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Hello everyone! My name is Mike and I am looking at an S2000 about 2 hours from my place. I have a decent amount of mechanical knowledge, but know next to nothing about this vehicle specifically. Basically the reason for my post is to see if this vehicle has any red flags to keener eyes. Don't want to waste 4 hours of driving if it's a no go! Only issue I noticed was in the service records by the dealership. They stated that there is a leak in the soft top and the Scotchgarded it. This is hopefully a negotiable point considering this forum says top replacements are around $1000.
https://www.maseratilotusgreenville.com/vehicle-details/used-2002-honda-s2000--greenville-sc-id-27280270
Thank you ahead of time for your help, it is so very appreciated!
Maybe its just me, but the carbon wing and white wheels would make me worry about the kind of use the car may have been subjected to. I would do my due diligence. What other modifications are present? Did it have modifications in the past that have been removed. Was the car tracked in the past? Accident history? Past body work? Past mechanical work? Is it missing any body panel VINs? If so, is there an adequate explanation? That top may have to be replaced. If you do it yourself that is one thing. But it involves a lot of labor and so be careful about predicting the cost if you are going to have it done by someone else.
It could be fine, but you need answers to questions. Also, be aware there are many S2ks out there to choose from. It is possible to find cars that have never been modified and that have not been beaten on. Personally I generally try to find private sellers. I feel that I can size them up better and get an honest and complete read out on the past history of a car.
There is a page on this forum somewhere that gives good advice about what to look for in an S2k when you are shopping. Find it and read it.
Its got what appears to be well applied painted or plastidipped wheels. That at least means it was someone that at cared enough to do a decent job.
Its also got a k&n intake. To me that says that was the extent of the engine mods. If it had any troubling mods, like forced induction, that were removed, it probably wouldn't have the k&n now.
Me, I would go look at it if the wing weren't a deal breaker.
It looks like it's in decent shape.
I don't like the wing. If it's drilled then I'd want a big discount to remove it and get the holes filled and resprayed...
I'm also going to guess the wheels are all curbed and being covered by the plasti-dip. Factor in fixing those.
Interior looks good.
Engine bay looks average.
Mileage is fine for that age vehicle.
If you can get it for 12k that would be fair given the rear wing?
Just a quick look shows a few changes from stock....wing, wheels, radio door, intake...not that any of them are bad....car appears to be in good shape for being 17 years old .
Levi
Yeah remember the trunk is a VIN'd body panel as well....with holes drilled into it. Wings tend to bow the trunks as well hence why most people get a spare trunk to drill into.
Car seems fine to me in the photos but not completely to my taste.
These appear to be 17" wheels from a 2006-2007 S2000, a change that allows wider choice of tires and which fit the earlier cars without alterations. We all have different styling tastes but the faux wing detracts and white wheels don't help. The body-blue H center caps, though, indicate some thought by the previous owner(s). Roof tears are common and expected as the cars age. See my patch below. The roof needs new internal elastic straps to enable it to fold down all the way, another common maintenance item.
K&N intake is a very common performance mod that adds little performance but sounds nice.
All 10 VIN tags will show the body panels are original. A glance under the hood should reveal if the car has the proper oil filter. If it ain't blue it ain't right and some of the blue filters ain't either.
You can try but I don't think the dealer will discount this car much if at all. It's April and high season for sports cars. By the same token there were roughly 65,000 S2000s imported and many are for sale at this time.
$13k for 78k miles IMO is not a bad price. I agree with everybody else that the wing is hideous. Make sure you can live with the color combo. I test drove a Suzuka blue and the interior got to me. No offense to all you Suzuka guys.
Yeah the car does look pretty good to me... If you like the wing maybe that's not so bad... but definitely a negotiating point. The top looks like it might be on it's last legs. Besides the leak, the passenger side has a bit of unevenness to it over the window and it looks a bit faded. The Robbins canvas top is 650 or so I think and will take you a weekend to do yourself.
04-02-2019, 11:37 PM
Any red flags here?
