DSR

Yo! Pac NW heroes -

Lease is up. What should we do?

Buy it?
Trade up to 2004 S2K?
Trade in to ...what?
Trade out to ... what?

Details:

Our 2001 Silverstone/Black S2000, 24K miles, almost totally stock, in most excellentcondition
is due for lease termination in March.

We love this car, especially in the Pac NW summer! We hate it in the rain, and on the I5 railroad between Bothell and Everett, more frequently lately!

But:
... daughter going to private university @ mucho $$, has no car preference since she will not be driving it, much.
... son (Italy 2003) loves this car, but wants Enzo (he has Car & Driver subscription but absolultly ZERO $!).
... wife loves this car in the summer, refuses to drive in rain, drives Lexus, likes MB SL600, but that's just ridiculous/no way/npot on/out of sight/totally, like, so duh!

So ....
Options (all less than $50K):
1. Buy this car at ~$21K
2. trade up to 2004 S2000 (yeah, I know y'all will pick this), but what color????? Too bad Black/Red is now a non-starter. What's available locally right now?
3. Trade in to Honda Civic (or 2X Honda Civic?), Honda Accord, Toyota Prius, Ford Mustang, Dodge Caravan???
4. trade out to Porsche, BMW , Mazda, Chevrolet, etc, new, used whatever?? (Remember, $50K)

Your opinions will be weighted as follows:
- 10 pts to those we know, have negotiated with for floor mats, or fries, or both
- 8 pts to those who kept up with us on the way to Mt. St. Helens without boiling brake fluid (Curt excepted)
- 6 pt to anyone who has noticed us within the past 3 months
- 4 pts to those who can spell VTEC without the postfix
- 2 pts to those who actually OWN an S2000
- 0 pts to anyone without an avatar

Go!

Cheers,

Tedster

Buy it!

It's already a classic, and getting more classic-er all the time. You can scoff at the '04 owners with their pedestrian 8000 RPM redline like air-cooled Porsche owners. Buy a Civic later if you have to.

Ted

jerrypeterson

Drive it into the ground Don. Unless you wanted to buy an Elise in early summer, I think your nuts for even considering a sale of the car you and Meryl enjoy so much. With you buying at the lease termination, you basically sign the papers and leave. You've spent a lot of time on the car, why let somebody else have a good used car?

FASTFWD

I love the '04, but if you've had your '01 for so long that can be a tough decision. I'd first drive a '04, to at least appreciate what you're missing out on.

RT

Don,
What's the current bluebook on it?

FASTFWD

come on '04 lovers, we're getting spanked here!

DSR

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RT
Don,

RT

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DSR

SonShine

Hi all - greetings from a "neighbor" from Arizona!

DSR:

I am actually going to go through a similar dilemna this summer, as my '01 lease is up this July. I have also considered buying, but I fear my residual is going to be more than what the car is "worth". That being said, mine is also immaculate and currently has only 19k miles on it and I'd be hard pressed to find another one in a similar condition (and with a known history) for the same price.

So...I've also considered leasing an '04 or trying something else completely. What other cars are you considering specifically? Also, I haven't driven an '04 yet, so I don't know yet if I like or dislike the changes.

FASTFWD

me like very very much. I test drove an '03 when I got my '04 and the difference i noticed was torque and horse, earlier in the powerband. The '03 sounded slightly louder, obviously because it wound up higher, but in terms of feel and pull I got the '04 because it felt all around more powerful. It made noticable power and torque from 3500 to 6000 rpm, then when VTEC hit in it's like afterburner's were kicking in. I fell in love from the moment the VTEC entered my life.