Ive been searching really hard for a gpw ap1 with the black and red interior and this is a sweet deal but Its just seems strange. He wants me to go up there in person but I told him I would rather ship it here. I was hoping if someone from NY can inspect it and see if it checks out. I just dont trust buying a boosted car from some random person without seeing previous good work.

 

Where is the car in NY? Is it near NYC? If so, the region's most talented S2000 mechanic lives in the metro area. You can pay him to check it out for you.

 

I would feel more comfortable if someone saw it or inspected it. someone who has a lot of knowledge about s2ks and live in Buffalo NY. I want the car but I dont want to buy it and discover that it has a lot of problems.

 

Having bought two cars out of state here are a few pointers I would pass along to you from my experience:

Have you asked the Seller if there is an outstanding loan/lien on the car? If so, that can complicate the sale if not correctly addressed with the lender / lien holder before you arrive.
If there is a lien/loan, try not to conduct the sale date on a Saturday or Sunday since financial institutions are typically not open on weekends.
If there is lien/loan you will need to get the lien/loan payoff amount from them *for the date you intend to purchase the car*.

Does New York state have hard copy title or electronic title? If electronic, you may need to go down to the DMV after funds are transferred to get the title sent to you.

Does New York charge tax for private party sales for buyers from out of state? If they do electronic title, they may try and stick you with the tax before releasing the title to you.

Post in the local NY forum here, and find out who some of the s2000 specialists are in the area of the Seller. Spend the $150-$300 to have a pre-purchase inspection conducted. it will be a great investment to ensure that the car is sound before you plunk down many more hundreds for a plane flight. From the sounds of it, you're a college student on a fairly fixed budget, and don't just have $500-$1000 to blow on a plane flight in case this deal fizzles out. Once you fly out there you have severely decreased your negotiating power. At that point, the Seller knows you want the car bad enough to spend the money on the PPI and flight. He might move a little bit on price, he may not move at all. Afterall, what are you going to do at that point? Walk away from the money you have already spent on the PPI and flight fare?

 

^ that's my advice as a peer.

Now here is my boring "dad" advice. Which you probably won't want to hear, but after

Thanks guys, I messaged the guy but he is a real douchebag saying shit I wanted to meet him half way but I guess he is that worried in the cars ability to drive 8 hours.

Not a huge deal, since I wouldn't drive to meet you half way. But worth noting...

Im just worried about flying to New York,and the car being bad or leaving empty handed. I dont know what Im getting into or whats been done to it. I dont know who built it or if it can drive back home 19 hours

This doesn't sound like you can afford to buy a dud.

and Im currently in college and working all the time. I dont want to travel 1130 miles only to leave disappointed, thats too much for me.

Then walk from the deal. If you are not buying this car as a secondary, recreational, car, this does not sound like it's the deal scenario for you.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got my dad was when were looking for my first car in HS. The car I really wanted, at the time didn't work out due to the seller not coming down enough on price. I *really* wanted the car. BAD...and was willing to work to pay for the extra amount. My dad said to be patient, and that "there will always be another deal". We waited three months and low and behold we got the car we were looking for from a different seller. Don't over extend yourself financially, just to get this car because it seems like a great value. There will ALWAYS be another great deal out there if you are patient enough.

"most of my friends think I should just buy a stock car locally. Im 20 years old and Ive never traveled to those areas. I got the money but honestly i dont trust the seller.
Listen to your friends. These cars are a blast to drive even when they are bone stock. You don't need 300+ hp. You can't enjoy that much power on the street anyway without doubling or tripling the speed limit. Stock cars will hold their value much better since they appeal to a larger audience and usually aren't driven as hard. People don't invest thousands on forced induction to putt around in the car, babying the engine....

 

Go with your gut instinct. You seem pretty smart, I think you've already answered your own question.

Also, if you do somehow buy a car, a reputable seller ideally would have a folder filled with receipts and log of maintenance.

 

I bought my 05 S2000 out of state on ebay. All in all, it was pretty smooth, but there were some hiccups along the way. I was all set to have an independent party do a full inspection, but i honestly didnt think i would get the car for such a good price, by the time i realized i was gonna win the auction, it was too late to get it inspected.
I paid $400 to have it shipped from Washington to SF. There were some minor dents and dings that were not disclosed to me, also the seller never regisitered the title in his name, so we had to work some magic to get it signed over to me.
Also realized at some point the car was probably supercharged, since it has a vented hood and you can see where the intercooler piping was cut in.
Overall, i got a great deal, but still have some peace of mind issues, and i would think twice again before buying sight unseen.
But thats just my experience, and in the end, i have an awesome car that is tons of fun

 

I bought my s2000 out of state. It's actually the best car purchase I've ever made for myself or a family member. The biggest thing is to just walk away if your gut tells you anything. If the seller gets irritated or won't answer questions, just stop right there. There was a seller on here that got angry when I asked if the underbody had any rust. He took it as a personal insult. If the seller can't answer a simple question for someone crossing multiple state lines, there is something up and you should walk away. In the end, I think I got a good deal on a car with a wonderful previous owner. We emailed back and forth about 40 times over the course of a few days, with him answering questions and providing additional pictures and even taking a video walkaround of the car that I said was unnecessary. This is in addition to the 100 pictures he already had uploaded online, recent Blackstone results, and a (unverified) compression test. He was honest about anything wrong, and after those emails, I gave him a call and we worked out a fair price and he agreed to hold the car for a week until I could fly down. He even picked me up at the airport. I spent two hours looking at the car, test driving it, and then he deposited my cashier's check at his bank and I drove away. My takeaways for next time were:

• When you buy a car long distance, you're buying the car as much as you're buying the previous owner. If the owner seems like s scumbucket, your experience with the transaction is going to be similiar. At the same time, if you're a scumbucket to the seller, it's fair game for them to tell you where to shove it.
• It is the seller's responsibility to answer your questions, preferably with some sort of proof like a picture. If they're difficult or dodgy, just walk away.
• It is the buyer's responsibility to travel to the car if it is a long distance away. If you want to buy a car out of state, you need to be willing to fly/drive there to look at it.

 

Thanks for the input guys! Im gonna join the s2000 group soon! honestly I called the guys car out because it just seemed odd that a supercharged S2k loaded is selling for 13500 and has had trouble selling. owner didn't want to ship it, provide much information and was acting like a douche. He bought the car boosted and told me some random guy built and tuned it but didn't even provide the a compression test, he didn't show the dyno graph and after asking all that he got pissed and offended because I told him Im taking my money to Texas. I'll be checking out a Grand Prix White authentic spoon s2000 in texas soon the only thing Im not liking are the J's fenders and all red interior.

 

My little input. You are not spending a couple of hundred dollars to buy something on ebay that you can hit the Buy button without seeing it first. You are talking about tens of thousands of dollars. If you really like this car, you should go and physically check it out yourself. The worst scenario is if the deal falls through, you just lose money on the air ticket and time.