Any photos of the engine and interior (dash and floor)?

Thanks!

 

Too many times the OP has already purchased the car and then posts questions here. Hopefully this has not happened.

All of us overvalue our cars. That's why you see $15K asking prices for similar cars but you won't find many that sell for that price. Not with that many miles and dents. You'll not be happy with a car in that condition and once you start doing body work the value of the car may be even lower. "Matching numbers" cars in near showroom condition are still available on the used market with under 50,000 miles.

Replacement seats are not available other from wrecked cars.

-- Chuck

 

Haha I definitely haven't sealed the deal yet. Just looking to get some opinions on it before I pursue it further.

UPDATE: the carfax came back completely clean. I also spoke to him over the phone. He is the second owner. First owner did 12,250 mi/yr average, while second owner has done 6000 mi/yr. He assures me he has all records and that all maintenance has been done at correct intervals at the Honda dealership where he bought it off lease. Also mentioned he changes the oil every 3,000 miles at the dealership. Soft top was replaced 3 years ago, and the car has been garaged kept.

 

One key to maintenance is the right oil filter. Using the S2000 filter highlights how closely the maintenance schedule is being followed. The S2000 filter is larger than the standard Honda filter but if it's being changed along with the oil every 3000 miles any filter will do! Maintenance interval for the S2000 oil filter is every other oil change (15,000) miles but few of us wait that long.

Not sure where you and the car are located. Buyers market this time of year in northern climates.

A year newer car gets you the "facelift" styling, 17" wheels, and the AP2 (2.2) engine and gearbox.

-- Chuck

 

Quick re-intro - I purchased a 2006 in 2007, it was my weekend car and I put on about 18k miles in 3.5 years before I sold it. I've been s2000-less for over 5 years.

I have a coworker that I've known for about 4 years that has a 2008 that she bought new, it now has 68k miles. A few months ago she bought a new car and hints to me she wants to sell me the s2k, she has a bad left knee and it hurts to drive to a stick, hence the new car. I have seen the car almost daily for the past 4 years and I have driven it several times.

The Good:
One owner car with 68k miles, driven regularly, always garaged at work and at home, 100% AZ car so no snow or salt issues. It drives likes a new car. She has done the maintenance by the book and always at the dealer. The clutch feels great. Tires were all new about 10k miles ago. She is a conservative driver, this is like the 'little ol lady' story a used car salesman tells you but this is actually true. She is small so there is very little wear on the driver seat, interior is a 9/10.

The Bad:
The car was rear ended about 3 years ago, police and insurance were involved so I'm sure it shows on carfax, but really only the bumper was replaced. At the time she had the front bumper and hood resprayed due to road rash. I saw the car regularly before and after the accident including the day of the accident and the day she got it from the bodyshop, Im ok with buying the car but it may hurt its value if I ever resell it. The car has 4-5 nasty door dings with 1-2 missing some paint, these are dings that would bug the SH out of me when washing the car or looking at it up close, but you probably couldn't see them from 30 ft. I'm no body shop but I'm guessing it wouldn't be cheap to fix them as they are all in different spots. She does not have a clear bra or hasn't kept the car properly waxed so these AZ roads have caused a good amount of additional road rash. A few rims have minor curb rash. ( I may be able to get pics tomorrow, I haven't seen the car in 2 months since she bought her other car).

So whats the car worth? When I look at Kbb, NADA, Edmonds, and other places I come up anything from about $10k to about $18k. And looking at used car listings its the same thing, many S2ks with slightly higher miles going for $12k but some with lower miles going for $20k plus. Anyone have a good idea of the market or an idea on what would be fair for both me and her?

Thanks!

 

I can't imagine an '08 being worth anywhere near $10k, especially with less than 70k miles. From your description, it has 9 of its 10 vin tags, which is pretty good. It already has enough miles on it to indicate that you plan to drive it, not lock it away and hope that it appreciates. If the dings become an issue for you, a good PDR and touch-up person can take care of that for a few hundred bucks.

If you can get it for $15-16k, drive it like you stole it. Because you did.

 

Thanks for the reply, $15k is the number I was thinking for 'good deal for me, fair deal for her' depending on how much it would cost me to fix the dings. I'm going to go see it after work today and try and gauge how bad she wants to sell it.

 

Going to look at a S2K tomorrow I hope. It has 48650 miles and is an 2004. Seller is asking $15,500. Weekend driver and looks all stock. Only thing I can see from photos is the driver seat right bolster at the bottom looks flattened out. It's red if that matters. Things to look for and suggestions on fair price?

 

I think that's a very fair price if it's mechanically sound but I'd definitely offer less and get it as chesp as you can. There is a thread on here about what to look for when buying a used s2000 that helps a ton and will tell you exactly what to look for and how to test for stuff being bad. At 15k I think you're making out very, very well since most of the ones I see are posted Close to 20k like the yellow one on here. The bolster wear is very normal and hard to avoid. Hell, I'm like 5'10 160 lbs and I still wore the bolsters some on my 06 and I was always careful getting in/ out. Last thing, if you ever get bored and want to sell it, the red will sell quicker than any color except white or blue and you could probably drive it to 60-70k miles and It will still be worth the same if you take care of it.

Edit: I found the thread for you
https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/775...-a-used-s2000/

 

Hey Everyone,
New here from Western Massachusetts, looking at this 06 AP2 with 175,000 miles and some damage to the front fender and door on the drivers side. Went and test drove it on Sunday, and it drives great (as far as I can tell, I do a little work on cars myself on the side, but not all too familiar with S2000's). Things that bothered me are:

The body work (obviously). He mentioned that it would cost $1,200 to fix, which I think is about half of what it's actually going to cost. Am I way off base?
Owner said he was second owner, after looking at carfax he is the 3rd
Driver's side rear tire is almost worn to the wear bars, fronts and other rear tire have at least half tread or more on them
Front jack point on drivers side is bent
Needs all four brake rotors badly, pads look fine
Air filter was pretty dirty, don't know what a stock one looks like, but this was a yellow cone paper filter inside the stock airbox
Hood won't close after being open because the hood latch cable sticks. Can open hood all day long, just can't get it to close
Trunk might have been a little damp at one point, tough to tell, also spare tire cover was loose in the trunk
No softop cover (tonneau cover?) for when the top is down
Headlight lenses are really cloudy, tailights are clear but one has a good scratch on the drivers side
No extra keys, only one

He's asking $9,900, stated that the car is easily worth $11,500 after the damage is fixed, even with the high miles. Is this true? There aren't very many examples that are stock for me to compare to around here.

I offered $8,000 and he politely said no thanks, I was the first person to come look at it and he wanted to hold out for a higher offer. What do you guys think? Should I think about offering more? Thanks for the insight.

His CL ad : http://westernmass.c...5797523772.html
His pics from IMGUR : http://imgur.com/a/HOuXD