Also one more thing. Carfax doesn't show it but this car has definitely been in an accident and/or fender bender at some point.

The pictures from the old listing when it was being sold by Korum showed missing VIN stickers. I can't remember which panels to be exact but I find it convenient that each picture in the new Infiniti listing is focused in just enough to leave out all of the VIN stickers. That's being done for a reason.

 

I drove it when it was at Korum and at the time didn't know to look for the VIN stickers. They ended up emailing me with an offer of 23k out the door. I countered with 20k with the laundry list of things I needed to do after the sale. The next day they sold it wholesale to Kuni.

 

Ok, going in a completely different direction: http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/cto/4728616328.html

Rebuilt title.

Story (told to me) is:
* Car stolen
* Stripped of everything except engine. This includes doors, fenders, wheels, trunk, seats etc. Why would they leave the engine?
* Insurance wrote the car off due to replacement costs
* All parts replaced by D & A automotive in Portland Oregon (Possibly these guys: https://www.facebook.com/dandamotors)
* Painted by Honda dealership

Seems a little dodgy to me that pretty much every panel was taken off the car but the engine was left.

Is $14500 about right for a rebuilt title?

The guy seems open to taking it to a dealer for an inspection

 

Can he provide you with pictures of when it was stripped?

 

I'm getting a s2k in the near month get your view on the car
It's a
2007 Honda s2000
91k miles
Asking 16k
Kelly blue book 15k
Will do 15cash
It's a silver stone
Good condition

 

if clean title it's a fair deal.

 

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...38715332&Log=0

So I'm in Northern California and have been really [really] tempted to travel down to southern California (roughly a 6 1/2-7 hour drive) to check this car out for a possible purchase. But, unfortunately, the deal smells chummy through and through. The dealership is named M Motorcars, and no info or reviews exist on the internet for it. Anyone know or have any experience with them? They are an Asian-run dealership, with very thick accents that are very hard to communicate with. The price makes me drool for my unicorn, but other aspects do not, including:

1. I asked the guy how long he has had the car on his lot and he said "8 months"
2. I asked why he has had it so long and he says, "haha... what do you mean? People must not have the money."
3. The guy barely speaks any English, making phone conversations dreadfully painful.
4. He sent me the AutoCheck, and I have attached it below.
5. From the pictures, it appears the driver side rear quarter panel might have been tampered with? What do you think looking at the pictures?

Through a hodgepodge of words lost in translation, the guy says I can take it to an auto shop local to him to get the car checked out before the purchase, so I spoke with Alex and Alan of Ballade Sports who said to bring it on through if I ever decide to pull the trigger (they are roughly 30 miles from the dealership).

This is my unicorn; my ultimate favorite color combo on the S: GPW w/red black interior. And, judging from the pictures (which mean next to nothing these days) the interior looks fresh and clean.

So, what do you think? Is it worth it? I know, dependent on its true condition, that the car would otherwise be well worth the price--but is it worth it to even venture across the state just to find out? I really want to see it in person, but want to avoid 14 hours on the road for a lemon. All input is greatly appreciated.

 

^^ Captain Midnight: That used car lot is on the shady side. Been there. Test drove an Elise they had. Offered them a fair price which I knew gave them a modest profit for their effort (I know it was fair because I knew what they paid to get it... I knew who they bought it from! the only reason they got the car before I did two weeks earlier was because I had to go out of town for a family commitment) but they were only interested in selling at a huge profit. They generally have at least 3 or 4 S2000s on the lot at any time and, while they do a good job of cleaning them up all shiny, the cars frequently have stories to hide. Not all, but most. They mostly go for the eye-catching and niche colors like yellow, red, and white. They know that people who want those colors frequently have an emotional attachment to the colors. Many will pay a premium to get them. These guys know it and they seriously milk that.

I found dealing with them to be annoying because they kept asking if I was sure the car (Elise) wasn't for my husband. Hello! Not married! Car was for me. Stfu asking about my marital status, right?! Then they wanted to know if I would trade in my S and they wouldn't let it go when I flat said no. They are always looking for an angle and they don't like to give straight answers.

It's certainly possible they have stumbled onto a nice S2000 with no bad history. The particular Elise I looked at was very nice (but not 8k over market nice!), but I doubt that most of their cars are truly clean with no history. I would suggest you post in the SoCal forum and ask someone local to go check it out for you before you decide to make the drive. If the thing has been on the lot 8 months, chances are it won't sell out from under you before you can get a local to go see it.

 

Some greatly helpful info, RMurphy, I greatly appreciate it!

It was definitely apparent that they were working SOME kind of angle, even over the phone, although it was difficult to say what that angle was, especially given the language barrier. Pretty strange that they would even inquire, let alone persist, about your marital status (lol it's actually kind of funny now having talked to the dude on the phone; I imagine his accent throughout the convo). Was it the Asian owner then as well? These dudes are so hard to talk to, it's frustrating to say the least. I'll go with your suggestion and post in the SoCal thread, too.

Do you know how long the lot or business has been around? i.e. how long ago was it that you were there? What is the lot like? And do you know if they do repairs on site for their vehicles? I asked him this question and he said no repairs were ever done to the car. But who know

AutoCheck specifies one owner which is, at the very least, somewhat comforting.

 

I don't know if the guy I was dealing with was the owner. I have no doubt they do some minor work on the cars on the lot. I doubt they are licensed as a repair facility so they can't tell you they have done work on it there at the lot even if they have. I don't know how long they have been in business but I made the trip for the Elise test drive almost two years ago. The lot is a small, corner lot. You can do a google map lookup and see the size of it from satellite and street pics.

A single owner vehicle does generally tend to have more promise than one with multiple owners. I guess it depends on the owner. I would be wondering how these guys came to have it on their lot since most long term owners know what they have in the S2000 and are unlikely to sell to a lot like that one.

Edit: And yes, talking to them on the phone is painful. In person was also painful but in a different way. Also, they did have an S2000 with seats out and some interior bits removed for whatever reason on the day I went to see that Elise. Likely for minor repair work they were doing. They didn't want to talk about it.