Matt_98

Hi recently joined this and had a few questions to ask.

I'm 19 years old and interested in purchasing an s2000 as my daily

I'm unsure what you would class as good mileage for an s2000.

I have seen some for around 8-10k with 60-70k miles which i'm not sure is good.

Also is there any general issues to look out for when buying.

PaulF

Hi Matt and welcome.

First answer, I had one with 110k miles on it and it still ran as sweet as a nut. I’d say 60 - 70k is no problem at all.

Second answer, there are some issues to be aware of; seized geo bolts, arch rot, TCTs to name a few. I’d suggest having a good look through the FAQs sticky on the main UK page here, it’s very good and will answer all your questions even the ones you didn’t know you had!

lovegroova

First, find out how much insurance is gong to be (I expect "quite a lot" but you never know).

Good mileage is "as low as possible within your budget". 8-10k miles per year is normal, though there are many with less than that. 60-70k is pretty good.

Things to watch out for are mostly rust these days, also seized alignment bolts.
There are lots of useful buying guides on this site and on YouTube, so take a look at those. Also read the Technical FAQ in this forum for more information.

Matt_98

Hey Groova and Paul,

The insurance for me is around 1.7k which im fine with, currently paying 1.4k on my first car which is a 1.2L waste of time.

I heard the rusting on some of them is horrible to fix.

And Paul did you buy it at 110k miles? If so how many miles did you go after that?

Matt_98

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...-type=promoted

this is one of the ones I was just looking at.

richmc

Bit pricy but looks "honest", and low mileage for the year.

Best investment you can make along with the car is a limits day, the S2000 has more than enough power to get you into a LOT of trouble and I don't mean with the cops.

tozerman

Does seem a bit pricey but the mileage seems genuine enough https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/ only done4 300 miles since 2013 !!
Not keen on the non original front number plate, the plinth has been removed to allow a square plate, not my cup of tea
Possibly the bumpers have been off the car (not a problem in itself) and it also has the wrong wheels fitted, it has the 2002 - 2004 wheels, that year car should have spokes that go right to the edge of the rim,

I'd also check for any respray evidence at the rear, the arch lip looks like fresh paint but maybe just the picture.
I personally would not use it everyday, but I then again I am an old scrote

CynicG

For a minute I was confused as a V reg cannot be 2002. But I see the car is '99 but first registered in '02.

So it's a first year production which were a bit more twitchy apparently. Take care if using daily in the damp. Especially if you have limited rwd experience.

lovegroova

Someone will know better than me, but this might well be a Japanese Domestic Model that was imported into the UK in 2002. That would explain the square front number plate - the original rear bumper which would also have had a square number plate, may well have been replaced at some point.

It does look like a good example, though.

CynicG

Yep - a look at the VIN should reveal all