Picking up my "new" NSX in Dallas this Friday!

[BamaFan]

First, a word to the members of this forum. I read several enthusiast and collector sites on a regular basis, and I rarely see the passion and openness that I see on NSXPrime. I have learned a tremendous amount here while growing my passion for NSX's.

That said, after many months of searching, bidding at auctions, unreturned calls, etc., I have just agreed to purchase my "new" 1995 NSX this Friday. I am flying in to Dallas with my son on Thursday PM and picking up the car at the owners home in Rockwell, TX on Friday morning. We will then drive it home to Indianapolis, IN.

If any of the fine NSX experts who live in the Dallas area want to check it out when we pick it up, just let me know. I could use your dispassionate, experienced eyes.

I am thrilled to be getting this car for several reasons:

• Completely original
• One owner. This gentlemen purchased one of the first NSX's when they came on the market and traded it in for a '95 when it was released (he liked the larger wheels, electronic power steering, targa top, and suspension changes).
• He has all records and documents. I had a chance to speak to the dealer that has serviced it since Day 1. They could tell me everything about every service.
• I had some concern about getting completely priced out of the market as values skyrocketted. As evidence, check out this latest Hagerty valuation graph for the '95's: http://www.hagerty.com/valuationtools/hvt/vehiclesearch/Report?vc=1333625

This car will be joining a few others in my garage, including a 1966 Lincoln Continental Convertible. I do not believe there could be two cars with more disparate personalities.

I will update this post when we have secured the car and are heading home.

 

[jaja]

Must be great to pick it up from the original owner! Wow service at one dealer, that's great.

How's the mileage? Some owners tend to only keep the car original if they never drive it :wink: (not always the case though). The car looks like its in good condition.

I am sure with your 66 Lincoln you are aware that things need replacement with age. Keep her going by making sure all the mechanical are up to scruff. After all, she's almost old enough to drink! There is a tonne of DIY support on here and experienced NSX techs to help.

Congratulations, and be sure to share some photos with you and your new ride. Many primers are skeptics until we see the photo proof! Either that, or we all just love seeing more photos of our awesome machines and their passionate owners.

Cheers, and welcome to the best group of car enthusiasts as you've already found out.

Lucas

 

[BamaFan]

Thanks for the reply and advice, Lucas.

The owner used it as a daily driver until 2 years ago, so it has 119k miles on it (about 7k/yr). Just over a year ago, he took it to the dealer a "major" service, where they did everything from changing the timing belt/water pump, to replacing the cam caps and oil pan gaskets, to adjusting the valves, to bleeding/flushing all of the fluids and mounting new tires, to replacing the wiper blades. So I am hoping that the traditional $3,000 I always seem to spend on a car when I first purchase it has already been spent. That said, I am sure there will be some things to address! So far I only know about the one of the lights on the face of the radio that is burned out.

Like most Prime members, mileage on an NSX does not frighten me. I have seen NXS's with 60k miles that looked beat to death, and high mileage exmples that were in great shape. The fact that this is the original owner who has cared for it well makes me believe it won't cause problems. We have an '04 TL with 150k miles on it that has been a paragon of reliability.

I'm looking forward to posting pics after we pick it up. This is assuming, of course, that car checks out when we get there. Given its history and the background of the owner, I have confidence. But there is always a chance we will be hitchhiking home!

 

[Vanishing Point]

Congratulations on the purchase, that should be a fun drive back. If you decide to hang out for another day we have a BBQ meet (about 20 miles from Rockwall) on saturday you are welcome to attend. :smile:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showt...6th-11-30-am-till/page2?p=1799811#post1799811

 

[jaybird]

Looks like a beauty. Both of the NSX's I've purchased came from private sellers that had complete documentation and service records from day one - provides great piece of mind that you know what you are paying for! Sounds like your purchase will go fine and I imagine that the trip back to Indy with your son will be an adventure that both of you will long remember. Welcome !! Jay

 

[BamaFan]

Steven,

My great love for Texas BBQ is only exceeded by my need to get back to Indy to explain my purchase to my wife when she and my daughter get back from vacation on Saturday. :smile: I grew up in Alabama, and I believe that there is only a loose understanding of the term "BBQ" in the part of the US where I currently live.

I was serious about my invitation for Friday AM. If you or anyone else in the area wants to check out the car when we go to inspect it & pick it up, I would welcome the company. The folks at McDavid Acura in Plano have given me some degree of confidence since they are familiar with the car, but I know I will likely be less-than-objective when I am seeing it for the first time.

- - - Updated - - -

Looks like a beauty. Both of the NSX's I've purchased came from private sellers that had complete documentation and service records from day one - provides great piece of mind that you know what you are paying for! Sounds like your purchase will go fine and I imagine that the trip back to Indy with your son will be an adventure that both of you will long remember. Welcome !! Jay

Jay,

I can't imagine the patience it took you to go through this process twice! This gentleman, for example, put his car up for sale two years ago but never returned any calls because he didn't REALLY want to sell it. This time when he put it up for sale, he received 40 inquiries in a few days, but did not return any of them. I basically turned into a stalker to get him to engage (multiple texts, emails, phone calls, calls to the dealer where he purchased it, etc.). Turns out he is a great guy who is just having difficulty parting with the car.

 

[Lamchop168]

Congrats! Beautiful red, I almost purchased one from Houston until I saw my blue.

 

[Vanishing Point]

If the NSX was serviced by the tech (Carl) at McDavid Acura the car should be in great shape. That coupled with complete service records should give you peace of mind in this purchase. I may get back to you regarding meeting up friday am Bamafan, I should have a better idea on that after tomorrow pm.

 

[4cruizn]

Good luck with your pick-up this weekend! Congratulations!

 

[vivanshah]

Congrats! One owner cars are getting really hard to find!

 

[Caroline-NSX]

Nice and clean! Congrats!

 

[bullithollywood]

Congratulations on your purchase! Definitely not many one-owner fully documented NSXs around anymore. I'm a bit partial but you picked the best color too!
Your drive home with your son is going be one of the best memories of your life, enjoy it!

 

[BamaFan]

If the NSX was serviced by the tech (Carl) at McDavid Acura the car should be in great shape. That coupled with complete service records should give you peace of mind in this purchase. I may get back to you regarding meeting up friday am Bamafan, I should have a better idea on that after tomorrow pm.

Thanks. Carl is the tech. Let me know if you decide to come and I'll PM you the address of our hotel (2 miles from the seller's house). I plan to leave the hotel around 7:30 or 7:45. Please don't feel obligated, but we'd love to have you along.

 

[tcjensen1]

Wait, there was an NSX for sale in Rockwall!?!? Crap. You suck, lol. Congrats

 

[Boostedtaco]

^ lol lol :biggrin:

 

[bobert486]

Congrats! and Yay another (potential) Indianapolis car! Hope everything goes well.

 

[BamaFan]

Bobert, I have never seen an NSX in Indy that wasn't at the Mecum auction! Tell me about your car.

I had a 45 minute discussion with Carl (the Acura tech that has been maintaining the car for most of its life) yesterday. He walked me through every service, including the Mobil 1 oil changes that were done every 1 - 4k miles. Still bracing myself for the nwt that will typically be on a 120k car.

My son and I just landed in Dallas and are in a cab to the hotel in Rockwall, so we're getting close...

 

[alum04org]

GOOD FORTUNE! Hope it proves all your are looking for and more (fun).

 

[BamaFan]

Part 1: The Story of The Purchase

Weare home safely following an adventurous trip to Dallas and back. I will write this in three parts:

1) Purchase experience: the good, the bad, the ugly,and the fortunate
2) Impressions gathered in a 1,000 mile roadtrip home
3) More Pics

Part 1: Purchase experience: The good, The ugly, and The fortunate
As I wrote earlier, my son and I flew from Indy to Dallas to examine and hopefuylly pick up the car. The seller picked us up at the hotel and took us to his house. Here is how it went...

THE UGLY: When the seller opened his garage door, I was shocked. The car was covered in grime. There were black marks in several places. I could see at least a few scratches under the dirt. He had made absolutely no effort to clean it up. I knew it had been his daily driver, but I expected him care for the exterior like an NSX daily driver, not a Honda Odyssey daily driver. It clearly had not been waxed in years.

THE GOOD: In sharp contrast, the interior was nearly perfect. Even the driver'sseat showed no real signs of wear. The sun visors had no splits. The dash fit tight up against the windshield without any puckering. When I asked him how he kept the interior in such great shape, he took a solar shield out from behind the driver's seat and said he never parked the car outside without putting it in the windshield. I am certainly sold on the value of solar shields!


THE FORTUNATE: As we pulled out for a test drive, the engine light flickered on. He was mortified. I offered to take the car to McDavid Acura in Plano (where he had purchased the car and had it serviced) while he went to work. Before my son and I pulled away in the NSX, he brought out a thick folder with every service ever performed on the car. With the exception of two sets of tires, every service--including things like oil changes and wiper bladere placements--was performed at McDavid Acura. My son and I set out on a 40 mile drive to the dealer. This was a great opportunity to test out everything on the car. Everything worked perfectly with the exception of the lighting on the radio that the seller had disclosed. The windows went up and down quickly. The original sound system sounded great. All heater and AC functions worked well.

<o</o​

THE BEST DEALER SERVICE EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE: Jason, a service advisor at McDavid Acura, informed me that Carl the NSX tech was busy but would work me in. The diagnosis would cost $120 and they would charge for any work done. In the meantime, he walked me through every record of the car that they had. Then Jason let me go back with Carl as he walked around the car. I pointed out every concern I had and Carl fixed each one as it came up. Some clips had broken from the inner fenderwell covers. Carl explained that this is normal with age, got a box of clips, and replaced them. I pointed out a rattle coming from the rear spoiler and Carl said they needed to be adjusted from time to time. He proceeded to pop off the screw covers and fixed the rattle. He ran the diagnostic and told us faulty rear O2 sensor needed to be replaced.

Unfortunately, they did not have one in stock and it would take until Monday to fix. I declined since we did not want to spend the weekend in Plano and walked back with Jason to settle up the bill. I was shocked when Jason told me they would not charge us for anything, including the diagnostic. I was even more shocked when they pulled the car around and it had been hand washed and prepped. It looked much better than it had but it still had a lot of marks scarring the body work. Of course I took the opportunity to take a pic of my son and I with the only tech that has ever touched the car (Carl is the one in the middle)!


I had already called the seller and negotiated a discount off of the price I had agreed to pay based on what we thought we would be paying for the service. My son and I drove tothe seller's office, payed the new price for the car, and started our drive back to Indianapolis.
- - - Updated - - -

Part 2: Impressions from the 1,000 mile road trip home

1) The view out the windshield is incredible. You can literally see the road being sucked up under the hood of the car. The thin 'A' pillars give you an expansive view of your surroundings. I owned a1980 Porsche 911 that similarly reminded you of the "specialness"of the car when looking out over the hood, but the NSX takes it to another level.

​

2) This is no ordinary supercar. It was 100 degrees when we left Dallas. The entire highway system in Arkansas seemed to be under construction...we spent hours in stop & go traffic in the sweltering heat. Through it all, the NSX didn't miss a beat as it rolled past the 120,000 mile mark. The ac worked great, the water temp never rose, and the car soaked up bumps with aplomb. I cannot imaginine making that trip in a 20 year-old Ferrari.

<o</o​

3) The sound when v-tech kicks in isintoxicating. Very reminiscent of a 1990's F1 car. We took every opportunity to hit on and off ramps.

​

4) I am glad I got the targa. I had heard that the top could rattle or squeak, but ours was silent the entire trip. On fast corners over less-than-perfect pavement, you can feel the loss of rigidity. However, as we drove through Missouri in the middle of the night and my son was looking up at the stars pointing out constellations, nothing could be better. Here he is next to the car outside the hotel. We left Dallas so late that we decided to stop for the night when we hit Illinois.


5) There are no more bugs in Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, or Indiana. I am convinced that we hit every one of them. :smile:


- - - Updated - - -

Part 3: More Pics

When we got home, we quickly set about washing the car. We found that just about every mark came off with a good scrubbing. There are still 4-5 scratches that I will have to address, but I was surprised at how well it cleaned up, given the condition it was in when we found it. More proof that the previous owner had not washed it in some time.

Here are some pics:

The NSX meets our TL for the first time...


The NSX meets our 1966 Lincoln Continental Convertible for the first time...


The NSX after a thorough washing (though it still needs a good clay bar, polish, and wax)...


If you have made it this far in my posts, I certainly appreciate your time!

Finally, I want to stress that this purchase could not have happened without all of the information I gathered on Prime.

 

[Spa2KJT]

Great story!! As a new owner myself, I know EXACTLY the feeling you are experiencing with your NSX. It is such a great car!! Enjoy it in good health and may happy miles I'm sure to come!

 

[jaybird]

Thanks for sharing your story and the great pics -- actually she looks fantastic and know you will love owning and driving this great car. Believe most of us (maybe all..) remember our initial ownership experience, with fond memories - you surely do and will be a great adventure memory for you and your son. Welcome to the club! BTW - nice Lincoln too !! Jay

 

[MinnesotaR6]

congrats on the NSX!

 

[anesthesia]

Congrats on NSX ownership and welcome to the families. I think the best part of the trip was you get to spend that awesome experience with your son and the time, he'll remember that. Great pic, thanks for sharing your exp.

 

[BTL3.0]

Congrats on the purchased. Looks real good.


Hello fellow Indy. Cmc140( Chris mccool) is in Carmel area. You guys should meet up. Couple of other guys are around him also..

 

[Single Samurai]

Awesome Story & Congrats on your New Family Member!
Enjoy!