I found a 2002 Silver S2000 at a local dealer that was bought off the original owner. She purchased the car new in 2002 and it has been serviced at the same local dealer for the last almost 20 years besides a single trip to Pep Boys for an oil change. It is completely stock with 130,xxx miles on it. I went and drove it today and mechanically it was as good as can be expected. Since she was an older woman, the car has not been tracked or driven hard.

For the bad parts, and why I am typing this post. She was getting up in the years and the salesman said she probably should not have even been driving when she arrived on their lot. The top looks brand new except the glass was falling out of it so that needs to be replaced. We are not sure if she left the top down or if water got in from the missing glass but the carpets were pretty wet and the seat rails had water in them. The carpet is pretty worn since the driver floormat was not in the car. The whole passenger side is damn near flawless since her husband passed some years ago and only she drives it. I can deal with the wear on the seats, not too bad, but would like to eventually get new ones for it. The two round knobs for the A/C are missing the plastic covers for them and are now white. The paint has issues here and there but is maybe a 6/10 for quality. The armrest leather is coming up and worn and the front brake calipers have oxidation on them.

Is this something I would be better off staying away from or is this worth the $16k they are asking? I know they are fixing the roof glass, one of the belts on the engine, and a dripping oil filter. I asked to see what they would do about the carpet and would prefer them to replace since I am worried if they just clean it can still be moldy. Side question, the car has relatively new tires on it but they are 205 all around, is this an issue or could it cause issues? Thanks for reading my long first post. Really hoping this works out, I have wanted a S2000 for a long time and I think the price point is decent.

Driver side caliper

Drivers seat


Armrest and console

Armrest

passenger side skirt

Trunk/convertible

 

I would buy this in a heart beat if the price is good, at least you know that the engine has plenty of miles in it. I would want to know if the clutch was worn out, the rest is all cosmetic and can be taken care of with not much effort or cost. Good luck.

 

They are currently asking $16k for it but I think that's too high. Dealer called and said they are fixing the floors so we will see what happens.

 

I don't know if you'll find a better one for less money
Levi

 

Don't know where you're located but rust can come from something as innocent as being near the ocean or can be the result of winter driving on salted roads. Inspection on the engine and underneath the car is vital. 130,000 miles of indifferent driving can have a myriad of mechanical wear issues not listed.

Start adding costs of what you need to do to put the car in desired order. Putting the right size (and not aged-out) tires ($650) and a new roof ($1400) on the car will cost about $2000 and the car will still be in hooptie cosmetic condition inside and out so this ain't an $18,000 (plus tax) car even as a project car which is the best this is.

Not sure what age you consider an "older woman" to be. When I was in college 35-year old women were "old." Now they're prime!

-- Chuck

 

The cosmetics can be addressed over time. It'd be worth doing a compression and maybe a leak down test as needed. If healthy powertrain, no major corrosion issues underneath, or any interior damage due to the leaking top (how long was it leaking, and how long was it stored outside??), i'd agree that you might have a hard time finding a better one for the same money.