runyonwc

Hi,

I'm looking to get into a S2000 and I'm looking at a car in Ocala, FL. It is a 2005 with 78,000miles. It' silver and looks to be in great condition. The seller would take $16k. He was asking $17k. Does $16k sound like a good deal? KBB gave a range up to like $18k. Nada gave a retail price of $14.8k and Edmunds TMV was $14k. The car is pretty much stock.

What do you think of the Price?

Thanks for any help!

darcyw

ok, ignore KBB, NADA, Edmunds, etc. The s2000 does not follow the typical price/depreciation scale. Its a starting point, but really, nothing more. Check s2000 values on Bringatrailer- its a pretty good estimator of s2000 values- they have a pretty nice graph of price, year, mileage.

So, if that 2005 is straight with a clean, accident free title and good condition, that is a good price.

good luck
darcy

cosmomiller

It also comes down to you. Is it the car that lights up your neurons? If so, think how often you will find a car like that again. With that in mind, is the asking/negotiated price worth it for you? If so, buy it.

I paid "book" for my 30K mile, single owner, pristine, stock, Arizona rust free car that was in Rio Yellow (my favorite). As a 2009 there were only 38 of them sold in the US. Think I was going to see many of those? No way. I did get the dealer to come down a fair amount but I knew that car was destined for my garage.

runyonwc

Thanks for the responses! I know the car is is nice. I'm kind of torn with buying this one vs buying one for say $10k and putting some money in it with a few mods. Not much left in the budget for mods if I buy the nicer car.

roel03

If you can find a good condition one for 10k but has more miles, Id recommend going for that one. These cars are very reliable if properly maintained. Mine is going on 190k and is tracked and daily driven regularly.

Hfreak

I will just repeat what many have said to buyers in the past "buy the newest and cleanest example you can find within your budget". Sound advice I would say. Good luck either way.

runyonwc

Yeah I' going to go with the 2005 for $16k. It looks pretty much new and well cared for. The one for $10k has a rebuilt title and 80K miles. It is a 2002 that has the AP2 exterior parts.

steves

Smart move. Rebuilt title, mix/match of body pieces, and who knows what else, can easily consume lot's of $$ and time. Hfreak's advice is spot on; every time I didn't follow it, I regretted it. Buy the nicest, best, you can afford and don't look back.

rpg51

My only quibble would be the inclusion of the word "newest." Honda introduced different features and characteristics over the model years. Some folks might prefer an older car to avoid some of those added features. That is a matter of personal preference. For example, all other things being equal, I would tend to prefer an ap1 somewhat over an ap2.

Manga_Spawn

I'll echo what others said. Get the lowest mileage, best condition you can. Worry about mods later. Mods won't make up for a car that has been well maintained and is in overall better condition. There is a few cars in the classifieds right now that are at this price but lower miles but I don't think they are local to you.