Hello, I am a new member here. I am currently looking at a 2001 S2000 that has 84,000 miles on it. The condition looks very good, just a few rock chips here and there but nothing major. The current owner has had the car for the past 13 years and there were 2 owners before that. I pulled a carfax and it was maintained regularly but it did state that that there was a minor/moderate accident involving the front driver's side. The car is completely original with no modifications at all and the asking price is $12,600. I am a member on a number of other car forums but I don't know much about s2k's so for you experts out there can you please let me know what you think of the price? Thanks!

 

First look for all 10 vin numbers on each panel. That will tell you if anything has been replaced .Also take it to a mechanic and have him check the car over.

 

Well, I just called and it sold this morning. I should have bought it last night I guess....

 

Shit happens, you would not have wanted to buy it without a proper inspection anyways.

 

N00b here. What do you folks think about this car? https://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/6926154205.html

I went and looked at it today. Soft top is original, but plastic cracked. Normal wear and tear for a 20 year old car. on teh seats Car drove like a dream, but seemed to be pulling slightly to the right with hands off (perhaps becasue of crowned roads). Tires didn't seem to have uneven wear. Owner was very forthcoming, and I trusted him. He bumped front passenger side panel and pulled it and bonded it himself (did a good job, but noticable if you look at it). Other than that, just a small dent in the hood. No rock chips on original widnshield. All 10 VIN present, everything stock but for an aftermarket stereo. Even the mats seemed fine for 20 year olds.

Engine bay was clean, and didn't look like there was any rust. Has never done valve adjustment nor changed the diff fluid. Did change the clutch fluid a few months ago.

No curb rashes. Tread was around 50% I would say, replaced 3 years ago. Front bumper had scratches on the underside (normal). Clean carfax.

Only thing that concerns me is that I couldn't see the underside and the shops were closed. Perhaps impetuous of me, becasue I did make a small down payment to hold the car, but retained the optionality of backing out. I'll take the car to a mechanic to check chassis alignment, and the rust. But I do plan on leaving the country in a year, so this will be my fun car, after which I'll sell it. If I don't lose too much money on it, I am fine with it. What do you guys think?

 

Pay close attention to the door repair if he's not a skilled individual there, you may be replacing that panel. The top will need replacing and plan on $1000 for that.

I would be very concerned about neglecting standard maintenance like valve adjustments and diff fluid changes. There's more to do on a car mechanically to maintain it than just oil changes.

If you put a deposit on it already, you are probably locked into that asking price unless something turns up from the inspection.

The "clean" carfsx report is useless considering he repaired the door. Just because it wasn't reported to carfax doesn't mean damage wasn't done. At least he was up front about itm

Car looks nice. Not a bad deal, but there is some work to be done on it.

 

To be fair to him, until 02/2018, he had done all of his maintenance at the Honda dealership (shows up on Carfax). At least 3-4 entries every year since 2000 with recommended maintenance entries. Then he got tired of getting charged too much and went to a local mechanic.

The implications of diff fluid change I know of. However, since I don't know much about the valve adjustment protocols for S2K engine, could you please explain the importance of it? I know it gets tight and maybe even 'stuck' (tried to do my research but it's hard looking through 20 years worth of forum posts). What does it mean though? How does it affect the performance of the engine? Is it likely to be fatal and would eventually lead to an engine rebuild? What are the implications of it never being done until now? I looked it up and it isn't that expensive either..$200 maybe.

I know S2K owners are very passionate, but I know friends who've abused VTEC engines and they still run smooth after 200K. How's AP1 different than other ones?

As I mentioned, it's just my weekend car, and I'm not very concerned with getting the 'best deal'. I just don't want to do something foolish. I'd be shocked if I put more than 4k miles on it in a year.

 

I think I read here that valve adjustments should be done every 100,000 miles unless noisy. The noise I got when I needed one on my del sol was a chatter, when excellerating high rpm in 2nd gear. It's metallic and basicially the valves hitting at a high rate, I said it was almost like a Scooby doos teeth rattling in the cartoons but slightly faster and metallic.


Read more here, specific to he s2000.
Valve adjustments in regards to when why and how often

 

Well, chances are of he had the dealer do maintenance they check the valves at every A1/B1 and adjust if necessary. These engines are very durable. My comment was indicative of perhaps questionable maintenance, and not specific to those things. Valves are more concerning on 2006 and higher because of their tendency to tighten up on the exhaust side.

Dealers are generally good about calling things out that need to be done. Do a thorough check. Look at the stickies for what to look for. Biggest thing to watch on AP1s is cracked valve retainers... Best thing is to just upgrade them to the AP2 retainers to prevent future issues.

 

Understood! Thanks for your insight! Appreciate it. If body work turns out ok, I'll take it to a dealer and get all fluids changed, with valve adjustment and the retainers replaced. Should I be concerned about timing chain tensioner at this point?