"Worth" is such a relative term. We all watch the car auction TV shows. Does anyone really believe there are cars "worth" over a million dollars? It's what someone will pay, not a book value.

Folks are buying S2000s because we want then. "Want" is also relative but letting a car slip away for a thousand dollars (or two) makes little sense. There is nothing practical about a summer, nice-day car. Ya want one or not. The S2000 I bought last summer was on a Honda dealer's showroom floor in near perfect cosmetic condition. For a week. Several other dealers advertised similar cars but they were gone (or in poor condition) when I went to look at them. I worked a "deal" of sort but at a certain point it was either walk away or drive away. I chose to drive.

Supply and demand plays a big part of this. I think there were about 60,000 of these cars imported into North America and that number will never increase. The cars are driven and mileage increases every month. We see the wrecks weekly here. It's not like we can walk into a Honda dealer and order one. As demand varies the price varies. There are cars that have been "for sale" (here) for months. Obviously over-priced regardless of "worth."

I anticipate the cars that hold their value will be those that are stock or near stock. Low mileage is always nice -- but I want to drive mine so she probably has 42K miles at present (was at 38K when I bought her last summer). I'm making some minor tweaks but all the OEM parts are here.

-- Chuck

 

I would not at all consider these cars overpriced. They have proven reliability and there is NOTHING currently available that directly compete with them. They are truly a gem. You cannot argue with supply and demand. The prices speak for themselves.

 

I don't think the prices are out of control. Basically none of the S2000s are selling for more than the original sticker. And you can't replace it with anything as good on the new car market for less than $50k.

Out of control is something like the vintage Porsche 911 market. A 1970 911 is the same price as a new one with 3x the power and performance. $170,000?

Hemmings 911 Prices

 

Thank you for concisely summarizing this entire thread.

 

Buying an S2000 today is no different than it was the first two years when dealers were adding thousands of dollars to the MSRP as a Market Value Adjustment. During that time even used S2000s were selling for more the $32,500 MSRP. The only time when buying an S2000 was like any other car was during the last few years of production when you could buy one for less than MSRP. Other than that, unlike most any other car, you had to pay MSRP or more for a new S2000.
The S2000 is low production, hand-built specialty car; it's value reflects this.

 

No brainer really. Honda reliability in a 2 seat roadster.

The cost of repairs and maintenance will push buyers away from the BMWs and Boxsters (IMS bearing concerns as well). The buyer wants a convertible sports car that won't have premium repair bills. It's this or a Miata--

 

I was shopping pretty broadly and ended up in a 06 GPW with black/red interior, 80k miles, stock and well maintained for 20k. Perhaps not a deal, but the year and color combo fetch a premium. I can drive the car for a few years and not lose a ton when I sell, and don't have to fear any catastrophic failures. I considered Boxster, E46/90 M3, Z3M...the S2000 is just a winner with the combo of reliability, quality, and driver involvement. I wonder if prices were lower before as everything became turbo stock and that made the S seem gutless. But now, it's becoming apparent that turbos are the future and high revving NA cars are a dying breed.

 

I agree with all of what you said above except you forgot the NSX!

E46 M3 is the one car I regret selling the most btw and I had a 997 GT3 prior which was another keeper.

 

I found my 2008 BB garage queen listed for $22k in 2012. The car was one owner, 90 miles from me, and owned by a 70 year old retiree who put 1,694 total miles on it in 4 years. It came with all service records and even the dealer MSRP sticker, along with a spare set of mats. When I realized what I had found, I quickly paid for the car, left my 04 BB s2k there, and drove the new one home. Picked up my old S the next day and sold it soon thereafter.

 

ap1 and ap2's here in SoCal are still pricey and asking for well over kbb value