I'm going to try to make it to the Cars and Coffee on Woodward and 14 Mile tomorrow morning. That's about it for car things. I think Mothers Day plans will get in the way of Bakers.
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Michigan check-in & spotting by blodi pt.2
- Thread starter alum04org
- Start date
Purple car update, the engine is out and so far things look pretty good for it going back together (ahem, properly).......in fact with the lower end being significantly upgraded.
Stay tuned ;^D
Stay tuned ;^D
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SCA037 happy for you with the engine progress. Need to see that NSX out and about this driving season :smile:
blodi nice photos of interesting vehicles! I went to Baker's, forgetting how Mother's Day cruise-in Sunday there has been relatively "dead" in the past few years.........well, it was. Yellow Lambo Murci was open and on display.
blodi nice photos of interesting vehicles! I went to Baker's, forgetting how Mother's Day cruise-in Sunday there has been relatively "dead" in the past few years.........well, it was. Yellow Lambo Murci was open and on display.
Sweet pics! I didn't see them until now; had jumped on Prime to ask if Woodward C&C was started, so I guess I got my answer. Hoping for a good morning in Royal Oak! 
- Joined
- 26 January 2008
- Messages
- 6
Thank you all for the great information & contacts! We finally completed the move & once we get settled I'm looking forward to cleaning up the NSX from the trip and meeting folks at the events/drives. Thanks again,
Richard
Richard
Good on your update, Richard. Look forward to meeting you and seeing your NSX :smile:
Meanwhile, a weather update................yea, it's 10:38 A.M. DST Sunday, MAY 15th, and it is SNOWING.
2 pm updated: Per Baker's website, Cruise In cancelled due to weather again today.
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Weather keeping the miles down on my NSX! Ryan, I have a buddy with a Shelby Mustang (think it is a /12 or thereabouts) and I happened to be beside him departing office on Friday -- just like that pic you posted. I felt like I was looking up at a big rig. You really get an idea how low the NSX is when beside the Mustang. Neal, it has been too long and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. June 12 Cars and Coffee Sylvania/Toledo on my calendar as long as weather cooperates.
Ah, I see yet another NSX on BAT -- black one this time.
Best,
Jeff
Ah, I see yet another NSX on BAT -- black one this time.
Best,
Jeff
Quick update, the re-rebuilt engine has been installed in the purple car today.......could be off the lift and running as early as this weekend!
Brian
Brian
Brian glad to hear of progress on the fast NSX.
So that black car (/96) on BAT sold today. http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-acura-nsx-t/ It appeared to be well maintained and loved but still -- 100,000 miles and sold for 45K? Wow. Not that I'm ready to sell but this makes me wonder what a well loved/well maintained Formula Red /94 with half the miles would sell for (and I'll even throw in the set of /02+ wheels living in boxes on a shelf in my garage).
I'll save anyone reading this post the trouble -- the 02 wheels are not for sale at this time. I intend to use them on my NSX one day.
Best,
Jeff
So that black car (/96) on BAT sold today. http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1996-acura-nsx-t/ It appeared to be well maintained and loved but still -- 100,000 miles and sold for 45K? Wow. Not that I'm ready to sell but this makes me wonder what a well loved/well maintained Formula Red /94 with half the miles would sell for (and I'll even throw in the set of /02+ wheels living in boxes on a shelf in my garage).
I'll save anyone reading this post the trouble -- the 02 wheels are not for sale at this time. I intend to use them on my NSX one day.
Best,
Jeff
Dang Hass! Looks like things are getting serious! Awesome.
It. Is. Alive. ;^D
Still have a few things to get sorted and a bunch of details to button down, but the purple car turned its wheels in anger once again today!
Brian
Still have a few things to get sorted and a bunch of details to button down, but the purple car turned its wheels in anger once again today!
Brian
That's awesome news Brian! It's red boosted brother is waiting for a good blast together.
Actually the Nsx is out of commission for a few days...tried to put on my new Momo wheel on Friday night...only to discover the hub I bought won't work. So ordering the correct one from SOS today.
Wanted to get to Bakers yesterday in the Z...but the two guys I was going to drive out with both dropped out..and then other things popped up around the house....oh well...maybe next week.
Actually the Nsx is out of commission for a few days...tried to put on my new Momo wheel on Friday night...only to discover the hub I bought won't work. So ordering the correct one from SOS today.
Wanted to get to Bakers yesterday in the Z...but the two guys I was going to drive out with both dropped out..and then other things popped up around the house....oh well...maybe next week.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/322130230597?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368
Might be the same car I saw last year in Grand haven
Might be the same car I saw last year in Grand haven
Sunday morning, June 12th, run to Toledo Cars-N-Coffee event is on my calendar.
It's Wednesday, so that means the weekly gathering of motorheads at CJ's Brewing Company inside the USA Hockey Arena, Beck Road just north of M-14, Plymouth Twp, MI, from 5 P.M. until ~ 7:30 P.M. Come on out!
It's Wednesday, so that means the weekly gathering of motorheads at CJ's Brewing Company inside the USA Hockey Arena, Beck Road just north of M-14, Plymouth Twp, MI, from 5 P.M. until ~ 7:30 P.M. Come on out!
One week out bump for Toledo Cars-N-Coffee run next Sunday morning, June 12th (dependent upon weather, of course).
Meet 8:00 A.M. at the Park and Ride lot, US-23 at Plymouth Road (Exit 41 off US-23 on Ann Arbor's NE side).
Depart 8:20 A.M. for Toledo/Sylvania, OH.
Meet 8:00 A.M. at the Park and Ride lot, US-23 at Plymouth Road (Exit 41 off US-23 on Ann Arbor's NE side).
Depart 8:20 A.M. for Toledo/Sylvania, OH.
Count me in for the Toledo run. I've barely had the NSX out this year, so I was looking forward to taking it, but it also appears that I'll have a 911 GT3 RS at my disposal this weekend. So, choices. Looking forward to seeing the gang.
I was looking forward to making to Toledo but European Cup starts tomorrow and Turkey will be playing Sunday morning.
Big Thanks to Ryan for letting me borrow his spare Main relay and fuel pump relay for troubleshooting my issue. Blown fuse #13 in the engine bay was the problem, I don't know how I didn't see that the first time around.
Thank again Ryan, maybe I can drop off the parts over lunch!
Big Thanks to Ryan for letting me borrow his spare Main relay and fuel pump relay for troubleshooting my issue. Blown fuse #13 in the engine bay was the problem, I don't know how I didn't see that the first time around.
Thank again Ryan, maybe I can drop off the parts over lunch!
No problem Hass! That's what we are here for. I'm just simply paying it forward for all the times local members have helped me out time and time again.
Glad your car is alive again. I know how frustrating that is when you can't figure it out.
Also...put my down for extremely tentative for Sunday. I'll make it if I can.
Glad your car is alive again. I know how frustrating that is when you can't figure it out.
Also...put my down for extremely tentative for Sunday. I'll make it if I can.
Hello Everyone,
I figured it's about time to formally introduce myself here after finally having officially taken delivery of my NSX in Michigan. Several local folks have already reached out to me before my car even arrived, and I've been on the receiving end of all their hospitality and helpfulness for several days to a point that I'd feel extremely guilty if I didn't post this by tonight as I had promised.
*Full disclosure: this will be a mini-documentary of my experience leading up the NSX purchase, so feel free to skip to the bottom if you just want to see the car*
My name is Tianbo (pronounced tin-bo) and the NSX had always been a distant dream car while growing up in LA. While all the Fast & Furious cars blew up in popularity following the movies, I loved that the NSX kept its legendary status without being drawn into the spotlight. It remained elusive on the street even in SoCal, aside from a few that showed up at the Irvine Cars & Coffee. I managed to spot a white one in the wild while visiting San Francisco about 8 years ago, and it left quite an impression on me. I remember walking around it and studying it for a long time, thinking that the crazy low and wide proportions were simply out of this world.
Fast forward to 2012. I took a job out of college with Ford Motor Company as an electrified powertrain engineer and bought a Scion FR-S as my first car ever brand new (You can imagine the shit I’ve gotten at work for buying a new Toyota over Ford). I've been a huge fan of its design language and the engineering philosophy from the beginning of its development and still loved the production version. Plus I needed something reliable since it was to be my only car. I had it shipped from California to Michigan and drove it as my daily through the past four summers and winters (with Blizzaks). As much as I love the FRS, somewhere deep in my head was an unyielding desire to own and restore a 90's Japanese sports car from my childhood. The only one high up on my shortlist that was not illegal to import or prohibitively out of reach was the NSX. A flame was then rekindled.
After working for a few years, I finally saved up some money and started seriously looking at NSX’s, scouring the corners of the internet daily for any examples for sale. My only real criteria were affordability and decent mechanical condition. White/93+/manual were high on the want list but I was open to most things. Unfortunately, anything I found under 30k either held salvage/rebuilt titles, had very high mileage, or were just completely unloved (these were the saddest). As the prices continued to climb, I was getting more and more desperate. By the end of an entire year, I had a few close calls but nothing ever followed through.
In the beginning of May 2016, I came across an ad in the San Gabriel Valley (where I used to live) Craigslist in LA during my daily search. 93 GPW with 91K miles and an extensive mod list. There was also a list of things missing/needing repair but the car seemed mechanically sound. The seller wanted 36K. Definitely was stretching my budget, but it checked many of the right boxes. I immediately sent a text professing my interest in the car and that I would be willing to fly out to see it. No response. I even tracked the guy down on Facebook and had a mutual friend inquire about the car for me. Still no response. I eventually gave up....thinking that the seller was overwhelmed by the amount of interest and sold it locally.
Two weeks later when the ad had already been flagged for removal, the seller suddenly responded and asked if I were still interested, claiming that he hadn't shown it to anyone yet due to his busy schedule. I arranged for the same mutual friend to check it out for me. He gave me a cautious thumbs up after meet up with the seller, which prompted me to book a one-way flight to LA for the next day and arranged to meet the seller later that same evening. Another friend picked me up from LAX at 8:30pm as we headed to the meeting spot for the 9:30pm showing. I called the seller when I landed. No answer. I called again as we approached the freeway exit. Still nothing. "He probably sold it at the 6pm showing," I think to myself, bracing for the worst. In that instant -- out of the corner of my eye -- the very same white NSX zoomed angrily through traffic from behind us and sped off into the distance. We both lost our minds. There was still hope!
We arrived and patiently waited at the meet up spot until 10pm. Still no one showed up and no response. Another grueling 15 more minutes passed and the seller finally rolled in (@ 45 degrees angle into the parking lot). He apologized for being late and proceeded to show us the car. I went on a ride with him as he weaved through traffic at insane speeds in the night and took clover ramps at double the recommended speed to demonstrate the capabilities of the NSX. It pulled like a champ and took all the turns like it was on rails. What a car! That day was the second time in my life that I had wanted a car so badly. We parted ways at the end of the night and agreed for an inspection the next day.
I suffered through a night of excitement-induced sleeplessness and took the NSX for an inspection at noon and noted all the major issues while the car was on the lift: the interior was rough and incomplete. No headliner or A-pillar trim, no driver side carpet. The front fenders were cracked from the aggressive stance. The car has no AC (broken control unit & missing condenser), head unit or speakers, cruise control, ABS, or driver air bag. The aftermarket quick-release steering wheel was loose and red replica bucket seats were a pain for ingress/egress. On top of it all, oil had been slowly leaking from the VTEC solenoids. However, the most important verdict was that the car was in still in decent mechanical condition.
Still somewhat infatuated, I was willing to overlook all the issues….until I finally took it for a spin. I found it so incredibly difficult to drive since it was slammed to the ground (it had 2.5” ground clearance and scraped every driveway and dip), the suspension was ridiculously stiff from aftermarket struts and springs, and there was the dreaded 2nd to 3rd gear crunch when shifting at higher RPMs if you’re not careful. We once again parted ways until the evening to give both sides some time to think over the deal. I used the time to look up all the issues found during the inspection, and it seems that everything was repairable and nothing was catastrophic. Carfax was clean, 93 was out of snap ring range, and the seller was honest about the condition and mods. I used all the issues to negotiate the price down and we shook hands later that day. The NSX went from a distant object of desire to being under my name in under 24 hours. Absolutely surreal.
First thing I did was raise the car 1.5” with the help of some friends. We then took it for a spin on the freeway and was immediately greeted by a giant piece of shredded tire that cracked the lower front bumper. It was heart-wrenching, but thankfully nobody got hurt. I then searched the local Craigslist for OEM parts to jumpstart the restoration. Drove the car next morning to pick up a driver seat from San Diego, a steering wheel from a Legend owner in Pasadena, some used tires for a set of free 18” rims from a friend (I opted to not keep the previous wheels), and a free rear valence from a local body shop. After we installed everything the car, it became slightly easier to drive and felt a bit less like someone else’s project….it was a good start.
I had originally planned to drive the car to MI over Memorial Day weekend, but seeing that it has no AC, no audio, and no cruise control and there was over 34 hours of driving under an extremely tight schedule, I reluctantly bought a flight back to Detroit and arranged to have the car shipped to Canton on the week of June 6th. Let's skip to earlier this week. I posted a WTB thread on prime and was immediately greeted by local NSX nuts Brian and Neal who offered a part I needed, and somehow they still manage to have nice things to say after a whole week of back and forth e-mails. I’ve also been talking to Hass, another local NA1 owner who offered to connect me with a seller for another part I needed and have been as welcoming and helpful as the other guys.
One aspect that ringed true throughout the whole time was that every person I ran into during my brief NSX ownership experience – from the Craigslist sellers to body shop workers to NSX owners -- had been extremely welcoming, helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and nothing but the best car people I’ve ever met. Interacting with people within the NSX community feels like talking to long-lost friends. I’ve never expected to be greeted with such enthusiasm, but now that I have experienced this camaraderie, I feel the urge the pass it forward. I would normally never feel comfortable writing at length about a personal topic such as this, but here I feel right at home. And if you’ve managed to read through this whole thing then you’re alright too
As I mentioned earlier, the car was finally delivered Friday (6/10) morning at 10 am. She’s a 5-footer at the moment and will need quite a few pieces replaced/repaired and a lot of TLC. I couldn’t help but take it for a spin around Hines Dr. in the afternoon and cruising through old town and downtown Plymouth to see if anyone would recognize it. Surprised that we actually got a few thumbs up. Definitely looking forward to cleaning this car up and meeting the other owners in the area in the near future!
Anyways, enough talking. Who’s ready for some pictures?
NSX & stablemates - Left side of the garage (E39 M5 + Honda Grom) belongs to a housemate
I figured it's about time to formally introduce myself here after finally having officially taken delivery of my NSX in Michigan. Several local folks have already reached out to me before my car even arrived, and I've been on the receiving end of all their hospitality and helpfulness for several days to a point that I'd feel extremely guilty if I didn't post this by tonight as I had promised.
*Full disclosure: this will be a mini-documentary of my experience leading up the NSX purchase, so feel free to skip to the bottom if you just want to see the car*
My name is Tianbo (pronounced tin-bo) and the NSX had always been a distant dream car while growing up in LA. While all the Fast & Furious cars blew up in popularity following the movies, I loved that the NSX kept its legendary status without being drawn into the spotlight. It remained elusive on the street even in SoCal, aside from a few that showed up at the Irvine Cars & Coffee. I managed to spot a white one in the wild while visiting San Francisco about 8 years ago, and it left quite an impression on me. I remember walking around it and studying it for a long time, thinking that the crazy low and wide proportions were simply out of this world.
Fast forward to 2012. I took a job out of college with Ford Motor Company as an electrified powertrain engineer and bought a Scion FR-S as my first car ever brand new (You can imagine the shit I’ve gotten at work for buying a new Toyota over Ford
). I've been a huge fan of its design language and the engineering philosophy from the beginning of its development and still loved the production version. Plus I needed something reliable since it was to be my only car. I had it shipped from California to Michigan and drove it as my daily through the past four summers and winters (with Blizzaks). As much as I love the FRS, somewhere deep in my head was an unyielding desire to own and restore a 90's Japanese sports car from my childhood. The only one high up on my shortlist that was not illegal to import or prohibitively out of reach was the NSX. A flame was then rekindled.After working for a few years, I finally saved up some money and started seriously looking at NSX’s, scouring the corners of the internet daily for any examples for sale. My only real criteria were affordability and decent mechanical condition. White/93+/manual were high on the want list but I was open to most things. Unfortunately, anything I found under 30k either held salvage/rebuilt titles, had very high mileage, or were just completely unloved (these were the saddest). As the prices continued to climb, I was getting more and more desperate. By the end of an entire year, I had a few close calls but nothing ever followed through.
In the beginning of May 2016, I came across an ad in the San Gabriel Valley (where I used to live) Craigslist in LA during my daily search. 93 GPW with 91K miles and an extensive mod list. There was also a list of things missing/needing repair but the car seemed mechanically sound. The seller wanted 36K. Definitely was stretching my budget, but it checked many of the right boxes. I immediately sent a text professing my interest in the car and that I would be willing to fly out to see it. No response. I even tracked the guy down on Facebook and had a mutual friend inquire about the car for me. Still no response. I eventually gave up....thinking that the seller was overwhelmed by the amount of interest and sold it locally.
Two weeks later when the ad had already been flagged for removal, the seller suddenly responded and asked if I were still interested, claiming that he hadn't shown it to anyone yet due to his busy schedule. I arranged for the same mutual friend to check it out for me. He gave me a cautious thumbs up after meet up with the seller, which prompted me to book a one-way flight to LA for the next day and arranged to meet the seller later that same evening. Another friend picked me up from LAX at 8:30pm as we headed to the meeting spot for the 9:30pm showing. I called the seller when I landed. No answer. I called again as we approached the freeway exit. Still nothing. "He probably sold it at the 6pm showing," I think to myself, bracing for the worst. In that instant -- out of the corner of my eye -- the very same white NSX zoomed angrily through traffic from behind us and sped off into the distance. We both lost our minds. There was still hope!
We arrived and patiently waited at the meet up spot until 10pm. Still no one showed up and no response. Another grueling 15 more minutes passed and the seller finally rolled in (@ 45 degrees angle into the parking lot). He apologized for being late and proceeded to show us the car. I went on a ride with him as he weaved through traffic at insane speeds in the night and took clover ramps at double the recommended speed to demonstrate the capabilities of the NSX. It pulled like a champ and took all the turns like it was on rails. What a car! That day was the second time in my life that I had wanted a car so badly. We parted ways at the end of the night and agreed for an inspection the next day.
I suffered through a night of excitement-induced sleeplessness and took the NSX for an inspection at noon and noted all the major issues while the car was on the lift: the interior was rough and incomplete. No headliner or A-pillar trim, no driver side carpet. The front fenders were cracked from the aggressive stance. The car has no AC (broken control unit & missing condenser), head unit or speakers, cruise control, ABS, or driver air bag. The aftermarket quick-release steering wheel was loose and red replica bucket seats were a pain for ingress/egress. On top of it all, oil had been slowly leaking from the VTEC solenoids. However, the most important verdict was that the car was in still in decent mechanical condition.
Still somewhat infatuated, I was willing to overlook all the issues….until I finally took it for a spin. I found it so incredibly difficult to drive since it was slammed to the ground (it had 2.5” ground clearance and scraped every driveway and dip), the suspension was ridiculously stiff from aftermarket struts and springs, and there was the dreaded 2nd to 3rd gear crunch when shifting at higher RPMs if you’re not careful. We once again parted ways until the evening to give both sides some time to think over the deal. I used the time to look up all the issues found during the inspection, and it seems that everything was repairable and nothing was catastrophic. Carfax was clean, 93 was out of snap ring range, and the seller was honest about the condition and mods. I used all the issues to negotiate the price down and we shook hands later that day. The NSX went from a distant object of desire to being under my name in under 24 hours. Absolutely surreal.
First thing I did was raise the car 1.5” with the help of some friends. We then took it for a spin on the freeway and was immediately greeted by a giant piece of shredded tire that cracked the lower front bumper. It was heart-wrenching, but thankfully nobody got hurt. I then searched the local Craigslist for OEM parts to jumpstart the restoration. Drove the car next morning to pick up a driver seat from San Diego, a steering wheel from a Legend owner in Pasadena, some used tires for a set of free 18” rims from a friend (I opted to not keep the previous wheels), and a free rear valence from a local body shop. After we installed everything the car, it became slightly easier to drive and felt a bit less like someone else’s project….it was a good start.
I had originally planned to drive the car to MI over Memorial Day weekend, but seeing that it has no AC, no audio, and no cruise control and there was over 34 hours of driving under an extremely tight schedule, I reluctantly bought a flight back to Detroit and arranged to have the car shipped to Canton on the week of June 6th. Let's skip to earlier this week. I posted a WTB thread on prime and was immediately greeted by local NSX nuts Brian and Neal who offered a part I needed, and somehow they still manage to have nice things to say after a whole week of back and forth e-mails. I’ve also been talking to Hass, another local NA1 owner who offered to connect me with a seller for another part I needed and have been as welcoming and helpful as the other guys.
One aspect that ringed true throughout the whole time was that every person I ran into during my brief NSX ownership experience – from the Craigslist sellers to body shop workers to NSX owners -- had been extremely welcoming, helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and nothing but the best car people I’ve ever met. Interacting with people within the NSX community feels like talking to long-lost friends. I’ve never expected to be greeted with such enthusiasm, but now that I have experienced this camaraderie, I feel the urge the pass it forward. I would normally never feel comfortable writing at length about a personal topic such as this, but here I feel right at home. And if you’ve managed to read through this whole thing then you’re alright too
As I mentioned earlier, the car was finally delivered Friday (6/10) morning at 10 am. She’s a 5-footer at the moment and will need quite a few pieces replaced/repaired and a lot of TLC. I couldn’t help but take it for a spin around Hines Dr. in the afternoon and cruising through old town and downtown Plymouth to see if anyone would recognize it. Surprised that we actually got a few thumbs up. Definitely looking forward to cleaning this car up and meeting the other owners in the area in the near future!
Anyways, enough talking. Who’s ready for some pictures?
NSX & stablemates - Left side of the garage (E39 M5 + Honda Grom) belongs to a housemate
Attachments
Now THAT is what I call a proper 'introductory' post, thanks and welcome Tianbo!
Brian
Brian