So I've been looking on Auto Trader and I found a blue S2K for 11.9k that has a few mods.... "Mods include, skunk2 springs, koni yellow shocks, Invidia exhaust, AEM V2 intake, TR Motorsport light weight wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich g-force tires." it has 76k miles

I also found a 10k one that is yellow and looks nice and it's basically a 2001 stock. It was 114k miles.

Lastly, there is a 8.5k 2001. It's orange (custom paint job) and said that "everything works perfectly, has a few dents". Mods include... "Lojack tracking device. Viper alarm. New clutch. New brakes. Tein Flex adjustable suspension. Soft top is 2 years old." has 46k miles.

So, I'm wanting an exhaust system and intake to improve performance. The 2003 includes all this but is a little pricey for what I'm looking for. The 8.5k really looks nice but it's like 250 miles away so I'd want to be sure it was WELL worth it to drive that far.

So I'm not too car-literate but slowly growing, which should I choose. Budget is the main issue but I have around 8-10k and the lower it goes the better. I was thinking I might be able to get the 2001 orange one down to 7k with some luck but don't picture getting the 2003 one down lower then 10k.

 

8.5k 2001 seems like the better deal out of the 3 if you dont mind it being orange

 

Yeah, it seems like it. Should I be worried since it "has a few dents", had a custom paint job, and also has new black rims on it (that aren't included). I know I usually don't buy a teen-driven car but in this case it might be too good to pass up.

 

I would look at the first two cars and pass on the third.

I am always leery of unreported accidents and patch repairs on "custom painted" cars. Add to that, the "mods" list with 46k miles seems like dealer installed and replacement parts because of driving style doesn't exactly inspire confidence to me.

Does the owner of the blue 03 seem like he takes great care of his vehicles? I would seriously consider it. It come with the glass window and has a good list of mods. Simplistically, the mods list implies to me either 1) a driver who rings the crap out of the car or 2) a driver who enjoys pushing the car, but takes care of it. Depending on the amount of care, the car can be a solid choice. Expect to spend over 1k if you want to mod the other two anyways.

Otherwise, the stock yellow is hard to beat for what it is. Least amount of worries about possible problems besides from the OEM ones inherent to all S's.

At the same time, would you be okay with the color choices? Blue/blue isn't something to go in half-hearted with, in my opinion.

 

The custom paint job might be harder to match if there comes a time you have to.

 

Yeah, I'm getting mixed feelings about the custom paint job. Also it has a "2007 rebuilt title" which doesn't sound very promising for reliability and all. The blue one does seem like he's taken very good care of it and it's relatively low miles.

The yellow one seems nice and in my price range but I'm not sure if I should worry about the 114k miles on it. It's currently being sold by a dealer. Blue definitely isn't my favorite color so that was the other hesitant about it. Although, I can't get the best (black/red) because I'm going to need every dime off insurance for this. So, I would cope with it. I guess the biggest question is if 114k miles is a lot for a 2001 and can I expect to run into problems by getting it. At the moment I have a '95 prelude with 200k miles on it and no problems, but are the S2000 any more prevalent towards repairs?

As for the yellow, to get it equivalent in performance how much do you think it'd cost? For the intake/exhaust and maybe suspension. By the way, the pictures show it with a back window, so I guess that top isn't stock but the description mentions nothing.

Thanks for the help.

 

Skip non-clean titles. It's just not worth it in the long run with things that may have not been fixed properly. If I were to pick one of the three that you described, I'd go with the lowest mileage, newest car possible pending the car looks good and drives well when you inspect it. Talk to the owner, you can usually get a decent read off of him as to how he treated the car. If you get a weird vibe and the guy seems shady, just thank him for his time and look for another car. You'll find the right car eventually, don't jump the gun and regret spending the 10-12k on a crap car.

 

Yeah, skip any rebuilt titles. Honestly, the car isn't worth anything close to a clean title.

The cost of matching the mods on the blue will easily be over $2k. Even with used parts, I'd still venture at least 1000 for the intake, exhaust, and suspension.

Of the three cars, I would probably spring for the blue if you plan to modify your car similarly anyways. You've met the owner and can get a gauge of their maintenance habits compared to a dealer car.

The yellow at 114k miles is higher, but I would not worry too much about it. I would venture to ask if a compression test is possible, and go into knowing minor parts will probably need replacing sooner. No big deal though; there are S's with over 200k miles.

However, if you don't like the color, then move on. There are tons of S's and if you hold out, I'm sure you'll find one you want. I almost bought a blue/blue before waiting for silverstone/black. While the blue/blue has grown on me, I'm still a silverstone fan. Get what you want, as you'll likely only get one chance at this kind of purchase.

 

11.5k s2000.

orange probably cant match paint

and 114k , shiiiitt

 

Haha, all right thanks for the advice. I'll talk to the guy with the blue one without closing off all options. My friend approached me the other day and he's sitting on a '96 mustang GT with an intake/exhaust/tuning chip and some other minor upgrades. He was telling me that the S2k wouldn't be a good deal because it doesn't have any torque. After some research I found that torque is better for accelleration and horsepower for speed. So, my question is the S2K worth 10k? Considering he got his '96 for $3000 plus titling and all. I'm not SOLELY buying this car to impress, but I would be devastated if I got this car and couldn't beat a newby driver with a car 7 years older then mine. Any knowledge on this type of thing would be helpful.