So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....?? JH4NA1158MT000317

[Mojorator]

Went to a dealer today (mom/pop dealer) in Glendale CA. to look at a 91 Red/Black NSX with about 56K miles on it and the price is $27,9**.00 FIRM.

Upon inspection, I found some quirky things (to me) that I thought was a deal breaker..am I being tooo anal??


Interior:
- The leather int was a little worn..seams faded (seats and door panels), felt a little to brittle instead of it being soft. (No tears though)
- The buttons for the windows were faded, and the driver window rolls very slow up/down.
- The latch to open the door was quite faded and felt tooo loose as if it was ready break.
- With the windows down, it makes a really bad rattling sound when you close the door.

Exterior:
- The gap on the driver headlights to the hood was wider than the pass side.
- The car has obviously been repainted and the salesman showed me pictures of the car ALL KEYED UP thats why it was painted.
- There was a clearcoat drip on the rear bumper that was not sanded down.
- Under the front hood, it looks like the entire hood was replaced as the paint looks a lot newer than whats inside of the hood.
- Rubber seals around the window looks overly worn and possible excessive wind noise or water leak.
- Front lip has a crack (the black lower lip).
- The top of the car is RED so I assume it was repainted as well.
- Curb marks on both the Pass wheels.

Engine Bay:
- Looks to be clean and free from oil leaks, but the engine cover is really worn out and very flimsy.
- The glass would not close/lock unless you really slam it.
- Aftermarket Intake that looks like KNN but different brand (generic)

Engine Noise:
- When I fired it up, there was definitely a vibration and would not go away even after it warmed up.


Im sure there was more, but they were already closing so I did not get to drive the car.

Also the Tranny Number is J4A4-1000470 (not in SNAP range).

DID I JUST WALK AWAY FROM A GREAT DEAL???

Are all these issues or NORMAL wear and tear?

Sorry for the long post, but it seems like there was a LOT of other people interested in this vehicle, but I was not sure if I was being to overly careful.

What do you think?

Mike

 

[ffffanman]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Sounds a little ragged for 56k miles.
If you do not know the Nsx then the engine seems rough at idle.
Maybe someone close by can look at it with you and at the same time you could see there unit so you have something to compare with.
The windows and door handle fixit thing are something to consider in the price. The seller probably does not know how much it takes to adjust those windows and lube the tracks and also do the window fixit and door handle fixit thing, but that would be a good bargaining chip of about 500.00 smacks.
If the paint looks good and you don't mind a repainted nsx then don't worry and buy it if the rest checks out. I'm sure its not a 6000.00 paint job but if its good for you then its good for me.
My front nose was tap'd back in 96 or so and repaired, I can tell, but no one else has bothered to notice or care.
Don't rush, the car will be there next week, and if not, another will come by soon for you.
tRev

 

[jlindy]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Never, never slam the engine bay glass. It is not supposed to close with a drop from a few inches because the air pressure backs up and slows it down. You have to gently rest it in the closed position and click it shut all the way with the palm of your hand in the center of the window. The same goes for the trunk as well.

Leather is normal for a NSX of it's age. If the top is red, then it has been repainted. The front lips tend to get some scuffs as some people don't know how to navigate bumps. I would be most worried about the rough idle and/or engine in general. I would absolutely get an inspection if you are very serious. I would also print out some materials from this site on the cost of fixing the window regulators as a bargining tool. Almost every NSX that I have seen, seems to have windows that are slower than most cars, but some are worse than others.

As far as the faded switch, what do you mean? Is the black plastic rubbing off itself? If so, a new switch is under $65 to buy and put in yourself.

 

[Dave Hardy]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Sounds overpriced for the condition. I test drove a '92 in similar condition that went for $23K.

 

[veilstylez]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

haha i saw the same car two days ago.

yeah, for the condition that the car was in, its not worth $27995 for it. And he was pretty firm on the price.

-sunvisors were ripping
-car was repainted and if you look at the black rubber trim on the roof..you
can see paint marks on the trim... so they didnt tape up the car very well.
-if you feel around the edges of each panel you can just feel the repaint.
-The interior was faded and bubbling in some areas like the glove cov.
-The chrome plastic button thingie on the e-brake was chrome no more.
-The RPM gauage in the gauage cluster looks like they whipped the gauages itself(not clear plastic) down with an oily rag of somekind so it was all blurry.
-TCS light didnt even work. leather on arm rest and door panels were cracking.
-had two bazooka like woofers in the back behind the seats so you couldnt even back the seat all the way.
-the main thing was the engine....A LOT of vibration and idle looping I thought damn..are all NSX's like this? maybe not.

so i didnt think it was worth it....not even for $20,000 rather spend more for a car in way better condition...even if it has more miles.

 

[Mojorator]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Yeah,

I was quite disappointed at the way the car presented itself for that price range anyway.

It did have a nice Alpine 7998 Stereo that seemed to work and a clean Amplifier install in the trunk..but those Bazooka tubes in the back of the seats were just not right...just thrown in there and I had a hard time getting in..(I'm only 5'11" :redface: ).

If I were to go back and do some negotiations...what price range should I shoot for?

Also, the salesman was really cool and he mentioned that the car was owned by his Brother's friend and he mentioned that the 60K service was done on November last year (TB, WP, etc..).

Mike

 

[Texas91Brent]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

The mileage sounds bogus for the condition....mine has 86k and is in better condition...Maybe do a car fax or have an Acura dealer pull the vin# for history...just my 3cents :biggrin:

 

[KGP]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Some of the things you mention are to be expected, but some others would bother me enough to walk. Personally, I'd pay a bit more and get something "right."

 

[Mojorator]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

The mileage sounds bogus for the condition....mine has 86k and is in better condition...Maybe do a car fax or have an Acura dealer pull the vin# for history...just my 3cents :biggrin:

I did do a carfax on this vehicle...NO FLAGS AT ALL!

I just have this GUT feeling about this car. :frown:

See Below the CARFAX report..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CARFAX found no inconsistent odometer readings in the mileage history of this 1991 ACURA NSX (JH4NA1158MT000317) VIN NUMBER.

Date: Mileage:
01/30/1991 403
10/03/1997 35,721
10/17/1997 35,727
10/06/1998 45,231
11/02/1999 53,699
08/25/2000 53,867
09/16/2000 54,088
09/19/2002 55,269

Estimated Owners: Date: Location:
1st owner 01/30/1991 Texas
2nd owner 09/20/2000 California

---------------------------------------------------

CARFAX searched more than 3 billion records from over 5,300 sources and found 16 record(s) for this 1991 ACURA NSX (JH4NA1158MT000317).

Date:
Mileage Reading:
Source:
General Comments:


01/30/1991 403 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Haltom City, TX
Title #29880328
Title or registration issued
First owner reported
Loan or lien reported


07/23/1997 Ohio
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Maineville, OH
Title #8300284113
Title issued or updated


09/19/1997 Ohio
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Maineville, OH
Title #8300284113
Title issued or updated


10/03/1997 35,721 Texas
Inspection Station
Euless, TX
Failed emissions inspection


10/17/1997 35,727 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Colleyville, TX
Title #22000535708152638
Title or registration issued
Loan or lien reported


10/17/1997 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Grapevine, TX
Title #22000535708152638
Title or registration issued
Loan or lien reported


10/06/1998 45,231 Texas
Inspection Station
Colleyville, TX
Passed emissions inspection


11/02/1999 53,699 Texas
Inspection Station
Grand Prairie, TX
Passed emissions inspection


02/01/2000 Texas
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Grand Prairie, TX
Title #05720336544104133
Title or registration issued
Loan or lien reported


08/25/2000 53,867 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Burbank, CA
Odometer reading reported for title
or registration


09/05/2000 California
Inspection Station
North Hollywood, CA
Passed emissions inspection


09/06/2000 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Burbank, CA
Title issued or updated


09/16/2000 54,088 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Burbank, CA
Odometer reading reported for title
or registration


09/20/2000 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Burbank, CA
Title issued or updated
New owner reported


09/19/2002 55,269 California
Inspection Station
Glendale, CA
Passed emissions inspection


10/15/2004 California
Inspection Station
Glendale, CA

-----------------------------------------------------------

 

[Dave Hardy]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

so i didnt think it was worth it....not even for $20,000.

Given the list of problems, this sounds about right. I'd offer $18K, may pay up to $20K, but probably not more. I really doubt they would go for that because somebody will pay more just to own an NSX. Maybe talk to the sales manager, say that you will give them $XX for it, and that you know that's way under the asking price, but if they get tired of it taking up room on the lot to give you a call.

 

[veilstylez]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

i dont know...

check this out

09/19/2002 55,269 California
Inspection Station
Glendale, CA
Passed emissions inspection


so the last owner drove maybe like 200-700 miles in the last 3 yrs?

because i know the mileage is under 56k.
I dont know. all i know it that is not worth more than $20,000
plus i asked him whats the lowerest he can do and he said 28k is firm.

 

[kouasupra]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Ive seen that NSX on Autotrader. In the pictures it looks good. Man, I was thinking about driving 4 hours to see the car. I'm glad I didn't. :biggrin:

 

[Mojorator]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Ive seen that NSX on Autotrader. In the pictures it looks good. Man, I was thinking about driving 4 hours to see the car. I'm glad I didn't. :biggrin:

I drove 2 HOURS to see it and Im only 50 miles away...damn LA traffic

Mike

 

[NsXMas]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Went to a dealer today (mom/pop dealer) in ...What do you think?

Mike

I would NEVER buy anything from a mom/pop dealer.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Simple, maybe stupid question......

Was the toolset complete?


You see, thats how i rate questionable cars, look at the toolset :biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[Modernceo]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Common guys, your looking at a car thats almost 15 years old.

Your bound to find things wrong with it, even if it had 10-20k mileage.

With a car that old, you have to expect things to be wrong, especially if the previous owner wasnt a fanatic like we are. If your insisting on a early model, find another one thats to your general pricing point, and then replace the worn out items and bring it up to par.

 

[Meeyatch1]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Does anyone have pictures of this car so we can get a better idea what we are dealing with here??

 

[Mojorator]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

Does anyone have pictures of this car so we can get a better idea what we are dealing with here??

CLICK HERE


And

HERE

 

[Lud]

The whole front end of that car looks messed up in the pictures. I would strongly suggest having it inspected by a good body shop before moving any further if you are serious about it.

 

[91 X]

I strongly agree with Lud, that whole car just looks lopsided...the red roof is the dead giveaway of a repaint...to any buyer....

If the car was straight and the interior was nice and everything else checked out on a PPI, then it would be a pretty good deal...Unless you are Dave..He will only pay $22K tops for any early model NSX :biggrin: :wink:

 

[Dave Hardy]

Re: So I go and looked at a 91 with 56K miles on it today....??

I would NEVER buy anything from a mom/pop dealer.

That's the only kind of dealer I will deal with. I prefer to buy from an individual. If I have to deal with a dealer I'd rather it be a small independent place. The way I figure it is that both the mom-npop and the big corporate store are trying to screw me. With the independent place I'm dealing directly with the person screwing me, rather than them being insulated by 4 levels of beurocracy.

 

[Dave Hardy]

I strongly agree with Lud, that whole car just looks lopsided...the red roof is the dead giveaway of a repaint...to any buyer....

If the car was straight and the interior was nice and everything else checked out on a PPI, then it would be a pretty good deal...Unless you are Dave..He will only pay $22K tops for any early model NSX :biggrin: :wink:

:smile: It's funny, I was looking at the pics and the list of problems and thinking, "Hey - that looks like my kind of car." If it was priced appropriately and wasn't on the wrong coast I might be more interested. No sweat, as I'd be irritated if the right one came along right now. I just bought a new house and still have to sell the current one, so I don't need to be throwing money at toys anyway.