Help on buying wrecked nsx

[kylebielefeld]

I am about to buy a 91 nsx and has been previously wrecked but all was covered by insurance, everything was replaced with oem parts, he sent me the report and the amount of damage done. looks to be as fenders, hood and bumper were all replaced and refinished. But also says 3hrs worth of time was the frame being fixed. What do you guys think?

91 nsx silver/black 89k miles for 22k? Everything else is perfect

 

[SFNSXguy]

Did pbassjo do the work? :wink:

 

[nsxtasy]

If I didn't have a lot of NSX knowledge and/or body shop experience, the only way I would consider buying such a car is if I had it inspected beforehand by a shop with a lot of NSX restoration experience. (If you include your location in your profile, it will show up next to your posts, and we could tell you of any such shops in your area.) The only exception would be if it were repaired by a top-notch NSX body shop, such as the one that pbassjo owns (as noted above).

However, having seen many such NSXs for sale in the past, I can give you a good estimate of the chances that the car has been properly fixed/restored so that it is comparable to otherwise-similar NSXs that have never been wrecked, and any discount you're getting represents a really great deal. Those chances are approximately 0.000 percent.

 

[ekhonda87]

Does it have a salvage title? If yes, then I think the price is a bit high..

Personally, a salvage title or previous wreck would not discourage me, as long as the price I am paying reflects previous damage

 

[kylebielefeld]

The car has a clean title, and i am an out of state buying. I am getting the car inspected this week before going to buy it. I was thinking everything would be fine on the car as it was taken to 1st class auto repair in florida who specialize in exotic sports cars such as ferrari, aston martin, and so on

 

[PHOEN$X]

I'd want to know what "frame being fixed" means. Anytime there's frame damage mentioned on an NSX, it makes me nervous. I have not heard of any NSXs with damaged frames that have not been totaled by insurance companies, but that doesn't mean it hasn't occurred. You just need to exercise extra due diligence in getting the car & repairs inspected, and double check the title to make sure that it hasn't been washed. If everything checks out, and you can verify that the documentation is legit and all repairs were properly performed, it could be worth the 22k asking price, especially considering you'd be able to get normal comprehensive insurance on the car, IMO.

Please keep us posted.

 

[ekhonda87]

This car was just posted on prime for sale a few minutes ago

 

[SFNSXguy]

Just as an FYI... one of our oldest NSX community friends (works for Honda and trained body shops) once took two totaled NSXs (targas) -- one at the front, one at the back -- cut them apart through the passenger compartment, then had the good halves welded together.
The finished product was undetectable from pristine/undamaged.

 

[doctor z]

I would really like to see some more info on this "undetectable" weld job. I just dont think it is realistic to think a weld across an entire car top and bottom could be undetectable. The weld itself would have to be ground, filled with bondo,painted or undercoated. There would be evidence of paint and or undercoat not matching. Once that is found you start peeling away the finish, and theres your weld.

 

[ntenseone]

The owner explained the accident. I don't recall seeing anything about frame damage.

 

[1-Old-Man]

The receipt will certainly tell you who repaired the car. By the way, I have been watching that one very closley myself. I'd have bought it sight unseen last week were it not for some medical crap I'm waiting out over the next month or so. As the accident is explained I don't see it as being of too much concern and I honestly do think there is more than one person on the face of the earth that can repair aluminum. That said, if I were in you shoes and getting ready to go through with the buy I would certainly insist that the car find its way to a good alignment shop first. Let them shoot their lasers and show you a printout of what it should be and what it is - as well as tell you about any worn suspension parts that either won't align or will soon need replacement. First and foremost, the car must be straight. If the car is straight and the repairs are either invisible or look to have been done in what used to be called 'a workmanlike manner' then I'd jump on it if I were you.

 

[Aluminsx]

If it's the same one list here on Prime I would not rule it out. Car looks good in the pictures and the seller seems pretty honest when describing the accident. The price seems fair considering it does not have a salvage title. I'm curious how your PPI turns out. Keep us informed.

 

[bngl3rt]

I have not heard of any NSXs with damaged frames that have not been totaled by insurance companies, but that doesn't mean it hasn't occurred.

Mine is currently being repaired after having been rear-ended, and it did in fact require a small frame pull. It is not being totaled.

They took 2.5 hours to measure, pull, and measure again, and I'm told that after a single pull the frame now measures perfectly in spec once more.

 

[nsxtasy]

I would certainly insist that the car find its way to a good alignment shop first. Let them shoot their lasers and show you a printout of what it should be and what it is - as well as tell you about any worn suspension parts that either won't align or will soon need replacement.

NOT an alignment shop. A body shop. Today's modern body shops have laser equipment that measures all the dimensions and distances for the entire body and suspension, not just the alignment measurements which refer only to the wheels/tires.

I assume that's what bngl3rt is referring to above - the measurements taken by a body shop, not just an alignment shop.

 

[bngl3rt]

I assume that's what bngl3rt is referring to above - the measurements taken by a body shop, not just an alignment shop.

Yes, they have a frame machine that connects to all the measuring holes on the NSX frame and compares it in three dimensions to specs published by Honda.

Wish I could have gone to watch them do it but I guess I have to be satisfied with pictures and a printout of the measurement. My body shop employs an NSX master so I'm not worried.

 

[nsxtasy]

Yes, they have a frame machine that connects to all the measuring holes on the NSX frame and compares it in three dimensions to specs published by Honda.

Wish I could have gone to watch them do it but I guess I have to be satisfied with pictures and a printout of the measurement. My body shop employs an NSX master so I'm not worried.

I've seen them do it. It's actually pretty cool. They have reflective weights they hang onto pieces of the undercarriage at specific points, and they have a machine that shoots a laser in a 360-degree circle, catching the weight reflectors and performing precise calculations of the distances. It's all software-driven so it compares all those distances to what they should be, and notes anything not within pre-determined tolerances.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Very interesting info guys, I have not seen any frame shops do their work but I did find some videos on youtube, such as the one below. Does pulling a frame weaken its structure at all, particularly if it's made of aluminum?

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x3xPyb03rQE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[doctor z]

I did study metalurgy years ago, practical experience seems to back up what little I remember. Cold rolled steel, is very pliable, malleable, and forgiving. You can have a minor bend, pull it back into alignment, and it is A-OK. Now aluminum has totally different properties. Any time I have tried to straighten a significant bend in aluminum, it usually snaps. Where steel can be bent many, many times before it finally breaks. This must be the reason the NSX is "easily totaled" So I would think significant aluminum damage would require replacement, not straightening. If it is just slight aluminum damage, I think straightening would be fine.