To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on salvaged 2003 NSX

kho

kho

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Joined
8 June 2007
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Location
MN
Have my eyes on this Salvage Title 2003 NSX with 20k miles. My question is paying $40k for it. Is it worth it? That car has already been fixed and looks good.
2nd- With all aluminum body- after frame has been fixed, given the fact that it is aluminum. Will it warped or go back to original shaped when it was damaged within few years just because it is Aluminum?
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

depends on the state of the previous damage.

To make any meaningful determination you need post-incident photos and reports.

The term "fixed" is meaningless because the quality and nature of the repairs can vary widely.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

According to seller, he bought the car as salvage title and already been fixed! He's buying a house and have no time to drive the vehicle. That's why he's selling it. Therefore, it's hard to know how much was damaged and what happened. At this point, do you think body shop can tell/identify the car if i bring it there before purchasing?
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Salvage cars are basicly worthless....would I pay 40K for a totalled car? NO.

But "worth" is in the eye of the beholder. You may or may not have trouble reselling it....I dunneo.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

$40k is an attractive price for an 03 with 20k miles.

However, there is a reason why it is that price. If I was looking at that car, I would definitely ask to take it to a well renowned shop in your area that could do a very thorough inspection of that vehicle. Take it to 2 shops (one that specializes in aluminum and the other in Acuras/NSX)

My $0.02
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

already been fixed!
Click to expand...

As discussed: this term in MEANINGLESS. It this case "fixed" means absolutely nothing.

You can take it to a body shop, but it will cost you $600 to have it put on a machine to verify the frame. Simply looking at it will not tell you much at all.

he bought the car as salvage title
Click to expand...

And he asked no questions or wanted to know why it was salvaged when he bought it??? This is not credible: he either doesn't care or he is withholding information. In either event, that behavior would raise a very big red flag.

I'd ask him the address of the house he is in escrow in, just to verify his credibility.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

If you post your location, I'm sure that some members would be able to recommend places to bring the car for a thorough inspection. I know that if you were in the tri state area, I'd tell you to take it to Joe (Pbasso) and that you'd receive the best advice as to how and whether to proceed. You need to give more info to get better responses:wink:
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

As others have already said, it would be great if you would tell us your location. For example, if this a 2003 Silverstone NSX in S. Florida, run away as fast as you can.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

No.

$40k!

No.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

DocL said:
As others have already said, it would be great if you would tell us your location. For example, if this a 2003 Silverstone NSX in S. Florida, run away as fast as you can.
Click to expand...

Is that the one where the engine bay was on fire? Or was that a Blue one? :biggrin: :wink: :confused:
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

NimbleSexyXquisite said:
Is that the one where the engine bay was on fire? Or was that a Blue one? :biggrin: :wink: :confused:
Click to expand...

It was the NSX with the funky ski ramp subwoofer between the seats. The car is a mess and needs $15k-$20k to make it solid again.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

I'm gonna take a stab at it....is it the red on tan one?? :biggrin:

I agree here, proceed with caution. Think about it, what's a 2003 NSX worth? 50-60k? So, the sustained damages have to be estimated at more than half of that, correct me if I am wrong. That's a whole lotta damage! :eek:

Again, I'm not saying it's a bad deal, just proceed with extreme caution. Buying a wrecked car is always a gamble. We had a Maxima once that was wrecked bad, repaired, and lasted 140k plus miles, problem free. Then, I had an M3 once that was "lightly" hit(clean title, clean carfax). I ran into some costly problems down the road. Installing a short shifter caused some linkage to hit something else. We found out that something was out of line underneath the car. Then, I started smelling gas all the time. The gas tank was leaking gas. It had a crack in it from the "light accident". :rolleyes:

Good luck,
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

I know the 'rule of thumb' is, if it's salvaged, don't buy regardless.. but there is sometimes an opportunity to exploit supply and demand so you get a good deal.

I personally would get it to the dealership and a good body shop, spend a few hundred bucks and if it checks out good, get it. If not, you'll be wondering if you lost the steal of a lifetime...

If it does have some knicks in it, you can probably use that to negotiate the price.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

SWIFTVISION said:
Salvage cars are basicly worthless....would I pay 40K for a totalled car? NO.

But "worth" is in the eye of the beholder. You may or may not have trouble reselling it....I dunneo.
Click to expand...

I agree....DON'T DO IT! They are hard to sell...nobody wants them.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Forget about. On an all-aluminum car like the NSX, I wouldn't even think about buying a salvaged title even if it checks out. You just don't know what will happen down the road--plus its value is severely diminished.

You should look for a nicer car.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Keep in mind that the insurance company will not fully insure a salvage title and body shop prices double when it comes to aluminum cars.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Get a cop friend to run the vin. Contact the previous owner, get the real scoop. They seriously have nothing to lose by telling you what happened. I can't tell you how many times I've done that in the past. It pays off, trust me. But these guys are right, a salvage title is a bummer.:frown:
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Or.....

If your like me and you really like the look of the 2002 + models then why not go and get yourself a pristine 94-97 NSX and then get the 2002 + styling update done from SOS or another company.

That way you'll have hopefully purchased a 1 or 2 owner car that hasn't been in an accident, has normal miles, and shouldn't cost you any grief should you decide to sell later on.

my 0.02
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Is the car listed some where?
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

I am the owner of the 21,000 mile, blue 2000 with the engine fire. The car is now running again and I should be able to pick it up from Shad (driving Ambition) soon.
Engine rebuilt by Comptech, paint by cooks, re-assy and fetteling by Shad.
Not a cheap endeavor but will be done right! Everything is "zero timed" so should not need anything for a while. Has nice mods, WW kit, Comptech headers/exhaust, SSR wheels and a few valve train Comptech upgrades done when rebuilt. I will get a rebuilt title. There was no structural issues so the car is now as it was. I would think that this type of salvage car is better than collision damage. I have been going crazy waiting to drive her.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

Good luck with the 2000. Have you considered age hardening of the aluminum as a result of the elevated temperatues? Might not be an issue in your case.
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

In my own humble a salvaged title car is ok to buy if everything checks out but if you plan to sell after owning for a short period of time like 1-2 years its not a good idea on a car like the nsx. the amount of (Real) buyers with cash in hand is very small and its even smaller for a salvage title car especially a crash car one.I would make sure to find out the real story plus see pictures and a repair bill. Good luck!
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

I had to laugh when I read "Well Maintained" in the description. :rolleyes: Salvaged/Well Maintained, yeah...

OTOH, everyone here seems to be solely interested in the cars resale value. When I bought my car, resale value was never an issue as I don't intend to sell it. Instead, if you intend to keep the car and enjoy it, you only have to ask yourself if the car is worth $40K to you to own it and drive it, provided it checks out okay with a reputable dealership.

What is the car's location? Is it a Katrina loss?
 
Re: To Buy or Not To Buy: Opinion needed on SALVAGED 2003 NSX

The fire damaged the left 1/4 panel and the rear glass and trunk lid. They have all been replaced. The cause of the fire has now been determined...
The injectors were removed (for cleaning I assume) and were replaced without seals or springs. That would do it! luckly none of the main structure was heat damaged apart from paint. The fire was directed upwards which was fortunate.
 

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