dave_

I bought mine unseen (i did have my tech drive it when he was vacationing in the purchasing city) with no records and an $11,000 hit on the carproof report... and i haven't second guessed it since

zenairdave

Mostly these cars are maintenance free until the big 100,000 mile mark so other than some oil changes, there is not much to do. the problems start when do gooders start to service the cars per the manual but just take them to any garage.
If the clutch has been replaced by a "regular" dealer, they likely did not lube the splines and the second clutch will act up within 10,000 miles. The other item I have experienced is the rear diff gear lube being drained and then they put in rear "diff" fluid that is used on all the other Hondas but is more like water. Your diff will act very weird(doesn't unlock) if you don't get that out of the car quickly.
Otherwise, if it looks loved and kept clean, you are likely getting a better car than any other 10-15 year old model.

shift957

Good luck! I hope you get a cherry of a ride!

mcbuff

I am the third owner of a stock <40k 2003 AP1. I drive the car less than 3000 miles/year and change the oil and filter every december with Mobil1 and an OEM filter. I don't keep receipts and I don't keep an excel spreadsheet, mostly because I know that when its Christmas time, it's time to change the oil on the S2k. I also changed the Trans and Differential oil when I bought the car at 31k miles. The reason I change my own oil (not just in the S2000) is not financial. I honestly think it may be cheaper to have somebody do it for me, but I have read way too many horror stories about shops changing oil. This one comes to mind: http://jalopnik.com/lazy-idiots-at-l...pan-1748394648 I was also talking to a friend today who needs to pay $3000 to replace an oil pan on a 6 year old X5 because the oil drain plug leaks about 4 drops/night. He has had his oil changed at the same Firestone since the car was new and they deny any responsibility for the damage despite the fact that the aluminum oil pan is obviously stripped. His plan? Trade the car in and make it somebody elses problem. I personally don't think service records mean shit.

I think if you're considering a stock car with low mileage, its going to be pretty well taken care of car. CARFAX isn't perfect when it comes to body damage, but educate yourself about how to inspect for body damage, and avoid the pressure to be expeditious. This is a $15-20k investment, you should go at your own pace. I don't know where you are and how patient you are, but my AP1 will be for sale this spring/summer as I need to move to a non-convertible friendly climate this fall.

Best of luck with your purchase. You won't be disappointed!

EF9 Sedan

I bought a 2003 S2000 a few years ago. I think I'm the third owner? It only had 44k KMs on it.

The owner I bought it from did not have maintenance records. He bought it used from the Honda dealership (He purchased it when it had 30k KMs).

Since the car had relatively low KMs and everything appeared to be in good condition and clean. I was okay buying it without the full maintenance record. He mentioned he did his own oil changes with a PCX oil filters from Honda. The test drive/ride went smoothly as well. He went full throttle and revved it all the way to redline so I could tell there weren't any immediate engine issues provoking him to get rid of the car.

I've already driven the car for 20k KMs since I've owned it.

rob-2

What's big at 100k?

connorb850

...Brought it home yesterday from 300 miles away. After a quick wash this afternoon:

TsukubaCody

^Looks gorgeous, congrats!

shift957

Hell yeah! Congrats man!

hondeducation

i agree with a lot of other members about a lot of the owners doing maintenance themselves. you'll get a pretty good idea speaking to the owner if they know what they're doing. i do all of my maintenance on all of my cars, so no records here. but i always offer people to do a compression check or take it to their mechanic for peace of mind.