Hi,

Don't want to start a my car is better than your car debate but i have been looking for a used s2k, low mileage 2004 + with about 25k miles and the price I have been coming up with is about 23000-24000 range. Those are good and fair prices.

However I've noticed high milage about 50k S2000s anywhere from year 2000-2003 commanding very very high prices, say anywhere from 18000- 23000 mieage depending, and sometimes people but them at these prices.

From my point of view the 04+ represents a bargain but if you buy in the latter case I find that you are paying a super high price. I don't get it, normally cars in niche markets like this don't tend to do that well in resale. But I guess Honda reliability has people trusting.

Now as pure curiosity, I went to see Boxter prices and was surprised as Porsches hold value amazily well. But to my surprise
Boxter S 2001 41000mi sold for 25k, good color and loaded.
Boster S 2001 65000mi sold for 22850, not as loaded but still xenons etc.

I know they are different cars, but they are still great cars. I love the boxter also as a car guy, but they should be price will higher in 2nd hand market or at least s2ks less!! (i know i will not want this once I am an owner but when i'm looking to buy )

Thats all. Just wanted to make sure anyone looking for alternatives also considers porsche if they thought it was outta budget.

 

People that are looking into the s2000 know what they want in a car. People looking into the boxster know what name brand they want.

 

The S2000 is going to be a much more reliable used car in the long-run, plus its more of a "driver's" car. Nothing wrong with the Boxter, but you're mainly paying for the nicer interior and the badge on the front of the hood.

 

my uncle went from a miata to a boxster and i'm pretty sure he'll end up buying an s2k just because ya porsche is definitely a better name but the s2k just looks better hands down and the cabin looks nicer etc. Porsche is definitely faster but it's a hard car to compare with.

 

I wrote about this earlier, but here is my theory:

AP1 owners (00-03) who bought their cars new paid around MSRP if not higher. If you were shopping for an S2000 around 2001 timeframe, you would typically see markups on the car.

AP2 owners (04+) who bought their cars new paid around invoice if not lower. For example, alot of people picked up leftover 05s for 28k and 06s for 30.Xk. I have no datapoint for 04s, but I imagine the same holds true.

Therefore AP2s are a better value because the owners got an awesome deal (compare to the AP1 owners), and therefore are passing the savings on in the used car marketplace. AP1 owners, especially ones who got raped with markups, are "passing the buck" to the prospective owners.

You also have to factor in what typical depreciation model is for automobiles. It's an y= 1/x curve (exponential?) in that the first 2-3 years, a car would typically depreciate the most percentage-wise compare to latter years.

IMHO, I agree that used AP2s are a bargain in every way compare to AP1s. The famous bragging-right 9000 redline is the only reason one would look at the AP1, but I rather trade that for more reliability, warranty, and better point in the depriciation curve.

 

Seems like I remember hearing or reading something about the Boxter breaking down all the time, constantly in the shop for costly repairs.

The S2K on the other hand has been a pretty reliable car, esp. for a sports car and a car that revs to 9k.

Warren

 

ya i've heard the boxsters tend to break down a lot as well.

 

I paid $**k for my 2004 Ap2 (November Build) with 2400 miles in Feb 2006. :-D

I found others too. Market looks good to me man.

 

The prices range from $12K-$30K depending on condition and milage. You can get into a good S2000 for around $14-$16K to start. $12-$15K is pretty much fully depreciated (cost to repair a wreck will work out to be about the same as one that has clear title). If you get one at this price it will cost very little to own, just tires and maintenance. You'll get back most if not all of what you paid for it if you keep it in good shape and drive it for a few years. The same can't be said for an 04 for $23-$26K. In three years that car will be worth about $16-$19K in three years, depreciating about $4-6K in that time.

From a pure value perspective an 00 or 01 is a really good deal. They are extremely reliable, freakishly so. I've tried to beat mine into submission but it just keeps running. There are full race cars that have stock motors with 20K+ track miles on them and they run flawlessly with only oil changes. If 20,000 realiable miles at full throttle isn't impressive I don't know what is. The S2000 is near bulletproof if you don't screw with it, maintain it and don't hit anything.

 

I think the S has a MUCH better interior than a Boxster (my dad has one with a 996 engine swap). The Boxster is a great car for sure but I chose an S for the same reasons as everyone else.