ebchu

I am looking at a 2003 s2000 with 78k miles for 14k. the owner said he is willing to go a lower, what price should I negotiate to?

Are there any things I should be looking out for on such a high mileage s2000?

He said he just replaced the clutch and has been doing all the oil changes and recommended maintenance.

FISH22

I wouldnt call 78k 'HIGH' miles. That actually sounds like a really good deal, especially for an 03. If he's willing to go lower, I'd be careful. Make sure to check this car out very well.

Do the basics, drive it around, listen to any loud whining or growling from the rear diff and any wierd noises from the engine tranny. Watch for any grinds in the tranny. You can go further, with a compression test on the engine.

cap1

tacocat

Search the boards, there is a thread for the highest mileage S on here. I think it was somewhere in the 250k range. So 78k is not bad at all. Its a Honda after all. 200k should be no problem if you maintain the car and dont mod it too much.

dalink

wow really? 250k???? That is intense

Olegator

Yeah, make sure to check the car inside out even if you really like it, I didn't do it and ended up with the broken diff :/

ebchu

how do i check the condition of the diff? and how long should it last before I have to replace it?

animeS2K

You can't really tell how long a diff is going to last... if it's whining and grinding, it's done. It could be perfectly quiet up until the point of failure.

In terms of how long it SHOULD last? It depends on how much you abuse the car. If you never dump the clutch/shock the driveline/try to drift/track the car and aren't throwing extra horsepower through there (supercharger/turbo) then there's little reason for the diff to break. Abuse it enough and it will eventually give out, though - as will other parts.

ebchu

thanks for all the help guys.