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  1. #1

    Opinions on purchasing high mileage s2000

    Hello ozhonda members,
    I got quite interested in s2000 and found one that I could afford.
    I did some research on s2000 every night but I am no expert and want you pros' opinion.


    The car I am looking is 1999 model with 170k km.
    The car comes with adjustable coilovers and swaybars, which makes me think that this car was used mainly as a daily car and some occassional tracking.

    I am about to do the same, but I am planning to stay on this car for 5~10 years before I would have to change to a new car.
    Will the car last long enough with maintaining good performance?
    The owner claims to have log books.. are there any parts that I should change soon that's not part of the regular services?
    (I heard TCT and valve change... but I don't know too much about cars )


    I want to know as much as I can before I pay a mechanic to check the car.
    (And I cannot check the car before mechanic does since its a interstate car)

    Cheers!

  2. #2
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Brisbane QLD
    Car:
    ED-209
    Welcome abourd my noob friend!

    170,000 is nothing, but make sure the car is priced accordingly.

    If it has been well maintained and hasn't been raped day in and out, the engine should go strong until at least 300,000kms. At this age, I would recommend oil changes every 5K.

    Log book can be fudged, so don't trust them. If the guy has actual service receipts, you are on the right track.

    And lastly, IMO buying interstate isn't worth the hassle, unless it's an ultra rare car.
    Last edited by Mikecivic78; 24-11-2011 at 07:57 PM.
    くまくま━━━━━━ヽ( ・(ェ)・ )ノ━━━━━━ !!

  3. #3
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Melbourne
    Car:
    AP1 S2000
    Basically what Mikecivic78 said, if the car (engine wise) has remained standard it's whole life, then 170k is not much to worry about. I would be more concerned about the chassis regarding accidents as you can't exactly swap out a chassis easily as opposed to an engine or other components
    Engine wise, retainers are the common item to go. If you do send it to a mechanic, run a compression test, take the valve cover off and look around.

    And yeah, if it's interstate - too much risk and time involved to buy it.

  4. #4
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Geelong
    Car:
    2000 S2000 and 94 prelude
    170 is nothing for an s2k providing it's been well maintained. It all depends on how well it's been taken care of. I know a guy who purchased one with 180 on the clock and it's in A1 nick and I know another guy who purchased one that only had 90 and it ended up needing a full engine rebuild. So it really depends on the cars individual history. But I personally wouldn't be worried about those k's

  5. #5
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Melb
    Car:
    AP1 S2000
    If you are concerned I would have it checked by someone who knows what they are talking about.

    I bought mine with 100000 and have put 45000 on it.
    I change the oil every 5000 and check it every time I wash the car (weekly) car runs a treat.

    I wouldn't be concerned with the km's but more with how it runs.

  6. #6
    Member Array
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Sydney
    Car:
    00 S2000 09 Audi S3
    Id also be concerned with resale and maintenance, if you plan on keeping at car 5-10 years with an average of 15k kms a year (min) it will have well over 300k kms on it when it comes time to sell. Why not save- delayed gratification until you can buy a low k/m example if you have long ownership aspirations?

    I bought my first S at 22k kms and sold it at 107 k kms 6 years later. Now on the second one at 8k kms so I can see myself easily keeping it 10 years if I wanted too.

    Unless the car is very cheap I wouldnt bother, again just my opinion.

  7. #7
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Brisbane QLD
    Car:
    ED-209
    Where r u OP?

    I disagree Ferrari, too many people care about low mileage over condition.

    A car with higher ks (as well as it's been maintained) is much better value than a car with less than 100,000 on it. As long as they are priced accordingly, they will depreciate slower than a low mileage/newer one. General rule is the older/more ks, the slower it depreciates.

    If you have long ownership aspirations, I think that mileage is irrelevant, unelss it has more than 240,000km on it.
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  8. #8
    I was in the same boat as you, and my 1999 S had even higher k's on it. When I bought it it was around 185,000km's. It was, and still is, stock standard as far as any mechanicals go. It has the full service history, and I bought it from interstate. I did make sure to have a reputable mechanic give it a very good once over. i got back a 9-10 page report on the car that listed every little detail that was wrong with it, but in reality all it needed was a new clutch. When I got that changed (at around 210,000k's) the shop said that it was the original factory clutch that they pulled out.

    KM's on these cars don't mean a big deal. Sure, it looks better for resale value if it's lower k's, but are you buying the car for you, or for the next owner? As MikeCivic78 said, if you are going to own it for a while, the mileage is really irrelevant. Although I'm not to sure his figure is right... Mine is coming up to 220,000 now and it's still very good and I'm sure that it's going to go for a lot longer then another 20,000k's. For my driving that's only another year. I also get the people at Honda telling me how good it is every time it's serviced, so it can't be to bad.

    The only thing it comes down to is one question... Are you happy to pay whatever the price is for that particular car? If you are then go for it. If you are unsure, then wait. I had to go through 6 S2000's before I found mine, and all of them had lower k's but were all in not-quite-as-good condition, so I know that patience pays off.

  9. #9
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Sydney
    Car:
    S2000
    http://www.carsales.com.au/private/d...rice:Min,Max~1

    Is that the one you're after? Well think it might have had a respray on the front bar seeing as the fog light inserts are sprayed red as well

  10. #10
    Thank you everyone, it was really helpful.
    I live in Adelaide so it has to be interstate purchase.. Can't do much here.
    And the link jdm posted, yes that's correct.
    You see things so much better than me haha.
    Totally didn't see the respray thing

  11. #11
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Sydney
    Car:
    S2000
    That car is missing the front oem lip and the front bumper has been resprayed, so it has had damage to the front end.
    Less is More

  12. #12
    Member Array
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario
    Car:
    Corolla Spec S
    Quote Originally Posted by onehan View Post
    I want to know as much as I can before I pay a mechanic to check the car.
    (And I cannot check the car before mechanic does since its a interstate car)

    Cheers!

    you could get stateroads or similar independant car inspection services to check over the car for you

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