After a 5-week hunt, it is great to have got one.....
11-20-2015, 08:49 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After a 5-week hunt, it is great to have got one.....
Thanks to the collective wisdom, advice and suggestions made by S2K members, as per my 'New Member' thread, I have now managed to get myself a rather cracking S2000 - brief details below:
New Indy Yellow Pearl, 2 owners, registered in 2007 (57 plate), has covered 15,600 miles from new, and free from accidents. Mileage is accurate per its MOT history, and not a single MOT failure or advisory recorded against it, from its first test on 3rd August 2010 (at 5,130 miles) to its most recent test on 5th October 2015 (at 15,409 miles). It has been SORN’ed since 20th October. I just taxed the S to bring it home and have it serviced by TGM Sport.
The original owner was attached to the British Armed Forces, and was based in Cyprus, where he acquired the car, just before returning to the UK – he brought the S back to the UK with him. It was traded in a year later, with 400 miles on the clock (advert for sale is in the history file), at which point the second owner acquired it in 2008, and cherished it for the next 7 years. This S has never been out in the winter, and has hardly seen wet weather, that was until last Wednesday (18th) when I had to drive through an almighty downpour that hit the M3 when I was driving back from Somerset!
I got Ash Honda (Yeovil), found in the Dealer Satisfaction Survey, to do a pre-purchase inspection (PPI), which turned out to be positive – “you would find it difficult to track down a cleaner car” was the reply I got when I spoke to their S2000 (and NSX) specialist, Ben Davies, who carried out the PPI. Only a few minor issues were picked up – the original battery was on its way out and I was advised to have the spark plugs checked, and they advised of a tear in the passenger door trim and a couple of very minor dents that could be sorted out very easily – the paintwork is excellent, and all original. As part of the sale, the dealer agreed to a new battery, new NGK Platinum spark plugs, and have Ash Honda do a geometry check/adjust and grease all bolts, and repair the door trim (I will have it replaced at a later date). Only real downside is that the rear bumper had some aftermarket parking sensors installed. As such, before I bought it, I had already decided that the rear bumper will be replaced with a new one. Not a difficult decision since bumpers are relatively cheap compared to some of the other cars I own!
I have attached a couple of photographs showing the heart & soul of the beast and another of the S itself, and some (rather awful) photographs of its underside, which were taken using my ageing mobile Blackberry.
The S has just returned from TGM Sport for a major service (change of all fluids and filters, check/adjust valve clearances and check/adjust idle speed). A complete fluid & filter change is something I tend to do with all purchases, as it gives me a baseline to move forward, irrespective of the service history that comes with the car. I believe that a marque specialist is the best option as cars of this type, and age, are usually "too old" for main dealers – this is the practice I have adopted since 2004, when two Porsche main dealers failed to diagnose a leak in the vacuum system that was integral to the correct operation of the 993 RS’ Varioram system, and that car was only 8 years old then and a year into my ownership! I kept it for 11 years, and had it looked after by a specialist who owned a 993 RS Clubsport.
Tom at TGM Sport was very positive about the S, and he too stated that it is one of the cleanest ones he has seen, which is all music to my ears. For the first time, having seen the underside of the car when it was up on the ramps at TGM, I can say that I am really pleased. It certainly doesn’t seem to have been out in wintery conditions at all - the underneath is very clean.
All good so far, but when I asked Tom to check whether or not the suspension adjustment bolts were greased, he removed one and confirmed that it had not been greased! All bolts were removed, photographs taken, and I was ready to do battle with the dealer, but they were very professional about it and asked me to send the photographs as evidence, which I did, and said that they will reimburse what it cost me to have TGM do the job properly, and that they will take it up with Ash Honda themselves! So, thumbs down to Ash Honda, but a big thumbs up to Mike Hodder Cars. From now on TGM Sport will be entrusted to look after the S - TGM were fantastic, and they are exactly what I am looking for in a specialist.
This is my 5th Yellow (1:1 scale) toy - 3 x Porsches and a Clio V6 255! On each occasion it was the condition of the car in question that made me buy it, and that has been true with the S2000 as well.
All in all I am very pleased, and look forward to getting behind the wheel in anger, and unleashing the beast within. Would also like to come along to a few gatherings to meet up with fellow members and enthusiasts in due course………
New Indy Yellow Pearl, 2 owners, registered in 2007 (57 plate), has covered 15,600 miles from new, and free from accidents. Mileage is accurate per its MOT history, and not a single MOT failure or advisory recorded against it, from its first test on 3rd August 2010 (at 5,130 miles) to its most recent test on 5th October 2015 (at 15,409 miles). It has been SORN’ed since 20th October. I just taxed the S to bring it home and have it serviced by TGM Sport.
The original owner was attached to the British Armed Forces, and was based in Cyprus, where he acquired the car, just before returning to the UK – he brought the S back to the UK with him. It was traded in a year later, with 400 miles on the clock (advert for sale is in the history file), at which point the second owner acquired it in 2008, and cherished it for the next 7 years. This S has never been out in the winter, and has hardly seen wet weather, that was until last Wednesday (18th) when I had to drive through an almighty downpour that hit the M3 when I was driving back from Somerset!
I got Ash Honda (Yeovil), found in the Dealer Satisfaction Survey, to do a pre-purchase inspection (PPI), which turned out to be positive – “you would find it difficult to track down a cleaner car” was the reply I got when I spoke to their S2000 (and NSX) specialist, Ben Davies, who carried out the PPI. Only a few minor issues were picked up – the original battery was on its way out and I was advised to have the spark plugs checked, and they advised of a tear in the passenger door trim and a couple of very minor dents that could be sorted out very easily – the paintwork is excellent, and all original. As part of the sale, the dealer agreed to a new battery, new NGK Platinum spark plugs, and have Ash Honda do a geometry check/adjust and grease all bolts, and repair the door trim (I will have it replaced at a later date). Only real downside is that the rear bumper had some aftermarket parking sensors installed. As such, before I bought it, I had already decided that the rear bumper will be replaced with a new one. Not a difficult decision since bumpers are relatively cheap compared to some of the other cars I own!
I have attached a couple of photographs showing the heart & soul of the beast and another of the S itself, and some (rather awful) photographs of its underside, which were taken using my ageing mobile Blackberry.
The S has just returned from TGM Sport for a major service (change of all fluids and filters, check/adjust valve clearances and check/adjust idle speed). A complete fluid & filter change is something I tend to do with all purchases, as it gives me a baseline to move forward, irrespective of the service history that comes with the car. I believe that a marque specialist is the best option as cars of this type, and age, are usually "too old" for main dealers – this is the practice I have adopted since 2004, when two Porsche main dealers failed to diagnose a leak in the vacuum system that was integral to the correct operation of the 993 RS’ Varioram system, and that car was only 8 years old then and a year into my ownership! I kept it for 11 years, and had it looked after by a specialist who owned a 993 RS Clubsport.
Tom at TGM Sport was very positive about the S, and he too stated that it is one of the cleanest ones he has seen, which is all music to my ears. For the first time, having seen the underside of the car when it was up on the ramps at TGM, I can say that I am really pleased. It certainly doesn’t seem to have been out in wintery conditions at all - the underneath is very clean.
All good so far, but when I asked Tom to check whether or not the suspension adjustment bolts were greased, he removed one and confirmed that it had not been greased! All bolts were removed, photographs taken, and I was ready to do battle with the dealer, but they were very professional about it and asked me to send the photographs as evidence, which I did, and said that they will reimburse what it cost me to have TGM do the job properly, and that they will take it up with Ash Honda themselves! So, thumbs down to Ash Honda, but a big thumbs up to Mike Hodder Cars. From now on TGM Sport will be entrusted to look after the S - TGM were fantastic, and they are exactly what I am looking for in a specialist.
This is my 5th Yellow (1:1 scale) toy - 3 x Porsches and a Clio V6 255! On each occasion it was the condition of the car in question that made me buy it, and that has been true with the S2000 as well.
All in all I am very pleased, and look forward to getting behind the wheel in anger, and unleashing the beast within. Would also like to come along to a few gatherings to meet up with fellow members and enthusiasts in due course………
11-20-2015, 08:57 AM
#3
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 179
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you. Just the one, honest, but the forum software insisted that I have 3 so there you have it 
PS: First two posts reported errors, so I removed some photographs and tried until the post went through - didn't realise that those aborted posts too were published
PS: First two posts reported errors, so I removed some photographs and tried until the post went through - didn't realise that those aborted posts too were published
or Moff
