S2000 Over 200,000k's worth buying for 20k?

[350KLW]

Hi All,

I got a friend who is going to buy a 99' S2000 with 200,000k's for $20k is this too much for a car that has high k's and is it still reliable at this stage?

Please let me know what you think guys?

Thanks,

[pilotb777_300]

Well just as some information for you I recently bought a silverstone 2000 model S2k with red leather for about 28K and had 77K on the clock. from looking at the market in general what I have learnt about S2000 is not to base the price on KM but rather the history and condition of the car. I once looked at a 2005 Ap2 S2k with 50K on it and I wouldnt have paid a cent for it. Shocking condition ! You;ll find some of the older ones with higer km might actually be in better condition if they have been looked after. So to answer ur question 20K may be worth it depending on the condition of the car. I know of someone that sold a 99 model with 170K on the clock for 23K. It was very well looked after and the first person that saw it bought it.

If you are gonna go for it, make sure u check for some evidence of its service history and check for accident damage. EVERY single s2k I looked at over 3 years prior to buying one had some sort of major repairs done to it due to accidents. With those sorts of KM I would also do a comp test to see what condition the engine is in. ALso check that the gear box is alright, if those 200K were all city driving, the syncros will be getting on in age a little now and u may be due for a clutch replacment depending on when the last one was done. Other than that I dont see why the car cant do another 200K just like any other honda.

Hope that helps

[JamieP]

I would hold out and keep looking for a bargain. I looked around for close to 8 months before finally deciding on my car. I know it sounds quite excessive but I was determined to get the best deal possible. I saw quite a few s2000s and the one I finally purchased was the best condition of all of them. I finally settled on a 2000 model with 150 on the clock and only payed 20 K. It had also had a heavy duty clutch already installed worth 2 and a half grand which saved me from having the problems that alot of s2000s have with the clutch.

If you want a bargain though you have to be quick. I had carsales s2000 search bookmarked in my phone and was checking it 2-3 times a day and when I saw my car for sale for 22 I called him straight away and put in my offer.... before finding this one I missed out on a 99 model with 90 k on the clock for only 17,000! and a 2001 model with 150 on the clock and 20 inch rims for only 20 k. Both of these cars were sold within 2-3 hours of going on the website so my advice is to actively keep an eye out... be patient and eventually you'll find the right one at a bargain price.

prices in the s2000 seem to varey alot for some reason.

[pilotb777_300]

prices in the s2000 seem to varey alot for some reason.

Prices Varey depending on the condition of the car I think. The S2k has got to be one of the biggest ball breaker of a car to buy. SOOOO many bad exmaples out there and unless ur very lucky, u usually get what u pay for.

[350KLW]

Thanks guys for the advice... well the guy has all the log books and said its full looked after and its mostly highway k's. if all goes well with the inspection and rev check my mate will get it for sure and try to drop the price a bit.

[pilotb777_300]

When u go look at the car check for color varation in the panels and also check the weld lines at the rear end around the boot lining and at the bottom back of the doors where the rear quarter panels r welded. They r a dead give away of panels being replaced. They should be dead straight and clean welds from factory anything else would indicate one of the rear panels being replaced.

I also called up honda and asked about the history of the car from where the guy serviced it. They gave me a pretty good idea of all the work that was done to the car over its life that isnt noted in the service books. Make sure u check the condition of the roof. Make sure it has no tears and make sure u drive at 100KM with the roof closed to see if theres any wind noise through the seals. A new glass roof will set u back 2K if u need to replace the current one.

Very important that u drive the car both roof down and roof up. U hear a lot of different noises in both conditions. The road noise with the roof down sometimes masks a lot of tranny noise that u wana listen out for. Stuff like clutch buzz and bearing noise etc may not be as obvious with the roof down. Make sure u pay particular attention to 1st and 2nd gear that they arent grinding or making any sorts of weird noises when engaged. They r the gears that are usually most abused on these cars.

Pay particular attention to the diff also as that will cost u a small fortune to replace. GO find a big round about and go around it under power.... make sure there isnt any grinding or ticking noises from the rear end while doing this. also do a few starts from standstill on a hill. Ticking or grinding noises from the rear end will indicate problems with ur diff or drive shafts.

And finally the best peice of advice I can give is that while proffesional inspections are good, ud be surprised how little they know about the specific problems of the S2k. Make sure u scan this site for all known propblems with the car give it a good look over urself as well.

Good luck !

[350KLW]

When u go look at the car check for color varation in the panels and also check the weld lines at the rear end around the boot lining and at the bottom back of the doors where the rear quarter panels r welded. They r a dead give away of panels being replaced. They should be dead straight and clean welds from factory anything else would indicate one of the rear panels being replaced.

I also called up honda and asked about the history of the car from where the guy serviced it. They gave me a pretty good idea of all the work that was done to the car over its life that isnt noted in the service books. Make sure u check the condition of the roof. Make sure it has no tears and make sure u drive at 100KM with the roof closed to see if theres any wind noise through the seals. A new glass roof will set u back 2K if u need to replace the current one.

Very important that u drive the car both roof down and roof up. U hear a lot of different noises in both conditions. The road noise with the roof down sometimes masks a lot of tranny noise that u wana listen out for. Stuff like clutch buzz and bearing noise etc may not be as obvious with the roof down. Make sure u pay particular attention to 1st and 2nd gear that they arent grinding or making any sorts of weird noises when engaged. They r the gears that are usually most abused on these cars.

Pay particular attention to the diff also as that will cost u a small fortune to replace. GO find a big round about and go around it under power.... make sure there isnt any grinding or ticking noises from the rear end while doing this. also do a few starts from standstill on a hill. Ticking or grinding noises from the rear end will indicate problems with ur diff or drive shafts.

And finally the best peice of advice I can give is that while proffesional inspections are good, ud be surprised how little they know about the specific problems of the S2k. Make sure u scan this site for all known propblems with the car give it a good look over urself as well.

Good luck !

Thanks alot for this info this will help us out alot when we go for the inspection!

[JDM4RT]

When u go look at the car check for color varation in the panels and also check the weld lines at the rear end around the boot lining and at the bottom back of the doors where the rear quarter panels r welded. They r a dead give away of panels being replaced. They should be dead straight and clean welds from factory anything else would indicate one of the rear panels being replaced.

I also called up honda and asked about the history of the car from where the guy serviced it. They gave me a pretty good idea of all the work that was done to the car over its life that isnt noted in the service books. Make sure u check the condition of the roof. Make sure it has no tears and make sure u drive at 100KM with the roof closed to see if theres any wind noise through the seals. A new glass roof will set u back 2K if u need to replace the current one.

Very important that u drive the car both roof down and roof up. U hear a lot of different noises in both conditions. The road noise with the roof down sometimes masks a lot of tranny noise that u wana listen out for. Stuff like clutch buzz and bearing noise etc may not be as obvious with the roof down. Make sure u pay particular attention to 1st and 2nd gear that they arent grinding or making any sorts of weird noises when engaged. They r the gears that are usually most abused on these cars.

Pay particular attention to the diff also as that will cost u a small fortune to replace. GO find a big round about and go around it under power.... make sure there isnt any grinding or ticking noises from the rear end while doing this. also do a few starts from standstill on a hill. Ticking or grinding noises from the rear end will indicate problems with ur diff or drive shafts.

And finally the best peice of advice I can give is that while proffesional inspections are good, ud be surprised how little they know about the specific problems of the S2k. Make sure u scan this site for all known propblems with the car give it a good look over urself as well.

Good luck !

sorry for going off topic lol im looking into getting one aswell but particularly at the diff/lsd so you enter a roundabout no throttle? and hear for grinding noises? and if a diff does blow or dmg after youve driven it for awhile will any aftermarket lsd fit to replace the S?

[JAP-S2K]

A thrashed diff is generally hard to pick in a S2K. As the teeth fracture and then snap off. As pilot mentioned, go through a round accelerate and decelerate while turning, if there's backlash with clunking, then good chance it's seen plenty of spirited driving. The grinding is more worn inner CV's. Also sometimes diff's will whine at speeds of over 100km/h.

As for aftermarket LSD's, do you mean only the centre, or the whole diff? Yes there's a few aftermarket clutch type LSD's to choose from (eg. 2way and 1.5way). But i wouldn't bother. As clutch types are great for the track, but are rubbish for the street. And will cause inner CV failure much quicker. Most don't understand the clutch type LSD's do wear out and require adjustment or reshimming, Therefore it's an ongoing cost.
The factory LSD are a torsion type, therefore none wearing, with no maintenance. The actual failure is in the final drive gears and not the centre.

[euromandeluxe]

this is all awesome info, thanks guys