Your results are similar to what I came up with, a reduction of just under 4%. Since I don't track KBB prices I can't say if that is within normal fluctuation range for them or not.

but you know prices are going to spike next spring/summer again though right? KBB is a pricing guide, they don't set prices, demand sets prices, and you certainly don't have to pay the prices that KBB lists. I never have...

 

Well of course you don't "have to". That kind of goes without saying.

What this effectively does is bring down the ridiculous asking prices to a point where price negotiation will actually result in a real-world depreciation logical price point that a buyer like myself can be satisfied with. Prior to this price drop KBB was simply ammunition for idiots to ask ridiculous prices for their decade old cars which resulted in price negotiations bringing the price down to a price point that was still far too high for the car. Anyway you cut it I know have the ability to shave another $3k off of my offering prices, which is all I ever wanted in the first place. Logical depreciation.

And yes I'm sure the prices will "spike" again next spring/summer but they won't spike back up again to the ridiculous figures we just saw. The S2000, despite what so many wish for, is not a magical unicorn that can skate under the rainbow of depreciation without being affected. Prices will spike but used S2000's aren't going to miraculously be worth $27-30k every time the warm weather shows up.

 

I haven't seen much of this 27-30k asking prices that you have, occasionally I see a mid 20s price and have a good laugh but most s2000s seem to be trading hands in the teens around here. The only people who seem to really try to price their cars high are the under 15k miles crowd, to which I say "no thanks". I would rather have a car that was driven and maintained than a garage queen.

 

Well then you haven't been shopping much lately like I have. Go take a look on Autotrader right now.

Out of the 500+ listings currently showing around 70 of them are over $25k asking price and very few of those are sub-20k mile examples.

 

I tend to find that autotrader is priced high for all cars. Might have something to do with the sellers being overwhelmingly, dealerships, and imo dealerships always ask wacky high pricing (probably why I have never bought a used car from a dealership). CL by owner seems to offer the most pleasing prices but I realize not everyone lives in an area where CL is utilized.

 

Exactly. Crazy asking prices are one thing. What people are actually paying at the end of the day is another.

 

IMHO, the S2000 is not old enough,rare enough or out of production long enough to command the prices we talk about here.

5-10 years from now the prices for clean cars will be higher than todays', I'm pretty confident of that

 

it took me 2 months for find mine. i was set on AP2, under 100k miles, under $18K, any exterior color, any interior color EXCEPT blue, receipts for any non-scheduled service or upgrades i wouldnt want done in a home garage.

i used searchtempest.com, cargurus.com, ebay, cars.com, and autotrader. set my search perimeters, book marked, and checked them all about 3 times per day. the first 2 i found sold within hours of being posted. so if you dont have cash in hand, i highly suggest getting it; I wouldnt have gotten the car i did without it. Good luck finding a nice one!

 

The 04-05 cars feel closer to an AP1 then to a 06+ IMO. I think a lot of that is because of the cable throttle: it's just so much snapier! I'm an AP1 guy (I've owned two) because of the ever mentioned "raw" feeling and the F20's awesome redline; but given the improvements to the tranny, diff, and the interior/exterior syling if Honda sold the 04-05 with F20s here in the states that's what I would have bought instead of another AP1.

With that being said you can't tweak the 00-05 ECU with a flash tuner so if mods are in your future the cost of a new ECU is worth considering.

 

I'm still looking for my hat "behind the driver's seat in the pouch for the soft top!" Pouch?

My only experience, other than a couple of short drives in an AP1 is with my "new to me" '06 fly by wire car. Seems responsive enough considering electrons move faster than cable stretch. I've not yet found "horror" stories regarding broken VSA and unless I really push my car in tight intersections the light never flashes -- don't feel it, just notice the light flashes in my peripheral vision.

A member here on the other side of my town with a "new him" AP1 put his in the cattails when he spun it last month. I like to think VSA would have prevented it.

-- Chuck