New, looking to buy an AP2
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I drove 1800 miles round trip this May to buy my 2006 with 38k miles on it. My stepfather was taking a photography trip out that way anyways and gave me ride out there! The seller was very nice and knowledgable over many phone conversations. You can usually tell when you've got a good seller to deal with and through conversations and pictures you can get 99% confident that the car is what is represented. Mine was perfect.
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From: Eastern Ontario
I had a similar situation in March of this year, drove a total of 13hrs to buy an S round trip. The seller was middle aged and was very good to deal with, wish I could deal with more like him. Was a pleasant experience. 
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Thanks for all the responses guys, really helps. Just got some quotes for adding another car to insurance and got approved for a loan from my bank. I am going to be checking out a car this coming weekend that is relatively close, about 3 hours away. It's got everything I'm looking for (low miles, 1 owner, garage kept, clean carfax etc), minus the fact it's an 04 which doesn't bother me too much.
Going to get a mechanic to check it out and do a compression test this week. This will be the first one I've actually looked at. If the car is as advertised, anyway to negotiate pricing? Should I be concerned if the car has been sitting too much? Based on what the owner told me, its been in his garage and used very lightly for the past few years. I also can't test drive it due to the whole not being able to drive stick thing.
Going to get a mechanic to check it out and do a compression test this week. This will be the first one I've actually looked at. If the car is as advertised, anyway to negotiate pricing? Should I be concerned if the car has been sitting too much? Based on what the owner told me, its been in his garage and used very lightly for the past few years. I also can't test drive it due to the whole not being able to drive stick thing.
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From: NJ (near Philadelphia, PA)
Hi OP, I hope this is a help! There's a lot of great information and advice in this thread already, I'm just adding my own take based on personal experience.
You're definitely not alone. We've all been in your position or a similar one before. Nice job with researching your potential S2000 purchase. They're incredible (and incredibly reliable) cars, so your ownership experience is very likely to be stellar!
- Your Last Post: I'll speak to your last post first, since I don't think anyone has responded to it yet, and you said that you're going to be checking out the S this weekend.
Congrats on the good find, it sounds like a great car that checks off a lot of the boxes on your wishlist!
Mechanical Inspection: If you're going to have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase, particularly if you'll be doing so remotely with a shop that you're not familiar with and won't be visiting in person, I would recommend having the vehicle inspected at a Honda dealer rather than an independent shop in order to eliminate as many potential variables as possible. No matter who inspects it, I'd make sure to get a copy of the inspection results emailed/faxed to me from the shop itself and also talk to someone from the shop on the phone directly if possible. Also, to keep costs in check and make sure you get what you want, decide on what you'd like to include in the pre-purchase inspection, get a cost estimate, and agree on that before the inspection starts. (If the process has already begun, no worries, just something to consider in the future.)
Negotiations: Are you experienced with buying used vehicles? If not, it might help to take someone with you who is if you can, as negotiating a car price is a skill that improves with experience. If the price is firm, and the inspection goes well, there won't be anything to negotiate. If the price is listed as OBO, you'll want to try to get the best deal you can. If the S isn't as promised or the inspection turns up something concerning that you didn't know about, and you still want to buy it, you'll want to negotiate a price reduction based on the severity of the issue(s) and the cost to correct them.
Sitting Too Long: If the vehicle hasn't been driven regularly AND hasn't been stored properly, sitting can really impact it negatively. However, a proper pre-purchase mechanical inspection and a test drive/ride should point out many, if not all, of the problems that being stored improperly and not being driven for too long a period would be likely to cause. Many S's are 'garage queens' and driven rarely, yet are in outstanding shape.
Test Drive: Some vehicles you just can't test drive. New motorcycles can often be an example of this. That being said, I feel that test driving the exact vehicle you're looking to buy is extremely valuable and can tell you volumes about your potential purchase. For the S you're seeing this weekend, I think the best thing to do would be to have the owner take you for a ride. Turn off the radio, put the top up, and be aware of what you see, hear, feel, smell, etc. Check all the functions and make sure they work. Make sure you experience it being driven in all six gears and reverse at varying speeds. Make sure it accelerates smoothly through the rev range. Ensure the brakes function properly. If you can get a ride in another S before this weekend, do so. That way, you'll have something to compare it to.
Enjoy your first S2000 experience!!!
You're definitely not alone. We've all been in your position or a similar one before. Nice job with researching your potential S2000 purchase. They're incredible (and incredibly reliable) cars, so your ownership experience is very likely to be stellar!
- Your Last Post: I'll speak to your last post first, since I don't think anyone has responded to it yet, and you said that you're going to be checking out the S this weekend.
Congrats on the good find, it sounds like a great car that checks off a lot of the boxes on your wishlist!
Mechanical Inspection: If you're going to have the vehicle inspected by a mechanic prior to purchase, particularly if you'll be doing so remotely with a shop that you're not familiar with and won't be visiting in person, I would recommend having the vehicle inspected at a Honda dealer rather than an independent shop in order to eliminate as many potential variables as possible. No matter who inspects it, I'd make sure to get a copy of the inspection results emailed/faxed to me from the shop itself and also talk to someone from the shop on the phone directly if possible. Also, to keep costs in check and make sure you get what you want, decide on what you'd like to include in the pre-purchase inspection, get a cost estimate, and agree on that before the inspection starts. (If the process has already begun, no worries, just something to consider in the future.)
Negotiations: Are you experienced with buying used vehicles? If not, it might help to take someone with you who is if you can, as negotiating a car price is a skill that improves with experience. If the price is firm, and the inspection goes well, there won't be anything to negotiate. If the price is listed as OBO, you'll want to try to get the best deal you can. If the S isn't as promised or the inspection turns up something concerning that you didn't know about, and you still want to buy it, you'll want to negotiate a price reduction based on the severity of the issue(s) and the cost to correct them.
Sitting Too Long: If the vehicle hasn't been driven regularly AND hasn't been stored properly, sitting can really impact it negatively. However, a proper pre-purchase mechanical inspection and a test drive/ride should point out many, if not all, of the problems that being stored improperly and not being driven for too long a period would be likely to cause. Many S's are 'garage queens' and driven rarely, yet are in outstanding shape.
Test Drive: Some vehicles you just can't test drive. New motorcycles can often be an example of this. That being said, I feel that test driving the exact vehicle you're looking to buy is extremely valuable and can tell you volumes about your potential purchase. For the S you're seeing this weekend, I think the best thing to do would be to have the owner take you for a ride. Turn off the radio, put the top up, and be aware of what you see, hear, feel, smell, etc. Check all the functions and make sure they work. Make sure you experience it being driven in all six gears and reverse at varying speeds. Make sure it accelerates smoothly through the rev range. Ensure the brakes function properly. If you can get a ride in another S before this weekend, do so. That way, you'll have something to compare it to.
Enjoy your first S2000 experience!!!
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From: Eastern Ontario
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From: NJ (near Philadelphia, PA)
Definitely some pics when you get a chance!