This post may upset a few but thats not the point. The point of this post is just simple logic. I came to writing this post after responding to another is this car worth it post, and it got me thinking..
What makes buying or deciding to buy a honda s2000 any different from any other car ?? We have nada values and blue book values.. even carfax. So why are there still so many threads about this ?? These cars are getting older and these cars are used. And just like any other used car homework is in order. But that does not mean that a post is neccesary. Just read and search. Honda makes these cars.. these motors as long as they are maintained will last lifetimes. Mileage should not be an issue as long as its maintained. If you want to tell if its been maintained sure you could do some tests. Check the oil and fluids before you buy... but whose to say it wasnt just changed prior to sale. You want a good maintenance baseline check the tires. Many sellers wont go drop $800 on tires for a car they are selling at a loss. An even better option... bring a scan tool. Check for codes. Check the interior... if it says its a non smokers car but theres ash everywhere.. walk away. If the car is overpriced .. walk away. If anything doesnt seem right... walk away. You the buyer are i the dominant position when it comes to buying. Dont think or feel for a second you neex to buy that specific car... you dont even have to give a reason just walk away. If the top is damaged consider if its worth spending another grand to have it fixed. If the seats are worn.. decide if you want to spend money to repair or replace. Paint chipped do you want to spend the money on a respray. Etc etc. Use common sense but also realize these are sub $20k cars.. and highly unlikely you will find a minty fresh one. So use your brain and gut when deciding. Its one thing to ask for advice on a forum.. we all started in that position. But also realize if the more help and info you recieve the more issues and double quessing a particular car you have... then forget it and walk away.

 

The problem most people have buying a used s2000 is the prices are all over the frigan place. and the difference between NADA and KBB is insane. a 2003 with 35k miles on it had a 4k dollar difference between KBB and NADA. thats real usefull.... meanwhile everyone on this forum thinks they can sell their trashed and modded s2000's for above KBB. What they dont realize is its going to be nearly impossible for people to get used car loans on these things.

For someone who has never purchased an s2000 they are not your typical car and would like some advice from those of us who have. When i bought my first s2000 i had no clue that the top being ruined and the seats being stolen would TOTAL the car. I had no clue the value of good seats and a good top.

These people are just looking for advice. no need to get all worked up about it. just dont read the threads if you dont want.

 

Nothing, really.

Look on any discussion forum site (and not just cars at that) and you'll see that "Is it worth it?" threads are extremely common. If you don't care for them then don't click on them.

If you think that the majority of people run only on logic then that's probably why you're having issues with such threads. People are people. Your post isn't going to change them. On the other hand, you have full control over what you do and how you respond to things.

 

As mentioned, KBB and NADA values are all over the place (and are of limited value for an enthusiast car anyway).

For me, the most complicating part of buying one was the inability to compare cars given the limited number of them for sale (hence having to drive 400 miles for mine after shopping for 6 months). Even for common cars, KBB and NADA don’t do a good job of adjusting for location (at least in my area, they undervalue cars). The best tool you have is to go and test drive and comparison shop real cars in person. I couldn’t do that with an s2k.

I do think comparison shopping for an s2k is more difficult than most cars. I don’t mind the “what’s this car worth” threads.

 

In my experience with cars like these that have sentimental (and sometimes delusional) sellers, if you get a very clean example that is at or close to nada but below kbb (which is always high) then you've got a good deal. Banks will only finance up to nada and only if the car is 7 years old or newer, otherwise they won't finance at all (at least not in Florida, I don't know if that is a Federal rule or not). Credit unions don't have a limit for the age of of the vehicle but typically want to do their own value assessment especially if it's from a private seller. Unfortunately, a lot of sellers don't realize that if the car they are selling is over a certain age then the amount of buyers is limited to those who live by the teachings of Dave Ramsey . Furthermore, buying a car for too much over nada is risky because in the event of a total loss accident, insurance is only going to pay what their book says the car was valued and even if you bought gap coverage it will only cover the amount of the loan (nada value). This means that if you pay 20000 for a car that nada says is worth 15 then you could be out 5 G's! This is why I am very picky when I buy and use sites like this and others to gage the opinions of people who own, have owned, bought, and sold a particular vehicle. Typically it saves me a lot of money. Thank's btw!

I know I just said that KBB is high but it really isn't. It is just very hard to find people who know what kbb rating their car actually falls under. For instance, in my first real post on this website here, I was looking at an S from a couple who had it listed for 23,000 which is about a 500 over what kbb list as excellent dealer retail and about 1500 over excellent private party retail. Obviously they think their car is in line with excellent for kbb and then some. Upon inspection it would actually have placed only good by KBB standards and with some questions. KBB good value is 19,400 (roughly) which is right in line with nada. So kbb isn't high, it just has high standards.

 

1) S2000 prices are only different than any other car because of the owners selling them + KBB prices are bullshit.

2) Can't trust KBB (especially KBB) nor NADA as others have said. I've checked comparisons where CRs were worth less than a 2001 AP1 with not even a big mileage difference.

3) Sometimes its nice to get a second, third, or a millionth opinion because maybe there is something I'm not considering or I'm not thinking straight from seeing so many cars and also losing my patience trying to hunt lol.

 

Like i said i wasnt trying to offend anyone. What i was getting at is theres no need for a million and one questions since every topic has been covered. And truth be told if in your gut it seems off you should walk away. And i understand the values are way off but thats even better. If the value is set high from the start from nada or kbb and the seller wants even more... then walk away. No one should pay more money for mods on a car if thats the issue. The only mod that could command more money is a hardtop. Basically buyers should know that these cars arent mystical magical unicorns... their still used cars so whatever practice you would imploy with any used car still holds true here. While we would all like to think and we all feel these cars are special... they really arent. Their just like any other car when it comes to buying them.

 

And by the way i like reading these posts because sometines there are really good questions asked... but the majority of times is questions that are easily searched or easily solved by the consumer taking a second to think

 

All purchase decisions are emotional. That is especially true when buying an S.

No doubt there are people for whom getting a killer deal is more (emotionally) important than simply getting the car itself.

Myself, After a lot of research and on-line shopping, I bought my S because it was a very nice AP2 available locally. I checked it out and drove it and thought I got a good deal, paying $16k cash or about $2k below "retail value".

After the fact, My Honda mechanic did a carfax report and I found out it had been crashed and repaired, which lowered the retail value to exactly what I paid. Had I known that, I maybe could have gotten a little more off the price, but maybe not.

Bottom line, I have an immaculate silver 2005(new paint) with a new top and low miles (42k). And it runs and tracks great. Like my mechanic said, if it was properly repaired, who cares?

Having said that, as much as I like my S, I can see myself shopping for a 2006+ (VSA) in my preferred color (white). Since I already have one S, I would take more care buying the second.

 

Try shopping for a Lotus Elise sometime. Then you will know the meaning of limited number for sale, difficulty in comparing, and prices that are all across the board.