Need help finding your dream NSX? I can help!

[Coconut]

Determine exactly what you want
This is the fun part! Determine what year, color and most importantly your budget. Have your 2nd choice color lined up as well. Be realistic with your wants and your budget. See the links below:

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Changes_by_Year
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/General/colors/colors.htm
http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Production_Numbers
http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Pricing

Have your finances in order
It's very depressing to find "the one" and find out your financing fell through. Don't be that guy! Either have cash in hand or have financing lined up.

Post a wanted add here first
Don't have an account? Create one now! You'd be surprised how many people will respond to your wanted ad. This is NSX central.

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=23

Check these sources
These are the big ones. I'd recommened registering and setting up automated searches that'll alert you through email when a particular NSX is listed. You can even specify certain colors and years. See the links below:

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=22
http://www.autotrader.com
http://www.cars.com
http://www.ebay.com/motors
http://www.craigslist.org

Expand your Network
Post up a wanted ad on Craigslist. Reach out to local members and NSX gurus (NSX master techs). Explore other possible sources such as your local Acura Dealership, Used Car Manager or even Specialty/Exotic Car Dealers. Let them know who you are, what your looking for and that you have cash in hand.

Don't give up!

Depending on your year/color combo and how picky your are it could take up to 2 years to find your NSX. From what I've seen, the average time it takes is about 2-4 months, so don't give up! I promise you, you will find your NSX. If not, I'll do my best to help you.
​

Check the VIN Number
Once you've found a good one make sure to get the VIN number so you can run a report (Carfax, Autocheck) and search either Google or NSX Registry for any additional history on the car.

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Category:NSXRegistry

 

[Coconut]

Besides the process above, I'm able to check the entire US to see if any new NSX's popup. It's time consuming so I'll try my best to update this list weekly.

*The cars listed below are the ones that stand out. They are stock/near stock and priced about right.

<$27k Budget (as of 10/12/12)
94' Green $25k 100k mi http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/cto/3321366097.html
92' White $26.9k 117k mi (automatic) http://austin.craigslist.org/ctd/3271696060.html
92' Red $25.9k 110k mi (heavily modded) http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/3232772439.html
91' Black $24.9 k 98k mi http://dallas.craigslist.org/sdf/cto/3285737579.html
91' Black $27k 59k mi http://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/3278015218.html
92' Red $22k 177k mi http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/3328586064.html
91' Red $24k 80k mi (automatic) http://newyork.craigslist.org/stn/cto/3258071827.html
94' Black $26k 108k mi http://newyork.craigslist.org/jsy/cto/3327191481.html
95' Purple $27.5k 108kmi (automatic) http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/3340398609.html

>$27k Budget (as of 10/12/12)
95' Red $29k 113k mi http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3333041335.html
91' Red $33.9k 25k mi http://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/3306190434.html
91' Red $33k 70k mi http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3306163142.html
95' Black $35k 26k mi http://reno.craigslist.org/cto/3324031644.html
95' Purple $29k 108k mi (automatic) http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/3319801174.html
93' Black $32k 90k mi (Basch supercharger) http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3274174821.html
00' Black $41.8k 98k mi http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3323337445.html
91' Black $27.5k 102k mi http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/3304997843.html
95' Red $36k 78k mi http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/3325719475.html
01' Yellow $48.5k 30k mi http://evansville.craigslist.org/cto/3328156289.html
91' Black $27.9k 72k mi http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/ctd/3324546264.html
95' Red $28k 60k mi (nicely modded) http://knoxville.craigslist.org/cto/3246055575.html
91' Black $30k 73k mi (automatic) http://asheville.craigslist.org/ctd/3251240479.html
98' Yellow $39.9k 48k mi (nice mods, CTSC removed) http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3317884984.html]
92' Red $32.5k 45k mi http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/3320266171.html
93' Red $29.5k 66k mi http://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/3249519115.html
95' Red $35k 40k mi http://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/3245913050.html
97' Red $29k 93k mi http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/3297537697.html

 

[david h]

Beside the process above, I'm able to check if any new NSX's popup for sale. I'm able to check the entire US. It's time consuming so I'll only be willing to run these searches weekly. I will update this list weekly. ALOT of people are looking for <$26k so thats what I'm searching for. If you have a particular color/year you're looking for, shoot me a PM and I'll keep an eye out for it on my next search.

*The cars listed below are stock/near stock and stated as having a clean title.

$26k Budget (as of 8/20/12)
91' Red $25k http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/3094784105.html
91' Black $25k http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/3155931014.html
91' Black $25.5k http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3147448648.html
91' Red $15k (230k miles ) http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/3200630843.html
91' Silver $23k http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/3171080723.html
91' Black $25k http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/3213820011.html
91' Black $18k (168k miles though) http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/3186219529.html
92' Red $22k (177k mi in HI) http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/3208205012.html

Standouts (as of 8/20/12)
97' Black $32k http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/3143458454.html
99' White $28.5k http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/3215154187.html

Nice work Coconut!

 

[SuperSonic]

That's great what your doing. Really helps those looking for those good deals. Ps, love your avatar pic, I got a huskie too

 

[bigbadberry]

You are doing quite a service. I hope you have some good karma coming your way

 

[myw]

wow dood, thanks so much

is there anything we can do to help ? ie. if we find new links we just add it to your list and cut and paste the updated list into the thread as a reply?

 

[Coconut]

^good question. I was planning to just update my second post with my findings so I think the best way would be to post up a link and then I'll add it to my second post. Quoting my second post and adding to it would clutter this thread with outdated info.

 

[NSX2398]

Great work Coconut!! I have added a pointer to this thread from the "Buying and Selling Resources" part of the "Purchasing an NSX" category of the NSX Wiki. I don't know if you were already aware that someone had created a Wiki page for Buying and Selling resources which is the first one in that same section.

Can I also suggest that in your checklist you add a suggestion to contact the sellers and get the VIN which they can then Google and if there is already an entry in the NSX Registry on Prime, it should show up in the results and this may give useful information on prior owners; Carfax results that people have posted .. or just discussion here on Prime. The problem I find with Craigslist is that the VIN is rarely posted in the ad. Only 2 of the ones you have listed had the VIN and neither had a record in the Registry (although they do now because I added them).

I'll make a deal with you ... if you find an NSX for sale on Craigslist that has a VIN and it isn't in the Registry, send me a PDF of the ad (PrimoPDF is a good free PDF creator) and I will create an entry.

 

[Coconut]

^Thanks! I wasn't aware their was already a Wiki page.

The main reason why I made this thread is to help new buyers locate an NSX, plus I've been getting alot of requests asking me to help locate specific cars. Everything after that (checking VIN, PPI, payment process, etc) would be up to the buyer since their is a plethora of info already on these subjects.

I will go ahead and update my checklist though since the VIN is an important part of the process. It would be very time consuming for me to jot down all the VIN numbers and create a PDF since I literally go through 100+ pages one by one to weed out the bad ones. I hope you understand.

 

[thedon67]

nice work indeed!!!!!

 

[Yinzer]

^good question. I was planning to just update my second post with my findings so I think the best way would be to post up a link and then I'll add it to my second post. Quoting my second post and adding to it would clutter this thread with outdated info.

Will that be possible? I thought posts were un-editable 30 days after initial posting? Or does the clock reset after the recent edit?

Ha ha, well, after getting over the very mild disappointment of seeing my "find" (99 GPW) freely announced to the world after diligent daily searching work on my end including hours taken to develop a small network of friendly additional eyes/Primers to seek a GPW, I'll share some addidional hints for those in the trenches with me now that the playing field has ben leveled somewhat. What comes around, goes around, right?

After getting the VIN for one you're very hot on, don't delay on the carfax because often some dealerships who serviced that car are listed on the carfax. Most every service manager I've called is willing to look up history and provide verificatioin of maintenance as well as often some off the records comments, like that car is a gem, or that car was really rough and needed a ton of work, or that car's had some bodywork. The only catch is that often dealership databases go back only a few years old as most seem to purge their system data regularly.

Secondly if you're really hot on one, don't delay too much scheduling a PPI, which often officially or unofficially secures your place in line. Sellers want a hassle-free transaction and your getting a PPI scheduled puts real confidence in them about this actually going thru, possibly further helping your case by allowing them to be in less of a hurry to answer all the ongoing emails and phone calls from window shoppers and your competition. Somewhat related - definitely contact any cofirmed technician or guru who worked on the car, if you have the luxury of knowing who that was from either the seller or the seller's ad. I've often learned a different story than what the seller presents just by being courteous to the technician/guru by not taking up too much of his time and by coming across in a way that assures him you won't "rat out" his honesty to the seller in a way to cause friction between the two.

Third, if the car is more than a day's road trip away, I've noticed many sellers being reluctant in anticipation over potential hassles with organizing the shipping, with you taking forever to come get it, or you later trying to further negotiate because of shipping or travel. As one who's been there often, sellers want an easy transaction just like you so consider assuring the seller upfront that you know your travel or shipping plans (and timing) and won't pull a bait & switch later.

Those are a few that come to mind from having been there often on both sides, I hope it's not too redundant to anything else posted here or in the wiki Buying area.

Good luck to you and me.

 

[blue_myriddn]

Going to be challenging to keep that updated.

What I would also suggest to potential buyers is to do exactly what Coconut is doing, except over a few months. What I did was start a table (excel, evernote, whatever is best for you) and list the following:

Year | miles | price | date | colors | VIN

Cars that sold I swapped to grey text.
Cars that had a price reduction, I used strike out text and put the updated information below (copy/paste, insert new price).
Any car with a salvage title got a "S" after the year. Example "1996 S"

I sorted the list by year and then price.

After tracking for several months, I had a pretty good ballpark. Getting a "good deal" on a car takes effort, if you don't want the effort just pay full price

 

[Yinzer]

BTW - Coconut, thanks. I forgot to say that. I already sent you a PM if you'd kindly be able to help me with my specific search.

Secondly, to really put it all out there - somewhere on Prime I saw mention of a website that crawls all sorts of online vehicle for-sale websites and allows you to sign up for notifications for the type you're looking for. I made the mistake of not noting that site. I know Coconut mentioned having some Secret Sauce recipe that does something similar and probably more comprehensively than that particular, but nonetheless - does anyone know what site I'm talking about? There are many that claim to do a comprehensive job (www.carsforsale.com) but really they don't.

Thirdly - don't forget to take your vitamin DL every morning. Hard work and research always increases your chances of being lucky, but dumb luck is sure nice too when it kicks in.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Going to be challenging to keep that updated.

What I would also suggest to potential buyers is to do exactly what Coconut is doing, except over a few months. What I did was start a table (excel, evernote, whatever is best for you) and list the following:

Year | miles | price | date | colors | VIN

Cars that sold I swapped to grey text.
Cars that had a price reduction, I used strike out text and put the updated information below (copy/paste, insert new price).
Any car with a salvage title got a "S" after the year. Example "1996 S"

I sorted the list by year and then price.

Agreed, with the 90 day time limit on editing posts, it may be easier to put up a link to a public Google document that lists the info rather than including it in a post here. It would also solve the problem of people quoting outdated/expired links.

Anyway, it's really awesome of you to offer this service, Aaron! I still owe a great debt to you for helping me find my 93, and I can't thank you enough.

Also, if this gets to be too overwhelming you may want to consider limiting this service to those who have contributed to this site rather than every Joe Blow. As I have stated before, I prefer to assist members who are active and supportive of Prime, and am not particularly fond of lurkers who only leech and contribute nothing to the community.

Thanks again for your efforts!

 

[blue_myriddn]

FYI - http://nd.craigslist.org/cto/3169474113.html looks like a scam. That is a brooklands green car not black and not 2004

 

[blue_myriddn]

it may be easier to put up a link to a public Google document that lists the info rather than including it in a post here. It would also solve the problem of people quoting outdated/expired links.

Good idea. In the spirit of things, I converted Coconut's data to a Google document here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AoUZPoBB7r2QdFNDZUhPTlB2R3E5U0RSalNsWm5HWXc

 

[docjohn]

very nice resource guys,thankyou for contributing to prime:smile:

 

[Coconut]

I had no idea their was a 90-day limit on editing!

I will continue to edit my second post until the time limit is up. Afterwards I'll use the Google document that blue_myriddn so kindly started for me. :smile:

 

[Yinzer]

Agreed, with the 90 day time limit on editing posts, it may be easier to put up a link to a public Google document that lists the info rather than including it in a post here. It would also solve the problem of people quoting outdated/expired links.

Anyway, it's really awesome of you to offer this service, Aaron! I still owe a great debt to you for helping me find my 93, and I can't thank you enough.

Also, if this gets to be too overwhelming you may want to consider limiting this service to those who have contributed to this site rather than every Joe Blow. As I have stated before, I prefer to assist members who are active and supportive of Prime, and am not particularly fond of lurkers who only leech and contribute nothing to the community.

Thanks again for your efforts!

I agree with PHOEN$X on all counts - completely awesome of you to do this. But as a long time paying member of Prime and NSXCA who's not even an owner yet, it took a while for me to de-pucker when I saw the '99 GPW listed above. I wrote to the fellow on Saturday and have still not heard back. Could be he's just not an avid email reader and may eventually wind up replying to the newest emails in his inbox first, leaving my current (and future) diligent shopping work possibly neutralized...

I found it extremely hard to type that, because all's fair in love & war. I can't earnestly say that the worker ant deserves something more than the lucky grasshopper, because the occasional stroke of random luck is a wonderful thing...but I wonder how most of you current NSX owners would have felt if this thread popped up while YOU were shoppers.



Very respectfully,
Andy

 

[sazukas2k]

Besides the process above, I'm able to check the entire US to see if any new NSX's popup. It's time consuming so I'll only be willing to run these searches weekly. If you have a particular color/year you're looking for, shoot me a PM and I'll keep an eye out for it on my next search.

*The cars listed below are stock/near stock and stated as having a clean title. These are the ones that stand out.
*Please do not quote and add to the list. If you find a good one post it up and I'll add it to this list.

<$26k Budget (as of 8/20/12)
91' Red $25k http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/3094784105.html
91' Black $25k http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/3155931014.html
91' Black $25.5k http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3147448648.html
91' Red $15k (230k miles ) http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/3200630843.html
91' Silver $23k http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/3171080723.html
91' Black $25k http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/3213820011.html
91' Black $18k (168k miles though) http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/3186219529.html
92' Red $22k (177k mi in HI) http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/3208205012.html
91' Red $22.4 http://honolulu.craigslist.org/kau/cto/3150299227.html

>$27k Budget (as of 8/20/12)
97' Black $32k http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/3143458454.html
99' White $28.5k http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/cto/3215154187.html
91' Red $30k http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/3217498947.html
04' Black $56k http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/3200715866.html
01' Yellow $37k http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3216829239.html
04' Black $34k http://nd.craigslist.org/cto/3169474113.html
96' Black $38k http://allentown.craigslist.org/cto/3214506161.html
02' White $55k http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/3210528333.html

This one was bought by a cheezy local dealer now theyr'e asking 47k. LOL for a minute the add was up at the same time. There's also another local black one asking 16,5k on tulsa craigslist

 

[dirtbag]

Tucson? That's tempting. Only if I had a bigger garage then I can have two.

 

[Yinzer]

FYI - http://nd.craigslist.org/cto/3169474113.html looks like a scam. That is a brooklands green car not black and not 2004

I called on this one before seeing your post above. Though I am seeking GPW, the idea of buying a low mileage black '04 from a little old lady who used the car only to drive to church and the supermarket and always highway miles only of course piqued my curiousity to at least inquire. Plus I've been taking my Vitamin DL lately.

Talked to the wife of the owner. Gut feel impression: she seemed very nice and not scammy, but very admittedly not mechanically inclined. Is the wife of a very busy businessman - she probably created the ad for him and probably unintentionally typo'd the 2004. Car is in Texas, they are currently in S. Dakota on new business (oil industry), so going on memory alone she considers the car to be black with very slight green highlights in the sun (ala Brooklands Green). No VIN handy since the car is far away. Tan interior, manual trans. Probably needs the majors (TB/WP, hoses, etc). Book of receipts with car.

She emailed me two photos I can share with anyone interested. If looking for a green/tan low mileage 94, sure looks clean at least on my iPhone. Seats look rather beautiful, some slight marks maybe on the center armrest, and shifter knob is backwards.

>>

Edit:

blue_myriddn - No problemo!

This counters my gentle "anti" sentiment above regarding spoon-feeding here, so before posting earlier, I searched "NSXs Wanted" thread titles for "green." Only around 10 came up back to 2002 and all were "no green please," which struck me as surprising. So I then PM'd a recent posting seeking a solid NA1 coupe just in case.

The seller I spoke with seemed so transparent and friendly, and the apparent lack of love in the Wanted section actually made me feel a little sorry for this great looking spotted elephant from the island of misfit toys and crooked houses. I'm actually finding myself hoping it finds a good home from a happy Prime member who later posts pictures of it warm & toasty in his garage.

 

[blue_myriddn]

Thanks for the update Yinzer, good to know it doesn't appear to be a scam.

shifter knob is backwards.

Matches the crooked house.

 

[yoojeankim]

thank you so much! this is awesome i've been lurking to get another NSX for a little and this helps me a lot

 

[PHOEN$X]

I can't earnestly say that the worker ant deserves something more than the lucky grasshopper, because the occasional stroke of random luck is a wonderful thing...but I wonder how most of you current NSX owners would have felt if this thread popped up while YOU were shoppers.

I guess it's a double-edged sword. We don't have eyes and ears everywhere, so this is a great resources for finding out about cars that aren't listed on Prime. The drawback is that the increased exposure to those cars can lead to additional competition and higher prices. As you know I am a benefactor of Coconut's work (and I'm very grateful for that fact!), but I'm aware that I may very well not have my 93 now had it been posted in a thread like this--as someone else may have beaten me to the punch. However, I probably wouldn't even have known about the car otherwise, so I guess I would rather have a fair shot than none at all.

On a side note, it kind of makes you wonder why sellers don't post their cars on Prime for increased exposure. Are they lazy, ignorant, or do they have something to hide? As a buyer I would hope for the former, but you need to be prepared for the latter, and exercise extra due diligence when looking at low priced cars. Don't rush into buying an NSX just because you're enticed by its price.

BTW thanks for sharing the info on the Brooklands Green! The car looks nice, I'm not sure why the color garners such little love. The photo of the crooked house is hilarious.