Sup! Ive come across a listing on marketplace. 2002 S2000, rebuilt fresh F20C with 7K miles on it. I need some advice before buying because i'm a little skeptical. 2 owners, it was backed into by a truck which caused very slight frame damage but the airbags also went off. He said he worked at a Honda dealership and rebuilt the engine himself but had work done by “M&M Head services.” He doesn't have formal paperwork for the rebuild due to himself doing it but has info and records of the machinery used to do it. I’d assume the shop did the heads and he put it on the block, but I’m more worried about the airbag system. The listing has been up for 9 weeks which is also a little scary. It’s priced at 13k which is why I was interested. Should I stay away at all costs or consider it? Thank you much!

current state of the car


The car before the previous owner bought it (slight damaged on the bumper which caused frame damage)

 

That engine rebuild has a high chance of not working out.

So just budget for a motor. If the price is still good, assuming it needs a motor...then you'd want to check the body repair.

 

120,000 miles, frame damage, and a "rebuilt" engine? Not for me! Messing with the cylinder head is fraught with problems, there's barely any tolerance there. Spend an evening reading about engine rebuild failures and costs. Even with a good engine is this a $20K car? Not from the photos and mileage.

Looks like the most recent owner put a black hood and black wheels on the car. Lowered?

On the Plus side the car appears to have regular service albeit at places like Walmart and Valvoline and new (unknown) tires earlier this year.

Interesting journey from Georgia to Arizona to Ohio. I think it's had a lot more than two (2) owners, maybe as many as seven (7)? Not surprising since the car was wrecked.

At least there's no emissions in Franklin County and Ohio hasn't had vehicle inspections in decades.

-- Chuck

 

Once the frame has been damaged on these cars, it is pretty much impossible to have the car return to the original handling charactaristics. Even a few pounds of air difference between tires has a noticeable effect in handling.
All the rest of the comments ring true especially the head work. Removal of material from the head results in issues with timing that cannot be addressed properly as in other cars.
Pass.