I have never noticed the VIN #'s on the body panels.

How hard are they to locate?

 

they are usually right there in the open... they'll be a little plate that has it...

 

ifi'm not mistaken....open the hood and look on the side of the fender close to the front of the car the would be on there. in the door jam's as well. the badges are very small and only have the VIN on them

 

I guess the front and rear bumbers would be really important to check, can you see those with out taking them off?

 

open the hood you should see different stickers around there the VIN Stickers and other electirc system shit etc

open the trunk and the vin stickers should be around there too. when i get freed up here at work i'll go back out to double check on my car

 

If you were checking those with a fine toothed comb you'd never find a car you didn't think was in a wreck. I see brand new cars everyday with shoddy paint jobs or gaps from the factory in the front and rear bumper covers.

Only concern yourself with the metal parts - the front and rear bumpers are easily replaceable.....if you buy from a dealer chances are you can work a new bumper into the deal - if the bumper looks bad.

You'll also want to check inside the engine bay for a water line or leaves/pine needles - this is an indication the motor has seen some water. You also feel the bottom of a seat for moisture - another water indication.

You should pay very close attention to the soft top. Look for any kind of wear because that will be the spot water starts to leak in from down the road.

When driving the car: if you feel it doesn't have enough power could mean a few things like a slipping clutch, scorched cylinder heads, etc....it all means money later.

Also look to see that there isn't a huge amount of wheel gap. If there is, chances are the spring spacers are still there and you don't want to drive that car above 20 MPH. There have been times when someone has owned a car & drove it hard for years without ever having the spring spacers removed - very scary.

 

 

These are just simple checks you can do on the S2000. There are other cars that need to be checked more closely.

If you want the car looked at better, then find a technician who will go over things with you that doesn't work at that dealership or have any affiliation.

 

Poindetexter and Crazycracker....
Whats your feel on buying it from a dealer if its not a honda dealer?..IE this one is at Crysler dealership. Should I set it up to take it to an outside mechinic like I would if i was trying to buy it from an individual? Can I do that?

In response to "When driving the car: if you feel it doesn't have enough power could mean a few things like a slipping clutch, scorched cylinder heads, etc....it all means money later." I have never driven one or ridden in one, and I know it will be faster then my integra ls, what kinda power should i be looking for. I know Vtec should kick in at 6, but thats about it....

And about how many fingers in the front and in the back should the space in the wheel well be if the spacers are removed?

 

Zeemz - I got your PM but don't have time to give you a full answer right now - busy. But will be back in about an hour or six