Help buying high mileage s2000
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Help buying high mileage s2000
Hey, I'm tying to buy my husband ans2k for his birthday coming up. I found a 2003 for $10k all stock at dealership but it has 155k miles on it. Is that too many miles? How long do they usually drive and what should I look for to check if it's okay? The dealer doesn't have Maintenance info but car fax has no accidents. Everything looks good on the car from what I can tell I'm just worried about the mileage. How can I tell if it's been taken care of? Help lol
Re: Help buying high mileage s2000
It's fine on paper if it's currently in good mechanical condition. Just tally up maintenance costs for things that are due and things that are expected to fail. Also, consider how mechanically inclined your husband is and how much time he can afford to commit to enjoying the car.
Here's an itemized list of things to consider:
-For the year and miles, that car will burn oil and will regularly need the oil checked and topped off. (Every 1000 miles)
-Without knowing the service history, it will probably need a clutch soon. Typically clutches wear out before 100k, so I would venture to bet that 155k is towards the end of its second clutch. (It will be 300$ in parts and ~600$ in labor to replace.)
-Engine: run a compression and leakdown test. If compression numbers are uniform (or close) across all 4 cylinders AND (not or) leakdown is less than 6%, it will probably be reliable for awhile. I would advise replacing the valve retainers with the 2004+ S2000 valve retainers as soon as convenient. Outside of that, the next things to fail will be the bearings or piston rings but those are unlikely with regular maintenance.
Best of luck, if there are other candidates available they may be worth a look. I've owned several S2000's now and if I were to do it again, I would have happily paid the premium for an extra few thousand dollars. I've been kicking myself for the past 7 years since I sold my 2003 with <50k miles.
Here's an itemized list of things to consider:
-For the year and miles, that car will burn oil and will regularly need the oil checked and topped off. (Every 1000 miles)
-Without knowing the service history, it will probably need a clutch soon. Typically clutches wear out before 100k, so I would venture to bet that 155k is towards the end of its second clutch. (It will be 300$ in parts and ~600$ in labor to replace.)
-Engine: run a compression and leakdown test. If compression numbers are uniform (or close) across all 4 cylinders AND (not or) leakdown is less than 6%, it will probably be reliable for awhile. I would advise replacing the valve retainers with the 2004+ S2000 valve retainers as soon as convenient. Outside of that, the next things to fail will be the bearings or piston rings but those are unlikely with regular maintenance.
Best of luck, if there are other candidates available they may be worth a look. I've owned several S2000's now and if I were to do it again, I would have happily paid the premium for an extra few thousand dollars. I've been kicking myself for the past 7 years since I sold my 2003 with <50k miles.
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Joined: Nov 2011
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From: O-Town, Illinois
Re: Help buying high mileage s2000
Man, $10k for one that has 155k is pretty steep. Something with 50k less miles would go for about $10k.
As for mileage, 155k wouldn't scare me one bit. I'd still track the hell out of it.
As for mileage, 155k wouldn't scare me one bit. I'd still track the hell out of it.
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Oct 30, 2010 12:37 AM