Thoughts on 315k km NA1?

[connorrd]

Hey everyone, in quite an interesting situation here. Someone in my neighbourhood is selling their 91 NSX, 1 owner, black on black, entirely stock, auto, and is a 1-283 spec. Only downside is it has 315k km and the seller has it listed for 60k CAD. I am thinking of offering 40-45k but cant go too low unfortunately as he has offers in the 50k range. I would definitely rebuild most if not the entire engine, piston rings, deal with the bore and any scoring, rubber changed out and deal with brakes, fuel lines/pump and all the other stuff bound to fail. My question is my dad will help with payments and funding as long as a profit is made when it sells. So my question is - is it worth rebuilding this thing, putting a couple hundred km on it to make sure shes good to go and then sell for around 80k or is it not worth it and I should just save and grab a mid 100k km one for 60-70k?

Cheers and thanks

 

[fastfwd]

Reexamine your assumptions. I think most of them are inaccurate.

 

[centerpunch]

is it worth rebuilding this thing, putting a couple hundred km on it to make sure shes good to go and then sell

Definitely not.

 

[The King]

Don't forget we are talking Canadian pesos here, but it is an auto, so there is that issue too...
Offers in the 50 range sound like a stretch. I expect it would be sold already if that was the case.

 

[Honcho]

So my question is - is it worth rebuilding this thing, putting a couple hundred km on it to make sure shes good to go and then sell for around 80k or is it not worth it and I should just save and grab a mid 100k km one for 60-70k?

No. As noted above, several of your assumptions are wrong. A 315,000 mile automatic NSX is never going to be worth enough money to make a restoration profitable.

Also, have you ever worked on a NSX before? There is a lot of technique and knowledge involved on the engine and transmission that is not in the service manuals. A simple mistake can ruin the engine. Sending the engine out for a rebuild to one of the few shops in the US who can do this kind of work is going to cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000. Budget about $5,000 to $10,000 for the automatic transmission, which is long past its service life and will need a full overhaul.

Also, I'm not sure why you're assuming the engine will need a rebuild. A well-maintained NSX (with service records and regular oil changes) should not have any problems even at that mileage. Has the owner disclosed a problem to you?

The idea that you can pick this up and flip it for 80k isn't realistic. Even fully restored, the car isn't worth much more than 50k due to the mileage.

 

[The King]

Not that it makes a big difference, but it is 315 KMs.