ValveBounce

I'm not saying I'm an expert on S2000 values, but to add my two'penneth:

The most expensive I know of recently was £19k for a 2009 with 18500 miles. Pretty immaculate (as much as any 8 year old car), pristine underneath and only one corroded geo bolt (right side castor seized at 6' 0", so not a disaster).

Top money, but from what I hear about right for age/condition.

Nottm_S2

You could inspect the rear subframe yourself or ask a garage for an opinion

The front caster bushes are piss easy to swap really, despite what people tell you. My reciprocating saw took <10 mins per cut (2 cuts per side) plus my arb drop link was fooked so another bit of annoyance

the bushes were <£100, bolts you can see prices on lings

the rears i've not had to do

if others are seized go to the US and buy the bolts

Any car that age is probably more likely than not to have a siezed bolt or two.. my 01 car they are all free and my 99 (though somert is bent on that one :grr

sanch3z

I've decided to stay clear of that one, whilst the miles are low I did ask the dealer the condition of the underside of which they said they would get it up on a ramp and send me some pictures. A week later nothing so I would think they are less than impressed and would rather shift it to someone not looking so close at it.

but the story continues and I have other options:

Car A:
- 85k
- GT (+stand/cover)
- Owner undersealed and sorted rust on rear arch
- Owner seems pretty meticulous
- FHSH
- Wheels need changing (currently grey so need returning to silver)
- A days travelling to go and grab it (400+ miles away)
- Have someone with ramps who will check it out for me
£10k

Car B
- 75k
- FHSH
- Current owner knows very little
- 2-3hrs each way travelling
- New roof
- £8500
- No real ability to look underneather

I believe both the above cars will suffer with seized bolts and no real way to avoid it. Are GTs worth more and are the wheels a costly thing to sort? If it was you which one would you lean towards?

Define198

i would not be put off by a rusty sub frame, pretty much every s2000 will have a rusty sub frame i would suspect, BUT it should only be surface rust, the rest of the underside i would be more concerned about, and the inner arches and lips, and behind the rear plastic mudguards.

Prices of S2000's really are all over the place, are the £10k cars with 80k+ miles even selling?

As a current owner i feel that if i was to sell my 2005 red car with 82k miles, full Honda service history with all geo bolts free, new castor bushes and just had a full respray(if i put the car to standard) i would expect to get maybe £8.5k for it, and i feel it would not be that quick of a sale.

As the car stands in its modified state - supercharged, j's front bumper, carbon bonnet, ohlin suspension, I could maybe get £14k.. (and thats with £15k+ spent)

I feel owners of this car put it on a pedestal, with the talk of future classic, going up in value etc, i feel that although i cant see the cars going down in price, i cant see them going up all that much either, at least not for a long time, by which most of the current owners most likely wont have one anyway, and it could be the current owners that have sold their old cars, wanting to relive their youth trying to buy another one in 20 years time that puts the prices up.

Is it really that hard to find a good one? I have had mine 3 years now and from what i can remember, as long as you are not looking at the lower end of the market and wanting to pay peanuts it shouldn't be that hard to find one that's been looked after

sanch3z

I think it's clear from both cars (and most out there) unless owned by an enthusiast the Geo bolts will be seized Even people who take care of their cars might not have sorted this if it's within tolerance. Reading online it's likely to cost £1k+ so get this sorted if necessary... Without tons of tools, a ramp and decent drive (mine is gravel) I will have to put this into a garage to sort, unlike other things I will be able to do myself over time....

sanch3z

Spoke to a local place who have done tons Geo bolts. They reckon anywhere between £300-£900 depending on the number that are seized and what needs to be done. At least I know there is a place near me that has the parts and can deal with it...

SuperHamz

Recently had my bushes replaced with Powerflex ones, I had 6 out of the gazillion replaced along with all the geo bolts. Came to a pricely sum of £1200, been putting it off for 3 years, but it's been worth every penny, the car drives like a dream now.

sanch3z

oh WOW that's a chunk... My local place said that most would be seized on cars if they hadn't been 'dealt' with. The guy said he had bought a ton of stock to cover this work as they knew it would be an on-going issue, he did however say that if the car is in tolerance and isn't eating tyres then there is little point in doing it (his opinion not mine). I figure whatever car I buy I face a bill at some point for this work, it then comes down to the spec of the car, condition, service history and what the current owner is like. Some people when asked questions on the phone say "My garage has never said there's a problem with the car", this is not the type of person I want to be dealing with, I want to buy off someone who knows about an 'S' and how to treat it and potential pitfalls. For me this is worth more than a cheaper price or a few less miles