Thank you for posting this. I love reading these!
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Picking up my "new" NSX in Dallas this Friday!
- Thread starter BamaFan
- Start date
And I thought I was the only one with an NSX and a LCC (62)
Great Story!!!! What an experience for your son.....
How very awesome! How long have you owned your LCC?
Congratulations! Loved the story. Thank you for sharing!
Congratulations on your purchase! Thoroughly enjoyed reading your "trip report". By the way, I purchased my NSX from Ed Martin Acura in Indianapolis...
Dave
Dave
Great story! I was able to enjoy a similar experience with my brother (combatdad) when we located his NSX in Indianapolis. We flew there in the morning, inspected the car, brother wrote a big check and we drove home, stopping overnight. My own NSX was found right here in town, so I didn't get that opportunity originally.
By the way, you may be pleasantly surprised to see how resilient the NSX paint is. You sound like you may be experienced enough to restore it your self. If not find a good detailer and invest in a multi-stage paint restoration. I did this a few years ago on my NSX (not so much because it needed it, but because I wanted PERFECTION). I have left the car cover off the car since then because I can't go near the garage without stopping, taking a long look at the car.
When I seem to have reached the limit of taking in the exterior beauty of the NSX, I get under the car and marvel at the incredible work of art that exists in the mechanics of suspension, exhaust etc. Have owned mine for 8 years and it's still an amazing experience every time I clean, polish or drive this car. I can only think that in developing the NSX, Honda designers and engineers agonized over every single body part, mechanical component, nut and bolt of this car (except maybe the cup holders).
First, it's very cool that you and your brother own NSX's.
Second, thanks for the encouragement about the paint. I addressed some mechanical issues first and picked it up from Ed Martin Acura on Friday evening. Having owned it for a week / 1,200 miles and having seen it get three good washes, I realize that I was being much too harsh on the paint. It just has signs of 120k as a daily driver...nothing anyone but me notices. That said, my next step is to take it to a great detailer to have some paint restoration done, as you suggest. I just have to complete my research to find one. No good recommendations yet.
My brother likes to "spit and polish" his while I like to drive mine! Took mine on a 6,822 mile cross country road trip last year to celebrate my retirement...that mileage surpasses the total miles my brother has put on his NSX in the 8 years he has owned it! I do agree on the cup holders though...
Dave
Congratulations on such an awesome find. Now you know why the first owner kept it so long. That's a great adventure to share with your son.
When I bought my first NSX, a 91 one owner car, a several years ago, my son and I flew out to N.Carolina then took a road trip to my Dad's in Ohio before heading back to San Antonio, Tx. The only glitch in the trip was getting stuck in Louisville, Ky while the Acura dealer waited on a master and slave cylinder to arrive from SoCal. The car had been sitting for most of two years so the problem was not unusual. Acura gave us a loaner TL and helped us get a hotel for the weekend at no cost. So my son and I did some site seeing. It was a great adventure that neither one of us will forget. So I know how special your trip was with your son. That kind of stuff makes the car much more valuable on a personal level.
Some advice for the Targa top.... buy tube of Shin-Etsu silicone grease for the rubber around the targa, doors, trunk and front hood. Those parts are very expensive to replace and a very VERY thin coating every few months will protect them and keep the top from squeeking. You can find it online or at your Honda/Acura dealer. It's a Honda product and one tube will last for years. I use it on all of the soft rubber on my cars. And when you put the targa top back on make sure the rubber seals at the top of the A and B pillers and the targa seals are lined up correctly to avoid tearing them when the power windows come up. Enjoy your new red ride. We all would love to see it at NSXPO in Ohio in a few months if you can make it. I'm bringing my son with me for this one.
When I bought my first NSX, a 91 one owner car, a several years ago, my son and I flew out to N.Carolina then took a road trip to my Dad's in Ohio before heading back to San Antonio, Tx. The only glitch in the trip was getting stuck in Louisville, Ky while the Acura dealer waited on a master and slave cylinder to arrive from SoCal. The car had been sitting for most of two years so the problem was not unusual. Acura gave us a loaner TL and helped us get a hotel for the weekend at no cost. So my son and I did some site seeing. It was a great adventure that neither one of us will forget. So I know how special your trip was with your son. That kind of stuff makes the car much more valuable on a personal level.
Some advice for the Targa top.... buy tube of Shin-Etsu silicone grease for the rubber around the targa, doors, trunk and front hood. Those parts are very expensive to replace and a very VERY thin coating every few months will protect them and keep the top from squeeking. You can find it online or at your Honda/Acura dealer. It's a Honda product and one tube will last for years. I use it on all of the soft rubber on my cars. And when you put the targa top back on make sure the rubber seals at the top of the A and B pillers and the targa seals are lined up correctly to avoid tearing them when the power windows come up. Enjoy your new red ride. We all would love to see it at NSXPO in Ohio in a few months if you can make it. I'm bringing my son with me for this one.
Update
I appreciate all of the posts, IM's and other encouraging contact from the great members of this forum. Since I have now owned my NSX for one month, I thought I'd update those of you who read the thread originally (and still remember reading it :smile
about the progress I had made on the issues I identified in my first posts.
General Mechanical Condition
The car was in good shape with impeccible records, but it needed some work done. I chose to do the work at Ed Martin Acura since they have done good work on our TL. Unfortunately, I had a less-than-satisfying initial experience. Long story short, it improved somewhat once I started dealing with the service manager, but they still seemed a bit afraid of the car. In the end, they replaced the faulty O2 sensor and fixed several other minor mechanical issues for a pretty good price. In the future, I will likely go to Source1 for any major service. It sure would be nice if they had a location in Indy (are you listening, Brian??).
Radio
As I reported when I purchased the car, the radio and CD player work fine, but the display does not light up. I am purchasing a used radio from Dave in Boston to address the issue. Mitch has been kind enough to offer to help me remove the old one / install the "new" one when it arrives. I am looking forward to having him give the car a general look-over for an assessment. Hard to argue with the expertise of a guy who takes apart and rebuilds his car in his spare time! :wink:
Interior
The interior is in great shape, but I decided to treat the leather to ensure it stays that way. After much research, I ordered a large Leatherique kit. I got up early on Sunday morning to apply it to three of our cars. Before I applied it, I turned on the heat for about 1/2 hour in each car. I applied it liberally, let it sit all day, cycled the heat in each car again for about 30 minutes, and finished the treatment. The results:
Exterior
Primers were very kind not to write things like "looks kinda pink to me" when I first posted pictures of the car. It looked like it had not been washed--much less waxed--in years. So a paint restoration was in order. I have had cars detailed locally before, but wanted to take this one to the next level. I had heard great things about Darrings Detail, and he seemed welcoming and knowledgable when I spoke with him. I just got the car back today, and the difference is amazing. He has had a lot of experience with the paint on NSX's, and it really shows. He has posted pictures and a video on his facebook page, along with this note: "We always get asked "of all the cars you have done, whats your favorite?"----NSX It's not over powered, or under powered, and it's perfectly balanced. Best of all, it's a Honda, so all you do is change the oil, timing belt, water pump and you're good for 250K miles of spirited driving."
Here is a link to the video he posted along with some pics of the work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9T4NDxkaU&feature=player_embedded
A test spot on the hood...Check out the difference...The car wore a bra for part of its life, and you can see the fade in the hood vs. the bumper.
Completed car, a shiny, even red.
While many scratches buffed out, there are still two that I will likely have touched up later.
This will likely conclude my "New Owners" post, since we have put as many miles on the car in a month as the previous owner did in the last two years--starting to feel like it is "mine", but never feeling like the the experience is any less special.
I appreciate all of the posts, IM's and other encouraging contact from the great members of this forum. Since I have now owned my NSX for one month, I thought I'd update those of you who read the thread originally (and still remember reading it :smile
about the progress I had made on the issues I identified in my first posts.General Mechanical Condition
The car was in good shape with impeccible records, but it needed some work done. I chose to do the work at Ed Martin Acura since they have done good work on our TL. Unfortunately, I had a less-than-satisfying initial experience. Long story short, it improved somewhat once I started dealing with the service manager, but they still seemed a bit afraid of the car. In the end, they replaced the faulty O2 sensor and fixed several other minor mechanical issues for a pretty good price. In the future, I will likely go to Source1 for any major service. It sure would be nice if they had a location in Indy (are you listening, Brian??).
Radio
As I reported when I purchased the car, the radio and CD player work fine, but the display does not light up. I am purchasing a used radio from Dave in Boston to address the issue. Mitch has been kind enough to offer to help me remove the old one / install the "new" one when it arrives. I am looking forward to having him give the car a general look-over for an assessment. Hard to argue with the expertise of a guy who takes apart and rebuilds his car in his spare time! :wink:
Interior
The interior is in great shape, but I decided to treat the leather to ensure it stays that way. After much research, I ordered a large Leatherique kit. I got up early on Sunday morning to apply it to three of our cars. Before I applied it, I turned on the heat for about 1/2 hour in each car. I applied it liberally, let it sit all day, cycled the heat in each car again for about 30 minutes, and finished the treatment. The results:
- Our TL has a grey interior. It took a good 5 years off of the seats. Most darkness/stains were removed and they are noticably softer. I treated the steering wheel, and it went from stained and shiny to looking like new.
- Our '66 Lincoln Continental Convertible has the original seats, so they have seen 50 years of sun. The product softened the seats somewhat, but did not clean much.
- As for the NSX: It is very difficult to guage any cleaning on black seats, but it seems to have softened the seats somewhat. Not nearly as much as in the TL, perhaps because the TL has perforated leather. I will try a second application in a month or so.
Exterior
Primers were very kind not to write things like "looks kinda pink to me" when I first posted pictures of the car. It looked like it had not been washed--much less waxed--in years. So a paint restoration was in order. I have had cars detailed locally before, but wanted to take this one to the next level. I had heard great things about Darrings Detail, and he seemed welcoming and knowledgable when I spoke with him. I just got the car back today, and the difference is amazing. He has had a lot of experience with the paint on NSX's, and it really shows. He has posted pictures and a video on his facebook page, along with this note: "We always get asked "of all the cars you have done, whats your favorite?"----NSX It's not over powered, or under powered, and it's perfectly balanced. Best of all, it's a Honda, so all you do is change the oil, timing belt, water pump and you're good for 250K miles of spirited driving."
Here is a link to the video he posted along with some pics of the work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yk9T4NDxkaU&feature=player_embedded
A test spot on the hood...Check out the difference...The car wore a bra for part of its life, and you can see the fade in the hood vs. the bumper.
Completed car, a shiny, even red.
While many scratches buffed out, there are still two that I will likely have touched up later.
This will likely conclude my "New Owners" post, since we have put as many miles on the car in a month as the previous owner did in the last two years--starting to feel like it is "mine", but never feeling like the the experience is any less special.
Congratulations! Enjoyed the story.
Enjoyed the story.
