PossumK

Hello,

I am in the market for a 2004-2006 S2000 (limited to those early AP2 years because of my budget), and found a 2005 for sale locally for $17k before tax and fees. I saw and drove the car today, but need some opinions on this price based on what I found:

2005 Honda S2000

The good/upsides:
- About 34-35k miles.
- Clean title.
- 2 owners. First owner drove it for 20k miles, 2nd owner about 15k miles. Claims to be all commuter miles.
- Completely stock, never modified.
- Mechanically everything seems to look clean and runs well.
- No accidents or major repairs, just normal service.
- Soft top is in excellent condition, no tears.
- Interior looks great. Leather is in good condition without any cracking. Seat bolsters still retain their original shape.

The downsides:
- Body has various light scratches on fenders, doors, trunk, but all can be polished out with ScratchX (my assessment from previous experience using ScratchX). One door has a small ding right on the crease, which makes it noticeable. I think paintless dent removal can take this out, but that would be $100. There are tiny paint chips near a door handle and on the crease of the trunk.
- Tires are low on tread, will need to be changed soon.
- Driver side seat makes an intermittent rattle somewhere up high when driving. Is this common?


I am not too familiar with the market price of used S2000's. I've seen the listings on Craigslist and Autotrader, but those prices are almost always listed above what the seller would be willing to accept. The $17k price is the lowest that I could get the seller to go on this car. I'm trying to figure out if it this is a great deal, average, or if I could do better.

Thanks,
Greg

reyfx

Seems like a good deal to me, especially here in CA. If you can't find any online for even remotely that price I would say you are getting a good deal. you could always buy mine for 16.5 :-p

FearlessFife

It sounds okay, I would definitely use the 35K service and the tires as a bargaining point, for certain. Those could be costly, especially the tires, but I am sort of a stickler for putting the proper shoes on my S2000...

Overall, it seems like a good car. DEFINITELY shoot them a lower offer.

DFWs2k

you can do better

dammitjim

Probably a fair deal for the seller and buyer. It's a buyer's market out there.

Bboy AJ

Where do these people get these prices from? So many delusional S2000 owners. This is not a seller's market.

You can do better. Keep looking. But if you do buy it, you wouldn't be getting ripped off. It's like buying a car for MSRP.

DaveyG27

You can do ALOT better. Just buy one during the winter months. You can get one for dirt cheap. I bought a 06 with 18k miles for $17k in Jan. Keep looking!

reyfx

Man the s2ki community thinks are cars are worth nothing, damn. You guys are forgetting that he is in So Cal - everythings a premium here, including roadsters. Its year round sunny. I can pretty much tell you that no dealerships in this area are selling 05+'s with low mileage for 17k. A lot have been priced around 19k. Hell the KBB trade in on my 05 in excellent condition is 16.9k.


I have been searching for a used CR and believe me the used car market is solidfying. Maybe its the false pretense that we are out of the recession but the dealerships around here arent letting used cars go for free. I cant tell you about the new car market, but the used car market seems to be hardening up..for now.

Just my 2 cents, but I don't think 17k is a bad deal at all. Its a good deal assuming there isn't any real problems. New tires will cost you around 500-700 mounted. Its still a buyers market so get the best deal you can.

dammitjim

Dealer selling prices aren't a good barometer of what a car is worth.

sahtt

Not to mention buy the car in northern california and drive it down. Rent and dinner are cheaper up there as well, believe it or not.

I'd only pay 17k for that car if it was mint. It doesn't sound mint. "It's a buyer's market" is an understatement. I was thinking about picking up a low mileage 06 GPW simply because I'm confident I would get one for 16k. I remember just a few years ago that's what a clean 00 went for.