Have you ever feel like you just spent lots of money on

Sebaztianl

Sebaztianl

Contributing Member
Joined
30 January 2009
Messages
141
Location
Houston, TX
An old car.....
First let me tell you that i've being searching a nsx for a long time, being a member of this board for 2 years now and just love the car.

But now that I'm on the verge of buying one I now wonder if when i pay the money and drive back i will be thinking about the age of the car and the condition, its a 96 with maintanance records but with a little fading paint and scratches and rockchips, so the seat bolster is worn .. I dont now if you guys will understand my concern because most of you already have a nsx but all im asking is if you felt a little weird spending the money on a car that needed inmediate attention

Thanks for all your help
 
Yeah well, they don't make em new anymore.

I wanted an NSX because it was the most reliable car that boiled my blood. Who cares about an F-car when 5K miles makes it unusable? Give me a passionately built, important historical, yet reliable, car. And there you have it. The best package of a whole car on the planet and they're not making any more.

Having said that, finding one that needs nothing can be difficult. Just factor in the deferred maintenance.
I trusted my NSX to take me anywhere and it never gave me any serious issues being a 91 even. If you truly enjoy the car, you will find an excuse to buy it, even if it is a little antiquated compared to newer offerings from, ahem, less passionate and less engineered origins.
 
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I understand exactly what you mean, as I am a fresh NSX owner and new to the NSX world. Sure, with the amount of money your going to spend on a well taken care of 96 NSX you can find a brand new 370z, g37 evoX etc. in that price range; nsx has been discontinued since 05. When it comes down to it though, its all about the passion NSX owners have for their cars which is why this forum is rather tight-knit compared to a lot of others. The NSX is a prestigious automobile, it is one of a kind, unlike the previous cars i mentioned. I've never heard of EVOXPO or any other huge car event where only one make and model car come together and the owners do not mind driving thousands of miles just to meet up in Vegas with fellow owners.

When you drive the NSX and get behind that wheel, you FEEL its superiority and you KNOW it is prestigious, trust me ;) haha. Aside from it being an absolutely gorgeous car, it is also a track monster =]
 
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MexiRicer said:
I understand exactly what you mean, as I am a fresh NSX owner and new to the NSX world. Sure, with the amount of money your going to spend on a well taken care of 96 NSX you can find a brand new 370z, g37 evoX etc. in that price range; nsx has been discontinued since 05. When it comes down to it though, its all about the passion NSX owners have for their cars which is why this forum is rather tight-knit compared to a lot of others. An NSX is a prestigious automobile, it is one of a kind, unlike the previous cars i mentioned. I've never heard of EVOXPO or any other huge car even where only one make and model car come together and the owners do not mind driving thousands of miles just to meet up in Vegas with fellow owners.

When you drive the NSX and get behind that wheel, you FEEL its superiority and you KNOW it is prestigious, trust me ;) haha. Aside from it being an absolutely gorgeous car, it is also a track monster =]
Click to expand...

Thanks for the replys, i've owned a 370z 6speed and a g37s , but they dont have the wow factor ;)
 
I understand where you are coming from. In 1991 when I saw my first NSX I told myself I would get one, eventually. I set my budget for 35K and began my search. While searching, my buddies would always be bugging me that for that price I could get so much more car, and much newer cars. I took some seriously long looks at the Hyundai Genesis (300+HP, 19" wheels, Brembo brakes, and non 20 year old technology) which was in the exact price range of the NSX I was looking for. But in the end I got my 1991 NSX. I had a Hyundai Pony when they first came to Canada. But, I still have the manual choke that you had to pull out in order to start the car in the winter in my mind. In the end it was still a Hyundai, even though they are now among the best in the industry now.

I know there will be newer cars out there that cost less than what I paid for my 1991 NSX but I honestly don't care. I am (or was) buying a memory. I was 21 years old and looking to purchase my first brand new car and I saw a 1991 sitting an Acura dealership. It was Berlina Black with Ivory interior. I sat in the car and it was love at first sight. I obviously couldn't afford 80+K for a car so I ended up with a 1992 Cavalier Z-24 in Black as my very first new car. But that first NSX stuck in my mind for 20 years.

So, there I was in the winter of 2009-2010 driving to my lawyer when I saw a Black NSX. Once I got past the shock of that car driving in the snow in the middle of winter I said now is the time to start looking for that little memory that was always lurking in the back of my mind. My wife had become addicted to crack cocaine and moved out and began living with another woman and wanted a divorce. I lost the house and the car and the love of my life and a 18 year marriage. I was starting from scratch. I figured I might as well have my mid-life crisis now and the search for the NSX kept my mind off of the downward death spiral my life had become. Now, everytime I see my NSX it brings a smile to my face. It takes me back to that summer of 1991 when I was young and had my entire life infront of me, so full of possibilities and promise. Sometimes a car is so much more than a car.

I am sorry to derail this thread, but this thread struck a cord with me.
 
When searching for my NSX I decided that small imperfections like seat wear, small rock chips and so on didn't bother me. In fact, they were almost welcome as it meant I would not be afraid to drive that car like it was designed.

When I bought my Viper it was mint, the paint was near perfect, not seat wear, extremely low miles. I often found myself not wanting to drive it aggressively for fear of rock chips, or worse, not wanting to drive it at all for fear of racking up miles!
 
I can understand your concern. I felt the same way. When you first sign the buying agreement, buyer's remorse kicks in. On the drive home, I was so glad I bought it. My car at 99K miles now shakes and rattles less than most higher end cars at 30K. But I do have a coupe while your looking at a targa. The targa will experience a lot of shaking and rattling compared to the coupe even with chassis bracing.
 
Buy it. Get the seats recovered. Get the paint detailed or if it is really bad get the front nose repainted. Drive the car and enjoy it.
 
I believe the current 370/G37/Evo will have long lost their "WOW" factor after 20 years unlike the NSX. I do not feel bad about spending money keeping the NSX in like new cond.
 
I'll have had my 91 NSX for 5 years in April. I still can't come up with a car that I would rather have for the same price. Nothing else offers the same combination of reliability, performance, exotic look and rarity for the money. The only thing I can think of maybe is an Elise/Exige now days, but they were a lot more when I bought my NSX.
 
I don't know... for me; turning a wrench is part of the grand experience. I don't know how I'd feel about having a car that didn't need a little tweaking/restoration/modding here and there.
 
Just bought my first NSX about a month ago, or so. Being 20 now, and in the military, I figured...why not. While no other commitments, why not get a car I can enjoy for the time being. I was in the same boat though. Why spend 20k on a 20 year old car, when I can get a brand new one for the same price. Every loan company laughed at me when I possibly asked for an auto loan, and every single one of those loan shark people instantly wanted to become my financial advisor!

In the end, I have people with brand new Acura MDXs wanting to know how much I paid for my 91 NSX. Paying near half, and even a third, or what they did, there is no way in my mind I could have made a better decision! After the reconditioning (all gaskets, fluids, and paint reconditioning with a little compound polish and full detail), this car shines like no other... and it's 20 years old.

Tell all the lurkers the car is a 2000 and cost 60-70k, and they wouldn't know the difference. In the end it's still a Honda, and reliability, and maintainability, are bar to none! Get it, enjoy it, and still marvel at its age every time you park it.
 
Wait till you go to register the car and the DMV clerk does a double take when he/she sees the age of the car and the selling price, even if you understate the price.
 
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Got mine a couple years ago, picked a 91 with only 18,000 miles but had some "history." Looks great from ten feet away, have had the paint touched up, but that makes it a perfect daily driver. No regrets, the only reason I will ever have to sell it is if the wife and I (in our mid 60's) get too inflexible to get in and out of it.

Besides - the economy is likely going to go to pot most any day and the money won't be worth anything anyway, so why worry about buyers remorse for spending too much on a car?
 
I can surely understand the original poster, OP, as many of us went thru the same soul searching. I actually don't know how I managed to end up with my 91 and not a later model except that I set myself a budget.

I also, after looking for a while, realized that the ones I would buy were going to need maybe 3k to 5k in deffered maintenance work right off the bat. So then you know that the purchase price is just the beginning. It all depends on what your budget is as to how perfect the car is. You can buy em with high mileage or kind of low mileage (30 to 100k miles) and you can spend all kinds of money on one. If you go NA2 and you want one that is in super shape with low miles you will spend 50k to 70k depending on year - the later model and more pristine the more toward 70k you will get. If you go to the NA1s from 91 to 96 then you'll have the same issues with high and low mileage and condition level but will lower the costs to 25k to 45k. Something like that.

So I got my 91 and it was 28.5k had 42k miles and was in very good condition and came with a stack of receipts but still there was deffered maintenance. To get a 91 that needs nothing you will have to find a guy that has fastidously kept the car up to snuff - many just don't. There are also a lot of arguments as to when you need or how important changing the timing belt and water pump out is on the "dot" of Honda's recommended intervals. So owners have "excuses". That's what I found out. My owner had an excuse as to why he wasn't worried about the TB/WP. I at the time wasn't willing to take a chance on that.

I got in my car to test drive it and first thing into my mind is - this is an old car....felt kind of old. The clutch felt funny - sticky, for lack of a better term. It was on non progressive Eibachs and it was low and rock hard and I wasn't used to no power steering - it had been a while. So it felt way too stiff for me and it scraped driveways - I was not happy with that but since I had flown out to Houston - WITHOUT HAVING A PPI - another mistake I know better than to repeat - I just bought it. I then drove it straight to Nashville where the Barn Man, Barney, was and he began the travails of repair and taking care of all the deffered maintenance. Then $5K later I drove it home, having done a string of work including replacing the steering rack!

Believe me I feel your pain and I will say this - there is a sure fire way to avoid all that - yes there is - it's called FORK OVER NOW OR FORK OVER LATER! Wait for a perfect low mileage car or pay. That's the only choice or somewhere in between - no other options - it's either going to get you up front or down the road! YOU CAN BET ON THAT. If you want a coupe - there are only a few out there that are NA2- very rare- or try and find a Zanardi edition or drop down into the NA1 limited to 91 - 94. If you want a perfect coupe NA1 with low mileage - you will pay a premium , plain and simple and don't complain about it - just either put up pr drop your expectations to higher miles and the world of "deferred" maintenance and there's a range. An NA1 with high miles - 100k +/- and not much maintenance history or not much current maintenance history will cost you down in the low 20s - one with low miles and great maintenance will cost you around 34K +/-. So take your pic. Simple as that.

It's all up to you and your budget as to how "old" that car is going to feel. BTW - my car doesn't feel old now after 6k in maintenance and stuff. It's in great shape and it has low miles - not super low miles but 48k miles is low for a 91. If I were selling it would be at that higher price for a coupe.

Hope that helps you make up your mind.
 
Ah $$$$ for an older car.

I felt like I received a very good deal on my 91, which I purchased in 2008. I believe I could sell it for as much or more than I paid for it, even after paying the sales tax.

IMO the depreciation should be less than a new car you might consider. Not to mention they have a reputation for being reliable.

BUT when I told people I paid more than $20k for an Acuar/Honda, they looked at me like I was NUTZ :eek:

A Utah State Trooper even pulled me over on my maiden voyage home. He looked at my bill of sale, saw the price I paid, looked at me like I was some type of an idot, and said you paid this for a 91? I said yes.

He let me go... I suspect he felt sorry for me.

Oh well.... I love the car. There are faster cars, more powerful, etc. but as for the whole package, very tough to beat IMHO. People are amazed when I tell them the car is 20 years old. Most people believe it is brand new.

It does come with LBS (Look Back Syndrom).

I don't regret my purchase. One of the best car purchases I've ever made.

Bottom line, you aren't alone in wondering if that is allot of money for a used car. :smile:
 
My car is the best purchase I have spent, except for my degree which was used to obtain a job and pay for my nsx. I am still buying parts/upgrades for it...:cool:
 
It is the only 20 year old car that I can compare to a 20 year old girl. Both on a middle aged mans "want" list.:biggrin: And yes, both will cost to upkeep.
 
I bought my 1991 NSX in late December of 2010 and I do not have any remorse. The car only has 60K miles and was maintained by Larry Bastanza and is in excellent shape inside and out. I only drove it for 4 days before I had to store it for winter. The NSX is one of those cars that has timeless beauty, good engineering and is a blast to drive, I feel privileged to own one. I sold a Porsche 911 that I owned for 9 years and never looked back.

Buy what you can afford but try spend a little more and get something you will be happy with.
 
Jadams1 said:
I bought my 1991 NSX in late December of 2010 and I do not have any remorse. The car only has 60K miles and was maintained by Larry Bastanza and is in excellent shape inside and out. I only drove it for 4 days before I had to store it for winter. The NSX is one of those cars that has timeless beauty, good engineering and is a blast to drive, I feel privileged to own one. I sold a Porsche 911 that I owned for 9 years and never looked back.

Buy what you can afford but try spend a little more and get something you will be happy with.
Click to expand...

What kind of 911 did you sell? Also - good advice - well said, short and sweet - something I haven't gotten the gist of quite....:wink:
 
Update!
I dont think i will buy it after all, the seller didnt want to agree to a PPI,

Edit: it was a misunderstanding , the owner told me we can go to a specialist of nsx in Orlando
I guess i will have a nsx this weekend ;)


Thanks everyone
 
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