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Buyers BEWARE of this Car: JH4NA1289TT000298 1996 Acura NSX Automatic in Costa Mesa

Joined
20 March 2017
Messages
29
Location
Hollywood, CA
I just want to save someone the headache I almost got myself into with this car. It is a total FRAUD situation.

I found the car originally listed on craigslist with a picture of a DIFFERENT NSX then the one they were selling listed for $43K with close to 78,000 miles on it: https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/6037348689.html
I decided to pursue it and met up with the seller. The seller had no maintenance records, no timing belt done, no water pump, not even an oil change. The transmission was making funny sounds when I test drove it. It was hardly driving. They claim it is original, but under the hood, parts were missing, cracked, fixed with glue. Also, when I saw it, it had a bra on and under the bra was paint discoloration. We fix cars and have our own mechanics, so I decided to move forward and made an offer of $37,500. He accepts and we sign papers and start getting the process going. I was supposed to pick it up 5 days later. He completely disappears off the planet. No texts, no calls, NOTHING.

A few days later, I find the exact car on Autotrader: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...searchRadius=0&makeCode1=ACURA&modelCode1=NSX

They claim to have all maintenance records, all the things done that weren't when I saw it (timing belt, water pump, even tires), rolled back the miles to 70,000 to and now selling it for $59K. The problems it had, there is NO WAY could have been fixed in a few days. They claim the paint is original, but it HAD to have been touched up under the bra. I know not all of the parts were OEM when I had it inspected. I was going to restore this car back to what it was and I know would have taken time to seek out parts and install to get that thing pristine.

I dodged a bullet. They are very shady people and just looking to exploit and lie for the most dollar... Whoever gets this is going to get a lemon who had a poor, quick restore job just to get it to run temporarily.
If you need proof or evidence, please instant message me and I will show you everything including the intent to sell form we signed with the exact same VIN.

On that note, I am looking for an automatic in a year 1995 to 2005. If you have one or know of one please let me know. I have the money and am a serious buyer who wants to finally own her dream car.
 
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No clue, I even got a picture of the title at the time to run a car fax and make sure it was in the owners name. I worry a lot about stolen cars in CA. I concealed the name to be courteous...

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Maybe after my mechanic inspected it and gave a list of things it needed fixed he decided to quickly try and do them and jack up the price?
 
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Nice job putting the VIN in the thread title. Hopefully any prospective buyers will google the VIN. Good luck with finding an Automatic, I seem to see them pretty often and they sit on the market for a while. I'm guessing it's because many buyers may be looking for a manual...
 
Thank you so much. I really just hope to reach people so no one gets screwed over by purchasing this NSX. My ultimate goal is to help people understand and appreciate the NSX as much as I do. Buying this POS will ruin their outlooks and experience for sure!

They seem to be abundant before the year 95 but something about a targa top, especially living in Los Angeles, just appeals to me so much! Thanks again for the kind message, fingers crossed I will find one soon!
 
Best of luck, I've seen a couple 02+ autos out there for a while but they're in the 60K range...if you prefer the pre-facelift 02 so much the better for you. One was supercharged I'm sure you've seen it. If you prefer an auto then go for it! As someone who has driven their 02 6-speed in downtown San Fran I can say that an auto is useful sometimes :)

I agree that the targa is fantastic. Purists might like the coupes but targa tops are such a great compromise between the full convertible and a hard top.

Plus being realistic about my own driving ability It's not like the body rigidity means anything to someone like me!
 
Thanks GZtoSF. I totally agree with almost everything you are saying. I live in the Hollywood Hills and going up and down in a stick would give me a nervous breakdown if I didn't burn the clutch out first! LOL.

Also, Why do you think the pre-facelift is better? Which ones are more desirable? I like the retro look of the pop-up lights but mostly I avoid the later models because of cost unless they happen to be $50K or less.

Also, how hard would it be to bring it back to stock if it was supercharged? Do you think the car has already been stressed out to go back?

Best of luck, I've seen a couple 02+ autos out there for a while but they're in the 60K range...if you prefer the pre-facelift 02 so much the better for you. One was supercharged I'm sure you've seen it. If you prefer an auto then go for it! As someone who has driven their 02 6-speed in downtown San Fran I can say that an auto is useful sometimes :)

I agree that the targa is fantastic. Purists might like the coupes but targa tops are such a great compromise between the full convertible and a hard top.

Plus being realistic about my own driving ability It's not like the body rigidity means anything to someone like me!
 
Thanks GZtoSF. I agree with everything you are saying. I live in the Hollywood Hills and driving a manual would give me a panic attack if I don't burn out the clutch first lol.

I have seen the 02+ for higher which is why I am avoiding them, my budget is around $50K. But If I can ask, why do you think the pre-facelift's are better?

Also, With supercharged cars do you think they have been tracked and too stressed out to go back to stock? I thought about that one, but I am not familiar enough with supercharged cars to know what I am getting myself into.

Thanks again!

Best of luck, I've seen a couple 02+ autos out there for a while but they're in the 60K range...if you prefer the pre-facelift 02 so much the better for you. One was supercharged I'm sure you've seen it. If you prefer an auto then go for it! As someone who has driven their 02 6-speed in downtown San Fran I can say that an auto is useful sometimes :)

I agree that the targa is fantastic. Purists might like the coupes but targa tops are such a great compromise between the full convertible and a hard top.

Plus being realistic about my own driving ability It's not like the body rigidity means anything to someone like me!
 
Hey Kennyvb, thank you so much for linking it. Unfortunately, It isn't a targa top, so I guess I am limiting myself to a 95-05... But I really appreciate you finding that for me. The seats look kind of weird though right?

I'm not sure when the change happened but I think the later automatics have a sport shift option where you can up/down shift via the steering wheel which is kinda cool. Pretty sure the original batch of automatics didn't have that feature but if I was getting an auto I would definitely want it!
 
^That is correct. I believe it was 1995+.
You can put the shifter into "manual" mode and use the up/down paddle type shift on the steering wheel.

Hmmm to sell my 04 Silver/Silver/Auto or not..... :)
 
^That is correct. I believe it was 1995+.
You can put the shifter into "manual" mode and use the up/down paddle type shift on the steering wheel.

Hmmm to sell my 04 Silver/Silver/Auto or not..... :)

Ok so it sounds like he should be good to get one with both a targa top and a paddle shifter then. If I was in the market for an auto I'd definitely insist on the paddle shift version!
 
Thanks GZtoSF. I totally agree with almost everything you are saying. I live in the Hollywood Hills and going up and down in a stick would give me a nervous breakdown if I didn't burn the clutch out first! LOL.

Also, Why do you think the pre-facelift is better? Which ones are more desirable? I like the retro look of the pop-up lights but mostly I avoid the later models because of cost unless they happen to be $50K or less.

Also, how hard would it be to bring it back to stock if it was supercharged? Do you think the car has already been stressed out to go back?

Hey NSXvice,

I don't know if you are still in the market for an automatic NSX, but I thought I'd give you a heads up that this one has been on the market for over a year with a ton of price drops. It's been listed for sale since I first started looking at NSXs in April 2016.

https://cargur.us/h75DB

It might not be what you are looking for as it's got a supercharger, but it's been sitting at that dealership so long that it's possible if you made them an offer in your price range they'd be grateful to get it off their hands.
 
Thank you so much. Yes, unfortunately that car is too modded for my taste. Back to the drawing board and my hunt for the perfect NSX!

Hey NSXvice,

I don't know if you are still in the market for an automatic NSX, but I thought I'd give you a heads up that this one has been on the market for over a year with a ton of price drops. It's been listed for sale since I first started looking at NSXs in April 2016.

https://cargur.us/h75DB

It might not be what you are looking for as it's got a supercharger, but it's been sitting at that dealership so long that it's possible if you made them an offer in your price range they'd be grateful to get it off their hands.
 
That's why buying here with legitimate primer is the best way to do business. Yes, you might pay slightly more but you will never be cheated.
 
That's why buying here with legitimate primer is the best way to do business. Yes, you might pay slightly more but you will never be cheated.

I 100% agree with you... I haven't had any luck outside of the forums. Everyone I have met here has been amazing to talk to about their cars and overall knowledge. It is just sad to see what people do to these cars outside of this forum. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
 
You might want to talk to prime user mcano who has experience with automatics. He had a transmission fail back in about 2010 if I recall, and I think he bought a different car although I don't know if he stayed with an automatic. Either way, he has experience with autos (even in trying to get one repaired I believe) so he might be a good guy to talk to.
Good luck in your search.
 
Look what popped back up on the market: https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for...earchRadius=50&makeCode1=ACURA&modelCode1=NSX

Reduced to $49K now... Too funny that he is trying so hard to sell it..it's been over a year with no takers. The mileage is still 70K after a year???? I'm sure not everyone reads the forums and people are passing up on it. Not the least bit surprising.

Once again, well done creating this thread with the VIN. This may very well save prospective buyers from a headache. Also reminds me to keep an eye out for an auto for sale...
 
You might want to talk to prime user mcano who has experience with automatics. He had a transmission fail back in about 2010 if I recall, and I think he bought a different car although I don't know if he stayed with an automatic. Either way, he has experience with autos (even in trying to get one repaired I believe) so he might be a good guy to talk to.
Good luck in your search.

Thank you so much for the heads up, I would definitely like to hear his experience. I will try and reach out.
 
Once again, well done creating this thread with the VIN. This may very well save prospective buyers from a headache. Also reminds me to keep an eye out for an auto for sale...

Thank you so much, that's why I am so happy I found this forum. The information we all have to help each other out in as much capacity as possible.
 
Thank you so much for the heads up, I would definitely like to hear his experience. I will try and reach out.

I think Mario will tell you he was tracking the car at the time when the trans let go. The auto wasn't really meant for track use. Thats why the engines in autos are derated in horsepower. But as a daily driver I've known people easily get over 140K miles on an auto with no problems. Despite the reputation they're great cars and really are the best choice for daily commuter driving of an NSX. I love to have an auto as a daily.
 
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