Hi, everyone. I'm new here. I have been lurking on these boards for awhile and I've finally pulled the trigger and joined up. I was just looking through the buying an s2000 thread as I'm shopping for one myself. They are great cars and I cannot wait to have one for myself. Anyway, onto my topic. I have narrowed search for cars pretty well, I'm looking for an ap1, an 01-02 is preferred due to the enhancements that were put into those years (interior trim, stereo, ecu fuel map adjustments, most have banjo bolt upgrade, etc). Ideally I am looking for one with lower than ~65k on the odometer (not really liking the idea of any with engine swaps, that can open a whole new bag of worms if not done correctly). I'm in central NJ and have found a few that fit the bill over the last few months for between $12,000 and $16,000. Is that a good price? It's hard to tell because most used cars go for a couple grand less than the asking price. I'd like a relatively stock car and was wondering how much I should lower my offer based on the mods that are on the car?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

I live in the same area and would expect to spend about that much for the miles you are looking for. Good luck.

 

Cool, cool. Low mileage is the one aspect I really don't care too much about but I'm lucky enough to have a grandfather that is going to lend me half the money so I won't be paying back interest and he won't put the money up unless I go for a low mileage car. I figured the money I'll end up saving on interest ends up paying for the difference between a $14k car and a higher mileage $10k car.

Besides uneven tire wear, is there any way I can tell that the car has been abused? From what I have read about these cars, they take very well to being beat on, as long as you don't go overboard with it and keep up with standard fluid changes and such. There was someone on here that posted the highest ap1 dyno of the 12 that ran with him that day and he was at 150k with no rebuilds or major engine repair! Man, these cars are amazing.

 

Actually it's 02-03's that have the slight upgrades (leather console, glass rear window, chrome rings in tails, slight different ECU, ect). 01's are the exact same as 00's. The earlier 02's had the older banjo bolts, then the later 02's and so forth have the upgraded ones. That is something simple to upgrade if you end up getting an earlier 02 (or of course a 00-01).

Just thought I would clear that up for you. Also for $13-14k you should be able to find a good condition ap1 with less than 65k miles pretty easily.

 

Totally right on that one, my bad. Thanks for pointing that out. So these high prices I'm seeing, is that people just having lofty expectations? I've seen plenty of ap1's with 80k+ priced out of my price range.

 

No problem. Yeah just ignore them, they obviously don't know what the value of their car is. Some people add quite a bit onto the price also if it is modded. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it isn't. It just depends on what you are looking for, and a bone stock ap1 with around 65k or less should be around 13.5k and below in good condition.

I just even looked at the NADA Guides and the clean retail for an 02 with 50k miles is $14,250 and most price their cars below the value to get it to sell. So if someone is asking more than that for one with more miles just keep looking and you can find better deals out there. Also if you find the perfect color combo and everything you want that is a tad bit more, it's honestly worth it to pay the little extra and get what you want. It's worth it in the long run.

 

Thats good to know. I have seen a few setup exactly how I want them but there was always that one thing that stuck out (i.e. it was heavily modified, way overpriced, way too many miles, etc; always just one thing that stopped me from pulling the trigger). I'm okay with being patient though. The longer I wait, the lower the prices go and the more money I'll have to put towards it. Thanks for the advice!

 

I think 14k or 16k is way too much for an ap1 unless Its in pristine condition and has low miles. But like he said above, if you find the exact car you want than its worth a premium price for it.
2002 is the first year of the nicer interior and glass window so I would deffinitely get and 02+. Dont settle, your dream s is out there.

 

Thanks man! I think I'm going to wait it out until I find the perfect car, like you all said, its the best thing to do.

 

I bought an 05 with about 70,000mi on it last spring for $14,900. The car isn't absolute perfection. There is a patch in the soft top, the catalytic converter is giving an error code, and there are a few paint chips, but the car has been 100% reliable. It doesn't have any issues at all (beside Cat. err. code) and I beat the absolute sh*t out of it. So, you should be able to find a garage queen AP1 within your price range pretty easily, or you could get an AP2 that's been driven a bit more within that budget too.