How much confident should I have in "Acura Certified" NSX?

[jas303]

How much confidence should I have in "Acura Certified" NSX?

I have been patient for the right NSX. It is extremely difficult to find the right one and go out there to inspect it. The experiences so far had made the pre-owned Acura Certified NSXs really attractive. Does anyone know how much guarantee does the "Acura Certified" have? There are quiet a few of those out there. I really want to get my NSX before getting forced to buy something else (my wife likes to have 4 seats).....

Thanks,

 

[socalx]

i think you should be really confident. this means the car has been through an extensive test (150+ steps i believe but ask the dealer to show you the checklist) by an acura nsx technician at an acura dealor. this means the car will be backed by acura. some of the items on the test are inspection of the vin labels on each body panel. (if any are missing or altered the car won't be certified) inspection for paint work on the car, (if paintwork on more then one panel, then the car wont pass certification). validation of the powertrain on the car etc.

then acura extendes the factory bumper to bumper warranty for an addtional year and the power train warranty for 7 years / 100K miles.

the nsx really is one of the most reliable cars on the road, so personally the value to me of the certified program is mostly validation that the car has not been damaged. and secondly knowing that if anything major were to happen with the powertrain that you will be covered.

also not that some of the trim items on the nsx can be expensive. on my 2005 nsx the weatherstripping on the b pillar had a flaw and had this piece not been covered on my warranty the rubber strip was 1K by itself, not including installation.

 

[MaxGeek]

I'm not so sure about that. I bought a Acura CL-S a few years ago that was Acura certified and later found out that the front and rear bumper had been damaged. They were repainted poorly, but I couldn't tell until seeing it in the right lighting.

 

[Liquid]

Agree with MaxGeek... I bought a CPO NSX (sight unseen) and the paintwork leaves something to be desired. Also, there are some items that are uncovered by the CPO part of the warranty. I remember the weatherstripping that goes around the doors and targa top in once piece was uncovered and it was over a grand to replace it. Fortunately they did honor it upon bumping up the management food chain but technically it wasn't covered.

I would say you can feel confident that the car will have no major issues, but if you are looking for an absolutely perfect 10/10, then don't rely solely on the CPO certification process.

 

[TomCat]

I have been patient for the right NSX. It is extremely difficult to find the right one and go out there to inspect it. The experiences so far had made the pre-owned Acura Certified NSXs really attractive. Does anyone know how much guarantee does the "Acura Certified" have? There are quiet a few of those out there. I really want to get my NSX before getting forced to buy something else (my wife likes to have 4 seats).....

Thanks,

The Certification is only as good as the Tech and the Dealership...in general, they are NOT enthusiats!

Take personal "DUE DILIGENCE" up front...or litigate later!

 

[FeetFxr]

Agree with most above, the CPO is only as good as the dealership and most are there just to sell cars and make money no matter what. I bought a Lexus CPO a couple years ago and took it back ONE week later with the speedo not working properly. The mechanic came out to talk with me, not knowing I bought it 1 week before CPO, and said you need to have all your brakes replaced they're shot. That gave me no confidence in CPO. With any NSX, I'd have another dealer or shop that knows about them do an independant, unbiased pre-purchase inspection.

 

[tosugrad]

Agree with most above, the CPO is only as good as the dealership

I looked at several NSXs from less than respectable dealerships and the CPO means nothing.

 

[NSXclear]

It doesn't mean crap to me. It's still a used car dealership. It's just a fancy scheme some marketing guy came up with.

It's like hiring a certified honest lawyer on a piece of paper someone hands you. It promises to not overbill you. :biggrin: No offense the very few honest lawyers out there.

A piece a paper and a fancy title doesn't carry much weight to me.

 

[fourringpilot]

It means you will pay more than you should. I got my mech inspec done by the local Acura dealership. At the time my lights would only stay in the up position. They said I needed new motors $$$. Turns out I only needed a switch. They also were incorrect or unknowledgeable about three other mechanical issues that were minor.
I took the car to my regular Porsche/Audi mechanic (never worked on a NSX), and he saved me nearly two thousand dollars vs what Acura quoted me. His diagnostic was spot on.
Even if (and that a BIG IF) you can trust the Acura dealer they will still be nearly twice the cost of most experienced mechanics.
I would take the car to a mechanic you trust to get it inspected. Even better, have a local PRIME member take a look at it with you since many here work on their own car and will have much expertise on potential problem areas.

 

[socalx]

I aggree with having an seperate knowledgable mechanic look at the car, that is always good advise.

however i cannot agree in going so far that saying certified pre owned is worthless, or the negative that it actually is worse becuase you will just pay more for a car with problems.

If you go to acura they can show you the checklist that the nsx mechanic goes through item by item and initializes each item that it has been inspected prior to the car qualifing as certified pre owned. Just the basics that they have inspected each body panel for prior work and having a vin and if more then one panel on the car was been touched (no matter how small) that by itself disqualifies the car from being certified. so you have a paper trail and recourse with the dealer if one of the 150 items is in fact not true, this and and extra 12 months of bumper to bumper warranty, and the warranty on the power train being extened to 7 years / 100K miles has to give at least some piece of mind.

But in the end it is your decision and as stated above you are also better off by having someone impartial and knowlegable about nsx's (an nsx owner in the area with an eye for detail or in southern ca we have several mechanics that specialize in them as a second set of eyes)

hope this helps

 

[flaminio]

IMHO, it depends entirely on the dealership in question. Not all Acura dealerships are created equal! If you have a dealer who just wants to move cars, the CPO tag is worthless. But if the dealer is an enthusiast who shares the love of the NSX that we have, then the CPO can be a warm security blanket at night.

 

[Ray05NSX]

The biggest advantage of the certified process in the one year bumper to bumper, and 7 year 100K miles warranty from date of service. I purchased a one owner certified 2005 in August 08, and still had to take back to the dealer numerous times to update....I paid for a new battery, brake fluid change, and also had them (under warranty) replace the drivers side weather stripping, due to the wind noise!

I bought a 96 NSX with 45K miles, and in the next year spent almost $ 3K making it right, so they can be expensive to maintain, regardless. Remember, regardless you can negotiate the price of the certification, which I did on my 05, so bottom line, I would recommend since it's covered by any Acura dealer from then on!:smile:

 

[jas303]

Thanks guys. I haven't gave up hope on finding a nice bone stock NSX yet, but it seems to be very difficult. I went to the Acura dealership today, and talked to a sales person. He claims that NSX is difficult and expensive to repair, and more importantly the parts and knowledgeable technicians are difficult to locate. I was then persuaded to take a look at the 08 BMW M3. Both the coupe and hardtop convertible are really nice. They sure are better and faster machines, but it's not an NSX. Anyway, is it true that eventually we won't be able to order the stock NSX parts through Acura?

 

[NSXAMG996TT]

Don't bother- any car can be "certified" by the stealership to further increase the asking price.

I prefer an independent NSX shops for maintenance- so a CPO car doesn't do me any good.

 

[BD]

Don't bother- any car can be "certified" by the stealership to further increase the asking price.

That's a total BS.

Sorry to tell you that.

Honda charge the dealership about $1200 to certify the NSX. Which also comes with 100k power/driver train warrantee. If the car is not certifiable, they the dealership or Honda will most likely auction off the car to none Honda dealers.

You can buy additional Honda care to cover other parts such as stereo, AC, and other electrical parts.

As a certified car, the title has be "none salvage." Panel replacement is allowed under certified.

They will not cover wear and tear parts such as door handles, whether strip, leather, and interior related parts.

They certified as part of Honda's program to sell used Honda cars from lease return and trade in. Lease return maybe be obtained through Honda auctions. Like the person below said, they don't check the paint under inspection, however, if it is defective, they will cover it under the warrantee.

 

[hondacuraplanet]

FYI, the paint is not a part of the technician's checklist on a CPO. In fact, most times when the car reaches the lift, the car's still dirty. The cleanup is handled by the detail department after the service work is done.

And, it's their responsibility to make it right, or bring it to the attention of the sales manager to make the call as to what to do.

 

[drew]

Here is all the proof you need to see the value of "certified"

http://www.nsxprime.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81864

Especially see posts 14 and 35.

 

[socalx]

what about post 15 where the owner honestly admits after looking inside the transmision that it had been abused by the previous owner.

Even if that referenced thread was a case against acura certified (which it is not). a few isolated cases doesn't mean acura certified is bad or worthless. Right now i own several acura and honda's .. some of them under warranty and come certified, and i have had nothing but great treatment from acura and was very satisfied by the cpo process and it does mean something to me and to also have an addition year iin complete warranty and the extra power train coverage.

i think the conclusion of this thread is
a) acura certified is not perfect
b) there is some value to the extra warranty and protection
c) the extent of the value of b does vary by how good the technician and dealer that performed the certified inspection and there reputation as a dealor.

i think we are starting to beat another dead horse here.

thanks

 

[mickeylex]

CPO means you might get better handling w/ the dealership if something goes wrong. Remember it is still a used car. You will want to do your own PPI on that CPO NSX.

 

[tosugrad]

what about post 15 where the owner honestly admits after looking inside the transmision that it had been abused by the previous owner.

That just goes to show that the CPO really did mean nothing. Had they actually checked anything, they might have seen this.

 

[socalx]

i just reread the entire thread. No where does it say that Chitowns car was acura certified.

What it does say is
-he purchased the car from a private party
-someone (sounds like an acura dealer) did do a 150 point inspection
-when he returned to chicago he had a major problem with the tranny
-the car was under its powertrain warranty.

the dealer in chicago refused to cover b/c a) determined the cause was abuse.

I am sorry, but i actually believe that if the car had been acura certified at and purchased from an acura dealer (not a private party) and he had the same issue it would have likely been covered.

 

[mystican]

I have bought my last 2 Acuras from Acura of Brookfield in Milwaukee. Both were in excellent condition for good reasons. They go above and beyond what Acura/Honda recommends. They regularly see Acuras that are certified from dealers in Chicago only to have AOB look at them and cringe over their definition of certified. It depends on how the independent Acura dealers define their certification.

 

[tosugrad]

It also helps that AoB has some of the top NSX techs in the country.

 

[mdlegend]

I have bought and owned 6 Acuras in the last 15 years. 4 of them I bought from the same dealer, all used. Only 1 had the CPO. The bottom line is this. Find the best Acura dealer around and speak to the manager of service. Find out how long he has been their. That is a good sign as to their quality. My Service Manager has been at West Chester, PA acura for almost 20 years and has always taken care of me. They know me, they know the cars, 88 Legend, 92 Legend, 98 RL 99 TL 2000 Integra, 2005 TSX 91 NSX....It regards to the guy saying that they are difficult and hard to fix I disagree. Its the only exotic type car you can buy and drive. I have put 32000 miles on mine in 4 years and love to drive it. Sure, it gets work done and its a little pricey but its more cost effective then a Lambo, Ferrari, Porsche....As to the BMW....their a dime a dozen....do you want the same thing everyone else has? Its your personal choice.....most people do not give a BMW a second look......but everyone gives an NSX a second look...no matter what year...
Mike

 

[oscar_driver]

Acura CPO = BS ....

ps: not my NSX .... thank god.