Hi,

New to these forums but been looking over them occasionaly for the past few weeks and have finally registered.

I have a small dilema, I'm looking into picking up an S2000 in the next month, i'm on a budget sadly so I can't stretch to anything over £4500 - £5000.

The dilema i'm having at the moment is that I can see a '99 model with 60,000 miles on the clock which is well within my budget, now and again i'm seeing '02 models but with 90,000-100,000 miles on the clock.

I'd love to have an '04 but I simply cannot do it, so the question is do I go with a '99 plate with 60k milage or an '02 plate with 90k+?

Any input on this would be appreciated, condition wise each of these cars has a full service history and i'm aware of the differences in suspension and heated rear window, door speakers etc. Are the difference between the two models worth overlooking the 30k-40k mileage difference? Is there anything else I should be taking into consideration?

 

I'd go for the '02 with the upgraded elements. it's nice to be able to see out the back window! if the car has been taken care of then the mileage is not a big deal. these things will run well for a long time.

 

I look less at age and miles and more at; condition, maintenance, ownership (the fewer the owners the better, and not young).

I would pick a higher mileage adult owned car over one with fewer miles that was owned by a kid. I also stay away from mods. There are plenty of folks here with extensive mods that care for their cars, but that’s not always the case.

And be patient. Don’t set a deadline to find the right car. You’ll end up making a mistake.

 

Looks like I may be picking up an '02 this weekend, had to haggle on price but liked the fact the owner is over 30 and is an enthusiast to the point of addressing some common issues raised with regards to idling and the TCT being refurbished.

Car is completely stock and has some recent work done like new tires and brakes pads/discs all around, oil change on engine, gearbox and rear differential.

Oh and it's in Nurburgring Metallic Blue Been looking for months now and as long as the seller agrees to my conditions I should be driving an S2000 by this time next week.

 

Be sure to put up pictures

 

schweeet!

 

Well I've bought her and been taking advantage of the 7 day drive away insurance I nabbed at the same time. What a car!

I'll post some pics when i get a chance to give her a good wash.

 

I could not agree more with this. My main criteria was an adult owned 1 owner vehicle when I bought my S2000. I didn't mind that it had new fender (previous owner clipped a deer in 2002 a few months after they bought it and kept car for 10 years) and some minor wear and tear from rock chips on bumper and hood. The main thing was that the previous owner didn't abuse car.

With all the track racers here and mods, some of these cars look pristine, but I would never buy them. Plus I was able to get one with only 55k on odo.
Tip, buy from old people. lOL

 

Well the weather has been a little more favourable so she's finally had a wash, decided to snow foam it a few times to see how it looks and in all fairness she scrubs up pretty well.