Official Is This Car Worth It Thread vol 3
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,318
Likes: 215
From: Oregon
If you keep your S garaged and have other insured vehicles for the family to drive then contact Hagerty Insurance for some likely substantial savings combined with better coverage.
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,176
Likes: 100
From: San Francisco
I understand what you are saying. Personally I try to avoid drive-by-wire cars but the reality is that has nothing to do with the value of the car as far as the market is concerned. For the benefit of someone who is looking to buy one of these cars it is probably best if I try to keep my preferences out of the equation when the subject of pricing comes up. While there are exceptions to every rule from a value / pricing standpoint, all other things being equal, the later cars bring more money. There are multiple reasons for this. I am not talking about collector cars with a few thousand miles where anything goes, but about the “regular S2000s” that people buy to drive.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 541
Likes: 49
I have a 2004 for which I am the original owner. I have only 16,000 miles on it. The car is in great shape, other than a few scrapes on the front bumper from a flat tire I got a few months ago. I really enjoy this car and would love to keep it, but my insurance for it is killing me as I have two sons on the policy as well. They can't even drive a manual transmission, but my insurance still charges me for their ability to drive it.
I was wondering if anyone knows any way to insure the car separately, maybe under some collector car insurance or something like that where only I, or my wife, can drive it, and maybe with limited miles annually.
Second option is to sell, and wondering what I could get for it.
Anyway, I would prefer to keep it if my annual costs weren't so much.
Thoughts?
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 40
Likes: 2
Hi, I'm looking at a 2006 Silverstone with Red/Black Interior in Canada. Comes with factory hardtop and front lip. Car has 51,000km (31700 miles), clean carfax and in very good condition including all original manuals and service records.. Asking price is $24,000 CAD ($17,900 USD). What do you guys think?
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,176
Likes: 100
From: San Francisco
Hi, I'm looking at a 2006 Silverstone with Red/Black Interior in Canada. Comes with factory hardtop and front lip. Car has 51,000km (31700 miles), clean carfax and in very good condition including all original manuals and service records.. Asking price is $24,000 CAD ($17,900 USD). What do you guys think?
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 541
Likes: 49
Hi, I'm looking at a 2006 Silverstone with Red/Black Interior in Canada. Comes with factory hardtop and front lip. Car has 51,000km (31700 miles), clean carfax and in very good condition including all original manuals and service records.. Asking price is $24,000 CAD ($17,900 USD). What do you guys think?
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 736
Likes: 90
Hi, I'm looking at a 2006 Silverstone with Red/Black Interior in Canada. Comes with factory hardtop and front lip. Car has 51,000km (31700 miles), clean carfax and in very good condition including all original manuals and service records.. Asking price is $24,000 CAD ($17,900 USD). What do you guys think?
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,318
Likes: 215
From: Oregon
That is a great price. Consider that the hardtop alone is worth between $3000-4000 US on its own. If you didn't want it you could conceivably be into a great for for <14k US after selling it. People would call you crazy but that's what I did and haven't regretted it at all.
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Georgetown, TX
I have been wanting an S since I bought my first car in 2002. I have never been in a position to buy anything close to a mint vehicle but now have the ability to get into something around 10k. Most of the ones I find in my price range are too far away for me to consider, but I found one within a few miles of my house that, on it's face, seems to be perfect for me to go after. It is a 2003, 165k on the chassis and 65k on the motor. Motor was replaced 2ish years ago, and I don't know any more on that. Minor accidents in 2009/2011.
Now for the issues that I need help understanding/resolving: CarFax has 4 owners, current purchased in 06/2016 and there are 0 records from that point on. Seller states that the vehicle was sidelined and hasn't been driven in over a year ago "because I got a work truck", and is now selling the S because the work truck was totaled. That does not jive for me. Why would you stop driving an S because you got a work truck? I can see driving it less, but not driving it at all for over a year just doesn't make sense. Seller also states that the car will need a new battery. This seems totally appropriate for a vehicle that hasn't moved in over a year, but why wouldn't he spend the $175 on a new battery? My thought is that the S crapped out, multiple (or major) codes on the dash - he bought a new vehicle and hoped to restore the S and get rid of it. New vehicle crapped out, never fixed the S and now is just trying to get anything out of it.
Do you guys consider this a non-op? What you a reasonable offer be for a vehicle in this condition? It could be worth what he is asking (there are no other issues other than needing a new battery), but my thought is that it is worth much less because there are some issues he is trying to hide by not installing a new battery. Of course I will not purchase any non-op vehicle for the same listed price as an operational vehicle (asking price started at $11k but has dropped to $9800 after sitting for going on 3 months), but what can I do (if anything) to get any codes off of the S? Should I (Could I? Would I even want to?) purchase a battery and get it running?
What else would need to be replaced on a vehicle that has been immobile and sitting in a driveway in central Texas for over a year? Tires. Any belts? Bad gas? Bad oil?
Just about everything is telling me to drop this and never look back, but the fact that it is basically right in my backyard really has me floundering.
Now for the issues that I need help understanding/resolving: CarFax has 4 owners, current purchased in 06/2016 and there are 0 records from that point on. Seller states that the vehicle was sidelined and hasn't been driven in over a year ago "because I got a work truck", and is now selling the S because the work truck was totaled. That does not jive for me. Why would you stop driving an S because you got a work truck? I can see driving it less, but not driving it at all for over a year just doesn't make sense. Seller also states that the car will need a new battery. This seems totally appropriate for a vehicle that hasn't moved in over a year, but why wouldn't he spend the $175 on a new battery? My thought is that the S crapped out, multiple (or major) codes on the dash - he bought a new vehicle and hoped to restore the S and get rid of it. New vehicle crapped out, never fixed the S and now is just trying to get anything out of it.
Do you guys consider this a non-op? What you a reasonable offer be for a vehicle in this condition? It could be worth what he is asking (there are no other issues other than needing a new battery), but my thought is that it is worth much less because there are some issues he is trying to hide by not installing a new battery. Of course I will not purchase any non-op vehicle for the same listed price as an operational vehicle (asking price started at $11k but has dropped to $9800 after sitting for going on 3 months), but what can I do (if anything) to get any codes off of the S? Should I (Could I? Would I even want to?) purchase a battery and get it running?
What else would need to be replaced on a vehicle that has been immobile and sitting in a driveway in central Texas for over a year? Tires. Any belts? Bad gas? Bad oil?
Just about everything is telling me to drop this and never look back, but the fact that it is basically right in my backyard really has me floundering.
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 541
Likes: 49
I have been wanting an S since I bought my first car in 2002. I have never been in a position to buy anything close to a mint vehicle but now have the ability to get into something around 10k. Most of the ones I find in my price range are too far away for me to consider, but I found one within a few miles of my house that, on it's face, seems to be perfect for me to go after. It is a 2003, 165k on the chassis and 65k on the motor. Motor was replaced 2ish years ago, and I don't know any more on that. Minor accidents in 2009/2011.
Now for the issues that I need help understanding/resolving: CarFax has 4 owners, current purchased in 06/2016 and there are 0 records from that point on. Seller states that the vehicle was sidelined and hasn't been driven in over a year ago "because I got a work truck", and is now selling the S because the work truck was totaled. That does not jive for me. Why would you stop driving an S because you got a work truck? I can see driving it less, but not driving it at all for over a year just doesn't make sense. Seller also states that the car will need a new battery. This seems totally appropriate for a vehicle that hasn't moved in over a year, but why wouldn't he spend the $175 on a new battery? My thought is that the S crapped out, multiple (or major) codes on the dash - he bought a new vehicle and hoped to restore the S and get rid of it. New vehicle crapped out, never fixed the S and now is just trying to get anything out of it.
Do you guys consider this a non-op? What you a reasonable offer be for a vehicle in this condition? It could be worth what he is asking (there are no other issues other than needing a new battery), but my thought is that it is worth much less because there are some issues he is trying to hide by not installing a new battery. Of course I will not purchase any non-op vehicle for the same listed price as an operational vehicle (asking price started at $11k but has dropped to $9800 after sitting for going on 3 months), but what can I do (if anything) to get any codes off of the S? Should I (Could I? Would I even want to?) purchase a battery and get it running?
What else would need to be replaced on a vehicle that has been immobile and sitting in a driveway in central Texas for over a year? Tires. Any belts? Bad gas? Bad oil?
Just about everything is telling me to drop this and never look back, but the fact that it is basically right in my backyard really has me floundering.
Now for the issues that I need help understanding/resolving: CarFax has 4 owners, current purchased in 06/2016 and there are 0 records from that point on. Seller states that the vehicle was sidelined and hasn't been driven in over a year ago "because I got a work truck", and is now selling the S because the work truck was totaled. That does not jive for me. Why would you stop driving an S because you got a work truck? I can see driving it less, but not driving it at all for over a year just doesn't make sense. Seller also states that the car will need a new battery. This seems totally appropriate for a vehicle that hasn't moved in over a year, but why wouldn't he spend the $175 on a new battery? My thought is that the S crapped out, multiple (or major) codes on the dash - he bought a new vehicle and hoped to restore the S and get rid of it. New vehicle crapped out, never fixed the S and now is just trying to get anything out of it.
Do you guys consider this a non-op? What you a reasonable offer be for a vehicle in this condition? It could be worth what he is asking (there are no other issues other than needing a new battery), but my thought is that it is worth much less because there are some issues he is trying to hide by not installing a new battery. Of course I will not purchase any non-op vehicle for the same listed price as an operational vehicle (asking price started at $11k but has dropped to $9800 after sitting for going on 3 months), but what can I do (if anything) to get any codes off of the S? Should I (Could I? Would I even want to?) purchase a battery and get it running?
What else would need to be replaced on a vehicle that has been immobile and sitting in a driveway in central Texas for over a year? Tires. Any belts? Bad gas? Bad oil?
Just about everything is telling me to drop this and never look back, but the fact that it is basically right in my backyard really has me floundering.
Its good to be cautious, however dont be SO cautious you wont even check the car out. A few things. Sure it needs a new battery, but does the current one work at all? What does the engine bay look like. Replacement engine is actually not that big of a deal as long as it was replaced with another OEM engine. Its the rebuilt engines that are a ticking timebomb.
The work truck thing honestly isnt as big of an issue as i think you are making it out to be. Sometimes people buy a race car thinking that they'll drive it, but then end up driving their daily everywhere due it just being more practical. Its very possible the user drove it a few times when he first purchased it but then never really found a chance to take it out again.
Fluids would definetly need to be flushed and replaced. Ask if the tires came with the car when he bought it. If they did i'd change the tires. See if the seller is willing to get the car towed to a local mechanic to get the car looked at. The car might be in amazing condition.