Few questions from a potential buyer

[Lord_Basil]

Looking at an early (1991) manual none targa tomorrow, maybe you would be kind enough to answer a few questions for me please?

How long to pull the engine out, given a two post ramp and decent workshop facilities?

Do the manuals suffer synchro wear or other gearbox worries? How much is a new clutch assembly (to buy only)?

I know the body is aluminium alloy, but is corrosion a problem anywhere, or in any steel parts? If so where is typical?

It'll have to live out, are they prone to water leaks into the interior?

How hard are these things to sell right now, and is 14k a sensible price for a sub 100K mile full history car that's never had paint?

Thanks.

[Silver Surfer]

How long to pull the engine out, given a two post ramp and decent workshop facilities?

Not much longer than any other mid engine car. There is a enough space...

Do the manuals suffer synchro wear or other gearbox worries? How much is a new clutch assembly (to buy only)?

No significant gearbox problem if you work if with normal care.
Clutch assembly is in the region of £800-1200 depending where you get it from.

I know the body is aluminium alloy, but is corrosion a problem anywhere, or in any steel parts? If so where is typical?

None

It'll have to live out, are they prone to water leaks into the interior?

None

How hard are these things to sell right now, and is 14k a sensible price for a sub 100K mile full history car that's never had paint?

Usual price around £15k-20K depending on car condition and how desparate the seller is.


SS

[Lord_Basil]

Thanks for the speedy reply. I'll see what it's like in the flesh, at least it's local to me, unlike most things I want to look at which transpire to be hundreds of miles travelling distances ;)

I see you are modding an MR2 MKI from your sig, this project of mine here:

http://www.driftworks.com/forum/technical/75968-any-interest-my-toyota-formaula-atlantic-4a-ge-turbo-conversion-build.html
might interest you, I am turbo charging a Formula Atlantic spec 4A-GE engine in a sports GT race car..

Thanks again, appreciated.

[AR]

How long to pull the engine out, given a two post ramp and decent workshop facilities?

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/TSB_91-037

Do the manuals suffer synchro wear or other gearbox worries? How much is a new clutch assembly (to buy only)?

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/TSB_93-010

I know the body is aluminium alloy, but is corrosion a problem anywhere, or in any steel parts? If so where is typical?

If you get an import it might not have underseal, all little brackets and OEM exhaust are prone to corrosion.

It'll have to live out, are they prone to water leaks into the interior?

Nope but as I and many other have discovered, if you leave it outside water might leak onto the cam covers and gey into the coils, eventually corroding them :)

How hard are these things to sell right now, and is 14k a sensible price for a sub 100K mile full history car that's never had paint?

Usual price around £15k-20K depending on car condition and how desparate the seller is.

Spot on, buy on condition and try to buy from an enthusiast, but 100k and no paint sounds hard to believe unless it looks like a cheese grater!

Good luck and post details so we can advise accordingly.

Cheers,

AR

[NSXGB]

Do the manuals suffer synchro wear or other gearbox worries? How much is a new clutch assembly (to buy only)?


Check it's not in the snap ring range, details here:
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Troubleshooting/transmission.htm

[AR]

Check it's not in the snap ring range, details here:
http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Troubleshooting/transmission.htm

Touche! I was earlier than you this time. :)

[NSXGB]

Touche! I was earlier than you this time. :)

:)

My excuse is that I'm working....honest!

[Lord_Basil]

Thanks, bit of a waste of time, luckily the car was only about 15 miles away just across the border into Cheshire. If I was after a corn thrasher I would have had something that sounded the part, and looked gorgeous. Sadly I was after something that sounded like state of the art *** engineering of the early nineties, as well as looking gorgeous. Terrible top end noises spoilt an otherwise, albeit at a cursory glance, honest car. I saw big ££££ signs as soon as it fired up :( 3 minutes after arriving I was on my way back home. Appreciative of your time gentlemen :D

[NSXGB]

I thought the ad said it had new camshafts, interesting....

[Lord_Basil]

What ad? I have driven a few NSX's and have, in fact, done a bottom end rebuild on one, years ago, albeit the engine was brought to me out of the vehicle. I remember they were all very top end quiet. This sounded tappety or maybe there even was some piston / little end noise. It sounded like I'd be pulling the thing apart soon though... I was actually going to treat the wife to it, as a surprise, albeit she thought I was going to look at it for myself. However it reminded of a debacle with a 928, some years ago, that she just loved and had to have, but which cost me days of work and machining time, for the thing to still be a floppy, gutless gas guzzler, with dodgy electrics, and a good way to get chummy with the local Porsche parts counter men, I was determined this would either be right or remain a secret from her. So nothing lost from her point of view ;)

[britlude]

hmmm, top end noise could be the lost motion assemblies for the vtec cam lobes...

[AR]

NSX engine top end quiet? Sawing machine is what they call it. Are you sure it was not just the normal valve train noise?

[NSXGB]

What ad?

I'm guessing it was the one advertised on another car site, silver yes?

[AR]

If you are looking for silver be careful about the silver 1993 withh 119,000. It is a dog of a car, with the owner DIYing all sorts. Looks to have front damage and looks ropier than when I looked at it a few years ago. Says same owner for the last 7 years so must be the same guy. I lost a 350 miles round trip after asking all the right questions.

[Lord_Basil]

Car was in Cheshire, silver with sub 100,000, apparently full main dealer history. With a top end sounding like a high mileage 70's Simca, and what to me sounded like top money for an 18 year old car, I won't be pursuing it :) Others I have seen / driven in the past weren't like that. It was only a ****'s stride away, so no big deal, thanks for your information.