Value of a second hand NSX or swap for a Porsche

[Deano]

Gentlemen,

I am looking to change my 911 Carerra 2 Cab for a Honda NSX and would appreciate a little help from the NSX forum.

I have found a few cars I am interested in and one is a N reg targa automatic with 14,000 miles on the clock and in excellent condition. On the downside it is purple and has a few marks on the wheels.

The price is £29,995 which I feel is very Top heavy and I would appreciate any comments you may have with regard to the price.

Is the automatic a big difference to the manual in terms of price and performance?

I have also found a 2002 car in silver again automatic with the targa roof and 19,000 miles at £38,995 I have not seen the car but the pictures look very good. Again I think it's too much money. Any views or advise would be much appreciate or indeed anybody interested in a deal with a Porsche could get in touch.

Merry Xmas to one and all and I look forward to the millions of replies!!!!


Regards


Dean

deanward@btinternet.com

[Nick Graves]

Downside? Midnight Purple?

Rare colour, not just 'me too' boring silver!

Actually, nearly bought a silver one myself, but I do think the colour's appropriate to the NSX.

If it's the car I think it is, it's been sat at the dealers at that price for over two years (SP cars IIRC?). That's the downside.

[Deano]

Nick,

Thanks so much for the quick reply and yes that is the same car. Do you think the purple is a good colour, would it have an effect on the resale at a later date. It's been for sale for 2 years so I guess that kind of answers that question.

In silver it looks very good and I think matches the NSX very well, red apprears to be the most popular colour and I have seen a few around the Surrey area.

Sorry to be a pain but I am so in the middle and can not make up my mind about keeping the Porsche or making the jump to the NSX. Is the auto a lot slower than the manual? My last 911 was a tiptronic and made no difference to the performance.

The figure of £29,000 for a 1994/5 car requires a lot of thought specialy if I could not sell it for 2 years.

Appreciate you time sir!

regards

Dean

[sportyking]

There are no bad NSX colours but if your personal taste is not midnight purple then get ready for a wait. A number of us had to wait 6 months plus for the right car for us to come along and I would say avoid rushing in on one deal because no other cars are out there. I would also advise you to sell the porker and be ready to pounce when the right car appears.

The auto is much slower in accelaration than the manual and as a consequence less desireable and usually cheaper . If you expect to use supercar performance the manual is the only one to have but if that is not a priority I would imagine the auto is a fine car (not for me though). The cars and prices you have mentioned should eventually find you a manual car of similar age/mileage.

The targa/tin top debate is a lively one on here with a mix of for against and not bothereds, I think there is little or no difference in desireability of targa against coupe.

I'm close (Wallington) to you but unfortunately I had to part with the NSX because a change in circumstances meant I could not give it the attention it deserved, but I would be than happy to be an extra pair of eyes should you want them when viewing.
I looked at a number and restricted myself to Honda dealers to reduce the risks involved but I was still surprised by the massive difference in quality within the dealers and even between cars in one dealership. It appeared to me that the prices were still largely based on the basic Age/mileage approach used on more "normal cars" rather than their condition and history.
There are at least 2 really nice examples nearby and I am confident the owners will be along to offer you a nose around soon enough.

Merry Chrimbo

[sportyking]

It's not the colour that has stopped that one selling for two years.

I would guess it's the price/Auto combination.
I have no idea if this is the one i saw over a year ago but that one was showing signs of lack of use and attention back then.

[jaytip]

Wanna buy mine ;)
http://www.nsxcb.co.uk/testvb/showthread.php?t=1928

[Papalazarou]

All good advice. If you want a good later car, there are a few on Autotrader for around the £40K mark, all in good resaleable colours i.e; red or blue.

Cheers,

James.

[cas]

I have one - it is a fantastic colour. At first I wasn't sure - now I wouldn't have any other. Every time I go and fill up some one comes and tells me how much they like the car!

Targa v coupe - in a Targa you can hear the engine properly - screaming down a country lane at 8k rpm with the roof off- the coupe does not even come close. However, it is not as rigid as the coupe, so you will never get around a track as quick. The choice is yours!

Try this - drive down a lane with the roof on and windows down - then take it off - I noticed a difference.

30k for a Targa? The NSX is complex and expensive to maintain, so, a proplerly looked after car is always going to cost. My ABS modulator has packed up it will cost 3k for Honda to replace, that is 10% of 30k. The NSX has many crippling expensive parts so if it has only done 15k miles you might be able to enjoy it for a while before it goes wrong. If you can get a 2/3 year mechanical warranty then....

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

[simonprelude]

The Silver Auto I would say is a better buy than the other one at the prices quoted, however it all depends on your budget, if you want an auto and if you prefer the facelift or a conventional pop up head light version.

The best bet I would say is to drive a few NSX's, auto's, manuals, 5 speed, 6 speed and targa.

Is the Yellow auto still for sale in Cambridge ??

[Martin]

Dean

The easiest NSXs to sell are manual coupes.

Autos are considerably slower and considerably less desirable than manuals, and SP Cars Auto NSX seems overpriced to me. I assume they are looking for this high price due to the low mileage, but high mileage is not an issue with the NSX as it has a bulletproof Honda engine.

Whether targas have much difference in handling/performance versus coupes is hotly debated here, but there is no doubt coupes hold their values better than targas due to the type of high performance car the NSX is.

Hold out for the right one. I don't think you have found it yet.

If targa is not an issue for you personally then I'd go for Jaytips as it is a well-known car in NSX circles....

Just my 2p...

Cheers
Martin

[jaytip]

If targa is not an issue for you personally then I'd go for Jaytips as it is a well-known car in NSX circles....

Martin
Thanks for that :D

[AR]

If targa is not an issue for you personally then I'd go for Jaytips as it is a well-known car in NSX circles....

Just my 2p...

Cheers
Martin

I agree, that Jaytips is value for money.

Cheers

AR

[WhyOne?]

Hi Dean,

I am reasonably new to NSX ownership (~6 months - I bought Ritchie/'Sportykings' car), but I owuld be happy ot meet up for a chat and a beer sometime (I live in West Sussex but work in Croydon - I lived in Banstead a few years ago so know the area pretty well!) My knowledge is limited, but you are welcome to poke around Y1 (my car - a 2001, 3.2 manual coupe) and I would be happy to take you for a drive if you feel that would help with your decision making process).

Let me know.

[NSXGB]

Has anyone ever gone to see the Purple Targa currently advertised at £29995? This has been for sale for years. Someone mentioned 2 years but I'm sure it was for sale when I was looking 3.5 years ago! I remember the photo and I believe it was advertised before as previously owned by a celebrity.

Is it a really bad example or just well overpriced?

[AR]

If it is the one Tara PT used to own I would check it well.

It might not be the same one.

Cheers,

AR

[Lankstarr]

Has anyone ever gone to see the Purple Targa currently advertised at £29995? This has been for sale for years. Someone mentioned 2 years but I'm sure it was for sale when I was looking 3.5 years ago! I remember the photo and I believe it was advertised before as previously owned by a celebrity.

Is it a really bad example or just well overpriced?

This has certainly been for sale for as long as I can remember. Havn't seen the condition but IMO it is overpriced and the paddles put people off. PRetty sure it has been the same price for at least 2 years.

Cheers

Luke

[simonprelude]

The one TPT drove was a manual R plate.


If it is the one Tara PT used to own I would check it well.

It might not be the same one.

Cheers,

AR

[NSXGB]

I seem to remember someone telling me that Elton John owned it?....I could be totally wrong though....

[Deano]

Merry Xmas and a big thank you to all that have posted and sent PM to me with regard to my original question, I will be in touch with a few and you know who you are! In the new year for advise and help.

The Purple NSX used to belong to Ian Botham and as far as I could see with my limited, no lets change that to No experience with the NSX it appeared to be in very good condition with the exception of the wheels. One or two marks but again nothing serious.

The chap selling is a very nice man and would be happy to do a deal with my Porsche with a cash adjustment in my favour. This was why I originally asked the question about the value.

I think that £29,995 is too much money for the car and I would imagine an inspection by Honda would be a good idea as often low use is worse than high use. I had this broplem with my Bentley as I used it little or often and incurred big service costs.

If the car is in top order and reqires no service work like Belts, brakes or whatever???? the golden question is

WHAT IS IT WORTH ???????????????????????????

I am going to buy one and it just depend when I find the right car, this could be it or the silver 2002 with 19,000 at £38,000.

Again thank you all for your help and replies to my original thread I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2007. And hope I can join and be part of the club...

Dean

[AR]

I would not pay more than £ 20 K for that NSX, but that is me.

Good luck on whichever one you go for.

Cheers,

AR

[Lankstarr]

Dean,

I think the purple one is worth 23-24 to the right buyer ... if the right buyer wants a paddle shift NSX. There are some threads on here about relative performance to the manual and from what I can remember the paddles are about the same as the auto, ie a couple of seconds slower to 60.

IMO that car would have been sold a few years ago for 28-29 if it were a manual but paddles obviously do not have any where near the same kind of following. I can't say if you would like the paddles or not but I would definitely recommend driving a manual as well as paddles.

I think that the silver 02 would be a better bet out of the two. It would be noticeably faster being a 3.2 and a manual and would require less servicing. Being so much newer and having not sat around it is also the safer option IMO. I would have thought that resale of the silver would be easier and would probably not hit you so hard with depreciation.

If the silver one is not quite right and you don't like the paddles maybe wait a month and see if another 35-40k late shape one comes up, it will be worth waiting for the right car .... unless you are too desperate of course!

Cheers

Luke

[AR]

it will be worth waiting for the right car



But do test drive as many as you can and do not discount any pontential cars on minor things, such as color or kerb wheels, even stonechips.

A newer car is better as Luke said, but all this is relative to the owners care.

Remember that if you buy from an enthusiast you can expect a better maintained vehicle.

Cheers,

AR

[Lankstarr]

But do test drive as many as you can and do not discount any pontential cars on minor things, such as color or kerb wheels, even stonechips.

A newer car is better as Luke said, but all this is relative to the owners care.

Remember that if you buy from an enthusiast you can expect a better maintained vehicle.

Cheers,

AR

Here here, one such minor thing that is not generic to all cars is condensation in the tail lights, an nsxism that can be made better but you may well have to live with.

There was a new shape silver car that was owned by an old gentleman and apparently required bodywork attention on nearly every panel. Not sure if this is the one you are looking at but if so it is definitely not a good example of an enthusiast's car!

L*

[NSXGB]

There was a new shape silver car that was owned by an old gentleman and apparently required bodywork attention on nearly every panel. Not sure if this is the one you are looking at but if so it is definitely not a good example of an enthusiast's car!

No, that was a manual. I was going to see that one, someone warned me about it. It was for sale in Enfield then more recently Bodmin I think...

[simonprelude]

Well a typical 1995 F-Matic Targa (if there is such a thing) I would say would be worth around £22,500

However it depends on how much the seller is loading the car due to the low mileage and provenance of the previous owner.

But looking on the very few cars for sale at the moment and the way the market has seemed to go since the end of production it's very hard to say.

But if you are wanting a Targa and F-Matic car then as there are so few around then unfortunately you will have to pay what is asked by a seller.

When it comes to resale though, you could either see yourself stuck with the car, or may have to take a financial loss.


WHAT IS IT WORTH ???????????????????????????

[Lankstarr]

Not really been covered so let's look at the silver 02 in terms of price. I think that a manual silver targa 02 would have been sold by now at that price (if it's a good one). Autos are definitely less desirable by the masses so do not hold their value as well. I'd put it at £36k if I wanted to make it sell, but I suppose holding out for more from the right buyer if I could afford to hold it as stock.

If you definitely want auto then you may have to pay for it, there are a lot less of them about so maybe this balances out with the desirability wrt residuals. So hard to place a value on it, but, from a dealer, certainly a more realistic price than the purple one.

Hope this is helpful and not just a load of babbly old waffle!

L*

[Nick Graves]

I'm with AR - £20K.

It's been stood round so long, I expect it to need serious brake corrosion attention by now.

Dread to think what it looks like inside the lump.

Trader's dropped a bollock on that one, I'm afraid.

[AR]

Certainly looks like the trader is not really motivated to move that one.

[Lankstarr]

All siad and done if Deano hadn't looked on here then he may well have paid 30k for the purple one. Maybe the dealer is driving it around as his day to day (with the speedo disconnected :lol:) and not all that fussed to sell. There must be some storey behind it as even the largest of dealers do not sit on stock for that long ... especially 30ks worth! Think how many times he could have turned that around on another car in the last few years!

Definitely something fishier than fishy going on!

L*

[AR]

Or maybe like many of the dealers that buy an NSX he is dilusional ( sp?) about the value of it.

Was there not a green f-matic one that was for sale for ages too, or is it the same car.

Cheers,

AR

[Deano]

Gentlemen and possibly Ladies!!!

Firstly happy new year to you all

I have been so impressed by the help and PM's that I have received from so many people on this forum and my sincere thanks to one and all...

The Purple One would appear to be a very nice car as to it's inner mechanical status I have no idea, some have suggested that such little use could make it have possible brake problems and I would hope that it has been to Honda at some point.

The seller is a very nice guy and I believe the car is his own personal baby! and has been used very little. I still think the price is over the top regardless of the low mileage in fact that may even be a problem if it has not been maintained or a least had a visit or two to Honda.

Celeb owner (Ian Botham) again does not give the car any more value but is a nice thing to discuss over a pint or to tell a prospective buyer!

The general feeling is that it is worth £22 / 23,000 and at the very most £25,000

The Silver 2002 car I have seen is Auto with the targa roof and has covered 19,000 miles and again in first class order. £38,995 a little top heavy??? But we will see how things progress and perhaps he will be a little more flexible when he gets hungry in Jan and Feb (LOL)

I would not pay the asking price of £29,995 for the purple car and may well sell my Porsche first to put me in a better position for when I find the right car.

Again many thanks to all who have helped and I would still welcome any more comments or suggestion...


Dean.

[Lankstarr]

Or maybe like many of the dealers that buy an NSX he is dilusional ( sp?) about the value of it.

Was there not a green f-matic one that was for sale for ages too, or is it the same car.

Cheers,

AR

A green one with beige leather rings a bell. Maybe this pruple one hasn't been for sale as long as I thought and it was the greenie for sale a few years ago:confused:

L*

[Deano]

As far as I am aware the car has been for sale for over 2 years...

If I was a Rich man deee dee didle de de deeee.... sorry!

[Sagacitas]

The Purple one has been for sale for a couple of years.

There was also a green tiptronic with beige seats that was for sale for years. It was also priced higher than you would expect.

Richard

[AR]

There was also a green tiptronic with beige seats that was for sale for years. It was also priced higher than you would expect.

Richard

That's the one I was on about, it looked nice and original, but way too much money.

Cheers,

AR

[Deano]

I have been away on business and must apologise to the people who sent me messages with offers of test rides and info. So sorry I did not respond but this was due to pressure of work and travel.

Regards


Dean
Still looking but no closer...

[Deano]

Gweeting Gents and ladies,

I am still looking for an NSX and still have the Porsche. Found a few interesting cars and am going to look at one this week and it's an Auto agen!

Too old and fat to press that clutch all day! Will keep you all posted

Regards


Dean

[TheSebringOne]

Hi, welcome back! So its nearly been 6 months & you are still waiting for an X? Have you only starting searching recently again? It took me 6-7 months before I found the one I wanted and its been well worth the wait! Where is this Auto you're looking at? :)

[Deano]

Thanks for the warm welcome on my return, I have not seriously been looking as I have been busy with work! But this car came along and we may be able to do a deal.

1999 Non standard wheels

30,000 miles

Purple

Auto

Targa

It belonged to a guy called Chris from Manchester and was advertised on here a few months ago for £26,000 I have sent him a message but have not had a reply. But then he has sold his NSX so may not even visit this forum, if you know him I would appreciate any headsup info about the car.

The price for the Automatic varies more on the NSX than any other I have seen so it is very hard to make sure you are paying the right price.

If you have time please take a look at the car and give me your opinion about the price, the wheels and the car.

Cheers

Dean

[TheSebringOne]

Dean, I think this would have sold by now since I'm sure it was being advertised at Pistonheads and may be sold via them? I noted this car came to the clubs attention in February as I noted you have replied to the other thread under FOR SALE, where you asked if the seller still has the car, but the seller isn't a member here, just using the forum to sell his car!
I live in Manchester and have never seen the car, infact in all the years here, I've only ever seen 4 other Xs! I personally think the price back in Feb was on the money or correct, expecially with only 29K miles, but I thought the wheels were OTT & too bling. Good luck in your search! :)