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super low mileage '91 worth the money?

fastaussie

fastaussie

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what do you guys think about this car? anyone seen it yet? anyone know anything about it?

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...0000&minPrice=25000&listingId=313886151&Log=0

the dealer seems pretty set on their price. they claim it's perfect and up to date on maintenance, but i have a feeling he has no idea what maintenance on an NSX is to begin with. the miles are definitely low, but is it worth $40k for a stock (with exhaust tips) '91?

i imagine this car is rarely driven and probably in need of a lot of maintenance work to get it up to date? dunno if it's in snap ring range? comments? suggestions?
 
I think it depends on how much you value a super low barely driven first year NSX. Because while the miles are almost non-existent, there are still many maintenance issues that need to be addressed with the 20 year old vehicle. At least $39k is better than the black one online with 5,700 original miles for $57k.

Now, if the PM has already been done, then it comes down to what you want to pay for a barely driven vehicle. 15,000 miles is crazy good... but for $39k, you could get a '96 NSX-T with 60,000 miles. just my opinion
 
I would personally rather have a newer vehicle with a few more miles rather than a old vehicle with no miles. But to each his own though.
 
fastaussie said:
dunno if it's in snap ring range?
Click to expand...
No. The transmission in that car when it was built was not in snap ring range. So unless the transmission was replaced during its first couple of years on the road - extremely unlikely - it is not a snap ring car. (Although you have to check the transmission ID number to be absolutely sure, the transmissions in the snap ring range started showing up in U.S. cars for the '91 model year with VIN's ending in somewhere around MT002400 to MT002500, and this one is MT000683.)
 
FYI....A listing for this expired on ebay a couple of days ago. I believe the high bid was $33k or so....didn't meet the reserve. The 'buy it now' was around the same $40k.
 
That car looks really good from the pics, but one small thing worth mentioning is that the exhaust is not original.
 
i agree with you guys, i'd personally rather have a newer car with 40k to 60k miles for the same price. especially if it's been driven and maintained.

i did see the exhaust tips (which the dealer said was the only non-stock part on the car) and that it was on eBay. just wondered what you guys thought? i'd consider it for the $33k it fetched on eBay, $40,000 just seems a bit much to me...
 
8400RPM said:
That car looks really good from the pics, but one small thing worth mentioning is that the exhaust is not original.
Click to expand...

Having recenly purchased a 1991 one owner NSX with less than 39K miles this my take on it: I am OK with the price of that NSX if it was a one-owner car, if it truly looks like the mileage inside and out (almost like new for a 15k car), if they have all the original equipment, if they have every single receipt and document for the car since it was sold that shows it has been maintained and driven on a regular basis, if it hasn't been abused, and if it is not in the snap ring range.

I will, and did pay for a car that meets those qualifications. Those cars deserve a price above market because they are not common.
 
I think the car is probably worth around $36-$37k. A '91 with up to date maintenance with between 50-75k miles usually fetches somwhere between $31-$33k.

Of course the demand is high and the supply is getting low, so prices are going to increase eventually.

The one negative thing about buying a low mile car is that you won't want to drive it too much because then the premium for the low miles vaporizes.
 
Last edited:
As someone who just bought a '91 with the exact same color combo and paid almost exactly that price with 16k miles on it I would say that the car is probably overpriced.

The reason I was willing to pay what I did for my car is because the previous owner had replaced all hoses and did the TB/WP maintenance, had all the stock parts, and was willing to pay for a very thorough pre-purchase maintenance for me (his dealership kept the car for 2 days, replaced all fluids, flushed the gas tank etc).

In other words I paid the premium for the peace of mind. I don't think I would get that from a dealership.
 
CarterK said:
As someone who just bought a '91 with the exact same color combo and paid almost exactly that price with 16k miles on it I would say that the car is probably overpriced.

The reason I was willing to pay what I did for my car is because the previous owner had replaced all hoses and did the TB/WP maintenance, had all the stock parts, and was willing to pay for a very thorough pre-purchase maintenance for me (his dealership kept the car for 2 days, replaced all fluids, flushed the gas tank etc).

In other words I paid the premium for the peace of mind. I don't think I would get that from a dealership.
Click to expand...

Congrats! :) How many miles do you anticipate driving your car annually?
 
Big_D said:
Congrats! :) How many miles do you anticipate driving your car annually?
Click to expand...

At the moment I'm going to guess around 1000-1500 per year. Although I say that now, when the weather is crap and I have about 1 day a week that I feel good about taking the car out. A nice long summer may change my estimations.
 
CarterK said:
The reason I was willing to pay what I did for my car is because the previous owner had replaced all hoses and did the TB/WP maintenance, had all the stock parts, and was willing to pay for a very thorough pre-purchase maintenance for me (his dealership kept the car for 2 days, replaced all fluids, flushed the gas tank etc).

In other words I paid the premium for the peace of mind. I don't think I would get that from a dealership.
Click to expand...


if the situation was the same as how you just described it with your car, i'd be willing to spend more on that particular car. however, i'm quite certain from talking to the bloke/dealer/owner that the maintenance is not up to date. and it seems to me that he wouldn't even know what the maintenance is to begin with. and that's exactly why (i think) it seems a bit overpriced...
 
Big_D said:
The one negative thing about buying a low mile car is that you won't want to drive it too much because then the premium for the low miles vaporizes.
Click to expand...

for me the low miles is a super positive thing. it means i wouldn't at all be worried about driving the car everywhere. as opposed to having one with much higher miles where i would take that into consideration before long trips or frequent around town driving...
 
As a benchmark, I bought a 91 blk/blk, 21K, two owner (second owner bought in 94, with 3.7k.) for $36 about a month ago. Full records since new, TB/Wb done...twice, last was 500 miles ago. Non snap ring. Will need tires and a couple of other little things. Never even looked on ebay, found in Indy and had help looking at the car (Mitch) who has forgotten more than I will ever know about the NSX.
Now for me I get to pay +6% to get into Canada so that takes the price up for me.
I think I paid a fair/good price for an all original completely documented car.
I just hope a hockey bag will fit in the back :wink:
 
I wouldn't worry about the miles and the amount of owners. As long as you have maintenance records, looks good, no accidents(run the vin) and the price is right. Personally I would be more concerned with mods on the car.
 
I think there are two different types of buyer for this car:

1. The enthusiast or car collector who would want the first model off the line and closest to the original vision and the original awe that the vehicle inspired right at the turn of the decade. I can completely understand this view and the desire to own a piece of history. For that buyer, a premium price for a 1991 (over a 92) makes sense.

2. The driver who wants one of the finest, most reliable mid engine vehicle that ever touched pavement to rubber. For that buyer, a later model vehicle with the improvements made over the year make more sense than the historical interest. That person would want the best bang for their buck.

So it is tough to evaluate a low mileage 91 as there ARE those collectors and enthusiasts out there. It is quite possible that the premium price is well worth it.
 

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