1991 Acura NSX — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $70,000–$130,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
Kestrel Take
The everyday supercar — a mid-engine, all-aluminum icon that Honda engineered to be as reliable as a Civic, and it largely is. The engine has a strong durability record; the costs are the timing belt service, the notorious snap-ring transmission issue on early cars, and provenance at these values.
What we checked
Checked against public records, 2026-09-25
Federal complaint records thin out badly before about 2000, so there is little here to check against. What follows is our own write-up. Treat a short list as us having less to go on, not as the vehicle having fewer faults.
Known Issues for the 1991 Acura NSX
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
The C30/C32 V6 needs its timing belt and water pump on schedule (every ~7 years/90k miles). It's a significant mid-engine job. Verify it was done; a snapped belt is catastrophic.
Repair cost (estimate): $1,500-$2,500
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Early manual transmissions had a snap-ring that could fail and destroy the gearbox. Verify whether the car had the updated countershaft or the repair; it affects value significantly.
Repair cost (estimate): $3,000-$6,000
Source: not yet checked against public records.
At these values, verify accident history, originality, and service records thoroughly. Aluminum body repair is specialist work.
Repair cost: Not a repair — an ownership-cost warning, not a mechanical fault
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Bushings, climate control, and electronics age; parts are pricey but available.
Repair cost (estimate): $500-$3,000
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗No timing belt history
- ✗An early car with no snap-ring resolution
- ✗Accident or salvage history on an aluminum body
- ✗Missing service records
Good Signs
- ✓Documented timing belt and water pump service
- ✓Snap-ring issue resolved or a later car
- ✓Full service history and clean provenance
- ✓Original, unmodified condition
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