skinnydoc said:
F Valance - loose (What is an F valance and what does that mean???)
A valance is the lowermost piece visible on the outside of the front end or the rear end. F valance would be the front valance. It's not clear whether it's talking about the 2-inch thick black chin spoiler, or the painted air dam above it; I'm betting it's the former. It's common for the chin spoiler to be loose, since that's what scrapes on some driveways etc; it's mounted with about 20 (?) screws and you can easily tighten it up. If it's damaged, a new one costs just over $100 but as long as it's in good condition, this is a minor issue. Just get some of the screws if any are missing, and you're all set.
skinnydoc said:
scratches on 3 wheels
small chips and scratches and dents on... bumper, hood, left door, spoiler
What do you guys think about this?
It's hard to evaluate without seeing it in person. Sometimes photos give an idea of the damage, but not always; they're particularly difficult to see in photos of painted body parts (and silver doesn't make it any easier). Wheel scratches are usually easier to see in photos. Minor scratches are typical; however, gouges - often caused by "curbing" (getting the outer lip of the wheel really scraped to he**) are really ugly, to the extent that you might want to get them repaired (typical wheel repair costs are $100-200 per wheel). Small chips on the front bumper are common, particularly when mileage is fairly high. Dents can be anything from a "door ding", which can often be fixed inexpensively by a paintless dent repair specialist, to something that would require expensive body work to repair.
All in all, I wouldn't give up on the car for this reason, but I would want either (a) evidence that these items are really minor (again, photos would help, or maybe you can discuss them with the person who did the inspection), or (b) a second inspection by a reputable body shop (preferably one with NSX experience) who can evaluate these flaws and give you a better idea of how serious they are and what it would cost to fix them (not that you would, depending on what they are, but that will help you judge their severity).
If you're looking for a body shop in the Chicago area with NSX experience to look it over for you... Schaumburg Auto Body is in Schaumburg, not too far from Woodfield Acura, and has NSX experience; Highland Park Honda has its own body shop, is close to Pauly Acura, doesn't have NSX experience, but is very competent and could give you a good idea of the car's condition; Acura of Libertyville has its own body shop, but is further north from Pauly Acura; and The Last Detail, in North Chicago is the best, most perfectionist, and most expensive body shop in the area. But I would see if you could just talk with the person who did the inspection to find out more about how serious the problems are. They might be very minor, or they might not (as you can probably tell from these comments).
HTH
