This site is useful for searching as it crosschecks multiple sources. I found my 05 s2k w/ 36k miles for a good price through Craigslist a few months ago.

 

You just have to keep your eyes open for a good deal honestly. Your theorized example above is a bit extreme, but it's really not that far off. I got my 2004 with 28.5K miles for 16k earlier this year, found it here on the forums.

 

One big mistake as far as price goes is to only search at dealerships/car lots. I notice a lot of guys saying "I found this s2k at the dealership and they want this much, is this a good deal?" You will almost always get a better price buying from an individual, and you won't have to pay BS fees like "docking fees" and whatnot. I bought my s2k from an individual and it was $4-5k less than I saw comparable s2ks at dealerships going for. When I pulled up to my local Honda dealership to buy some parts for maintenance, one of the sales guys was begging for me to trade it in and after seeing that there was no way I was going to do that he asked how much I paid for it. When I told him, his jaw dropped and he said "you STOLE it at that price!!".

 

i'm watching dealer and private sales. i'm going to look at an 08 with 28k on the clock... seller wants 25.5K. see what i mean? this is 3k above blue book

 

Couldnt come to an agreement on the 2001 I posted earlier. I am looking at a 2002 with 60K on it and can get it for 12K, it is suppose to be very clean. What about the price?

 

So I have been on the forum trying to learn what I can about these wonderful cars. I am coming from owning a miata for a little while. I have been testing driving s2000's for a couple months trying to find one that really speaks to me. I came across a private party yellow 2006 with @ 28k on it. It appears to be pretty much stock except some audio mods. Did a test drive and everything seemed to function well. The interior and exterior both seem to be in great shape. Now the bad; the carfax shows it had been damaged back in 2007 with @ 6k on it to the point of branding the title rebuilt/salvage.

It has since had 2-3 more owners and 22,000 miles put on it. Whats your guy's thoughts on this? Stay away, or could be a good deal? I will get a PPI done if I decide to get serious about the purchase. Right now the seller is getting firm @ 14k.

Thanks for any input

 

I feel like I have a ton of learning to do.

 

lol

 

Was possibly looking into an S2000 as a daily driver and I found a S2000 with ~45,000 miles. Car had some minor modifications but nothing special. The interior was clean and the exterior I would give it a 8/10 with just a few paint flakes on the bumper. The bumper is an AP2 due to a front end collision which causes the salvage title. The guy is asking $10,5000 which to me is WAY over price for a salvaged title to me. Does anyone else agree or what is the general price range one should go about offering. Owner is in a "rush" to sell in efforts to pick up another car that just went up for sale.

One thing I noticed that stood out was the passenger airbag cover looked like it was suede material. Is this stock? It definitely didn't fit in with the dashboard and didn't look stock. My guess is that the front end collision set off the airbags and now the cover is covered in suede?

 

Nope, nope, nope. Don't do it. You can get a clean title for that much, obviously with higher mileage, but at least it won't be a potential piece of shit with a bent frame, screwed up airbags, goofy suspension, or a ton of other crap. Plus reselling a salvage title is a pain in the ass.