Hi All

I am really hoping you can help me out. I have done something really bad. I went to look at a s2000 yesterday. I checked round it and looks in good nick. The owner took me out in it and there is no clunking suspension or rattles from anywhere. The engine pulled cleanly to 8.5k everytime he revved.

After getting back from the ride i decided it was the nicest s2k i had looked at and put a deposit on the car. After this i realised i needed to check certain things. I looked at the service book and the car was last serviced in March 05 and at 16000 miles. It is now August 06 and the car has done 30000 miles. It has just had an MOT which it flew through apparently. The owner says he has not had it serviced due to moving, planning a wedding and a hectic work schedule. He says he has been topping the oil up every 5 months or so.

Please could you give me advice as to wether to lose my deposit and walk now or get the car and instantly take it to a honda dealer for a service! Could there be any lasting problems if the car hasnt been serviced.

It is a 52 plate car, revision 2.

Your advice and thoughts would be much appreciated as i am very worried at the moment.

thanks again

 

How about taking the car to Honda before you make any decisions you might regret?

Get the previous owner to go with you so you can decide to buy it if nothing is wrong or ask for him to pay for it to get fixed or else you are not buying.

 

I'd want to stay away from a car that hadn't had an oil change in 16K miles. Unless you can get the owner to knock off 3-5K for the cost of a new engine. I've seen engines locked up in 30K due to thnever having the oil changed.

As far as the MOT and being a 52 plate car, most in the states won't know what either of those mean. Or if they should add any value to the car.

 

The MOT's the vehicle inspection system. Apparently it's far more thorough than anything we have here in the states. I've read about it. most older cars will always need work to get past it.

Here in the US they let any old pieces of shit on the road.

I'm with Slow. If it was 10K miles then I'd probably say go for it. You're actually well over twice the worst case recommended interval. It takes all of 20 minutes to change the oil. His excuses are bullshit.

He's trying to sell you a time bomb. He's pretty dumb too. Dumb but, honest, he could have said he was changing the oil and that's why there was no record.

 

What kind of oil was used at the last service?
What kind of oil did the owner use to top it up with?

If both are a high quality synthetic....
(API-SL/SM, or ACEA A3/B3, A5/B5)
Get some more info on oil usage and how the car was driven.
(short distances , lots of stop&go , that kind of stuff)

IMO your only concern is the engine oil / filter.
And they are major.
If you can get it cheap (cheap enough to compensate for future engine failure) it is worth the risk IMO.

 

 

I say stay away.

 

thanks a lot for your help guys. I did strike a cheap deal but not that cheap. He has done mainly long journeys. I think i will have to lose my deposit. I will post my message on the uk site as well, see what the others say. Again thanks for your help.

 

Actually if he hasn't done proper maintaince in 16k miles you shouldn't loose your deposit. You put a deposit down based on the owner doing proper maintaince and taking care of the car.

But I'd check it a little more thoroughly. Not every dealer/tech remembers to update the manual with service info. Ask first, find out where it was done, and then call the place and have them check their records.

But ya, if they can't prove the services where done I'd keep looking.

 

Although I'd be inclined to pass on this vehicle, here's something else to consider:

If the oil hasn't been changed yet, tell him you'd like to change the oil for him and obtain a sample for a Used Oil Analysis. Send it into a lab that can check the TBN as well as a particle count. If the TBN is still good, the copper & iron levels aren't through the roof and the particle count isn't ridiculously high, then you might consider buying the car.

When you get your analysis, the Lab will likely give their comments on the health of the engine. If you want more advice, you can post your results on Bobistheoilguy.com or here, and you will likely get some good advice.

If the guy was doing mostly long-distance trips and was topping off religiously with a good quality motor oil, it's possible the engine is still in relatively good shape.