For all the rubber in the car, it depends on the storage condition. If car sat in cool place, the rubber will last longer. Either way, the rubber will dry rot unless its hermetically sealed storage so 9 year old car you will have to check all the rubber, including exhaust hanger bumpers, hoses, etc. Mechanical oil carrying seals may corrode, as well due to lack of lubrication so look for leaks. You picked it up at a good price, but I am guessing that you will be a couple of grand out of pocket for repairs and time involved in the next year or so, so don't be surprised. No matter what vehicle, after 15 years, you risk many things going wrong, including wiring harness that can rot and short out, so if you plan on having a vehicle in collector mode someday (20+years), it would be wise to pick up a spare wiring harness and store it in a cool dry place. If you buy a car that was designed so well that all components are protected from undue heat and moisture (simple cars with no amenities), then its easier for electricals to last 30+years. There aren't too many of those cars made. Cars were made to be used and maintained continuously, anything apart from this balance of usage and maintenance reduces its reliability.

 

If I had to spend a couple of grand over the next couple of years I would be disappointed. The original owner supposedly had a fleet of 15+ cars and kept them all in a garage/hangar, out of the elements.

The second and previous owner is my neighbor across the street who is an anal-retentive car geek and has only owned it since the summer and has to sell it because of his job situation. I also have a 2000 BMW M5 with 38K miles on it that has not been babied like the S2000 and does not have any of the potential problems listed above.

I'm probably going to only put 2000 miles on it a year, if that. If I maintain it well (which I do with all of my vehicles), it should last "forever". Anyone want to buy a 2000 S2000 in 10 years with only 20,000 miles for, say, $10K? :-)

 

Make sure the gauge cluster hasn't been swapped out

 

Nice purchase. My '01 only has 17,500 miles on it. I work 1 mile from work and only take the car every few weeks. I do maintain it. I also take a long run every few months. I am also in the market for an '00-'03 M5.

 

Are there any "common" problems with 2000 S2000s that I should be aware of and that may be preemptively addressed?

 

I have to say I'm for your buying it. I just bought a 2000 S2000 with 11,800 miles on it and it's been a dream so far. Now I knew the owners and they babied it the whole time, never driven in the snow or rain, only driven on weekends, etc so I knew it was in awesome shape.
Take it to your loyal mechanic and have them do the following:
- have all the fluids flushed
- when they do brake fluid, ask them (if they dont already recommend it to you) to step up to DOT4. it probably still has DOT3 in it.
- have all the belts checked (dry rot can an issue if it hasnt been well maintained)
- anything else they recommend
My bill came to ~$350.

You'll probably want new tires like other people have said. I was lucky with my s2000 because it had practically new tires on it. I don't know of any significant problems you'll run into. The only issue with mine right now is the plastic rear window; it's hard to see through from all the build up on the inside and I can't seem to find a product that will clean it well. I was planning on replacing it with a glass window top anyways so it's not a super big deal.
Best of luck to you and pics or it didn't happen!