I'm in the market to buy a new (to me) AP1. Due to financial constraints a MY '00 is most likely what I'll end up with. I've been trying to research issues / problems they have and the 2 biggies I've found are the buzzing clutch and 2nd gear grinding TSBs. I've found a nice 00 but it has incomplete maintenence records. The current owner bought it at 12K miles and it now has 25K miles. He's had the taillight issue fixed and other than that just routine oil changes. He says he has not experienced either issue in the TSBs. He says the car has given him zero problems. Carfax is clean. Do these issues affect all 00s? Is there any way to see the complete maintenence history? Do dealers share what services have been done? If the TSBs have not been done do I have any chance of them being done free of charge under goodwill consideration?

 

Buckeye,

It's great that you are shopping for an S2000. If you have read this board for a while you might get the impression that the 00 and 01 model years are not worth considering. That is a mistake. All S2000's are great cars and the early ones are no exception. I've had mine since Aug 00 without any major problem. Just because there is a TSB out there doesn't mean that all cars are affected or that you must have the bulletin complied with. On the contrary, every time you have a mechanic open up the vehicle, it will be less like it was when it came from the factory. I firmly believe that the build quality on the early MY's is at least equal and probably superior to later cars. My opinion on the TSB's you mentioned:

Clutch Buzz- Comfort item only, does not affect operation of the car. Mine came at 6000 miles, went away at 18,000 miles. If you get the TSB done, the noise may return anyway.

1-2 grind- particularly noticeable at high RPM shifts when the transmission is hot. If the car has a severe problem - look for another one.

Recalls (only 2 to my knowledge):

Spark Plug re-torque: This is a big deal. It should be noted in the owners manual if it has been complied with. If this has not been accomplished, the owner has not maintained the car to standard. Cylinder scoring possible.

Seat Belt recall: No real big deal. If the seat belt retractors fail, Honda must fix them for the life of the vehicle. If the retractors work, don't mess with it. The belts still work and they must remove virtually everything from the seats to the trunk to repair this. Why have someone tear apart your car to fix something that is not broken?

Finally, don't look at the car, look at the seller. If he is appears nonchalant about maintenance, doesn't have any spare oil in his garage or can't describe whats been done to the vehicle DON'T BUY THE CAR. If he appears to be obsessive-compulsive or anal in any way, that's a good thing. If he pulls out a binder that has records of everything ever done to the car, that's a good thing. If he tells you to check the oil at every fill-up, that's a good thing. If he gets down on his hands and knees to show you the slightest dent in the body, BUY THE CAR.

Remember, early S2000's are available at a good price in every region of the country. Don't jump on the 1st one you see. Good Luck.

 

Buckeye, it sounds like you're getting a nice vehicle! I agree with almost everything Billo said, and he is 100% right about the spark plug thing.

Also, if I were you, I'd ask the owner if you can have a compression test done on the engine -- this can tell you whether there's any unusual wear in the pistons/cylinders/head... 25K miles is a very reasonable (low even) mileage for a MY00, but if at any time oil was low in the car there could be residual effects -- the S2000 has a notorious appetite for oil and an owner must be diligent or you can get caught out.

Best of luck!