Hello all. I've been driving VTEC hondas for almost 7 years now (97 GS-R & 03 RSX Type S), and I've been drooling over the S2000 since it came out. I've been lurking and searching for a while and I haven't really seen any opinions on the general comfort level when buying used S2000s.

Where do people generally feel the mileage "cutoff" is with a 2000 or 2001 car? In other words, would you feel safe buying say, a 2000 with 50k on it? 60k?

I will shortly be in the market for an S around $20k, and while I occasionally do find gems, it seems most of the cars in my price range are 40-60k mile cars. Should I pass, and spend anouther couple grand to get a 30k car, or will the 50k cars hold up just as well?

Thanks!

 

What not lease a new one for a few years, your payments should be about the same. I was looking at a 2000 for around 18K with 40K miles on it. My payments should be about 380 a month... While a new lease; at the right price, should be maybe 15 bucks more for tax....

 

BuffaloTypeS,

The question you're asking is tough to answer because there are relatively few high mileage S2000's out there. It's a 2nd or 3rd car for a lot of people, and there isn't a lot of data on how it holds up as it racks up the mileage. If you look at the other recent "mileage check" thread, you will see that there aren't many cars with over 50k miles.

My car has 56k miles on it, and so far, needed a new clutch at 54k miles, and developed tranny problems recently. Symptom is an inability to shift into certain gears, and likely cause looks to be bad synchros. Several other owners with 40k-60k miles have also had similar issues with the tranny. I don't know if this is typical or not (not enough data at this time), but it's something to keep in mind. Btw, my car is a '02 model. Up until the recent tranny problems, it had been absolutely trouble-free.

Personally, given my recent experiences, I'd get a lower mileage car if the price difference isn't too much. If you go for a higher mileage car, however, you might still be okay, since there are certainly higher mileage S2000's out there with no problems. The bottom line, IMO, is that the S2000 holds up well for a sports car, but not as well as your typical Honda.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Fire_Man_Fred
What not lease a new one for a few years, your payments should be about the same.

 

you could always lease and pay off the back end whenever you have money to spare, and in most leases its yoru option at the end whether you would liek to refinance an buy!