Hey guys, I'm going to look at this 2000 s2000 with 72k miles tomorrow and if all goes well, I will buy it. But, I have one concern about it. The owner said that a couple weeks ago the car started to make a weird noise on a coldstart if you didn't pump the gas a couple times. He said it starts no problem though. I've done some research and people say it could be the starter. The owner also agreed to give me 2 days to have it looked at by my mechanic (since my mechanic lives far away). what do you think could be making the weird noise?

 

What kind of noise is it? Ticking, screeching, knocking? If you have to pump the gas a few times after a start it's either rod knock, a bad drive belt, or the timing chain tensioner. Would help if we knew what the noise sounded like. A car with partially spun rod bearing(s) will make a knocking sound for a bit after start up. If your starter is making noise it would be a screeching noise and should go away immediately after start up. Sometimes a bad TCT will make a clacking sound and since the piston is oil driven it can be alleviated by giving it a little gas and increasing oil pressure.