Hey guys,

Joined the forum a while ago but was never able to afford it since I was a student. Now that I'm out of school, I'm finally able to look at the car of my dreams.

I'm looking at a 2003 with 63k miles and a hardtop for 15.5k at a used car dealer. The free car fax report says it was had an accident reported. Since I know that, I was wondering if I should take it to an auto body OR a mechanic, barring of course hey let me do this. I'm guessing the auto body would be able to detect frame damage and the mechanic would be better for mechanical bits.

Btw, anyone know a good auto body or mechanic in The Denver area?

Thanks folks.

 

May not be a big deal ask dealer what happened or try to contact last owner. Look for new paint new lights stuff like that if you find new paint or lights thats where it was hit. For minor crash they just spot paint to match like paint damaged fender and replace headlamp. If whole car was painted may indicate a larger wreck so be careful there. Check all seams for uniformity. Drive the car! Check doors open close, trunk, hood. wouldnt hurt to look under car. Most of the time dealer will tell you where it was hit or can contact last owner for you to find out.

Good luck!

 

Check for vin numbers on all the body panels. If a panel has been replaced, it won't have the vin sticker. Likewise, check the window glass for the Honda logo. Factory glass is rarely used as a replacement.

 

Thanks guys. So you guys don't think I need to get a mechanic to look over the bits? I did see a thread where someone posted all the body panels and where the vins are located. I read something where measuring the distance between bolts is a way to tell if there has been frame damage but I'll be sure to check the seams and gaps


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Bliss and Conedodger gave great advice.

After you find out about the extent of the wreck, it wouldn't hurt to have an independant mechanic give it a look over--especially since it's your first S2000. It's a Honda so as long as it was cared for and repaired properly, it's likely to be fine.

Post in the Rocky Mountain sub forum and ask some local folks for their recommendations on a good mechanic experienced with S2000s

the price sounds like a decent deal---and that hardtop alone is worth somewhere between $2500-$3500 with the mounting hardware if you decide you don't want it as they're no longer made and folks still want them. (I like the convertable aspect of the car so no hardtop for me!)

good luck!

 

You can do whatever you like, but I would never spend $15k on a used car without getting a pre-purchase inspection done. Particularly not a car as purpose-built and sensitive to inputs as an S2000. Even if it looks nice, the car could have been beat on mechanically and you want to know what you are getting into before buying.

Any seller that won't let you get the car inspected independently (at your cost, of course) is a seller you should avoid.

 

Look at the pinch welds for evidence of clamp marks which would be indicative of it being of a frame pulling machine. That would be the immediate deal breaker for me .Of course, looking for mismatched body lines/seams, VIN labels, poorly fitting convertible tray plastics, and missing/chipped paint on bolt heads is also a good idea.

If everything else checks out, I would ask the dealership to put it on an alignment rack to verify that it is within spec.

 

I heartily agree with Murph. You definitely don't want to regret a bad purchase.

 

Apparently the car is being sold by consignment. And they say that the hardtop was 'stolen' and the 15.5k is to reflect that. He also said the accident was some guy in rush hour who started bashing the soft top in. I don't know how honest these stories are because they sound a bit convenient but I'm checking the car out on Monday. Also checking a 2001 that was in a low speed impact with 80k for 15k. I don't want to go through the banjo bolt replacement though


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