New here.

[NSX4life]

Hey guys, I am new here, and have been watching this forum for about 3 or 4 months now. I can honestly say, that you guys are among the most classy individuals I have ever seen on a message board! Most other places are just crawling with morons arguing over why THEIR car is .000017 faster in the quarter and thus the best thing on the planet. But you guys seem to be REAL car fans! I am absolutely in LOVE with the idea of owning an NSX, and am in need of advice. I already did a search in the archives, and found some good stuff there, but I just need to hear it again. Anyhow, I can only afford a used NSX if I can keep my payments at 400 a mos or lower. I read the threads that said you can find some places that will finance older cars for longer periods, even up to 72 months. So I suppose my spending limit is low 30's, since I have aBOUT 2,500- 4,000 to put down. I saw some BEAUTIFUL modded NSX's for sale, going for mid 30's. Are they worth it? I could swing a 450.00 payment, but only as long as I know I'm getting a good deal, with most the problem areas repaired. ( most were ). Anyhow, what do you think of getting a 91 or 92? Anyone selling theirs? I'm having trouble finding ANY NSX's in the St Louis area, and have a feeling I will need to expand my search. Thanks!

CW

 

[justin hall]

there is a very knowledgeable owner in your area that I think goes by sjs or something like that. he can probably help you with the best dealership referrals, etc. to answer another of your questions, I would have no problem buying a clean 91-92 as long it is not in snap ring range unless it has been fixed. you should be able to find a NSX within your price range that are absolutely "worth it", I am sure others on the board can help you with financing referrals. another knowledgeable owner, todd in florida (nsxotic?) is a dealer and can probably help. one other thing, you will almost certainly have to expand your search outside the stl area. many owners in other areas will check out cars on your behalf before you have to hop on a plane. if you happen to find one in the sacramento area let me know.

[This message has been edited by justin hall (edited 30 October 2001).]

 

[NSX4life]

Hey thanks for the response!
I have been searching autotrader for NSX's and found a 92 with less than 30k miles on it, going for 26k because it had a salvage title. It had a lot of nice stuff on it ( upgraded stereo, exhaust, wheels, bodykit with paintjob ) but from what I gather, you guys recommend staying away from salvage titled NSX. I owned a Integra GSR with salvage title, and never had a single problem with it, but I know the NSX is another beast entirely. The NSX would have to be my daily driver, so reliability is certainly important to me. I would love to talk to any NSX owners in the midwest area!
Thanks again.

Hey, how do you guys manage with the little storage space? That's my only drawback I can think of to getting an NSX. One of my hobbies is trap shooting, and I can't see my large gun cases fitting anywhere in the NSX.

Guess there's something to be said for carpooling huh?

 

[nsxtasy]

I have aBOUT 2,500- 4,000 to put down.

It sounds like you might be stretching yourself financially, and the purchase of an NSX might be unwise for you. I'm sure you don't want to buy a car and then find out you can't afford to keep it.

Keep in mind that an NSX is expensive to run - tires, scheduled maintenance, tires, insurance, unexpected repairs (clutch $2K, a/c $2-4K), tires, etc. - you get the idea. Have you figured out whether you will be able to afford all those expenses in addition to the monthly payments?

We had a similar discussion a while ago, and you can read it by clicking here. There are some excellent comments in there by a number of folks. Please keep in mind that that thread degenerated somewhat, and might detract from the glowing comments you've posted about these forums, but that's okay. Take the serious advice there for what it's worth. It was given with the best of intentions and based on a lot of experience.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[ilya]

If you only have 4K to put down, you may need to look for longer term financing than the usual 60 months (which you mentioned).
20K over 60 months w/ a decent rate is around $400/ month. If you find an NSX for mid 30s and have to finance the rest, you are looking at between 500 and 600 dollars per month over 60 months.
OR, you can find an NSX with higher miles (70K-90K) which may be going for 30K. I bought my 92 with 76K and it was in incredible shape w/ all repairs.
That would mean you only finance 25K or so and that could get you into the mid-high 400s with only a 60 month loan. Consider it. A 72 month loan means you are paying that much more interest.

 

[PaulC]

I'm a NSX owner in St. Louis and thought I'd give you my thoughts on buying one here. I spent a year looking locally. There aren't many that come up for sale here, maybe one every 2-3 months and then not necessarily the right year/condition/color/price. Since I was specific about what I wanted, I ended up buying out of town (Long Island actually). It is more work to buy out of town but it gives you a much greater pool to choose from.
Feel free to Email me.

 

[NSX4life]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
I have aBOUT 2,500- 4,000 to put down.

It sounds like you might be stretching yourself financially, and the purchase of an NSX might be unwise for you. I'm sure you don't want to buy a car and then find out you can't afford to keep it.


Very true. I have considered the possibility of unexpected repairs etc. This is why I am looking for an NSX with a relatively new clutch, and other problem areas ( window reg.A/C etc ) already adressed. I've dealt with the whole tire thing on some of my Mustang projects ( 500+ hp ), and that's no problem. I can afford 400 a month no problem, and can push 450 if I "absolutely gotta have it! " Any more than that, and yes, I would be treading on thin ice.

Keep in mind that an NSX is expensive to run - tires, scheduled maintenance, tires, insurance, unexpected repairs (clutch $2K, a/c $2-4K), tires, etc. - you get the idea. Have you figured out whether you will be able to afford all those expenses in addition to the monthly payments?

Yes, I will be able to. I prefer NOT to, but should the need arise, I can swing it. I'm in outside sales, so some months are better than others.


We had a similar discussion a while ago, and you can read it by clicking here. There are some excellent comments in there by a number of folks. Please keep in mind that that thread degenerated somewhat, and might detract from the glowing comments you've posted about these forums, but that's okay. Take the serious advice there for what it's worth. It was given with the best of intentions and based on a lot of experience.


Actually, yes I did read that thread. I don't care what others say, you guys are great!

Good luck with your decision.

Thank you.

 

[NSX4life]

Originally posted by PaulC:
I'm a NSX owner in St. Louis and thought I'd give you my thoughts on buying one here. I spent a year looking locally. There aren't many that come up for sale here, maybe one every 2-3 months and then not necessarily the right year/condition/color/price. Since I was specific about what I wanted, I ended up buying out of town (Long Island actually). It is more work to buy out of town but it gives you a much greater pool to choose from.
Feel free to Email me.

What did you end up deciding on? I've bought two of my previous cars out of state, and yea, it's a bit more work,, and the anticipation is a killer! As you may have guessed, patience is NOT one of my strong points!

 

[tabasco]

Originally posted by ilya:
...20K over 60 months w/ a decent rate is around $400/ month...

Real close, it's actually 405.53 @ 8% interest. Use my handy-dandy calculator here: http://polaris.umuc.edu/~rschinne/Calc.html to calculate your monthly payments.


------------------
'00 Candy Apple Blue / Black

 

[steveny]

So I suppose my spending limit is low 30's, since I have about 2,500- 4,000 to put down. I saw some BEAUTIFUL modded NSX's for sale, going for mid 30's. Are they worth it?

If you be patient and buy the right car they are worth every penny you will spend.


I have been searching autotrader for NSX's and found a 92 with less than 30k miles on it, going for 26k because it had a salvage title.

Don't do it you will never forgive yourself.

One of my hobbies is trap shooting, and I can't see my large gun cases fitting anywhere in the NSX.

Also one of my hobbies. Any of my shotgun's or riffles fit perfectly behind the passenger seat. They skeet thrower fits in the trunk along with one case of clay pigeons.

Keep in mind that an NSX is expensive to run - tires, scheduled maintenance, tires, insurance, unexpected repairs (clutch $2K, a/c $2-4K), tires, etc. - you get the idea. Have you figured out whether you will be able to afford all those expenses in addition to the monthly payments?

True, But its soooo worth it.

I'm a NSX owner in St. Louis and thought I'd give you my thoughts on buying one here. I spent a year looking locally. There aren't many that come up for sale here, maybe one every 2-3 months and then not necessarily the right year/condition/color/price. Since I was specific about what I wanted, I ended up buying out of town (Long Island actually). It is more work to buy out of town but it gives you a much greater pool to choose from.

I had the same trouble looking near home. It took me one and a half years to find a good car and that one was a six hour drive away.

Actually, yes I did read that thread. I don't care what others say, you guys are great!

Thank you for the compliment.

Take your time . Keep reading these forums while you look. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions you have. Do not buy a salvage car. The NSX is a refined piece of equipment that would take a master to put back together in the correct way. E-mail me if you would like more info on salvage cars. I have put a few back together and could help you from buying a car that has been wrecked and does not reflect that on the title.

 

[Nsxotic]

Everybody seems to be giving you good advice but, outside of ilya and tabasco, no one has pointed out the math problem we have. It's a big one....... At around 30k selling price, you need to add tax, tag, title and fees. With your 3k down, you are still financing 29kish..... not 25 or lower. This number at 9% for 5 years is 600/mo. Go 6 years and you come down near 550. Anytime you finance over 60 months, you will take a rate bump due to higher risk to the lender. Other variables: 1. [RATE] Will you get 9% ? That's a good rate for a 91-93 car. Do you have excellent credit? If not, you'll be looking closer to 13-15%. That's now 675 and 600 for 5 and 6 yrs. respectively. 2. [PRICE] Given this, you need to look at a less expensive car or put much more money down. Less expensive, ie. salvage, rebuilt title, etc....... , not a good idea for a car firstly and secondly, you will have big problems getting a bank to finance a car with a salvage title. So this kinda hurts your plan to finance the 26k NSX you spoke of earlier. Bottom line is this... Forget about the cars around 30k. You need to find a higher mileage, well kept, clean title NSX for about 26k. Put down your quarter and finance around 25k+. Have very good credit, get a rate around 9.5, go 72 months and you'll get yourself right around 450/mo. Your MAX as you say. The car you need is out there. (I've never seen one, but....) There might be only a couple, but I believe it's out there, especially now with the decline in market prices........ LOOK HARD, BE A GOOD NEGOTIATOR, HAVE YOUR FINANCING IN ORDER AHEAD OF TIME, AND JUMP WHEN YOU SEE IT. Good luck.

------------------
Todd Arnold

http://www.geocities.com/nsxcessive/index.html

 

[milz50]

I would strongly suggest finding a financier before you look for the car. I had an incredible time finding anyone who would finance a private party sale on a car that was older than 5 years. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places, and if so you might look for a suggestion from someone else. I never did find any one who would lend me 10k at a rate better than a credit card. Once they found out that the car was 10 years old, was being bought from a private party and I was not a homeowner they showed me the door. They didn't even look at my income, assets or credit history.

Just my experience, I wish I had some advice.

Good Luck.

 

[hejo]

Originally posted by milz50:
I had an incredible time finding anyone who would finance a private party sale on a car that was older than 5 years. .... I never did find any one who would lend me 10k at a rate better than a credit card. Once they found out that the car was 10 years old, was being bought from a private party and I was not a homeowner they showed me the door.

This is pretty standard even with an extremely high credit rating. I hate to say it NSX4life but it sounds like you're really pushing it own an NSX right now given your current financial situation. It's been said here before it's one thing to buy an NSX but it's another to own an NSX.

While the NSX is a wonderfully designed and engineered car it does require maintenance. There was a recent post on timing belts. It struck me the number of people who were kind of pushing back on getting them changed. For me tires and things like timing belts for 91-95 are not an option. If you can barely make the payment I hate to tell you that you're probably going to have a hard time with the maintenance. Do it right and yourself a favor. Save for another year. There will still be great NSXs for sale.

 

[NSX4life]

Maybe I should clarify a few things here. The reason why I threw out the 400-450$ figure, is because of what my financial situation is THIS month. I am an outside salesperson for a telecommunications firm, and with the economy being the way it has been for most of this year, sales were down, quotas weren't being met etc etc. Forced to rely on base salaries, rather than commissions and bonuses, I reviewed my finances and found that should worse come to worse, and I was at rock bottom, 400-450$ a month would be what I could afford. Now, with things heading back up again, and sales trickling back into my most grateful funnel, I can pull off 500+ no problem.I realize the NSX isn't the cheapest car to own, and I appreciate the genuine concern shown on this board. But I really do feel that I can afford this car as long as I don't go over 32k. I had considered an S2000 at one time, but the NSX just takes my breath away every time I see it. Besides, isn't purchasing another vehicle one of the greatest motivations to sell more? ( according to an old sales manager of mine ). Now, I know that it would be smart to wait a few months and make SURE that this month wasn't just a fluke, and that I can keep my sales up. But since I'm planning on my NSX search being a lengthy process anyways, that should not be a problem. It just may take me 6 months or more to find the "right one." Yes, I will go ahead and take care of the financing portion now, so that I can jump on the good deal when I find it. Again, thank you all for your concern, encouragement and wisdom. Now, where to start the search....

 

[Andrie Hartanto]

I said, if u are confident, go jump in and buy them. U are the only one that know for sure your financial situation is. Anyway, U can always sells them later on if u found out otherwise. Of course u might loose some money. But, hey, u get to what u wanted, even if it's only for a short time.