Price Check - 1991

[paflys]

What would a 1991 go for with around 55K miles, clean interior. Vehicle is in snap ring range but not currently showing any signs. Seat bolsters a bit worn but not torn. Paint in nice condition with some small chips and nicks on front and rear panel behind back wheels. Original AC system that has not been updated but is blowing cold. Speakers are in-op. Need to have amps rebuilt. Clutch may be on the way out.

Thanks,
Andy

 

[danny49]

Probably in the 22000.00 to 24000.00 range,I bought my 91 sebring silver with 19000 miles for 26000.00 in 2008, Not in snap ring range.

 

[Dynamic-uzed-auto]

Snap ring possibility and the soon to be need for a clutch, not to mention tb/wp, $20000 tops IMO

 

[docjohn]

besides the outward appearence and mileage the other facter in value is the engine maintanance,ie belts/hoses ect.....

 

[tbromley]

Probably in the 22000.00 to 24000.00 range,I bought my 91 sebring silver with 19000 miles for 26000.00 in 2008, Not in snap ring range.

Interesting Danny and how much have you put into your car since you bought it?

You know a nice 91 in great shape with 55k miles is worth a lot more than 22k or 24k or 26k. Of course I know of one like that.

Now when you start talking snap rings and maintenance needed things change dramatically. Stories like Danny's don't mean a lot without a whole lot more detail. I'd love to hear that and wonder if you haven't done maintenance I'd be thinking you are choosing just not to do necessay things to the car. Not saying you have or haven't but just trying to point out that the one your looking at and Danny's - there isn't enough info to even start to diagnose a fair price.

If I were trying to help this fellow looking - I'd have to say you need to look all the way thru Prime market and see how the one your looking at stacks up against others. These cars need maintenance and you either buy em with it done or you plan on doing it yourself.

 

[usafdarkhorse]

Snap ring possibility and the soon to be need for a clutch, not to mention tb/wp, $20000 tops IMO

That's the thing though. You could pile up the cost of deferred maintenance until you got down to a price of $0 if you wanted to. Deferred maintenance impacts the sales price to a degree, but you don't just subtract it from what the car would be worth otherwise.

A clutch on the way out would be a buyer discretion "should I buy this and deal with this?" contemplation, not a negotiating point to say "hey, knock your price down $2K so I can get a new clutch."

A 55K mile Sebring Silver 1991 NSX with some deferred maintenance but no paint/stories is worth more than 20K IMO.

The main issue I see with this car is that it has 55K miles and a transmission that falls within the snap-ring range. The 55K is important because many transmissions were known to have failed around or after the 60K mile point. If the car had, say, 100K miles, I'd say you wouldn't have to worry about snap-ring failure, but in this one you might.

 

[paflys]

I did forget to mention that the TB/WP were changed about 5K miles ago. Valves also adjusted at that time. Other than that, not sure besides 1 window regulator. Sorry for not providing this info before. They are asking $35K which I believe is too high. They purchased the vehicle in 2004 for about $30K from an Acura dealer.

 

[Big_D]

I am guessing that the car is worth about $25-$26K considering it has low mileage. What year was the timing belt done? The service interval for these cars are usually dictated by time and not miles since these cars only average 5K miles a year. Assuming it was within the last year or two you can drive it for 4-5 more years without having to worry about the TB/WP.

Cooling system hoses would be something that would need to be done if they haven't already...there are 22 of them. I would keep the R-12 in the system for as long as possible. Some shops will still service R-12 cars.

Regarding the clutch, the best way to check to see if it is going out is to drive it in say 4th gear at low rpms then step on the gas and see if the RPMs rise without the car responding. Usually the clutch will slip under those conditions if it is going to.

Snap ring cars have been known to fail even after 100K miles. So you are looking at a couple grand...the good news is you can inspect/replace the clutch while you have the tranny out if the snap ring goes.

For the stereo amps, you can take them out and send them to member BrianK herre for a rebuild and it will be really inexpensive. Send him your climate control unit while you are at it because those are prone to fail. The symptom is the A/C will only work on manual mode using fan settings instead of setting a cabin temp.

Cam plugs are prone to leaking, rear coil packs are prone to corrosion, window regulators are a common problem. Window Fix-it thingys should be installed unless the regulators are upgraded to a newer design. Greasing the window tracks is a good idea also.

Bottom line is to obtain as many service records as you can so you know how much deferred maintenance there may be. A pristine 1991 with 55K miles with no deferred maintenance or snap ring issues should fetch around $33-$34K. I sold my car in 2010 with almost 70K on the clock for nearly that.

 

[GBL1]

$35K is too high. The seller knows it's worth $25K-$27K, they want to feel they "invested wisely" and want to at least get their investment back ($30K), so they ask for $35K (just in case they trip across someone willing to pay top-dollar), then they will "allow" themselves to be talked down to say $28K...the seller banks good money & buyer thinks they're a savvy negotiator. Both win...sorta.

Point out the maintenance needed, offer them $23K-$24K to start the negotiations from there...and don't let them call you a "low-baller". If they want top-dollar for a low mileage car, then the car needs to be in top condition...NOT in need of costly repairs.

 

[RedWings]

If they want top-dollar for a low mileage car, then the car needs to be in top condition...NOT in need of costly repairs.

Well said sir.

I'd say under 30K if I had to price it

 

[paflys]

Thanks for the great feedback. I will definitely check on the other maintenance. As a potential new owner, are there other "big" maintenance items I need to consider.

The TB/WP was done about 1 year ago by the local Acura dealership. I do not believe the cooling system hoses were done. Is this a very costly expense?

I will let all know how today goes.

 

[danny49]

The only thing i did was replace a ac drier for 300.00 Other than that all service was already done Most people think thier car is worth more than it is. To me overall condition is key. Some low mileage cars are im worst shape than higher mieage ones.

 

[GBL1]

A quick reality check:

I, as I'm sure many of ya'll, saw a black '91 on eBay a few months ago claiming to be the lowest mileage example out there with only 8K (yes, eight) miles!...and they (a dealer) were only asking $39.9K.

Wish I could still find the link...

 

[paflys]

Well we unfortunately did not come to terms this afternoon. He came down from $35K to $30K. I offered $25.5K initially and offered to meet him at $28K, halfway between the $30K and $26K.

I guess it is back to the search!

 

[dirtbag]

I purchased my '91 with 55,000 miles Red/Ivory for $24,700 in similar condition with the exception of the radio functions, but needed WP/TB,Clutch master cyl replacement.

 

[nsxtasy]

One thing that hasn't really been mentioned is, since it needs a clutch anyway, you can replace the half of the transmission case at the same time, and never have to worry about the snap ring problem again.

That whole operation though is going to cost you $3K, so you should consider that expenditure when evaluating the car to begin with.

I know of a 1991 for sale with a bit more mileage, but which recently had the clutch done and all the maintenance is up to date, and it's for sale for less than that guy is asking. I bet you can even get it for a little less than the listed price.

 

[tbromley]

Well we unfortunately did not come to terms this afternoon. He came down from $35K to $30K. I offered $25.5K initially and offered to meet him at $28K, halfway between the $30K and $26K.

I guess it is back to the search!

You want a good car with low mileage and maintenance up to date you better get a little more money! A 91 like I just described with a bunch of work done to it will cost you. They cost you before or after purchase - but it all works out to be that a good up to date with records and low miles and no accident history is worth over 30k! You'll find out - maybe not right away but as you go and start putting money in it as things go or need replacement you'll find after you get it all done it will have cost you about 31k or so. That's just what it takes - now you can go to higher miles with your 28k and get someting now. These cars hold their value and mileage and records and maintenance is king no matter which year you look at! Just a different price that's all - top of the marketprice for a top of market car ..... this white one may have needed some things and your price may have been close - there are still things about this car that are unknown to us.