This 1991 Acura NSX Five-Speed Is Sitting at $25,000 on Hagerty Marketplace

Before Honda started selling Acuras with a mid-engine V6 and an all-aluminum body, nobody expected a Japanese car to take on Ferrari. This 1991 Acura NSX five-speed on Hagerty Marketplace is a clean, honest example of the car that did it, and with six days left it's sitting at a high bid of $25,000.

The auction ends Wednesday, November 11 at 2:00 p.m. EST. The car is in Bremerton, Washington, shows 81,850 miles, and has attracted nine bids and more than 20,000 views so far. The photos and listing details come from Hagerty Marketplace.

What's Being Sold

The car is finished in Berlina Black over black leather and carries the original 3.0-liter C30A VTEC V6, rated at 270 horsepower and 210 lb-ft of torque, mated to the five-speed manual. It has the pop-up headlights, rear spoiler, power seats, automatic climate control and cruise that came on a 1991 NSX, and the only listed modifications are aftermarket wheels and an air filter. Ayrton Senna's input on the chassis tuning is part of the car's legend, and the four-wheel double-wishbone suspension is still one of the great things about driving one.

The seller says the car was bought by her husband in 2012. The clean CARFAX report shows registrations in New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon and Washington, and the title is clean and in the seller's name. Service paperwork and manuals are included.

The Maintenance Question

On any C30A car the first question is the timing belt, and this one has an answer: the belt, tensioner, water pump, cam and crank seals and valve cover gasket were done in 2016 at about 78,000 miles. That's roughly 3,800 miles ago, though the age of the work is something a buyer will want to weigh. The same 2016 invoice covers rear cam seals, VTEC solenoid seals, an oil pan gasket and climate control repairs. More recent CARFAX entries show a May 2023 oil change and spark plugs, and a January 2020 A/C receiver/dryer replacement with new tie rods and an alignment.

The flaws are listed plainly: a small dent on the trunk lid and creasing and wear on the seat upholstery. A commenter asked for a closer photo of the dent, and the seller says it's under an inch long, the paint isn't cracked, and she'll try for a better shot when the weather clears.

Another bidder raised the five-speed transmission snap-ring issue that NSX buyers know well. The seller says there are no known issues, that no transmission work has been done, and that the gearbox number is J4A4-1003597. The commenter cited a serial range of J4A4-1003542 through J4A4-1005978 as the cars that can be affected, so that number sits inside it. It's the kind of thing a prospective bidder should verify rather than assume.

Where the Money Is

A $25,000 high bid on an early NSX with a manual is not where this market ends up. Hagerty's Valuation Tools currently list a 1991 Acura NSX at $65,900 for a car in good condition, a figure that has slipped 7.8%. The same page shows 541 auction sales of 1991 to 1996 NSXs, with the low at $19,610 and the high at $164,000. That spread is the story of this car: mileage, condition, and paperwork move an NSX across a very wide range, and a black over black example with 82,000 miles and a documented belt service sits somewhere in the middle of it.

For comparison, we've covered the other end of the market. A first-year 1991 NSX in Formula Red is the sort of car collectors chase, and a supercharged 1991 NSX with just 30,000 miles shows how much low mileage and modifications can change the conversation. Closer to this one's price class, we also looked at a modified 1991 NSX on Hagerty Marketplace at no reserve.

The later cars have their own followings too. Check out the 1999 NSX Zanardi Edition and why the NSX Type S is a bona fide 90s collectible, and if you're building a Japanese wish list, our 8 coolest JDM cars is a good place to start.

The Bottom Line

There's still a week of bidding, and early NSXs tend to get serious attention in the last hour, so the number you see today probably isn't the one that matters. The listing has the cleaner-than-average history, the documented belt service and a manual gearbox, and it carries the usual caveats: a dent, some seat wear, and a transmission serial to check. If you want to follow along, the full gallery of 143 photos is on Hagerty Marketplace.