I've been looking for S2Ks since Oct. the only Stooks I've seen below $18k were salvage title. Remember this when and if you find a "great deal". A salvage or "other" title usually means no full coverage, if any, depending on insurance co.

 

Doesn't necessarily reflect the market. Obviously I have looked there and on NADA.

 

Ah yes, TSB...couldn't remember the term. You could wait until you graduate and then buy yourself a new one as a graduation gift

Also, ask the person what kind of gas they run, it may seem dumb but they must run 91 octane or better on this car due to the high compression.

 

Yeah, waiting until I'm out of school would probably be the best idea, but, I'm young and brash and want instant gratification! At this point, I haven't owned a car in about 6 months, so I'm just considering not owning one until I have the finances and find the "right" car...

Good idea about the gas! I actually didn't know it ran on as low as 91 though, when I drove my friend's I would religiously use 93. I forget low grade gas even exists since everything after my 1990 Civic has used only premium!

 

$15k for a reliable S; wake up, you're dreaming. Might want to look at a Civic or an Accord. Wait until you can afford over $20k... you can't enjoy a car that's in the shop.

 

I guess I got lucky 3 weeks ago. I picked up a MY00 with 27,000 miles on it, clean title, clean history for $14,800. Awesome car!!! I love it!! I have been looking for about 2 yrs off and on.... not being able to find one for less than $18,000!!! I really lucked out. It is possible to find one...just keep looking!!! It happened to me!!!

 

14,800 wow owner must have been strapped for cash thats a huge loss.....

 

Is this going to be your daily driver?

Ok, now that you know how much you want to spend on the car. Have you thought about the cost of the maintenance or replacement of wear and tear items and the insurance?

The only reason I bring this up is that you mentioned you are a college student. You can probably do some or most of the maintenance yourself but what about things you have to replace?

 

I have certainly seen cars that appear to be in good repair and even claim a 100k warranty for under $18k. I haven't researched too far into these cars, but I've seen them listed for sale.

As far as the maintenance/insurance, $15k is a realistic upper limit for purchase price on the car. I have insurance and maintenance figured in as well, so that would not need to be deducted. As far as maintenance, I have always done my own (including clutch jobs, headgasket, engine rebuild etc), so chances are, I would only have to buy the replacement parts.

From what I've seen, the S2000 shouldn't be too expensive to maintain. For contrast, I was also considering an E36 M3 which would be considerably more to maintain. The S2000 seems to only need regular maintenance like oil, plugs, maybe a valvetrain adjustment similar things regularly. Maybe I'm missing some hidden costs of ownership, but even compared to a regular daily driver, maintenance doesn't sound too bad...

As for how much I would drive it, it would depend on what I felt like spending on the car. Realistically, I don't need a car when I'm at college. I live and work on campus and have tons of friends to drive me off campus if I need it. That being said, I very well might drive the car year-round just because it would be a blast and, well, why let a $15-20k car sit for half the year!

Sorry the post has rambled some, but it's a Saturday night and...well, need I say more!

 

Don't forget the tires. The OEM tires wear very quickly and are not cheap. There are alternatives, but that is a discussion for the "Wheels and Tires" forum.