back in 02 when i was looking to get a sports car ....the toss up was between a 92 or the 93 nsx and the turbo supra.....well i found a bunch of
91's and 92 for 21 to 25k.....97 with a lot of problems like you mentioned....is not worth 30k at all.....not even close....

 

For a while I was thinking wtf does a Skyline racing a Formula 3 car have to do with an NSX Oh, never mind.

 

Edmunds is way off. Besides Zanardis (50 of them made in '99), you may never find a '97+ non targa coupe. They're that rare. And they'll be priced at least $25k more than those Edmunds values.

As far as this 97 that you're seeing for under $30k, please be aware that NSX's are prime targets for scammers. Almost anything you find that is $5k+ off market is a scam. Even the scammers are getting smart - they're posting asking prices that are close to a believable number, not the usual '$10k for an NSX' type ad that you're used to seeing.

Again, that was back in 02, when they were still making NSX's. 10 years ago, I helped a friend buy a '91 with 40k miles for $23k. Nowadays, that same $ will buy you a '91 with 140k miles.

 

I never had a problem driving my NSX in the rain as I was surprised as how well it does in the wet. Sill though I am a lot more careful when it does rain. In the last year of owning my NSX, we had literally a 40+ day of straight rain somewhere in the State of Hawaii. It was pouring rain nearly every day. During that time I was taking my ES300 to work. Unfortunately, my inlaws Camry had problems so while it was being fixed they used my ES300 and I had to drive the NSX to and from work everyday in the pouring rain. I was really surprised at how well it handled. Never hydroplaned, stopped very well as always, good visibility since. The only day I didn't take the NSX out was when there was major flooding on the freeway that I would generally take. Since my car was lowered and the underside literally sits about 4" off the ground I didn't want to take that chance. Other than that though wet weather handling as long as you don't do anything stupid is actually quite good.

Speaking of repairs and insurance. Ironically my 92 NSX was only $12 more a month than my old 94 Civic EX. Through State Farm I was only pating about $1050 a year.

For body work, you don't really repair the body on an NSX unless it is the doors or major repair. You simply replace the fenders. The rear 1/5 panel fenders are removable so you just buy a new panel and bolt it on. Most of the time when the aluminum fenders tear when it gets hit, so its not even worth trying to repair it. Front fenders are about $1200 each, and the rear 1/4 panel fenders are about $2500 each.

 

Your IS350 is your weekend car? And you're in Nevada? Then I'd trade it for a fun car like the NSX.

I love IS350's. But if it's just sitting there in your garage, you're just saving it for the next owner. I think the IS is a perfect daily driver, not a weekend enjoyment car. If you're not using it and it's just sitting there depreciating, I think it makes sense to trade it for an NSX. If you don't put a lot of miles on an NSX, you can enjoy it for years and then sell it without much, if any, depreciation.

As far as long term enjoyment, here's a story for you. A friend of mine was selling his old 15/16" rims off his '91, and I was there when the buyer came to pick them up. He was an older fellow in his 50's, and he was purchasing old, stock wheels with tires since it was cheaper than buying new tires alone. He drove so many miles that it made sense for him to collect used wheels and tires. He had personally driven 250k miles in his NSX, and he had driven every back road in California, from the coast to the desert. After all those miles and a decade of ownership, he still loved taking it out for weekend trips. I don't know of any other car that can provide the same level of enjoyment for that many miles. And here's the kicker: he's never been stranded.

 

That last post makes a lot of sense. I also have 2 kids. One 3 and one 4 months. The IS350 was a nice hybrid of speed and practicality. I think you are right about getting a fun car if it is for the weekend. I may pull the trigger this week if the car looks good overall.

 

I noticed in your sign you show looking for a 91-97 NSX. Here is a little hint to help with your search.

91-94 is really basically the same. In mid year 93 they upgraded the window regulators and center arm rest to include a cup holder, but those are minor and can be swapped in the earlier years. 93 also got the R-134a AC. I did the R-134a conversion on my 92 for about $150. In 1994 they upgraded to the 16/17" rims. This is a fairly large upgrade, but the brakes are the same so the rims will fit an earlier model. 91-95 are hard top coupes.

95-96 are NSX-T. All 95s are T tops. 96 you could now special order a Coupe, but special order Coupes from 96+ are extrememely rare. If you find one expect to pay a premium bercause they are in high demand. A lot of people choose the 91-94 specifically because it is a Coupe. 95 is technically the heaviest because of the extra bracing for the T tops. in 96 the revised that a bit to make it a little lighter, and 97+ are lighter still (Not lighter than the Coupes though) because gain of lighter better bracing and stronger/thinner aluminum sheet metal throughout the car.

97+ had the major revisions to the 3.2 motor with more HP and 6-Speed trans. This is a huge improvement.

2002 had the exgterior consmetic upgrades with fixed headlights, new side skirts and rear lower valence. Other than that though they are all basically the same.

 

I am looking for either a 91' or a 97' actually. The models that fit in between there are a little overpriced for the change in model year and they don't have much else. This 97' I am looking at looks pretty good right now.

 

I'm pretty sure there was a silver 91 with BBS LM wheels going for like 28k with 100k miles on autotrader.

 

You should just buy an 04 NSX. I may be mistaken, but one may have a hard time financing 30k on an 18 year old vehicle. I assume you have the cash in hand to purchase out right. Why not drop that 30k as a down payment on an 04 NSX.

 

Perhaps he likes the flip up headlights and the hard top coupe instead of a T top?

 

Yellow and Black you say? (It's an '01 targa top though and I bet they want a pretty penny for it with that low mileage.)
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/car/605433274.html

 

....I've been toiling with the idea of selling my 06 GS300 to buy a 97 - 02 NSX. I'm torn between how disfunctional the NSX may be for light travel within the state vs the mod factor like audio ( limited ) and performance.

I've been pricing them for a while, and actually the GS was a last minute substitute purchase when I thought I was gonna pull the trigger on a NSX a little over a year ago.