I found an '05 s2000 with only 16,xxx miles for ~$21k...I don't know about everyone else but this is a steal in my region (Southeast). The condition of the car appears(from pictures and description provided by seller) to be good and should be worth over $23k. However, he refuses to allow me to get a leakdown test done due to concerns of mechanics "stripping the plugs", is he trying to hide something? He has told me that a local dealership was offering him $21k for the car so he was simply taking it there this weekend if it does not sell. Why would he go through the hassle of dealing with a private transaction when he could just drop the car off at a dealership for the same price and none of the hassle? I would like to see it first but the car is up north and I would have to fly there by this saturday and purchase it in a time crunch. He seems like a nice guy but I can't tell if he's just trying to give people a chance to grab it before the dealership buys it and turns it around for $3000 profit or he's just hiding mechanical flaws with the dealership story. Sorry about the long post, but this is probably one of the most drawn out decisions I've made cause I've been looking for a well priced mint condition S for 6+ months, and none of my friends or family seem to have much input because they don't understand why I'm taking so long to find a "car". Thanks in advance for any helpful insight.


UPDATE:
I get bumped off of three flights as stand-by on Friday so I make the first flight Saturday morning. Josh picks me up from the airport in the S...I immediately spot it outside the terminal. I do the interior inspection during the ride from Philadelphia to Fairless Hills, PA. We pull into an empty lot for the exterior walk-around...he clearly took time in detailing the car....the exterior is flawless with a few rock chips. The engine bay was clean, he most likely used some sort of de-greaser recently. I take over the car and perform a checklist of maneuvers. The car is in great condition and Josh obviously knows how to take care of the S...sadly he's not on s2ki.com. We take care of the paperwork and I'm on my way to Atlanta....900 miles in the S. Couldn't have been a better drive, I'm still getting used to the clutch, my 1st-2nd gear shifts are clunky as I struggle to keep the car in VTEC. I did notice a rough, diesel-like noise this morning when the engine is cold, so I reset the ecu because I figured Josh may have been using 87-octane gas, while I have been giving it 93 octane...which surprisingly solved the rough idle problem. I averaged 26 mpg throughout the trip...which involved a few vtec shifts during on-ramps and traveling at a constant speed of 80mph. I'm planning on switching to synthetic and changing tranny and diff fluids this thanksgiving break....with 17,600 miles, is that too soon for tranny and Diff?

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd41/Jc...86/DSCF2518.jpg
Pics I snapped at a rest-stop 2 hours south of Philly.
I'll get more once I clean off all those damn tar spots from construction

 

I wouldn't do it. If a guy wont let a mechanic look it over, or a Honda dealership or whatever before the buy, then something is fishy. Besides any big sale done in a rush normally doesn't turn out to great.

 

I doubt the dealership is giving him 21k as he stated. So, i think that's what he is hiding.

 

Sounds fishy. Shop around you can find a not so fishy deal for right around the same price and mileage.

 

[QUOTE=ChefJ,Nov 4 2007, 08:26 PM]Sounds fishy.

 

have you gone to look at the car yet? If not, go look at it before you even think about taking money out, don't go by his word or by the pictures.

 

Sadly I haven't, I'm still a college student so making a $500+ round trip flight is already pushing my car fund limits without having to fly back the second time purchase the car if it is actually in great condition. I was just planning on flying down, and buying it if it checks out or just flying back if it doesn't (which would have be a big hit to my S fund considering I've been saving for a good time now). Do you guys feel that there could be some questions I could ask him over the phone before i commit to flying up?

I appreciate the responses so quickly and it seems like you guys think I should hold off on the deal (but its tempting ).

 

Keep looking.

 

Update: A friend of mine was nice enough to provide me a Delta buddy pass so I can look at the car at almost no travel expenses. Now, that I don't have to worry about spending that money for a flight, I think I'm just going to go and try to convince him to let me do a leakdown test at the very least.
Thanks guys and I will keep you guys updated.

 

i would look elsewhere if the guy is not willing to let a mechanic look it over.