Luchini

Will be my weekend car. In Seattle visiting family and looking to ship an S2000 back go Hawaii where I live. Probably will sell the car in Hawaii after I transfer military duty stations. There arent any for sale in Hawaii now so shouldnt be hard to unload. Im paying to ship it since the military already shipped my 335i. Great car but a bit bland to drive and I really want a vert while in Hawaii. I looked at three S2000 at local Honda dealerships in the greater Seattle area. The inventory for these is pretty slim for a clean stock one in the color i want.

One dealership had an 03 and 05. Ive read all the differences about ap1 and 2. Looked at both car faxes.

03 silver had a 100k on it and one owner. Asking $14.8. Normal wear and tear on the body. Seats in great condition. Dealership mechanic recommended replace fluids and tranny bushings. Apparantly the owner was an older gentlemen. Car drove just fine and was a blast.

05 suzuka blue had 55k and asking $18.4. Normal wear and tear along with bald rear tires and seats were moderately worn compared to the 03. Two owner and the second owner was a lease. I was leaning more towards this but the fact that the second registration was a lease, bald rear tires, and on the test drive the third gear synchro felt a bit notchy or grindy made me hesitate. I missed third gear once but could have likely been the clutch delay valve. Dealer agreed to replace rear tires and fluids on this one since its a used car under 100k. The overall vibe I got was the leasee drove it hard but I have no proof just a feeling or speculation.

Third was a black 07 in great condtion with only 7600 miles. Felt like new. Unfortunately the dealer knows this and wouldnt budge on the $28.5 price.

Im in a dilemma on what to choose. The 05 makes the most sense numbers wise but im not sold on the color or how the previous owner treated it.

The silver 03 has a bit more wear and tear on the outside but felt great on the test drive. I think i almost prefer the drive of the ap1. It only has one owner and the money saved would go a long way with the maintenance and some aftermarket parts.

The black 07 is a gem but really on the high end of the budget.

If i could stay $20k and find one with under 75k stock and in good condition with the color i want thatd be great. I seen a few in the socal area at dealers but buying a car sight unseen like this is unsettling.

Not looking for any specific answers just thoughts and feedback.

official_del-sol

If your open to travel for one I have one in NY in your price range and 23,000 miles

Black S2K

I would shop around some more. Also why are you only looking at dealer options? You can find a better and most likely more honest deal going with a private seller.

I think all those options suck tbh. All are over priced.

.Ryan

04-05.

servozoom

I agree on those choices being overpriced. I got a 2003 just over a month ago. 12 year old car. Weekend driver for six years and six years under a cover in a garage. Old man traded it in at the Honda dealer where he bought it. The dealer got the car a new top and did long over due maintenance. The car is mint, not a scratch, scuff, totally stock, 47k miles. I paid $15k for it from the dealer, so shop around. I went for an AP1 for the same reason I wanted an S2000, I want the raw untamed beast. I understand the AP2s are a bit more refined and driver friendly. What ever you do, the S2000 is an amazing car.

.Ryan

I paid 18 for a '02 with 10,xxx miles with factory hardtop, mugen gen 1 cat back, showroom condition.

bad-monkey

It depends on what you want to do with it. AP2V1 probably the best for leaving alone and driving. If you want to mod (bolt ons, etc), the case can be made for AP2V2 because of flashpro. If you're going the full 9 (turbo, stroker, k-swap, whatever), and don't mind spending extra money on an EMS, then you'll save money going AP2V1.

AP1's probably best left alone too but they're tricky to drive. Just remember: never lift, lol.

slomofo

iTrader: (1)

98-99

Wahski

+1 on staying away from dealers. They overprice these things like crazy and don't budge on the price. Had a dealer refuse to hold one for me even if I paid a deposit and damned if I was going to drive 2 hrs just for him to sell it before I got there. Held out a few more weeks and found an '06 on Craigslist literally down the street from me and for a better price.

Chuck S

I went thru this last Summer and wanted an '06 or newer for the new ECU, drive by wire, VSA, etc. Took a few weeks but found one. I had previously decided color was not a deal breaker since these cars are rare in Ohio. Mine is silver, just like my Honda outboard.

Keep looking but dealers are not the anti-Christ.

I bought mine off the showroom floor at a big Honda dealer. Had been previously buggered by the prior owner with black (yuck) aftermarket wheels which I complained about and the price dropped. Right about $20K with 38K miles, no roof tears, all matching numbers, detailed, all fluids changed that were scheduled, etc. Another $1000 got her back in OEM wheels and new RE-11A tires.

-- Chuck