gst19psi

Hey guys I've been looking to get back into an S2K for a bit now for the simple reasons that:

1) No other car has ever made smile just by grabbing the keys & knowing I was going to drive it every morning.
2) They can now be found pretty cheap & are super relaible(It's a Honda), they make great Daily Drivers.
3) The car is just Efin Awesome!


So I found 2 in the Tampa area:

1. blue 2007 with 20,000 miles & a brand new top. They are asking $24900 OTD. Everything about the car looks great interior exterior & the carfax is clean.
2. Black 2006 with 4,800 miles. To say the least the car looks like it just drove off the assembly line. There is just one problem the carfax shows an accident. The dealer claims it was small(the carfax verifies this claim by saying the crash was "minor") & the dealer has proof of the repairs in the form of receipts for the repair work. they are asking $26,900( A fellow s2ker in the Tampa area is going to check the car for me & check for frame damage, etc.).

My dilemma is that the blue is a clean car w/ no "known" issues, while the black one looks amazing and has practically no miles, but has this accident. My natural inclination is to shy away from the black one b/c of the hit, but it is hard seeing the miles & the condition of everything else on it.

Aside from the actual car the dealership w/ the blue one has been much nicer & much friendlier to deal w/ than the ass hat at the other dealer with the black one.

So the question I pose to you guys is which should would you buy?

antonio88x

I would go with the one you feel most comfortable with buying. I'm not sure though, but if you buy the one with the damage, it would probably reduce the resale value if you decided to sell it later. I'm not sure about that though. But if you do get the one with the light damage, would you always think about it in the back of your head?

TJR

Come see mine 2007 29k miles and most important kraftwerks sc, pm if you want more info. Tj (it's time for my s to have a better home)

Killer_B

I’ll start by saying that you shouldn’t trust people when purchasing a car, especially a dealership. Unfortunately buying from a dealership & having a Carfax report gives people a false sense of security. I know of two cars bought from the dealer that had their quarter panels repaired and the dealer did not mention anything about it:

1) A friend bought an ’06-’07 S2000 from the dealer at the market retail price. Months later he noticed that one of the rear quarter panels while he was underneath the car. The dealer did not mention anything about any previous accidents and the carfax report was clean. He has a shop, builds cars/motors for a living and tunes cars. I mention his background because he’s not a rookie but I guess he had a false sense of security when he bought the car since it was from a Honda Dealer.

2) I recently saw a TSX I was very interested in purchasing from a private seller but the car is located in NY. I live in FL but am originally from NY. I had a good friend of mine (mechanic at Honda/Acura dealer with about 10yrs of experience) take a look at the car before I made a serious offer to purchase the car. The guy bought it from a dealership where his friend was the salesman and advised him of the minor accident where the rear bumper was replaced which was also reported as a “minor” accident on the Carfax report. After my friend inspected it he noticed that the rear right quarter panel was replaced and he only noticed because it has the RDOT sticker still on it which confirms the quarter panel is an official OEM part. The body work was almost flawless and seemed to be performed by a dealership.


As always, buyer beware.

Another thing to consider is the cost/long-term value/depreciation of a high dollar vehicle purchase. When you take all these things into consideration… I’d say NO. Don’t buy either one of these cars since they're terribly expensive for what you're getting.


Then again, we typically don’t think rationally when it comes to cars.


Good luck with your decision! lol

Killer_B

My post above is mostly for informational purposes.

This one is mostly opinion.

$25 & 27k is a lot for a car, I'm assuming the car is being financed because it’s more comforting knowing you don’t have to write a personal check of $25,000 for a car. Not only that but the financing team typically stretches the life of the loan so that you get a lower monthly payment making seem easier on the pocket although it raises the total cost of the car when you consider the extra interest you’ll be paying during the life of the loan. Also, at the prices you mentioned, I’m certain you can negotiate a lower price if paid in cash.

What I’ve gathered from financial guru’s as a general rule of thumb for the average person to maintain a good financial standing: “if you can’t pay for it cash, you can’t afford it”

(Just an opinion/suggestion)

Kreapin

That sounds about right

I'm out of work due to injury so going into a car payment didnt make sense to me so I spent a couple of months searching for a car and picked up a 2000 S2 with salvage title (center front hit) with 62k on the clock. I pulled a history and found there were 3 owners, the 3rd owner had the car for 5 months before crashing and the 2nd owner recorded roughly 25k miles in 7 years of ownership. Car was completely stock so I went for it. $8,500

If you spend some time online you can pick up a salvage title AP1 between $9,000 and $11,000 - clean title AP1's with decent mileage can be found between $10,000 and $15,000. If you are going to finance a S2000 for over $20,000 you should be looking at '08-'09 CR's which are in the mid to upper 20's. You should not pay $20k + for a car with an accident in its history (IMO).

Consider traveling for the right car
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...23404511&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...23592549&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...24299795&Log=0

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...10878964&Log=0

Thats my opinion anyway, Good luck

gst19psi

i appreciate the info and the recommendations guys. as far as the crashed one it isnt happening as i confirmed my gut feeling & what i thought was true the hit was more severe than the stealership led on but the truth always comes out. as far as the blue one goes they just wont move on the price so i dont think it will happen either.

as far as purchasing an S my plan is to finance even though i have more than enough to purchase it in cash. 20k is better used as a down payment for a home or investment. a car is a depreciating asset so i dont really c the need to pay it up front i could apply that money, instead to make me and be more than comfy paying a mid 300 car payment since the interest on my loan is only 1.9%.

I want a car i can stick with & love for many years to come b/c im planning to take the bulk of my savings and purchase 2 condos ill live in one & rent the other.
im talking to.Tj & ill c if we can work something out on his. i heard nothing but good things about him & we have meet & hung out back in the days.

TJR

and yeah those are Dunlop Star Spec !!

TJR