Old NSX, very low milage....problem?

[CWATR]

First post here so hello everybody.

Currently drive a white Accord Type R (CWATR) but looking to get myself my dreamcar within the next year (maybe two years, depending on performance of certain stocks).

I am currently keeping an eye out on available NSX's in Germany (www.mobile.de) with a pricebracket between 30.000 and 40.000 euros and I noticed two NSX with very low mileage: one NSX with 11.000km and one with 12.000km and both are from '91 or '92.
Now this, of course, is very nice but I have this question that keeps bothering me: these engines have probably not been used for long periods of time. Would this not be a very bad thing for the moving parts inseide an engine? What about some sort of electro-chemical interaction between pistonwall (aluminum) and piston scraper rings (stainless steel?)
Are there any drawbacks about getting an older car with (very) low mileage...what about getting a car with approx. 70.000km to 100.000km?


regards.

 

[tararan]

NSX or not if the engine has not been properly restore it'll give you somekind of problem. too many to list.

the question is if the car has been restore properly.

i rather get something that had been driven occasionally and properly mainained.

reading through this forum made me realize that mileage in NSX doesn't really affect anything except its resale value.

 

[CWATR]

Well, that's my concern with these low mileage cars :not knowing if the engine has been preserved (sp?)properly. Has the car been owned by a collector or has it been in the showroom for many years?.....I guess everybody wants to get themselves a low-mileage car but these cars do have very expensive engines that you don't want to be replacing after a few thousand miles of use after purchase!

 

[MvM]

From what I know the cilinder-walls are made of steel.
There are many NSX's around that have a low milage and so far I've never heard of any problems with that.
Come to think of it, many other exotic cars like Ferrari's are often driven very little over the years and I've never heard of any problem like that developing in those cars.

In any case, I would make sure to have checked ANY car that I buy before I decide to buy it.

As for the mileage question, like said above, as long as the milage is not extreme it doesn't seem to effect the engines much.
Timing-belt, replacing oil- en coolant fluid and, if old, all the hoses and all the other stuff that belong in the 'regular maintenance' category should be checked. As long as that has been done and done properly I would not worry to much about it.

Besides, low milage doesn't necessarily mean that the cars have been standing still for a long time. It might just be that they have been regularly driven but only for short distances.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

Several years ago i bought myself a a Honda CRX, from a lady, who never drove the poor thing. The car was very low milage, but there where problems later on, which i suspected to be related to the low milage. Bras bearings dry out when not used, and the hoses on the car need a good inspection, actually call for being replaced.
Also always get a car with very low milage inspected on a lift, and if possible by an ANWB report. They will tell you if the milage on the odo is reasonable. The price for the ANWB test is nothing compared to the price of a good NSX.
A little while ago i spoke to a guy in switzerland who was thinking about purchasing a NSX with very low milage, but he was hesitating because ALL seals an hosing needed replacing.

Not that all low milage NSX's have problems, just some points to look out for...


Mich
R'dam

 

[nsxtasy]

From what I know the cilinder-walls are made of steel.

Steel? Our cars have steel in them???

It might just be that they have been regularly driven but only for short distances.

That could be even worse for the car...

 

[CWATR]

MvM : As far as I know the pistonwalls in NSX do not use any liners. Both 3.0 and 3.2 pistonwalls are straight in the aluminum block; the 3.2 (and my ATR) use a kind of material mixed in the aluminum (around the pistonwalls) for added strength since the material between the pistonwalls became very thin.

Well, thanks for the replies gentlemen. If been reading on this forum for several years now amd thought it's abou to post as well. Enthousiast non-owners are treated 'like equals' here which is fantastic.But maybe it's just a matter of time before I have one as well: Yep, my dream is to get myself a 3.2 6-speed coupe preferably in Silver or Black but I would settle for a '91 .....the absolute wetdream is the Type-R.

Back to my question:
So perhaps I should calculate something like 5.000 till 7.000 annual kilometres km for the car to assume it to be in good shape. For a '91 that would be around 70.000km.

I wonder how the Dutch guys that replied went about with purchasing their car : did they have somebody inspect the cars for them?

regards.

 

[Tony Montoya]

I'm pretty sure the old NSX has cast iron liners in the engine. They will never rust.

 

[CWATR]

You're right. The '91 to '96 models still used liners (3.0 l engine). It was only for the 3.2 l engine that Honda started using a new technique which is called FRM that allowed them to manufacture the cylinders without liners. The FRM (fibre re-inforced metal) is inserted when they pour the aluminum for the block.
regards.

 

[Veleno]

No problems when I bought my NSX, and it still has low mileage.

 

[insx]

Yup no problem here, Don at Hilltop did inspection check and said the car is as good as brand new on engine & parts too

 

[MvM]

CWATR,
Actually, I used the checklist from the FAQ here on Prime to make my own checklist and then added the items that I thought were important too.
For every NSX for sale I could find I took 1.5-2.0 hours to inspect and filled in the dots on the checklist. Also took many pictures with the digicam for later reference. Every item that got me wondering or where I was unsure I asked about here on prime and/or asked other NSX-owners I had met by then. After my preliminary choice was made I asked and got a extensive test-ride, again with the checkist in hand and noted all my findings (like clutch, lights, blinkers, pedal-feel, airco).
The point is, don't get overexcited when you're in the first NSX. I know I was, so I deliberately eased done and made sure there were minor points on every car I saw (there are always a few on used cars, no matter what).
In my case, the NSX got a TUV-inspection before sale. A Dutch NSX I would have it checked by the ANWB. The costs are small compared to what you could loose by buying the wrong car.

 

[jrehner]

If I were over in Europe I could solve all your problems--you could trade the low mileage car that might be falling apart from lack of use for my old high mileage car....

 

[CWATR]

Thanks for the reply guys. Well, I just packed my bags....I'm off for a week's vacation into Germany.Going to stay very near the Nurburgring so guess who's going to do a few laps? Hope my car stays in one piece (myself too)

cheers.