I go down to meet up with him. really nice guy. car has its own garage. it's parked with cover on. he takes the cover off and points out the only flaw. about a 2mm rock chip on the hood. we go for a drive. On the drive I ask him what it takes to buy it. he really doesn't say anything. I say lets head back, I've driven it enough to know it's everything I expected from the pics and description. we get back, I get out and say I know you're asking 22, but what buys it? he says well I'd like 22k, what are you offering? Fair enough, I walk around the car for a minute or so. I had planned on hitting him at 18, but I knew that was too low and I could swing an extra grand, so I went right to 19k. "Nope not a chance" he says. I said well now you know my number, where do you have to be? he says "the tires on the rear are brand new. the fronts are 10 yrs old with good tread left, but to make the car right I can't sell it with 10 yr old tires so I'd put new tires on the front. 21.5k buys it; and further that you know that you wouldn't regret buying it, even paying a couple thousand more"...... I was thinking 20 was where he'd come back to me at and we would have made a deal, but sadly no.

We chat for a few more minutes about random stuff and he says, think about, whats a couple grand between two new friends. I said I'd sleep on it and for him to call me before he sold it to anyone else. I head off to the gym for a workout and I get an email from him about an hour or so later telling me to call him. Awesome I think, he's down to 20k or better yet he'll go 19.... nope, he says he is willing to go 21k. I very nicely tell him that I needed to hold strong at my 19 offer right now as there were a handful of cars (albeit lesser cars) that were closer to my original budget (~ 15k) and that I was confident I could find something I would be happy with even if it were older with more miles.

so after talking with the woman today, I was putting together my list of out of town cars. planning out how I could make a day trip and see as many of them as possible. I had 5 in the 14-17k asking price, but the more I think about it, the more I don't want to drive for 4-7 hrs each way to find out I'm dealing with a person like I just talked to on the phone.

to complicate matters I have a twin turbo 350z that I am throwing good money (after bad money) at. my last motor refresh was fubar'd; the machine shop took me for a ride and improperly finished my heads and block and my head gaskets failed prematurely. Looks like it will cost me an extra 2-3k bucks or so to resolve - new core (heads and block) + extra machining.

I am seriously sitting at my desk now doing some serious soul searching. It's a lot of money for a car I have zero 'need' for. I already have two cars I put into storage for the winter months that get driven less than they should. last spring I was hell bent on saving every penny and buying a new focus RS, but 40 grand is a ton of dough considering all the cool cars I could buy with that money, which is how I ended up here......

/rant

 

Red one sold. Feeling like I missed out

 

I know that feeling. Missed out on my ideal NFR before I bought my current one (although it was due to the seller screwing me over). If I was financially secure enough to shell out $21k for it, I would have bought that red one asap. I'm bias as NFR is my favorite s2000 color and I'm looking to eventually purchase one though. Excellent condition, low mileage, and 04-05 (most desired years, I believe) are scarce.

 

I know those feels. Before I was 100% sure I wanted an S, I found an ad at a Honda dealer a couple hours away and made contact. The next week, I left the house and realized I was ready, called them back -- but they had already sold it.

Good luck on finding the right one! I'm still looking also.

 

Understand, but the feeling will pass. The search is part of the fun journey. Another good buy S2K will come along with patience.

 

Here's a North Carolina 2003 Suzuka Blue, 75k miles. Two owners on the Carfax, bone stock, body looks good, interior looks very nice. They said they repaired a two-inch tear in the top which didn't penetrate to the outside.

They're asking $14,400. I offered $13,250 which they declined and didn't counter, yet. What do y'all think about this price?

http://www.vwsouthcharlotte.com/used...AP11463T005681

 

^^ their asking price is already dang good imo (I guess prices are much cheaper outside of Cali..I've noticed). Anything less is a real good deal. Get it for $13.5-14k and be happy

 

yitznewton,
Jah2000 is spot on with his assessment. Would be a very solid deal in the $13.5-$14k range. Dealer is not over-the-top asking $14.4k, but there should be some room to negotiate downward. Still need to verify that VIN #s match, maintenance history, etc. GLWP!

 

Thanks for your input!!

 

Picked her up for $13900

Thank you for your help!