Market Finds: If You Don't Buy This Acura NSX, I Will

If You Don’t Buy This Acura NSX, I Will

By Petrolicious
April 2, 2014

The car: 1991 Acura NSX

Price: $26,500

Location: San Diego, California, USA

Original Ad: Click here

Today, Acura builds V6 sedans with over 300 horsepower, but when this 1991 NSX was built, 300 horsepower from a V6 was a revelation. So was a mid-engined Japanese exotic–even more so with Honda DNA, which meant it was easy to live with. Its design and styling didn’t play second fiddle to Ferrari either. We love these cars at Petrolicious and more than one of us have our eyes on NSXes. So, please somebody buy it or we’ll have to!

A total of 18,685 NSXs were built from 1991 to 2005, with 3,163 built for the U.S. market for 1991 alone. This San Diego-based ’91 is claimed to be damage and accident-free with a clear title. Both the original paint and interior are in excellent condition, with the cosmetics in comparable shape. NSX motors have a reputation for needing to be resealed, and the seller says this one didn’t require it but it was done as a preventative maintenance measure 7k miles ago, which included new gaskets, hoses, and upgraded cooling system. Fumes are directed through a Comptech full cat-back exhaust with test pipes. The suspension has been upgraded to a full TEIN coil-over system with Enkei Racing Wheels (like the NSX-R) on all four corners. For you audiophiles, a new Alpine system is always there for when you’re sitting in Southern California traffic. The odometer reads 161k miles, which sounds like a lot but, remember, this NSX has received great care since birth. For the price, this NSX is a great bargain that shouldn’t induce headaches from $2000 oil changes. Save us, please buy it!

Editor’s note: I’m not fooling around, I really liked this car and wanted to check it out. However upon contacting the seller, he informed me that he would not be allowing any test drives. I’m not sure who would spend roughly $25,000 on a car without driving it first (especially with over 160k miles on the clock), so proceed with caution.

If you know of a great, stylish car for sale and would like us to feature it, please let us know!

Petrolicious makes no claim as to the accuracy of the information contained in the car’s original listing, nor will it be held responsible for any errors in said information. If you’re interested in this car, do your homework and research it extensively before you buy.

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William Whisler
William Whisler
10 years ago

Where’s the standard airbag steering wheel? Was it in a front end collision?

rotorhead
rotorhead
10 years ago

No test driving, but, for some reason, it’s no problem to hire the car.
https://relayrides.com/car-rental/fullerton/acura-nsx/18281

motoring con brio
motoring con brio
10 years ago
Reply to  rotorhead

Wow! Good catch.

Stephen Fitzgerald
10 years ago
Reply to  rotorhead

Well there is the answer! Rent it for a test drive. Nice catch.

Yoav Gilad
10 years ago
Reply to  rotorhead

Pay for a test drive? I’ll pass. This car is not that rare…

JanMichael Franklin
JanMichael Franklin
10 years ago

Not so sure this would be my choice if buying an NSX. However, I’m glad to see the 90’s Japanese cars starting to be considered as classics. This was Japan’s greatest era in my opinion.

bcom
bcom
10 years ago

That’s crazy. You never buy a car, especially a used one, without driving it first. Even if the car looks mechanically sound, there is so much more you can tell about the car by driving it, throttle response, brakes, gear shifts, any irregularities in the way the engine sounds. Driving is a car’s purpose, therefore not being able to drive it first is like a sales assistant in a clothing store saying you can’t try on anything before you buy it. I can understand that it’s an NSX and not your everyday, run-of-the-mill Honda/Acura but to flat out deny a test drive just raises alarm bells.

Mike Jones
Mike Jones
10 years ago

Whats with the boost/vac and air fuel gauges? No mention of forced induction in the listing….

james m
james m
10 years ago
Reply to  Mike Jones

Plus no pictures of the engine bay. – What legit person spends so much time on the article and semi-pro pictures without showing the engine bay. Very suspect.

bcom
bcom
10 years ago
Reply to  james m

The ad also states that the engine’s almost had a complete rebuild recently so why no photos showing it off? I can understand the hesitance of letting someone test drive if you think they’re just a tire kicker, but if someone was dead serious and could prove they had the cash then you’ve got to give them the opportunity to test it on the road first. It almost seems like there might be engine issues that the seller doesn’t want the potential buyer to pick up on.

motoring con brio
motoring con brio
10 years ago

He’s probably trying to weed out the joyriders and tirekickers, which is understandable. If a buyer can show that he’s serious and qualified, I’d be surprised if that weren’t negotiable.

Benjamin Shahrabani
10 years ago

I’m sure that may be true but he doesn’t mention no test drives in his Ebay ad either.

Yoav Gilad
10 years ago

I told him who I was, that I’d be driving down from two hours away and what other cars I currently owned… no dice. Judge for yourselves.

Andreas Lavesson
Andreas Lavesson
10 years ago
Reply to  Yoav Gilad

With all that in mind, I’d be seriously cautious.

james m
james m
10 years ago

Totally agree. I wouldn’t allow test drives of my 92′ BMW k75 without cash in hand either. The liability is just too high. I bet if you gave him a bank certified check for the agreed upon rate he would be willing to let you test drive it.

Benjamin Shahrabani
10 years ago

No test drive? How about no sale? Yeeeesh.

JB21
JB21
10 years ago

Someone has to explain this to me. How do you improve the NSX’s suspension that Ayrton Senna tested and signed off?

And no test drive? That’s a crazy talk.

Sid Widmer
Sid Widmer
10 years ago

No test drive!? Yeah…no. As much as I want that car I would have to drive it.

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