mikey_w50

Hi,

Hopefully you can offer me some advice as I am new to the Honda S2000 owners scene. I currently own a mint MR2 MK2 N/A. Its been my pride and joy for the last 3 years. Lately I have been thinking of selling it as its still got some value due to its condition.

I started looking at the S2000 after my dad has owned one for 4 years. At first I was looking at the 2006 models with stability control etc but my dad has told me he is thinking of selling his. His is a Wreg with 63000 miles on the body and 25000 miles on the engine (Honda replaced the engine just before he bought it from them, previous owner apparantly never filled the oil up in time).

Ii was thinking his was worth around £5500 - £6500 as its in outstanding condition, been garaged everynight, only driving May - Oct and a FSH.

I was hoping you guys could offer me some information on whether you think I would be better off buying an older model who's full history I know or spending the extra money to buy an unkown model (perhaps 2005 - 2006). I heard the older ones are very tricky to drive in wet?

Additionally my dad does not drive his hard at all, I doubt he has ever put that engine up to 8k ever and I would be surprised if he would really hit 6k much. Would this damage the VTEC system or generally should it be ok?

Hopefully you can offer some advice from your experience.

Thank you,
Mike

LTB

Your pricing seems about right.

Check the FAQ for common faults that can happen to older cars, especially suspension bush seizure.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=301506

The engine is practically new so you shouldn't see any problems if it has been well maintained so no issues there. The only thing to go for a later model would be the slight styling changes over the years, plus the VSA on later models.

keith2.2

I'd probably go for your dads tbh.

Yeah, they're tricky to drive if you don't pay attention, but relying on VSA to keep you out of trouble is cheating

Pricing seems OK. There's a W reg on ebay at the moment - 10k miles from new, the guy wants 14k for it!!!!!!!!

NineBolts

Check the insurance situation first.

Your fathers car sounds good but you only know the history of it for the last 4 years. what about the years prior to that?

Has your father ever had his geometry checked or know about the issues of seized bushes? Although you could buy a 2008 car and find you've got some seized bushes. Similarly with the handling of the early cars most owners would say it's not an issue if you've got a good geo and healthy tyres.

A lot depends on what you want to do with the car, do you want to keep it standard or are you into some modding. If you're planning to change the heights and put some wheels on it then the age is less important, if OEM is your thing and the facelift features are important such as 17" wheels and updated looks then go for that.

mikey_w50

Regarding the history prior to that your right I have no knowledge, only all the service stamps by Honda and all the receipts for any work. I did check out insurance on the car, it is more expensive than what I am paying, don't fully understand why they rate the S2000 group 20D. I'd understand group 19 maybe.

Like I said the only real concern I had was the engine never being worked hard, I am not fully clued up on how VTEC works yet and initially I was worried it could lock up or something or not kick in.

Adriank

The earlier cars are fine, as long as you dont have a lead foot in cold / wet conditions. My 2003 is extremely stable even in the wet, couldnt be happier with it.
Mine had an older woner who didnt rag it, and low milage, this hasnt been an issue at all.
I'd go with the older one, leaves you money to sort the bushs if needed and for some bits if that is your bag.

lovegroova

It's in that group because it is expensive and time consuming to repair. The D is because of the soft top, so security is not great.

mikey_w50

I see, guess when you take into account the soft top then I can appreciate the rating.

My intial decision was a Boxster S, however it would be an older one and I have heard the running costs to be considerably higher. Plus the S2000 to me looks much better.

I did read the issue on bushes being seized, my dads has not had the geometry check as far as I know.

punchdrunk

Your dad's sounds like the best bet to me especially if you can persuade him to sell it with a parent's discount or on a payment plan

Spend the difference on suspension and hpde mods and you'll be fine.

cupracing

If the car drives and handles fine then I wouldnt worry about the bushes unless you have money to burn. I had mine checked because my steering wheel was off centre. I didn't have any seized bushes on mine and it's never been done in it lifetime.

On the note of it never being thrashed, I do find mine runs quite badly if I don't boot it for a while. These engines just love the be thrashed!