Hi Everybody --

I'm shopping for my first S2K. I really want an AP2 and I've been looking for just over a month so far. I think I've found what appears to be a nice one (two-owner, bone stock other than a replacement top last year, very nice interior, 75K miles). I looked at another one last week and passed because it had lots of little problems that all added up to one big problem in my mind. My concern is around buying one with 75K miles -- what maintenance can I expect to pop up in the near term? There's another one I'm looking at that has less than 20K miles, but is $10K more (and is absolutely perfect). I'd prefer to buy the lower priced car, but don't want to end up being penny wise, pound foolish. Bottom line -- would you have qualms about buying a two-owner car with 75K miles?

 

If I were to buy a 75k ap2, I think I would just go ahead and do everything just for peace of mind. I bought mine at 90k and it currently has 130k. After I bought it, I replaced all brake rotors and pads, brake fluid flushed/bled, transmission and diff fluid done, and coolant flushed a few times then filled. I would also go ahead and replace the air filter, cabin air filter, spark plugs and of course do an oil change.

This may be excessive, but this is my routine when I buy any of the cars I have owned in the past. Afterwards, you have nothing to worry about for many many miles.

 

Thanks for the thought. And does yours run well? no squeaks or rattles? I haven't spent much extended drive time in any S2K and it's hard to listen for all of those things on a relatively short test drive. Said differently, yours still feels solid at 100K+?

 

So much depends on how the previous owner(s) treated the car. The good news it appears to be stock and undamaged. Hondas are pretty good in the reliability department and this one of a kind Hondas are no exception. That being said, there are some things to keep in mind, fortunately they are easy to do.
You should review the threads here for the items anyone should do with a "new" used car. Change out all the fluids for a good baseline for example.
Big items are the rear axle re-torque.
You should do the valve adjustment especially if it is a DBW (drive by wire) at that milage. You can do it yourself.
You should look at replacing the TCT (timing chain tensioner) especially if you hear some extra noises on start up. May be kind of hard when you are new to the car as the engine does make a lot of noise. I recommend Billman's TCT. I changed mine before it made noise actually.
Many of the squeaks and rattles can be addressed by appropriate lubrication. A quality silicone grease (3M dialectic at auto part stores) is the same as the "Shin Etsu" that costs a fortune at the dealer. Good for the rubber seals. A little goes a very long way.
You will find that when you need parts, good old OEM, although more $ than brand X at AutoZone, will last longer and perform much better. That goes for oil filters too. Don't forget crush washers.
Have fun!

 

Thank you, that's very helpful. It's not a DBW (2004), but all of the other stuff is really helpful.

 

At 75K miles, it shouldn't need any more than fluid changes, maybe tires and brakes.

 

I wouldn't be worried about the car having 75k miles on it, as long as it has been taken care of. But you should ask yourself what the purpose of the vehicle is. I actually purchased my 2002 with around 73K miles last year, and was in a very similar boat. I was in between the car I have now with 73k miles, and a lower mileage newer version, which costed around $7K more. Ultimately my purpose for this vehicle is to create a weekend warrior/trackable car. That being said, I knew I would do certain track oriented mods (bucket seats/harness/roll bar), so I couldn't justify spending the extra cash on a car that would track. On top of that, the money I saved went straight to those mods.

If I didn't plan to track at all, and solely utilize the car as a weekend car, I would have spent more on the lower mileage version. The reason I say that is because these cars in 100% OEM condition are appreciating in value, so not only would the car be fun, but it probably wouldn't "cost" much to own (ie you could probably get out of it, for what you are in it).

 

I would change ALL the fluids regardless of condition. Inspect the brakes and tires. Test drive it for an excessive noises or vibrations. Definitely get the valves adjusted. I've seen too many S2000's come into my shop with close to or past 100k on them and never having the valves adjusted. These engines like to burn valves with improperly adjusted (tight) valves. That being said, pay close attention to how it runs when it is cold vs fully warmed up.

If everything checks out, there is nothing wrong with a car with some miles on her. Personally, I feel a car that has been driven more will show less problems down the road.

Oh, and keep those valves adjusted every 30k thereafter.

 

That's a good point, and one I have considered. The lower mileage car is now sold pending funds (which is weird, b/c the guy said he couldn't show it until this afternoon, but whatever), so I'm just considering the one with 75K (or waiting, which is fine too). I'm not interested in tracking the car, and just buying it for enjoyment. I hate to tie up that much money in a toy though, when I could use it for something else instead. I also missed out on a really nice AP1 a few weeks ago for the same money, but far less miles, as the AP2 I'm now considering. The AP1 v. AP2 debate has been done a thousand times, but does anyone have thoughts on the specific question of whether -- costs being equal -- it's worth buying an AP1 with 1/3 the miles of an AP2 if the goal is just to drive on the weekends in good weather (no more than 5K miles/year probably)? Are the differences that pronounced over the long-term?

 

I feel very fortunate that at 130k my car is in great shape. My motor runs flawlessly and has never given me an issue in 40k miles of daily driving it. No squeaks, just a couple bearable rattles. But yes, surprisingly at my mileage, everything feels great. Shifter even feels solid with little play, and all of the bushings/rubber underneath the car are in great condition. The only issue I've ever had was a valve cover gasket leak and even then, is relatively minor.

But as stated above, I would also retorque axle nuts and get a valve adjustment if I can.

Good luck!