Hey guys, I'm in the market for a new to me car since I totalled my 2003 MINI Cooper S swerving to avoid a deer a week ago. I've been looking a lot at other R53 MINIs, but nothing I've test driven has been as fast as Iphigenia was for what the insurance company gave me for her ($9950). My friend who just blew the motor in his civic asked me to come with him to the shop where he had his new B20 delivered to so we went on Friday after school. When I got there we went inside and checked the engine out which was sitting next to a 2003 Spa Yellow S2K on a lift above a boosted civic hatch and just out of curiosity asked the guy if the S2K was for sale. His immediate response was "how much do you have?" so I asked him how much he wanted and when he said the owner probably wants $7K my heart skipped a beat. I immediately started thinking to myself "okay does it have like a million miles, blown motor, salvage title etc etc." and when he said it had a rod knock and would need a new motor I started to understand the $7K price. With an extra $3K I'm pretty sure I could find a good used engine to plop in there and I can do the work in my garage so installation cost shouldn't be a problem. My question to you guys is doesn't this deal seem a little fishy to you? The car is in immaculate condition other than the engine and only has 38K miles, it was never driven in the snow and there are no leaks to speak of. The underbody is in absolutely perfect shape too.

 

what she looked like before she ended up sideways in a culvert

 

I will bite. You have to ask yourself, why does this car need a new engine with only 38K miles? Most likely it was beaten into the ground and thus all the other drivetrain components are probably in poor shape as well. I would suggest trying to find a S2000 with closer to 100K miles with a good maintenance history for $10K rather than picking up someone's abandoned project and dumping more money into it. I will take a maintained, higher mileage, and running car any day over a low mileage car with a long story that doesn't even drive for the same money.

 

Of all the S2000 motor I've seen, they're pretty expensive. With 10k you have plenty of options, you should look around some more. One thing you'll need to consider is that you'll probably find a tear or 2 on the soft-top, if it's not there, it will be. Seeing how you're from Wisconsin, are you going to freeze your butt off in the winter time or do you have a secondary vehicle?

 

walk up to him with 6k cash and see what happens, even if its rode hard that would still be a good deal. That would leave you a good chunk of change to make the car what you want.

 

and welcome....

 

thanks for the tip guys, I also found a red 2000 with 86K and he's asking 11K without the Volk te37s, would that be a better buy if I could talk him down to 10k?