I'm trying to decide if I should spend $30-40,000 on a nicer NSX or buy one that may need some work with miles in the 65-90,000 range at a reduced price and then have the work done and then know that it was all done about the same time and then have roughly the same amount into the car. Any thoughts on this? I could sway myself either way.
Anyone know a good NSX mechanic in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area?
The classic advice and in my opinion the best advice is to buy the latest model with the best service history in the best condition you can afford. If you read a lot about this kind of thing like I do and if you've been buying used cars as long as I have and I'm 60 - then you would agree with it too.
Unless you just want the "fun" of restoring a car or working on one yourself then it is much easier and most likely safer to find a good NSX that has been lovingly maintained and up to date on service with the records to prove it. Find a Primer with a good one -that's your best bet of finding one that meets the criteria.
I bought one myself and I was in a bit of a rush, didn't heed my own advice, it is a 91 with 48k miles I got a year and a half ago. I paid 28,500 for it - perhaps a bit too much but it came with a stack of receipts and had a few goodies, all the original stuff that came off came with it and I still ended up putting 5k in the car!
Now since then I've continued to watch the market place - on Prime and in autotrader, cars.com, etc. and I've seen some very good deals come across the screen. Deals that were better than mine and mine wasn't all bad. I've got a really nice car now and 34k isn't too much for one that has had everything done to it like mine all at the same time just like you mention.
Now with prices just a little bit down I believe you can get a really nice car for around 40k - an NA2 with decent miles and in very good condition. If you up the anti just a little bit you can get NA2 with low miles and in super shape. That in my opinion if you can afford is worth it. I just didn't have 10k more or chose not to spend it would be more like it. I have other priorities at my age as well as fun toys.
That's my advice. The thing is that to find the "deal" takes time and patience and knowing a lot about these cars and all the ins and outs and to find that out takes a lot of time - sure some will say oh not really - you find the deal I'm talking about and you will see that there are only a few like that in a year that would meet this criteria. When you find it you need to be educated enough to know it. So stay in touch on this site - do a lot of searching on Wiki. Ask questions and just watch and wait and it will come. Don't get impatient and don't settle.
You never know one might come along right now - but you have to know it when you see it. Now I'll mention a deal that came along about a year ago. Not long after I got mine. A friend here in Atlanta found an 04 that had a new clutch and 23k miles something like that and paid 45k - now that deal was a little tainted - the car had been wrecked or had some body work nothing that would have made it salvage. Some folks think that's a deal breaker - some don't. In this case I would think that was a good deal.
Now I've never heard of another deal like that since I've been looking but a 2001 with pop up headlights - the last year for that and low miles with good service - maybe for 45k or a little less even - maybe so. Something like that - you have to be willing to search and wait it out. See what's out there.
My 2 cents
