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Hi friends, I'm new here and want to be a new S2000 owner. Every input is greatly appreciated.
I'm looking for stock S2000 then across this listing:
List price is $22k
I like this car. The S2000 is an amazing and beloved car but it also changes owner often. I don't know how long my love for it lasted. I worry that it will lost resale value due to heavily modded.
1. What is right price for this car?
2. Should i buy this heavily modded or keep looking for stock car?
Thanks for spend your time to read through this long thread.
"About this vehicle
This 2000 Honda S2000 is an original. The owner has had it for 1 year. The vehicle runs great and is mainly used for weekend drives.
Seller's Notes
I bought this car from a old man who is over 70 and this car is only weekend drive with his wife. and always store inside the garage . the only reason for me to sell this car is have a baby .so this beauty must to go .And the car has no any issue at all .ready for the next owner . 2 original keys and key fob.
Vehicle Details
Street Drivable and Track Ready!!
Spectacular car, spectacular performance, qualityupgrades!! Street and/or Track
De-Tuned to:
471 Wheel Horsepower@8650 RPM
326.6 LB-FT of Torque
With just Tuning and Fuel iscapable of over 600whp and 425lb-ft torque
12,000 for engine rebuild with upgrades, 2400 for coil overs , turbo and piping 5000, exhaust 2400, brakes around 6000, radiator and bracket 1000, tires and wheels 2500, 2500 for rear differential, wide body and paint 10k
Around 30k upgrade without labor,clean title,never track before."
I'll state up front that I do not like the style of the car and that has an impact on my opinion. The body kit in itself is probably a no to me. I'll try to be objective and look passed that, but it is what it is.
If you like this car yourself and are genuinely interested, it's very difficult to judge the value of a car that heavily modified. At the very least, it will take a longer time to sell due to the mods. It is possibly a good value if all the work is done well. I don't think the price is bad, especially if done by a reputable shop and truly sorted. I'd have a hard time believing it is really well sorted given how recently the engine build occurred. To me, it appears likely that someone put a ton of money into it and is getting sick of chasing the gremlins of a heavily modified car. If you really know what you're doing, it could be good for you. Frankly, the tone that I get is that this is a bad idea but that's just me. If you're concerned about the resale value of this car, buying it is likely not a good idea. I think that you need one of two things to be true: you know heavily modified turbo cars in depth or you trust the shop that built it and are ok with paying for it to be maintained into the future. That does not mean oil changes. A car that heavily modified will be finicky, require diagnosing non-OEM systems that there is no manual for, and require parts replacements more frequently than a factory car.
Do you know who built the engine?
Do you know who installed everything and put the car together?
Who tuned it and what ECU is it tuned on?
Will it pass emissions where you live?
Is the shop that completed the work nearby to you, do you trust them, and do you intend to keep the car maintained there?
If not, how familiar are you with modified vehicles, particularly turbo cars drastically different from any OEM turbo setup?
Can you source parts for those front brakes? Rotors, etc.? Honestly that kit looks ricey. Idk if it actually performs but it looks form > function, especially that rotor design. Maybe I'm wrong but...
At first I don't like the look of it because it likes alien to stock S2000. I think the high quality upgrade bend my mind slowly. I done quite few jobs with stock cars but know very little about turbo mod car. I intend to call him to ask about mod shop and info you question above. However, I won't be able to use that shop for maintaining because it 7hrs drive.
Anytime you see "rebuilt" engine stay away. For me that also applies to super- or turbocharged.
Car is 21 years old with all the potential problems of a 21 year old car. myCARFAX indicates it was at a dealer in Lansing 5 months ago for electrical issues. "Mileage inconsistency" is also noted but there's not enough data otherwise.
The few service notes indicate "road salt" country for its entire life (CT and MI).
Guy claims to have spent over $30K on "improvements" and only wants $22K for the car is a giant red flag.
Anytime you see "rebuilt" engine stay away. For me that also applies to super- or turbocharged.
Guy claims to have spent over $30K on "improvements" and only wants $22K for the car is a giant red flag.
-- Chuck
This right here! By my math, according to the prices he had listed, he didn't spend $30k on upgrades, he spent $41,300! Let's say the car was only worth $15,000 to begin with, he has $56,300 "all in" and he's letting it go for $22k...because baby?!
No pun intended...that doesn't add up. Others have also mentioned, "recently I rebuilt this engine with a giant turbo connected to it but it runs great" is a sure sign of "I just blew this engine up and had it rebuilt because it wasn't done right, now you get to enjoy blowing it up".
Also, having a baby doesn't equate to you're now broke, that's BS unless this guy is 17. They don't cost anything initially outside of diapers if your wife is breastfeeding. If you have $41,300 to spend on "mods" you have $5,000 to spend on an Accord for hauling the baby around in, and if you don't have any friends and family you have the same said money to spend on a crib, car seat, stroller and some clothes. So, I'm not buying that argument either. "yeah, yeah, baby...that's why I'm selling my S2000 with recently rebuilt engine with a giant turbo hanging off it".
Just get a nice stock S2000 and enjoy it. I understand the allure of you not paying $41,300 for "mods" but nothing is going to go right with this vehicle, it's going to be a headache and constant nightmare.
I was debating about this car for a month. My original interest is stock S2000. During research, I bump into the LTH youtube channel and kind of like the turbocharge idea. However, I will never spend that kind of money to turbocharge the car. When I see this listing, with all the costly upgrade, I think, the guy who spend that much of money he should have it done right at reputable shop. Even if I undo the turbo the car still has fancy wheel, brake, exhaust and kw3 coil over... However, I have a doubt that I maybe wrong.
Thank you so much for all of your reply. I'll keep looking and will stick with stock S2000.
I’m not sure where you are, but due to a change in housing situation here, I have a precious 2002 S2k that is unmodified stock, which has been dealer maintained since I purchased it about 5 years ago that I might be willing to part with. IT has just over 71,000 miles and runs great. New rear tires, all accessories operational, including top, factory AC and CD player. IT is silver and black. A few very minor scratches. Still has the clear dealer installed protective sheeting on the nose. It is my weekend rider and has been garaged and dry until we sold our house last week. I have stored it in winter, shows no rust. I am Located in Eastern MAssachusetts.
Let me know if you are interested.
Alan
Last edited by Asadoorian; Jun 2, 2021 at 07:23 AM.
I was debating about this car for a month. My original interest is stock S2000. During research, I bump into the LTH youtube channel and kind of like the turbocharge idea. However, I will never spend that kind of money to turbocharge the car. When I see this listing, with all the costly upgrade, I think, the guy who spend that much of money he should have it done right at reputable shop. Even if I undo the turbo the car still has fancy wheel, brake, exhaust and kw3 coil over... However, I have a doubt that I maybe wrong.
Thank you so much for all of your reply. I'll keep looking and will stick with stock S2000.
If the subject here were a stock-bodied, non-rebuilt engine LHT car, your responses would be far different. I wouldn't pay LHT money either but they are recognized as a great option for someone who wants a (relatively) trouble-free, turn-key package. The mods this car has do not immediately translate to value for a large audience of people. That does not make it inherently bad, but it is what it is. It makes it much more likely to be bad and none of the info you've provided has shown otherwise. Extreme example... If you've seen the BigBadWolf S2k around here and/or on social media, it's an awesome car with great work done. I believe most things are custom and done very well. That being said, there are very few people who it would be good advice to recommend owning that car at any price. If this post was about that car, I'd say awesome car but you don't sound prepared to own something like that. Neither am I and that's ok. If I bought it, it would be in disrepair in 2 years or I'd be broke trying to get a shop to do it.
Motegi wheels are not fancy. They are not a great wheel manufacturer. I do not know much about the brake manufacturer but that rotor design looks like it's for show, not go. Like I asked before, where are you going to source replacement rotors/pads for those? What style pads does it take? I don't think that mod adds value. KW V3 coilovers are not that expensive and are mid-grade suspension. You should expect to pay well over the price of the KW's in maintenance/troubleshooting in your first year of owning this car if you don't work on it yourself. The more posts come out, the worse an idea I think this to be. I think you need to find a stock-body, stock, or bolt-on only car. That body kit makes this example very hard to sell no matter what else is or isn't done to it. If you're concerned about resale value, that pretty much answers that question. All the other stuff does not seem like a positive in your use case. You're thinking someone else subsidized your LHT car. This is not that. This forum does have a strong bias towards OEM only and I tend to try to tamper that down. However, I am convinced that for most owners, that is the right answer, especially for the drivetrain.
The fact that it's been on the market for a month should demonstrate resale challenges. Stock bodied S2000's do not sit on the market like that. You've sold me, this is a bad idea. This is a way for you to make 22k into 12k real quick and learn to hate s2000s in the process.
Need advice for buying my first s2000
