I REALLY want an S2000 so what I am hoping to do is to fix up and sell me EK for a down payment on an S2000.

I have seen S2000's on autotrader with 90k+ miles for around $9000.

My EK is a 96
-Stock engine
-Midori Green
-New wheels, tires
-power windows, locks
-New axles
-90k miles
-Pioneer deck
-99-00 front end conversion
-Very clean interior almost looks new

I am going to give it a fresh paint job in a few days to up the value, im hoping to get $4000 out of it, is that a good price?

What I want to do is use that $4000 as a down payment on a used S2000 from a dealership. I figure im going to have to spend around $4000 to do an engine swap on my EK to make it fast and it still wont be as fast as an S2000 so I can use that same money I would need to put into the engine swap to just pay off the rest of the S2000 which is already fast.

EDIT: Sorry if this is in the wrong section I mostly post here because it seems like alot more people post in this section.

 

Lol come on man, would you do the same if you were in my situation?

Would you keep the EK and drop $4000-$5000 into an engine swap

or

Sell the EK and drop $4000-$5000 into paying off an S2000?

 

S2000 is a nice ride...

 

S2000 is a freaking sick ride! They are faster than the new SI's I would kill to have one!

Only problem is how small it is, but I never plan on driving with more than one person in the car at a time anyways.

 

i agree s2000's are sick but your talkin about a down payment .. autotrader might have them for around 9 but you wont find one at a dealer for that price.... if you do u better get it cuase you wont see them with a deal like that

 

Unless that paintjob is free, or unless your current paint is quite literally horrible and buffing it won't help, then save your money. Rarely can you put X amount of dollars into a paint job and get that same X amount back in your selling price without it eating into the actual car value.

This is highly debatable. I've got a Civic with an engine swap (B18C5) that destroys S2000s in a dragrace, gives them hell at auto X, and would certainly be a good match at a road course (given equal drivers) so if it's literally about speed then a Civic can be made faster easier. I'm sure S2000 owners reading this are ready for a fight, so hang on I'm going somewhere with this.

...but if it's "hey check out Billy in his S2000! He's a pimp man!" then yeah a Civic probably won't be the same status symbol.

At the end of the day you'll need to think hard about what having either car means to you. If it's cool points (and that's okay if that's your thing) then the modded Civic should "score" with teenage-to-early 20's guys. The S2000 will likely be the better "chick magnet" as most girls don't get wet from riding in a stripped out Civic with no A/C and a fart pipe drowning out your conversation.

I've never been one to really give a damn what others think of me/my car so I chose owning Civics over S2000s. It's not that I cannot afford an S2000, but I choose not to because I'm happy with a stock engine'd reliable Civic that's knocking on 12's and handles awesome. Yeah people my age (30) probably smirk when they see me (and think I'm a kid) in either one of my modded Civics (check my sig) but that's okay.

My Civics are paid for.

You might also want to consider that saddling yourself with debt for a used S2000 might not be ideal in these economic times. You might also want to have any S2000 in question looked at extensively as I've seen some ragged-*** ones come through my shop. Rear ends aren't cheap, and neither are clutch jobs if you are not doing all of the work yourself. Paying for expensive repairs while still trying to pay for the car note and the more expensive insurance might be too much to handle.

At least with the Civic you can pay as you go at your own pace. If you hit hard times you still have a car, and your credit won't be ruined because you're missing payments.

...then buy a house.

 

Yes I have seen that at dealerships on autotrader (I know because I clicked only dealerships) and the lowest price I saw was like $9000-something with I think 116K miles it was a 00 S2000

 

The paintjob will be around $600 with a 3 year warrenty. They are doing the entire car midori I told them I want everything painted. Side mirrors, molding etc. The reason I want to paint it is because like I said I did a 99-00 front end conversion and the entire front end is primered black which looks terrible and less attractive to potential buyers.

 

Here are some pics of it the first is old before I installed the new deck and a few other things, second pic is newer but you can see the ugly state it's in. I am hoping for $4000, do you think thats too high/low?




This is how I want it to look before I sell it (minus the SI wheels)

 

Usually when it comes to paintjobs you get what you pay for. No offense intended. a $600.00 paintjob isn't going to look like a factory job, and it will show to any prospective buyers if you plan on selling it after paint. If you're keeping the car then maybe consider saving up more for a better paint job, or just think of the $600.00 job as temporary.

You will definately also want to map out what gets painted, and what doesn't. Nothing looks cheaper than a paintjob where everything is painted. You need to take note that sections of the front bumper (the grille) NEVER get painted. People will forever debate painting side moldings, side skirts, door handles, mirrors, etc.

Click HERE For 41 Pages of Midori Green to Look Through

 

Well that EK I posted (my 3rd pic) has all the moldings painted and it looks amazing IMO. My grill is the OEM SI it's already painted black, should I just leave it black?

 

Dang, this one has none of the molding, or side mirrors painted and looks very nice! Instead of painting them midori I think i'll just paint them black and give it that "like new" look.

 

Buy Duplicolor trim paint and make sure to use very light coats. When done correctly it looks just like brand new plastic trim.

Get what you want painted, but trust me painted grilles are usually a dead give away that a Maaco-esque shop did the paintjob.

That EK you posted with black trims looks ***** IMO. There are some nice ones in the topic I linked that have painted stuff too, but NONE of them have painted bumper grilles.

 

thats a clean hatch

 

Hmmm is looking ***** good or bad? lol like I said the SI grill I got came painted black already. Would leaving it black look lame?

 

Which one?

 

Sorry "*****" is good.

I'd paint the grille surround plastic body colored, and leave the mesh within black - just like that last EK you posted.

...and note the black bumper grille too?

 

Oh yeah man thats exactly what I planned on doing, The grill came in two pieces the mesh and outside, ill just paint the outside and tell them to not paint the grill part on the bumper.

 

i think you should hold off on your s2000 dreams. no offense but if you're down payment is relying on the sale of your current car it's not going to happen. i don't know where you live, but in my area your car unpainted would go for 2000-2500, painted 2500 to 3500

 

Painted I think I can get $4000.

 

Oh god. This is a HORRIBLE reason to keep postig every thread you want to post in this section.

I've been sitting back and watching you post thread after thread, so excuse me if I can't really hold it in anymore.

There is a section that can answer all of your questions though. It's GDD. General Discussion and Debate. Tons of people post in there.

Paying for a paint job right now would be a waste of money. A $600 paint job won't make your Civic sell for $4,000.

$4,000 as a down payment for a $9,000 isn't the best idea.
What engine swap do you think would cost you $4,000 to $5,000? Most don't cost that much at all.
They're not supposed to be painted black. Use trim dye (or Kiwi black shoe dye) to dye the trim all black again. Keep cotton diaper cloths on hand and practice on the disassembled grille over the sink first.
Since you have a '99-'00 front end, you don't want them to paint the "brake duct" areas on either side of the bumper grille either.

 

Where do you live?

Why did the quarter panel get painted black to begin with? What happened to the car? Is the title clean?

 

/\ brake duct?

 

The title is perfect. The reason it has black is because the previous owner covered dents/scratches. I live in SoCal

 

the book values on hatches are pretty low, and everyone thinks there worth so damn much. so if you selling and the buyer is trying to get a loan , good luck. your only hope is to find someone with cash in hand.

but you thinking is in the right place, "save up for something better." but a hatch for 4,000 is going to be in the same category as hatch with a swap for 4,000.

but good luck man. get the s2000