have been specially told that the "kind" of PPI matter or a car like the NSX and this is why I asked this question in the first place
There is no hesitation here, the market as much as you would like to believe is not a buyer's market( not in my price range anyway) so I cant go around shooting down deals for trivial reasons. I got the simple answer I was looking for from 94710 and I got PPI sorted out.
Thanks,
Ravi
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Sorry Ravi
Didn't understand you were just looking for someone to say it was okay to ask the seller to take the car to another PPI place.
My mistake.
Good luck with the car.
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Actually I was just looking for someone who has had similar experiences in the past either with selling or buying the NSX, nothing more ! Looking back I dont think I made myself clear with the post so apologies on that. Appreciate your help though !
Thanks,
Ravi
Just thought I'd update this !
If anyone is looking at the car I almost bought in the Bay area, vin being JH4NA1158MT000494 please read on ! I'd be happy to forward you the carfax and the PPI report as well !
So the PPI went well and the car was decent for the asking price of 35ish k. There were 3 things that needed changing, a old timing belt, waterpump ( although had just seen under 8k miles, wasn't changed in 7 years), mismatched ugly( I mean real ugly chrome wheels) which was supposedly why he had pulled the fuse on the TC/ABS module. I figured the car was worth less than the asking price of 35ishk being a bone stock car minus the rims and given that I needed new rims, tires, general service worth 2 grand I struck up a deal for 32,000 !
Now here comes the fun part, after just 5 days from when I made the deal he called it off because it was getting too complicated for him !
It didn't even take long ! I got the intent to sell form on Monday from him and by Thursday he called it off after I asked for a color copy of the title to get the checks issued from Penfed. I made it clear during my first call about financing the process and what was expected off him sans sending the title because penfed didn't communicate it to me either. He was hesitant about sending me the title copy ( although I suppose I could have pressed him to send it directly to the bank which may have made him rethink it). Anyway I realized he was not too interested in selling the car and I found a much better deal elsewhere so I respected his call on the deal. And to his credit he compensated me for PPI at Hopkins Acura as well. The time I spent researching/looking to ship the car and buy new wheels is of course a complete waste and was/is frustrating.
As they say, things happen for a reason and I found a much better deal in (Greenville, SC) the city I went to grad school. I'll update that story( which was long and a major PITA) in another thread once the final check clears and I have the registration in my name !
Thanks everyone for the help in my search
If anyone is looking at the car I almost bought in the Bay area, vin being JH4NA1158MT000494 please read on ! I'd be happy to forward you the carfax and the PPI report as well !
So the PPI went well and the car was decent for the asking price of 35ish k. There were 3 things that needed changing, a old timing belt, waterpump ( although had just seen under 8k miles, wasn't changed in 7 years), mismatched ugly( I mean real ugly chrome wheels) which was supposedly why he had pulled the fuse on the TC/ABS module. I figured the car was worth less than the asking price of 35ishk being a bone stock car minus the rims and given that I needed new rims, tires, general service worth 2 grand I struck up a deal for 32,000 !
Now here comes the fun part, after just 5 days from when I made the deal he called it off because it was getting too complicated for him !
It didn't even take long ! I got the intent to sell form on Monday from him and by Thursday he called it off after I asked for a color copy of the title to get the checks issued from Penfed. I made it clear during my first call about financing the process and what was expected off him sans sending the title because penfed didn't communicate it to me either. He was hesitant about sending me the title copy ( although I suppose I could have pressed him to send it directly to the bank which may have made him rethink it). Anyway I realized he was not too interested in selling the car and I found a much better deal elsewhere so I respected his call on the deal. And to his credit he compensated me for PPI at Hopkins Acura as well. The time I spent researching/looking to ship the car and buy new wheels is of course a complete waste and was/is frustrating.
As they say, things happen for a reason and I found a much better deal in (Greenville, SC) the city I went to grad school. I'll update that story( which was long and a major PITA) in another thread once the final check clears and I have the registration in my name !
Thanks everyone for the help in my search
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^Im about 45 min from GVL and willing to go look over the car if need be. Is it red?
