How much is it worth?

[NSX Wanna B]

I've had my dream car sold out from under me twice now. So I'm still on the hunt for my baby and would like some opinions.

Car I am going to look at this weekend:
1993 Black/Black about 25k miles
Mods include:
11:1 pistons
Nitrous
Comptech headers
Lightened fly wheel
Aluminum rear bushings
Computer chip
Roll bar
After market wheels
'97 style brakes

Now for the bad part, car has Salvage title.

As he explained it, the car met a utility pole in 1994 by the hands of the original owner. He bought it from the insurance company, had it rebuilt and has owned it for the last 8 years. He said he has tracked the car approximately 10 times and driven mostly on the weekends.

He was very nice and seemed honest and up front (I know, I know, don't trust anyone that is selling something), but I did meet him through a trusted friend.

I haven't seen the car yet so I can't give specifics, but what kind of range do you think is fair for this car?

I appreciate any opinions and comments.

Thanks
NSX Wanna B

 

[mlambert890]

Did he indicate exactly what happened in the accident? If there was no frame damage and no engine damage, then all you have to worry about is how good the repaint and cosmetic work was. I'd pay close attention to the fit and finish.

Value is tough to guess without knowing more about the situation that lead to the salvage title...

Hehe... acard17 beat me to it! What he said

[This message has been edited by spookyp (edited 28 February 2002).]

 

[acard17]

get the accident report if poassible just so you know what kind of damage was done and who repaired it. also and i think most important find out who did all the motor work. get reciepts. call and talk to them yourself. i would think if the car is clean in and out and has been well maintained even with the salvage title you are going to pay $22,000-$28,000 that maybe even too low... the mileage is the key on this one. good luck and be careful...

------------------
92 ACURA VIGOR
98 ACURA 3.5RL
96 ACURA NSX

 

[Lud]

That is a strange mod list. Lightened flywheel but stock gears and clutch? High compression pistons with nitrous? What is the chip programmed to do? Who did all this work?

As for the rest, it really just depends on the extent of the damage and how well it was rebuilt and the general condition. It could be a $20k car or a $30k car.

 

[NSX Wanna B]

Originally posted by Lud:
That is a strange mod list. Lightened flywheel but stock gears and clutch? High compression pistons with nitrous? What is the chip programmed to do? Who did all this work?

As for the rest, it really just depends on the extent of the damage and how well it was rebuilt and the general condition. It could be a $20k car or a $30k car.

Oops forgot, comptech clutch and tighter gears, from what he indicated the chip brings the vtec in sooner (5300 rpms)

Thanks for the input

 

[nsxtasy]

I don't think these mods add much if anything to the value of this car. They don't include the types of mods (supercharger, big brakes) that would. And some of the mods indicate possible previous engine damage, totally apart from the accident.

I don't see this car being worth anything like $30K. Maybe low twenties, depending on how well the damage has been repaired.

I strongly recommend that you have this car inspected by a mechanic with a lot of NSX expertise. He will need to check the body repair AND overall mechanical condition.

I would stay far, far away from this one, unless you're looking for a "project car".

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 28 February 2002).]

 

[ck]

18k-22k at most. I guarantee you it has frame damage or it wouldn't have been salvaged. Just make sure to have it checked out like Ken said. If he's willing to sell low, you might get a decent car for the money.

 

[NSX Wanna B]

I agree that I don't see much value increase from the mods, especially the nitrous (I don’t like that stuff much), but what is attractive to me is the low mileage and year. I’d assumed that any car in my price range (30k ish) would be a 91 maybe a 92 with 75k+ miles on it. Also, its been 7+ years since the car was rebuilt. So its not like he bought it to bandage up and pass off on someone for a quick profit, like a lot of the cars on ebay. I would tend to think he would fix any problems that arouse from the accident if he was putting money into other parts of the car. I will definitely have the pre purchase inspection done by Nalley Acura before I consider buying the car. BTW how much do you believe the same car with a clean history would be worth? i.e. how much does a salvage history detract from the market value of the car?

Thanks for the input.

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by NSX Wanna B:
how much do you believe the same car with a clean history would be worth? i.e. how much does a salvage history detract from the market value of the car?

I would estimate that a clean, well-maintained '93 five-speed with 25K miles would sell for around $35K stock. From this, deduct $800 if the 60K service has not been done, and deduct $1200 if the timing belt/water pump has not been done. I think that these mods actually lower the general market value by $1-2K (although they may increase its value to a buyer who is looking for these mods). The difference between what remains and the value of this car can be attributed to the combination of the salvage title and the accident history.

[This message has been edited by nsxtasy (edited 28 February 2002).]

 

[David Allen]

Wanna B - my advice is BE PATIENT. When I decided to get an NSX, I started to rush into things and almost got nailed on purchasing crap cars. I was lucky to have purchased the car from a private party - many mods and no accidents.

I would pass on this car. You have no idea if the engine is damaged from the Nitrous, etc. If you get a modified car, I would stay away from Nitrous; just my gut reaction.

Find the right car for you, and don't spring too quickly - I know what the excitement in getting your first NSX is like, but do yourself a favor - do it right, and get EXACTLY what you want.

Buying an NSX is like finding a good woman. It's not easy, and it's tempting to take what's presented, but if you stick to certain guidelines and be patient, you'll get what you want sooner or later and you will be SO GLAD you waited for the right one

------------------
David Allen
'00 Silverstone NSX-T
Comptech SC, Headers, Intake, Exhaust & a little Mark Basch tweakage

[This message has been edited by David Allen (edited 28 February 2002).]

[This message has been edited by David Allen (edited 28 February 2002).]

 

[NSX Wanna B]

Thanks David (and everyone else), I'm starting to think this might not be the car for me

Patience is a virtue, one which I would like to posses someday, unfortunately I can't wait for it

 

[ck]

Originally posted by David Allen:


Buying an NSX is like finding a good woman. It's not easy, and it's tempting to take what's presented, but if you stick to certain guidelines and be patient, you'll get what you want sooner or later and you will be SO GLAD you waited for the right one

I'm sure your wife would love to hear that one.

 

[pixelhaus]

'fools rush in!'. i rushed and since then seem to find something everyday that upsets me. you'll be inticed by the excitement and the desire to get your search over with, but let your intuition and common sense prevail. i was tired of missing opportunities, and now i am a bit sorry with all of the imperfections that i am noticing. namely, fit of parts, engine maintenance to get it up to par. i am confident that there are plenty of good used ones out there. don't settle.

 

[NSX2F1]

Originally posted by NSX Wanna B:
I agree that I don't see much value increase from the mods, especially the nitrous (I don’t like that stuff much), but what is attractive to me is the low mileage and year. I’d assumed that any car in my price range (30k ish) would be a 91 maybe a 92 with 75k+ miles on it.

NSX Wanna B:

Given your price range, I will definitely buy an original Tochigi-built older car with more miles than a low mileage car that was rebuilt by Joe Somebody in his garage. There are reasons why Honda dedicate its finest plant and engineers to build NSX. These cars are built to extreme tolerance. Run away!!

[This message has been edited by NSX2F1 (edited 28 February 2002).]