What should I expect to pay for a S2K
 

Hey folks, first post here.

Up until recently I was saving for a mark one Miata(MX5), I had gotten enough to get a decent one and a bunch of mods but then I realized...I hate the way this thing looks. I've read so much good things about it, seen people have some sideways fun with everything stock and its an affordable car so I thought it would be a great track car..but the exterior is weak and boring and that really bothers me. So I decided to go for something similar, but much better looking imo.

However I've having trouble finding out how much I should expect to spend (whats a good price/whats a ripoff) and when I look online at prices they vary like crazy. I'm looking for something on the cheaper end, so I have no problem with high mileage if its means I won't have to deal with as much depreciation..I'd rather rebuild the engine with that money and know the thing is in good condition.

But I'm really confused at the prices when I look at these websites
For example I'm on a website called 'carsforsale' and I see a 2001 s2k for 6.5k with 165k miles, if I want a little less miles theres one 2004 with 111k for 10k

This jump in price makes sense to me since one is an AP1 and had more miles and the other has less and is an AP2..what starts to confuse me is when I see really cheap ones and really expensive ones that are similar.

For example on the same website theres a 2006 with only 68k for $8k and a 2007 with 90k for $9k both are for sale by owners. Then I look at cars that look like their in the exact same condition, same years, same amount of miles, and they around 18~24k..most of these are dealerships so I understand they mark up the price, I've seen it many times when looking at Miatas but never to this degree.

So now I'm not sure.. are these private sellers just selling their cars for really cheap and people are just getting lucky while the dealers are selling at normal price?

I'd like to spend between 9~11k on my S2K and my only preference is not blue so I'm not really picky. I've read that the AP2 are better (arguably) so I'd prefer one of those but if its not in my budget I can get an AP1 and upgrade later.

What do you guys think I could get with that?

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/775...-a-used-s2000/

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/753...r-useful-info/

You may find those threads useful. They include links to a lot of information which will come in handy in your search.

Also, just like when buying any vehicle, review the FS ads here and get a feel for what the cars appear to be selling for via those listings. Every FS ad here is a private owner.

any one of those car can be worth exactly what they are being priced at for far too many reasons, and, dealership markup, isn't usually as much a factor is some cases... general wear and tear.. history of the car / vin.. play into there... I find owner sales that are done well, the complete car gets shared.. I find that any owner sale which sounds too good.. goes without saying... dealerships have less grey area.. and in some cases, more history ( with the car ).. good luck, find any you like in your range, an that your satisfied with and your good to go...

Do you want a track car, or are you looking for an excellent daily-driver that you can also take to the track? Since you care about looks, I'm guessing you want a daily that you can track.

As for pricing variance, there are just a few reasons that can cause this:

1. The seller doesn't know what they have, and have priced it too high/low without looking at KBB/Edmunds/NADA or local listings for the same car
2. The seller knows exactly what they have, but they aren't telling you in the listing. So when you show up and find a salvage title, now you're not shocked at the price.
3. You live in a market that inflates/deflates the S. I'm in Colorado and bought mine in October (right before ski season) at a town at ~9500 feet elevation, you wouldn't believe the deal I got. California and Florida where it's always summer, you pay more.

Obviously, local cars are best because you can inspect them easily. As you get more picky and start traveling for cars, the risk of wasting your time goes up as the car's mileage goes up or its price goes down.

As to which car to get, AP1 vs AP2, you're obviously aware of the displacement change that happened in 2004. You may not be aware of the valve retaining clip upgrade that Honda did in 2004: https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/569...head-in-place/

Or the fact that they added traction control in 2006. Every week or two you'll see another thread here where somebody spun/totaled their pre-'06 S that didn't have traction control.

Do you plan on owning this car for a long time? I do, so I made sure to buy the exact version of this car that I'd be happy with 10-20 years from now. If your budget allows and you expect to keep the car for a long time, try to get an '06+. '04+ is fine too, but you won't have traction control.

They aren't making these cars anymore, so finding the right one is a lot harder than making the money to buy it.

i've noticed that aside from being AP1 or AP2, the big factor is mileage and condition. assuming your not looking for anything fancy, expect to pay ~$11K for a nice AP1 and ~$17K for a nice AP2 (under 75k miles, clean title, taken care of, etc.) it takes a while to find the right car, so dont rush into getting one because its the best youve found; set a dream car and wait for it!

Try actual legitimate industry known websites when searching for cars for sale, like the following:

www.autotrader.com

www.cars.com

I would never be shopping for anything on a shoddy third party website like carsforsale.com. Just look at that POS. It looks like it was generated by advertising bots.