Hi everyone,

Sold my BMW and looking for a car - found this one at SunnySide Acura which I'll be test driving later today:

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?...leadExists=true



I am going to try to get the price down to $22.5-23K. What is a fair price for that car? I am new to the S2000 community and I have been debating between an S2000 and a Z4. I think the S2000 looks so much better than the Z4!

Anyone have any recommendations for things I should test/look for and note down when I hit the dealership?

Thanks!!!

Looking forward to be coming an owner and be part of this community!
btw. I am in Stow, MA!

 

booo sebring...wrong color of silver buddy!
you are making the right choice over a Z4 though.

anyway sounds like not a great deal. no factory options. if you can get him to $21k to $23ish then you've got a good deal. NADA shows clean retail right at $25k...fairly low mileage though, so as long as it's not all dinged up and you don't notice anything odd when you drive it there shouldn't be much to worry about. there's a guy in another forum further up that will run a carfax for you. also some people who don't know better call the shifter "notchy." it's supposed to feel that way!! short, direct, and as if your hand is connected directly to the transmission. anyway good luck, let us know how it goes!! cheers

jeremy

 

Just as an FYI; I got my car from a dealer in Atlanta, a 2005 with 11,000 miles on it for $25k. Now I know that is overpriced...

Check the seat bolsters (both sides of the seat around your ass) to see if they are crushed. If you get in and out of the car wrong, or sit on the edge of the seat with your feet out the door you can crush these and it makes it less comfortable while driving.

Check easy places for dents. Look down the long lines of the hood, down the side / doors. Check for road rash on the wheels. Look at how bad the front and rear bumper are beat up since hitting parking blocks is common. Use all this to talk the price down...

And remember, new ones can be found for around 28k or 29k right now with remaining stock of 07's and 08's soon to hit...

 

i agree with travis...
but your car had less than half the miles of the one he's looking at. also it's true about the seat bolsters, but that's pretty low mileage for them to be too bad unless it was a 400 pounder getting in and out of that thing.

 

What BMW did you have?

Let us know how the testdrive was please...

And remember, unlike the Bayerische MOTOREN Werke, you CAN really rev this engine Do so on the testdrive (if it's dry out there) otherwise you will be disappointed

 

The car has 25,000 miles, therefore it will be on replacement tires. You want to look at the tires to see if they are the OEM Bridgestones or if they are some aftermarket stuff, and if the sizes are correct. It is amazing how often cars get crap replacement tires that are not even the right size.

 

Wow! Thanks everyone for the excellent responses. I'll definitely come back with a write up about my test drive.

I would have preferred the black or blue exterior color - but they are so hard to find around here!

@Lionheart - I had a 325xi BMW (miss it already)...

Here are some pics of the BMW -- my other car is a 2004 Acura TL w/Navi







Finally, here is my wife with the BMW the day before I sold it!


Thanks everyone - you'll hear from me soon.

 

Very nice wi... euhm... BM

Don't miss it, it's not worth it, you'll gonna L.O.V.E. the S after your testdrive

 

thanks Lionheart!

So, back from the test drive.

THE SKIN
This car was more than I expected! The looks in person is very sleek and has a strong character from the side, back and especially the front. Entering the car was a non-issue and finding a comfortable driving position was a breeze. I spent at least 10 minutes inside just looking through all the details - very simple and effective. The red/black interior looked excellent - although I didn't quite like the exterior sebring silver color as much - i felt it toned down the car's character.

They had a black/black 2007 in the showroom that called out menace, savage, beast but at the same time beautiful, sleek and simple. Yin-Yang at work.

TAKE OFF
The manual transmission is the best I have felt. It was sharper, shorter, more precise and more communicative than the Z4. I just couldn't believe how good it felt to throw the gears around! I couldn't stop myself from downshifting just to feel the release and reconnection again - the clutch was like an excellent conductor helping in the transitions from one gear to another. Simply put - fantastic overall feel from the get GO that put a smile in my face under 15mph!

NOT-STRAIGHT
Corners and corners. I just wanted more and more corners. The car and the road were one - hugging it like a mother would her baby - the feeling will always put a smile in the face no matter how large or tight the corner is. I didn't believe it at first - but I feel more connected to everything than the Z4?! (Ultimate Driving Machine)?! I felt so comfortable driving this car around and tossing it with confidence - even taking the tail out at times was fun and controllable.

BUMPS (or was it)?
I took the back roads, because I really wanted to feel how the car would respond to not-so-perfect-roads-of-New-England. It did the job very well - not so much different than the BMW. The BMW was a little more comfortable, but lost some of the communication feel that I thought I didn't need - but soon realize that I do.

S9000 - THROW THE COFFEE
An open stretch of road came upon us and decided to feel the revs and power of this car. WOW! What a sound, definitely loud - didn't necessarily sound as nice as the G35 Coupe in front me though :-P. But the car was torquey - more than I had anticipated. The higher I rev the more you feel you may die in any second. The loud (yet musical) sound, the feel from the hands to your spine, the accelerator pedal communicating all the way to your brain -- a wonderful experience. I didn't realize how fast I was going, but it's just sooo well balanced - offering just the right amount of power and torque to get all your hairs to stand up. I can see myself doing this every day whatever the weather!

STOP!
Aah... this is were I was a little disappointed. The brake feel was so unconfident inspiring. I wasn't sure when will I stop! I put the blame on that particular car. No way in hell would Honda create a car that has everything so well connected and put into place and have the brake to be slightly weaker? The Z4 brakes was by far excellent (and the same goes for my BMW 325xi) - it stopped faster, felt better and was more communicative. After all that rush - I wasn't motivated to push the car any further due to the brakes...

HERE WE GO AGAIN
...who am I kidding! Knowing how the car feels from my first route - going back I started taking the corners and the straights faster - shifting more precisely - it was a vacation in a vacation.

PROS:
- Fantastic transmission and clutch
- Fantastic steering feel
- Excellent driving position
- Fantastic Engine
- Quite Comfortable for such a sports car
- All of the above (again)

CONS:
- Brakes could have been much better
- Heal-and-toe was a little harder to do (maybe I need new shoes)

This particular dealer wouldn't budge from the $25K - plus the car had some scratches in the rear-bumper and some minor details that I couldn't justify the price. So I simply said as soon as they dropped the price drop me a line (just in case)!

At any rate - I will continue my search for other used cars - hopefully with the right color and miles.
Until then - you guys and gals should take care of this beautiful beast - talk to it more - treat it with respect and it will give you more than you ever think is possible.

 

Update: I just found another vehicle (silver, though) located at the same dealership I bought my car from - Wagner BMW of Shrewsbury.



http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp;?...leadExists=true

If anything, I get to drive an S2000 again!