1990 Acura NSX with 39,000 Miles Sells For $8,500, But There’s a Catch
Auto journalists have called the used car market “insane” or “nuts” hundreds of times over the past two years. For the most part, Journos were being hyperbolic. However, this 1990 Acura NSX selling for $8,500 with 39,000 original miles might actually prove that the used market has checked out and might never come back. $8,500 might not sound like a lot for such an iconic, low-mileage sports car; in fact, it sounds like a screaming deal. But there’s a problem, a big problem.
Meet the cheapest, most over-priced Acura NSX in the World
Ok, the suspense has gone on long enough. Yes, according to CarScoops, a real, properly low-mileage 1990 Acura NSX did recently sell for only $8,500. However, this car is closer to a coral reef than a car at this point.
Unlike barn finds, where some lucky soul discovers a dusty Ferrari in a barn, this NSX was found at the bottom of the Yadkin River in North Carolina after being stolen 20 years ago. This car is so rough that even the people who sold it, LSX Salvage, warned buyers that the car was too far gone for restoration. For anyone keyboard warriors puffing their chest up and saying, “I can fix that!” think again, it has no motor.
If that little snag wasn’t enough, the windows are all broken; the interior has been alive for over a decade now, most of the nooks and crannies are filled with mud, and the A-pillar looks like a used straw that your brother twisted up for you to flick. In technical terms, this car is broke.
How did it sell for so much?
$8,500 is not a lot of money for such a collectible sports car, but what we have here ain’t that. The internet is a buzz over this car. When the car was listed, onlookers joked about it being a lawn ornament or maybe turning it into a go-kart. Despite its clearly boogered state, the auction started at $6,000 and quickly reached $8,500.
Although the details are unconfirmed, Taylor Hughes of Randleman, North Carolina (who appears to work for the salvage yard selling the car) posted about the NSX, saying that the car was allegedly sold to someone in Maryland who claims they will be restoring it.
Some cars are meant to die
The internet has plenty of judgments about the price of this busted Acura NSX, but the thought of restoration really has people going. Using the term “restoration” regarding this car is frankly just the wrong word. This car is unrestorable. Sure, someone could put a new motor in it and replace everything else along with it, but at that point, is it even the same car anymore?
Philosophical conundrums aside, What this wild auction shows is that the first-gen Acura NSX is a bonafide classic. No one is buying a wrecked 1998 Buick LeSabre to restore. Spending this kind of money on such a busted car proves the NSX’s place in the classic sportscar world.
