TLDude876

iTrader: (7)

The prices seem to be lowering a bit. a year ago a nsx under 40k was almost unheard of. I've seen a few examples around the 35k region. If I wasn't upgrading to a bigger home I'd try to scoop one

neuronbob

^^^^^
Smart man. House first, then NSX to park in the garage.

Good luck, wackjum. The market forces are indeed turning your way, at least some. Even when I bought 14 months ago, you could find gems for cheap if you looked hard....they just never lasted long, then ended up flipped for much more money.

wackjum

I got an NSX!

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

That's a nice stable! Specs on the nsx? Plans?
i always thought the bottom ass end needs the most attention from stock.

wackjum

Sorry I didn't mean to post and run like that. I picked it up from out of State. I flew in Friday, checked out the car, and bought it. Then I drove it partways home and stayed in a hotel, and finished the rest of the trip today.

Just before I got home, the tenant in my rental called and said the hot water was out. So I basically got home, threw some tools in my truck, and went off to see if I could fix it. So it has been pretty busy and I'm just now getting off my feet.

Anyway, the car is a 1992. It has 122,xxx miles. Mechanically, it is in very good condition (I just drove it about 800 miles). The exterior I would rate a 7 out of 10. The interior I would give a 5 out of 10. It will need some work to get back to 100%. It is stock, except for an aftermarket alarm and Tein S-Tech lowering springs.

I will give a much deeper review later.

TylerT

iTrader: (1)

More pictures!

Very nice pickup ... makes me want an NSX right about now

p.diddy

iTrader: (3)

Congrats!

knight rider

iTrader: (1)

Congratulations!

wackjum

Here's a few more pics from this morning as I was cleaning the bugs off and throwing away trash from the roadtrip.





Sorry about the sunlight. In the mornings the driveway gets direct light.

nanxun

Congrats! So envious right now. Is this an addition to your already impressive stable? Or did you sell something to make room in the garage?

Yes, more pics, please! :wink:

EDIT: Was just moved to search for a first-gen NSX near me and stumbled across this garage-queen for $70k.... The undercarriage looks immaculate!
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/6072901004.html

wackjum

I did not sell another car. So I am going to have to install a 4 post lift sooner rather than later. For the time being, I will store a vehicle at my parent's garage to make room for the NSX while I work on the various little issues on the NSX.

To keep with my "1 car loan at a time" principal, I accelerated payments on the SL55 to get it down to a comfortable striking range when I could knock it out with some savings. It will be paid off in May.

I ran into some problems trying to buy the NSX though, which took me by surprise at first since I have bought so many cars. The main problem was trying to get a loan since the NSX is considered a "classic car." In my mind, a classic is a 60's Corvette, but obviously I am dating myself because the NSX is now a 25 year old car. Interest rates were in the double digits if they would even loan at all.

But then my bank came up with the idea of using the 911 Turbo as a "title loan" which I had never considered. I always associated those with payday lenders. The interest came to 2.00% for 4 years, which is pretty good in my opinion. So I went with that. I own the NSX outright, and have a note on the 911 again.

nanxun

Wow. That is some SERIOUS financial juggling! Still envious over here.

UNCTYPE-S

Welcome aboard!

wackjum

I've had a lot of time to think about my NSX build. I've been wanting one for years. My grandiose plans so far (but you know what they say about plans, they never survive first contact with the enemy):

Exterior:
1. Lowering springs (already done by previous owner)
2. Volk TE37 in gun metal or black finish
3. NSX-R style rear spoiler in CF
4. NSX-R style mesh side intakes
5. Clear front marker lamp
6. NA2 rear valance

Interior:
1. Replace trim pieces with either CF or FRP painted "brushed aluminum"
2. Replace steering wheel with S2000 wheel in CF or perforated leather
3. Mesh NSX-R shift boot and knob
4. Replace radio with double-din modern unit

Performance:
1. Pride exhaust
2. Headers

So that's the wish-list so far.

dallison

I have done that before, our credit union makes it easy to do so. Congrats on the new ride. Were you able to get it for a decent but not inflated price?

Jakes_tl

Congrats! Looks like it went to good hands and will get much deserved love!

CCColtsicehockey

Congrats on the pickup. Heck of a garage you got now.
Those seasts at least in the picture look in excellent shape for that mileage and age.

00TL-P3.2

Definitely photographs better than you rated it.
Crazy that rates were so high. Our C.U. has a guaranteed rate as long as your credit score is 740+, will be either refi-ing our Flex to them soon, or replacing it with another.

oonowindoo

Nice!!

now all you need is a R34 and a Supra. Your collection will be complete

wackjum

Thanks. It is hard to say if I got a deal or not because the NSX market is currently just all over the place. FYI I bought it for $37,000.

I'm not fantastically wealthy. I just live a very modest life and I have the full support of my wife who is also a car enthusiast. I don't necessarily view these cars as investments, but I do rely on the expectation that they will be a store of value. If they go up, that's a bonus. If they drop a few thousand here and there from what I paid, that's also acceptable as a cost of ownership and enjoyment. But if they suddenly become worth half or less, that's going to be a blow to my plans and expectations in this hobby.

So from that perspective I think I overpaid by maybe $2,000 to $3,000 on what I would have been more comfortable acquiring an NSX for. In other words, I think I would be more confident I could break even or come out ahead if I had acquired it for $3,000 cheaper.

On the other hand, the market doesn't appear to be stagnating and actually may appreciate, so to me the risk was reasonable. It was becoming harder and harder to find a clean higher-mileage example and I didn't want to wait too long and get priced out of the market entirely. This particular car was being sold in a very small town. I flew into Memphis, which was the nearest major airport, and it was still a 2 hour drive to where the car was. I think that helped me undercut the market a little.

So yes, I bought the NSX for what I believe is at or under market rates for an NSX of this condition. But I also think the market is overpriced. But then I thought they were overpriced in 2012 when a car in this condition would have been under $30,000...

The seats are very good, especially for the age. But there are a few issues. On my scale of 1 to 10, 1 being a theft recovery and 10 being a near flawless restored car, the interior is kind of shabby (it is not shabby at all for a 25+ year old car if you look at it from that perspective). The sun visors are all split and the foam is coming out. The doors creak and pop when being opened because the bushings are worn and new bushings are not available from Honda so an ad-hoc fix will need to be employed. The windshield is not original and also doesn't seem to be a top tier replacement. The radio, cruise control, and windshield sprayer don't work. The turn signals don't auto-off after a turn (a very common issue on the NSX). The knee bolster/trim piece under the steering wheel will not stay in place and feels like all the tabs are broken, and the car is kind of dirty. It really needs a deep cleaning going into the harder to reach areas. Also the trunk had moisture intrusion at some point (another common issue but I'm told this has been fixed) and so the carpeting in there is stained, dingy, and slightly moldy smelling.

Exterior wise, the front bumper has a crack in the paint at the bottom passenger side. I can't tell if it is also a crack in the bumper itself but it doesn't look that way. It may also have a little bit of bondo on the front bumper near the passenger turn signal. Some of the rear tail lights have condensation. The engine cover is really dirty and worn and looks like it came from the underside of a 90's Civic hood.

Overall, it is not huge, but it will take some work and money to get it from a 25 year old car that was taken care of but worn, to something more befitting a classic supercar.

I call it a bank, but it is Shell Federal Credit Union here in Houston. I use a mainstream bank just for convenience but all of my car loans are done through either Shell FCU, Houston FCU, or First Service CU. At first I was pre-approved. But then once they heard it was a 1992 Acura, I had to get special approval. Some wouldn't approve it at all, but if they did it was under a classic car loan and the usual interest rates didn't apply. To the loan officers, I was dramatically overpaying on a 90's Honda Accord and they couldn't understand why. A lot of times the car wasn't even in their system.

wackjum

I'm out of garage space. I can't fit a 2nd lift without extensive modifications to the garage.

I've hatched a wild plan to buy an R34 now, and then store it at my friend's parent's house until the 25 years is up and I can import it (FYI this plan has no basis in reality).

Seriously though, my next acquisition once I pay off the loan, and assuming I can solve the storage problem (or sell something) will be either: Corvette C5 Z06, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, or Lotus Esprit (1988+)

00TL-P3.2

I did my F150 through Aggieland C.U. (Greater TX Federal C.U.) I want to say, IIRC, they guarantee .9% from 24-72 months (new or used) as long as you have a 740+ credit score. Not sure if there is a year limit on those terms.

I vote Esprit, only for the rarity, can't recall the last time I saw an Esprit on the road here in Houston.

oonowindoo

Other than the SL55, i think the 911 and NSX's value will appreciate. so i assume your next purchase will have to be the same. whatever that will make you the most $

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Congratulations!

Costco

Congrats, I always like following your project (sorta) threads. I foresaw this purchase coming anyway

synth19

congrats! Consider this as part of your "cushion," because you won't lose money on it....

neuronbob

Late to the party...but congrats! Been on the NSX owners page on FB mostly instead of Car Talk here. $37k is not a bad price for what you got, in today's NSX environment. Done any updates in the two months you've had it?

wackjum

Thanks! I put some Prodrive GC07 wheels on it. That has greatly improved the looks and performance of the car. The stock tires on the fat fives had really squishy sidewalls. The car's reflexes are sharp as a knife now.

My NSX with Prodrive GC-07 wheels and Yokohama S-Drive tires.

I had an unexpected circumstance at the end of May. An electrical storm came through here and somehow our A/C system got hit with a power surge and fried the compressor. Replacement cost was around $2,000 but due to the age of the entire system, we opted to just replace the entire house's system for around $10,000. So that's going to take a bite out of modding the NSX for a while.

Also, everybody should install a "whole house surge protector" on your breaker box. You can get them for ~$100 on Amazon and it would have likely saved our A/C unit. I didn't even know such a thing existed, but since my learning experience I have installed 3 (house, rental, and parent's house). Takes about 15 minutes to install but could potentially save you thousands.

Here's the one I bought:

Amazon

Amazon

CCColtsicehockey

Really like those Prodrive wheels on your NSX. Nice choice.

nist7

Beautiful NSX!

And a great, unexpected life pro tip. Off-topic, but with how nice that neighborhood looks...I'd think that most modern-ish houses would have something like installed already....to protect the circuit-breaker panel/house itself if the surge is too hot from random acts of god as another buffer for the breaker panel. But great to know this and I'll definitely have to remember to get this in the future for my own home....

00TL-P3.2

New wheels look great! We're closing on our new house this week, will have to look into the home surge. Hoping we don't get the trop storm they're predicting for later this week

wackjum

Actually the photo was taken at a friend's house. I was sitting there waiting for him to come back to give me a ride in his new Viper so I took the pic of the NSX.

But even his newly built house (2016) did not have a whole house surge protector. I've taken a keen interest in this since my incident and I've been looking at everybody's panels. My house was built in the 80s and definitely did not have any protection. Out of all of the panels I've look at since (around 6), only 1 house that was built this year had surge protection included and it was a higher end home.

During my research, I uncovered a lot of horror stories. One guy lived in an area with two sets of power lines. You had the 8,000 volt line that feeds the neighborhood, and then the stepped down 240 volt lines that ran to houses. A tree branch fell on the 8,000 volt line and pressed it down onto the 240 volt line, sending all of that into his house. He lost his breaker box, appliances, dimmer switches, home alarm system, and a bunch of other things.

I've got all of my personal electronic devices on surges. I've always done that. But you never stop to think about the stuff that plugs directly into the wall like your A/C Compressor, refrigerator, kitchen appliances, washing machine, etc.

neuronbob

Prodrives are always a solid choice for the NSX. Thanks for the tip. I'll have to find a whole house surge protector. Seems like inexpensive insurance even in my house, built in 2000.

wackjum

Oh yeah, home insurance did not cover the A/C unit. They will cover a direct lightning strike but they wanted a report from an electrician, weather report for the day, etc. Ours was not direct, although it was definitely a wider problem because our neighbor lost their A/C as well.

Also check out this video:
I've hijacked my own thread but if it helps somebody avert a costly incident, I'm all for it.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

hijack

https://acurazine.com/forums/home-ga...-surge-381533/

dallison

I think you paid a decent price too. Sometimes it may seem like you had paid a little too much, but you are normally getting something that was taken care of more than others. And that is worht the extra money.

Congrats on the new toy, it's beautiful.

nist7

One last hijacked comment....this is a great page with explanations about surge protection : https://www.stevejenkins.com/blog/20...ge-protection/

Looks like there are 3 types of SPD (surge protection devices).
Type 1 - between the utility pole and the mainline/power meter of the house (protect from high level surges)
Type 2 - at the house breaker panel to protect the branches of the lines going into the house
Type 3 - your standard everyday surge protector outlets and strips bought everywhere

Looks like it's best to have all 3 lines of defense. Problem is that apparently Type 1 SPD need power company persmission for installation cause apparently they need to shut off the power for the device to be installed and there are stories of certain areas not even allowing that.....

Good video here as well:

wackjum

Congratulations on the house! Hope it goes well.

The storm seems to be missing us too

I read about the Type 1, but it doesn't seem to be that common. Such a device would protect from the biggest surges like a direct lightning strike, but it is not absolutely necessary. It seems most sources believe a Type 2 is sufficient protection. A lot of manufacturers call the home breaker mounted SPD their "Type 1" (what Leviton calls their "Type 2").

But at this point, I'm really wanting a Tesla Powerwall and some solar (not the Tesla solar tiles though).

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

love your NSX!

Why no Tesla solar roof tiles? I think I saw they offer a slim solar panel that looks much sleeker than regular setups you see. I wonder if the Powerwall has a surge protector, it must.