I'm new to s2ki and hoping to be new to the S2000 community.

I have a 2009 Mini Cooper S that I am trying to sell and replace with something more fun... like an s2k. After some searching around, I found a guy in SW Houston that might be willing to do a straight trade. I already built a checklist from the "What to look for when buying a used S2000" and "Common S2000 Problems/Solutions" (which were excellent!). But I'm still at a loss and have some fears in some areas of the potential trade.

• I would like to use an independent shop to check out his car. I'm thinking of either a shop I used for my Mini (Tech Boys in Katy) or a nearby Honda dealership. I didn't know if there were any tuning shops in town that could inspect the car too
• Has anyone done a vehicle trade? I have the title, and my understanding is that we just sign the titles and trade paperwork and keys? Am I missing something?
• Any other recommendations for executing this deal?

Details I know so far on his car:
2005
120,000ish miles
Soft top needs a bit of work
Other than that, looks good from the pictures
Asking $11,500

Thoughts? I want to make sure I don't get screwed in this deal so any input is more than welcome

Thanks

Note: I also posted this in the Houston region forum. Mods feel free to move this to a more appropriate section.

 

I guess the best thing would go get the car checked out and go for a test drive. I'd suspect the shop would do a compression test to make sure the engine has healthy. Make sure you ask a lot of questions, to the shop and the other party.

 

I would find out who the reputable S2000 mechanic is in that area, you more than likely will want to go to that person for future maintenance, check the Texas local threads. Just my opinion but I wouldn't go to Honda. My inspection: in and out as quick as they could, $150, did absolutely nothing useful besides give me the general info that is already known... I took the car to a vouched s2000 mechanic 30 minutes after Honda inspection: The guy went over the whole car with me, diag test, comp test. Since I was new to S2000's I didn't know what to look for during a test drive so he drove it around for me and basically told me everything about the car. I felt 100% comfortable buying the car after that.

You're looking at around $1k for new soft top and install, keep that in mind.
Good luck

 

Do not fall into the trap of trusting a Honda dealer just because they're Honda. Dealerships get away with hiring sub-par mechanics because they're protected by the brand name. I've had so much shotty, shit work done on my Hondas at dealerships while paying $100/hr for the 'privilege' of having a Honda-certified dealer work on it. Find an independent shop with good reviews and knowledge of the S2k to look it over.

 

Guessing that you are comfortable with a straight trade, i.e., your Mini-C has similar value to the S2K. I would call the State's DMV to see if some sort of bill of sale is also required to complete the transaction. Even if a bill of sale is not required, it might be a good idea to have something in writing that both parties sign attesting to the actual transaction/trade.

The other posters recommendations about not going to a Honda dealership, but a local independent mechanic for an inspection is spot on! Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress.

 

Excellent info. But looks like I won't be able to use any of it. Unfortunately, it looks like the other party has fallen off the grid. I'm not too surprised as it seemed slightly shady from the beginning with blurry pictures, and few details. Oh well, back to searching.

Thank you all for helping though. Hopefully I'll find another S2k soon.