Decide whether you value mileage or age more. Both cars don't have many miles so the 06 being 3 years newer should yield a slightly lower cost of ownership over time.

Then decide what the updates are worth to you--the 06 has VSA (which some people don't care about, but it can be nice), stock rear speakers in the headrests, arguably better aesthetics in the front/rear, etc.

With the 06 you can use Flashpro too. It's definitely one of the best tuning solutions for these cars and it can make a huge difference in the way the car performs. Reflash to 8500 redline and suddenly the whole "lolol 9k all the way" AP1 argument is virtually moot. 500 extra rpm, wooo...color me excited.

Yes, I'm biased toward the AP2. It's just the better overall package to me.

 

I'd get the Ap1 no question , although I am a bit bias , either way you'll love your new S , best of luck .

 

So get the engine a compression and leakdown to answer the question of engine health..it will be the best few bucks you spend before buying
For the clutch, look at the fluid-the engagement is high normally
replacing pads is going to happen and not expensive, so no worries there
As for plugs, you nailed it they are smoking crack or not looking at our motor. I would pull the valve cover and inspect the "internals" on the cams/valves

 

I checked all the VIN tags except the rear bumper where the tag was missing. All other tags match the VIN. I checked the engine serial number and it was built after the Banjo bolt upgrade (i.e., higher than 1025386).

I don't plan on tracking the car.

 

The price is a firm $15,000 with the OEM Hardtop.

 

With 46k miles on the AP2, the tires have most likely been changed at some point and would not be nearly as old. I would change the tires on the 2003 regardless of mileage if they are the originals because that means that they are about a decade old and tires deteriorate over time. This decision really just comes down to what features matter the most to you. See this link for details on changes over the years. Pretty much everybody with an AP1 will say buy the AP1 and everybody with an AP2 will say buy the AP2, so it is up to you to sort through the details and decide what you want. Good luck with the purchase!

 

So a $12k car if you don't need the hardtop as you can sell it instantly for $3000. I'm sure you were aware, but just in case.

 

A 2003 AP1 With 12.5k is like nothing Avg.1388 miles a year! Id go with the AP1 mainly because of how low the miles are.

 

The clutch did not appear to slip at all. I checked online and Honda recommends pads are changed at 1.2mm so seems to be some life left in them for a while. As for the VTECH I didn't get a chance to kick it into VTECH in either 1st or 2nd as I could see him cringing in the passenger seat so it probably isn't as abrupt in 3rd and 4th gear.

BTW - This forum is awesome thank you all so much!

 

If you plan to tinker, flashpro capable '06 ftmfw

If not, only you can determine the value between age vs miles. Will you daily drive it? Garage queen?

Go team red!