I'm ready to buy (I think)

[bernardom]

i just looked at a black 98 6spd w/38K miles tonight, and i'm considering putting money on it right away to hold it so i can arrange to buy it. i don't have much nsx knowledge, so i was hoping all you experts here could help me out. maybe if i tell you what i noticed, you could tell me (1) if you would consider buying this car, and (2) about how much you think it is worth. I'd appreciate any advice you can give. i'm affraid if i hesitate, the car will be sold soon. Thanks!!!

- the dealer bought it at an auction in PA, so i have no idea how many owners it had, or if the oil was changed properly, or if any other service was done (water pump, etc.)

- the body was in great shape (no dings), but the paint had a good number of chips and scratches that were touched up, and there were several long/deep scratches under the passenger door, as if the car scraped a curb.

- the car ran pretty strong and smooth, but the engine sounded kind of loud at idle, and when i would rev it, it would be rough, but only at a certain rpm range.

- the clutch chattered when i would pulled out from a stop.

- when breaking, the rotos seemed to be a little warped.

- wheels and tires were in great shape.

- leather and interiod were in great shape, a few holes in the center column from a previous cell phone mount.

- the dealer said he would get the car checked at an acura dealer so i could make sure it wasn't in any accidents, that the engine was ok, etc.

Thanks again gang!

 

[Lud]

A little rough idle around 1500 RPM is normal, and "loud" is pretty subjective, but it's not a Lexus. Clutch chatter is more common on the 5-speed than 6-speed, but it could be the way you are engaging it. You can just replace the warped rotors.

If you can find out where the car was before it went to auction you may be able to figure out which dealer seviced it call them verify it was regularly maintained. Carfax shows which state(s) a car was registered in to at least get you started.

I recommend you have it checked over by a mechanic / body shop of YOUR choice and one that you pay for instead of having the selling dealer get the car inspected at a dealer of their choice. Other than that, it's just a car, inspect it thoroughly and if it's what you want, make an offer!

 

[hlweyl]

You could run a carfax on it and it should show how many owners the car has had. You probably will never know how the car has been serviced.... many of the nsx's out there do not have complete service records.

I've always done most of the service on all my cars and I don't save any of the receipts. Even if owners tell you that something has been done like the clutch, without receipts that cannot be guaranteed.

Go ahead and get an Acura pre purchase inspection done and if you can, have one of the experienced members from this site give the car a thorough once over for you. One more thing you can do is scour the FAQ section on this site and learn as much as you can, there's great info in there that will make your purchase decision much easier.

I just bought a used 98 red/tan with 58k miles for 44k if that gives you an idea what they are going for. The only flaw is oxidation in the paint and minor scratches.

Good luck

 

[Chad]

I recommend you have it checked over by a mechanic / body shop of YOUR choice and one that you pay for instead of having the selling dealer get the car inspected at a dealer of their choice. Other than that, it's just a car, inspect it thoroughly and if it's what you want, make an offer!

Absolutely, don't take it somewhere they suggest. I hate being paranoid but some people, especially those in the used vehicle business are downright scoundrels.

I HIGHLY suggest you take a non partial person with you who is familiar with the NSX, or at least familiar with cars/paint/body work. Personally I never car shop by myself, I get all excited and tend to look past deal breakers just because I want to hop in a NSX asap. There was a story posted about someone buying a used M3, this man was a very competent BMW affcianado, and he got scammed.... a little adrenalin can be a bad thing !

 

[bernardom]

Any NSX-perts that live near Easter PA?

I live in Lebanon PA (in between Harrisburg, Reading, Lancaster), but the car is in NJ near the Eastern border of PA. If anyone is interested in going along to take a very good look at the car, let me know. We could grab a good meal and a couple cold beers - on me.

 

[nsxtasy]

Then the place to take it for an inspection is an easy choice. Davis Acura is located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, northeast of Philly and just west of Trenton. Their NSX tech, Bernie, is the best, most experienced NSX tech on the East Coast. He'll give you the most knowledgeable opinion on it you can find.

 

[bernardom]

Acura Dealer

It looks like Langhorne is over an hour away from the dealer, so I don't think they would allow this. He said there are two dealers near his location, so I'm sure I'd have to let them take it to one of these. I should probably make the arrangements, though, and pay for it so I get an acurate report.

 

[nsxtasy]

Yes, you will pay for the arrangements, anywhere, but consider that there are many dealers that do not do a lot of NSX service work, and are less qualified to do a PPI for an NSX. They will be able to do standard tests like make sure everything works, maybe even do a compression test on the cylinders, but they would not necessarily be familiar with what is normal for an NSX or what common problems to look for.

 

[bernardom]

CarFax shows that the 98 I'm looking at was a leased car, then sold at auction, titled for another year or so, then sold at an auction again to the dealer that has it now. If I decide to buy it, I will get it checked by an Acura dealer as a couple of you suggested, but would it worry you that the car has been around so much and sold at the auction twice?

Also, does anyone know if the NSX can hold a golf bag in the trunk (that's one thing I really like about my 97 Corvette coupe, it can hold two golf bags AND luggage).

 

[NSXaholic]

...Also, does anyone know if the NSX can hold a golf bag in the trunk (that's one thing I really like about my 97 Corvette coupe, it can hold two golf bags AND luggage).

It most certainly can. Rumor has it that the chief engineer at Acura was an avid golfer, and he ensured therefore that the trunk dimensions were such that it could snugly fit a golf bag in there.

Regards.

 

[nsxtasy]

When the car was first introduced, they talked about the trunk fitting two golf bags. Whether that is true or not, I have no idea. But it's plenty big enough to hold a logbook, fuel tester, GPS, and charts - right, NSXaholic?

 

[NSXaholic]

When the car was first introduced, they talked about the trunk fitting two golf bags. Whether that is true or not, I have no idea. But it's plenty big enough to hold a logbook, fuel tester, GPS, and charts - right, NSXaholic?

Two golf bags may be a little bit of a stretch. Anybody tried it? But a golf bag and flight aids? Absolutement (said with a French accent).

Regards.

 

[bernardom]

Sold at auction twice... is this bad news or just business as usual for these cars?

 

[TucAZNSX]

For anyone that does want to know, you can easily fit two golf bags into the trunk if they are carry bags. I also have squished one staff bag and one carry bag into the trunk but it was very tight. In that scenario I did have to take out the woods and place them on top of the bags. Anyway, it is an easy fit for two carry bags, but unfortunately I don't think you'd get any luggage into the trunk in addition to two bags.

 

[BostonNSX]

I dont think it will fit a luggague even WITHOUT the 2 golf bags

 

[PKim]

Also, does anyone know if the NSX can hold a golf bag in the trunk (that's one thing I really like about my 97 Corvette coupe, it can hold two golf bags AND luggage). [/B][/QUOTE]

I can testify that you can squeeze 2 golf bags. It is very tight.

Paul

 

[hyuan]

- when breaking, the rotos seemed to be a little warped.

When I bought my car, I had a similiar experience. Turns out the car was running on severely under inflated the tires (the former only put about 3000 miles a year on the car).

Its pretty important to make sure the tires are properly inflated in order for you to properly evaluate the car.

 

[Brian2by2]

I met a guy who picked up a 98 with 60k miles for about 30k....beautiful car...great shape. Nothing wrong with auctions IF it has a clean history behind it.