I'm trying to buy an s2000. I've found a seemingly good condition 2002 with 66k on it. It is bone stock and a 2nd owner car. The first owner had it until 32k or so in California. The second owner never tracked it and it still has the stock clutch. He said the transmission doesn't grind and the rear differential is fine. He said he takes good care of the car and rev matches, his own oil changes and waxes it regularly. He said he hasn't had to do hardly anything to the car. He told me the stock clutch doesn't feel as good as it used to but it's still good.


My dilemma:

I've been doing some reading and listening to hear say about differentials and transmissions. It's starting to scare me.

So many people have posted about how there car is bone stock and never launched or tracked and their differential goes out on them and it's a $4000.00 fix!

Some say they are weak and some say they are strong... Others beat the car daily and track it and have no problems...

What do I do to make sure this isn't me? Im having the guy take the car to the Honda dealer for a compression an leak down test tomorrow.

Is there anything I can do to make sure that the differential isn't going to crap out or the tranny crap out?

What else should I have done to make sure I'm not going to be draining my bank account for a bad diff or gear grinds.

I've just had fear put in me by all of this... I wish I knew I could just take care of the car and have as few problems as so many and not a crap shoot.

 

A diff can be found for 500 dollars any day of the year. I was making over 300 and had 72K miles on my stock dif and transmissions. The S2000 was made to be a track car, do you think Honda would have made that **** to brake?

 

+1 test drive it and make a decision then. When you read stories of people, remember they are one in many thousands that don't have issues.

 

I had this fear at first. After seeing all these modded cars with crazy horse power ridding around on their stock Diffs and Tranny I knew that anyone who did have an issue either had a dud or they were not maintaining them properly.

No worries. Get the car. You will not regret it.

Have them service the Diff unless they have a recent record of it being done.