Hello all,

I'm new to the boards and have been looking to purchase an ap1. I've narrowed my search to 2 which I've found and would like some input.

#1: 2001, 15k miles, asking $21,800 (private seller)
#2: 2003, 10,600 miles, asking $24,900 (honda stealership, includes warrenty & used car certification)

I know the prices are a little on the high side compared to some of the deals people have been able to get on the boards....but I'm looking only for yellow...which unfortunately greatly narrowed the search.

Is there a big difference, if at all, between the 01 and 03 ap1? Is it worth the extra 3k to upgrade to the 03 model? I'm leaning towards the 01 due to the low mileage and great condition...but is there anything else I should know? Any input would help...thanks in advance!

Tyson

 

I was looking for only silverstone AP1 and ended up with an '03 and love it. The big differences, from what I understand are glass rear window in 03 and plastic in 01, leather center console in 03 and carpeted in 01, slightly different springs in the back (stiffer in 01) and slightly different gearing between the two years. The 03 that I bought had to have the idle contol valve replaced shortly after I bought it, so it was nice to have that covered under the honda warranty. Both those cars sound like they have really low miles for their age. If you have them thoroughly checked out, either could be a good car for you, assuming the slight differences between the model years don't make you crave one much more than the other. There's tons of information about the differences between these two cars in here. Good luck and happy shopping. It's a great car, either year.

 

After some research, I found there are quite a bit of differences between the 00-01 and 02-03. Mostly interior upgrades and main being glass rear window. But are those upgrades really worth 3k?

 

Hey Hybrid,

I've got a 2001 Yellow S and all I can say is that Yellow is the way to go. As for the plastic window, I don't spend alot of time looking through it, since I have the top down as much as possible. Some 01's , incuding mine, had a problem with 3rd gear slipping while accelerating uphill. Check out the service bullitens at your local Honda dealer for all issues for both cars.

Lastly, I'm sure you know that today's S2000 has had it's torque increased slightly at the cost of lower RPMs (they don't max out at 8900 RPMs like the early models did, which is one of the most exciting aspects of the S. In fact, my very most meticulous mechanic at Honda is unhappy with what was done to them and said he would only purchase one of the early models). My question is did that change take place during the 2003 models, or later?

If all things are equal (yellow color, high RPMs), then by all mean buy the 2003. You will be 2 years ahead of Father Time and Honda had enough time to work out most of the new model bugs.

Rick

 

$25k for a 2003 is ridiculous. Here in Massachusetts Boch Honda advertised a new 2005 leftover for $26,888. And 21k for a 2001 is just as bad. Take your time you can do much better. I'd be surprised if the dealer asking $25k wouldn't jump if you offered $22-23k.

 

25k does seem a little steep for an 03 with 10k miles. Here at Maine Mall Motors in South Portland, Maine, they have a 2004 yellow s2000 with 3,300 miles for 27,990. I think they're asking too much for this one too. I myself am shopping for an s2000 (to buy in the next few months) and I would wait for a better deal if I were you. I plan to spend no more than 18,000, hoping to get an 01 or an 02 in great shape with 20-30k miles in that price range.

 

quiCk paW 07
I am wondering if you would get a 2001 why you wouldn't look at a 2000 with the same criteria. The only difference that I recall is the clock. You probably would even get a better deal.

 

I'm open to the idea of any model year pending the condition and drive quality of the vehicle and mileage. If I stumbled upon a 2000 s2k with 30k miles and is in great shape and drives perfect and is priced at like 16,000, i'd certainly consider it. I'm waiting for the best deal to come along - I have practically no color preference. I'm strictly concerned with conditioning, drive quality and the mileage of the car.