I really enjoyed BaT for a couple of years. They got the best S2000s in the country, and there were loads of smart people there who knew their shit and who provided great insight and knowledge on our cars.

Now it's a conveyor belt of S2000s, 5 or 6 a week, and it's dead. Killed by corporate greed. There is no time to even click on cars as they constantly pop up, never mind scrutinize them and provide important insights to potential buyers. One of the reasons cars sold for as much as they did on BaT (and we S2000 owners all benefited from that) was because the BaT cars were subject to sort of "online PPIs," with dozens of people pouring over them, arguing sometimes, but always bringing out relevant issues and things you may have overlooked. You weren't alone. You felt someone had your back, and an extra set of eyes, and therefore you paid more than you would on AutoTrader.

No time for any of that now. It's a volume business.

You know the "I Love Lucy" clip where they speed up the chocolate conveyor belt? That's BaT now. The bean counters got ahold of it and its become a glorified CarMax.

RIP BaT

 

It’s an auction site. It was never anything purer than that. It’s always been a place for goobers to over pay for stuff just to say they have it.

 

Gotta disagree. A community of people that love S2000s developed there, and the site was undoubtedly good for our cars. Not just for values, but for exposure to a larger audience. And as we all found out at one time or another, once someone learns about and drives an S2000, there's no turning back. The car is that good

 

As S2000s have seen a very healthy bump in value, people are capitalizing on it. BaT can't list them if people aren't selling them. Only one listed at this moment has had a prior auction (4,100mi example sold in 2019). The rest are first-timers.

 

It was for sale for ten years.

It was praised in every automotive magazine, by most automotive youtube channels, and modified by many of the prestigious japanese tuning houses.

Bring a Trailer did not do anything good for the Honda S2000.

 

I never saw it as anything other than a website to buy clean and well kept cars.

 

I liked BaT prior to it becoming an auction site, it was neat when most topics were finds people saw locally and then posted the details, bit like barn finds, though they've got an auction section now as well.

 

I made a lot of friends over there. So I guess it depended on how you used it. I also bought a bunch of cars.

Sorry to say, even with the recent exposure mainly due to rising prices, the S2000 is still almost virtually unknown to the car buying public, and only slightly known even to the enthusiast community. Just an example. I have a buddy who has been a car guy for 50 years. He knew the S2000, kind of. He went with me to pick up an S2000 I bought nearby and I let him drive the car home. He had an S2000 for himself within a couple months.

BaT gave our cars a lot of exposure. Now its giving them overexposure LOL

 

The S2000 has been well known to car owners who enjoy driving over collecting. They've been respected autocross, track, and time attack cars for two decades now. They were praised when they came out, winning many shoot-outs that magazines did not expect them to win and being the highest rated car on Top Gear by actual owners. In that era, they punched well above their weight class. I think they were faster than some V8 pony cars early in the lifecycle and OFC handled much better. I'm going to make an assumption based on a stereotype that may or may not be true... The group that was collecting 60s Mustangs and Vettes wasn't open to viewing a 4 cylinder Honda as a great, future collectible. Now that JDM cars are en vogue, they're open to the idea. IMO, that is why it was not on somebody's radar who has been a "car guy" for 50 years. BAT has helped expose them to the collectors. Whether one considers that good or not is a personal opinion.

While it is neat to have a car that is quickly becoming kinda iconic, I'm not a big fan of the shift. I still want to track mine and this is making parts expensive. Now I always have it in the back of my head that if something goes wrong, things are much less replaceable. I don't want to be the guy that does parade laps in a vintage car and I don't have the pockets to be the guy that sends it in a vintage car. The only positive I see is that maybe a mint one that some retired guy bought on BAT now will be in an estate sale in 20-40 years and by some stroke of luck, I can actually afford it.

OP - Are you not happy that the BAT cars are not mint/collector enough or that the prices have gotten stupid?

 

When we did the last Metro NY area S2000 group Bear Mountain drive, at the midpoint stop, at a local Wendy's, there was a group of 50's+ guys doing their Sunday cars and coffee just getting started.

We greatly outnumbered them, and we descended into their world unexpected. So we had to scramble and work it out with them where we'd park and where they would.

So I was talking to them a lot, trying to make sure no feathers ruffled, etc.

The guy in charge of their group said at their last evening meet a couple days prior a guy in a modified Civic or something wanted to join in, so they let him. Sorta. The guy in charge said when we showed up, he thought Civic guy had told all his friends. Guy in charge didn't know the difference between S2000 and Civic. To him, its all just Fast and Furious.

Talking to the other enthusiasts in that cars and coffee group, many knew that S2000 existed, but no details. No idea why its special. They thought it was basically same as a Miata.

My experience in general is the same, enthusiast or not. Younger guys know the car, either because they're enthusiasts or because of video games. Anyone older, unless they're a Japanese car enthusiast, or occasionally if they're a sportscar enthusiast, have the same understanding. Either they have no idea, or they think Honda Miata.