Generally speaking, buying a flooded car is more trouble than it’s worth. But what if the car in question happens to be one of the most desirable JDM models from the ’90s? That’s exactly the case with this NA1 1991 Honda NSX in Formula Red put up for auction last month on Yahoo! Auctions Japan.
The supercar was unfortunately submerged in floodwater earlier this year, up to the point just below the door handles. With the NSX being as low-slung as it is, that’s more than enough water buildup to wreak havoc on the engine, interior, and electricals. Thankfully, the owner’s documentation does state that he hasn’t attempted to start the engine yet while assessing the damage.
We’re guessing that the cost and effort to repair the flood damage might have been too much for the owner, leading them to put it up for auction and pass it on to someone else. It’s a shame, too, since the owner’s documentation shows that they’ve put time and work into this unit ever since it was acquired in 2017.
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This includes updating the car’s power steering and ABS, replacing the automatic transmission, and refreshing the engine. That last job is particularly costly: Overhauling the NSX’s 3.0-liter V6 at 200,000km cost the owner around JPY2,000,000 or around P800,000.
Bidding for the flooded NSX started at JPY1,000,00 (around P400,000), sold as-is in its current condition. Needless to say, the Honda would have fetched far more prior to it being submerged, even with 236,776km on the odometer. It’s likely the owner just wanted to recover whatever cash they could from the vehicle.
And recover that cash they did. After a flurry of 93 bids over the two-week auction duration, the winning bid was an eye-watering JPY8,004,000 (over P3,200,000). Mind you, if the buyer isn’t using it for spare parts, there’s a whole laundry list of repairs to be done before this car can even think about hitting the road.
If you had equally deep pockets as the buyer, would you have snapped up this flooded NSX, too? Or are some things just too far gone, even with all the money, time, and connections in the world? Let us know what you think.
More photos of the flooded NA1 1991 Honda NSX:
