Yes, that sounds about right.

Having said that, the yellow car may or may not have frame damage (you can't say it does just because the bumper/hood/fenders don't line up perfectly).

I've been shopping around for an s2000 for a while and at least 2 out of 4 cars for sale (at least with AP1s) have either had the front bumper or the rear bumper replaced. You can tell because they're missing the VIN sticker on the tab that sticks out on the front bumper. I pass on them because I don't want to risk dealing with frame damage underneath that I can't see.

So if you're picky like me, you should look for these things and avoid cars with missing VINs. Some people on here disagree with that, though.

VIN locations here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/msasges2/S2000VINs#

 

much appreciated

 

The problem is most true one-owner cars are hard to come by so if that is what you want, be prepared to pay more. IMO anything in your price range will have some issues which is normal for a car with 60k+ miles. Just imagine all the driving that goes on daily.

Once in a while you might find a gem but certainly not here in the bay area or anywhere on this coast for that matter. I think most cars here are "jaded" (sorry not sure if I can use that term to describe cars or just women)

Another thing to keep in mind is people who only have one car and use it as a DD will generally show more wear, just a fact. When I buy cars I look for people who have more than one car. If the guy owns multiple cars chances are it will be in better shape. Just some tips

 

Good rational points. But Rick you're willing to pay. Most folks want to spend $10-12K and get a gem. It doesn't happen, or if it does it's so rare. I picked up a car in a few weeks, seems you did to and Kaan got his in under 1 month.

Op - you can put the car on the rack and see if the frame is out. I bought a 2 owner car. It had been backed into in SF and damaged the front bumper, so now I don't have a vin on my bumper. Since I plan on keeping the car for life, trival thinks like matching bumpers, original glass and other 'jerk off factors' didn't go with the price point I was looking at $16K. $15.7 is what I paid. My next S will have those jerk off factors, but likely be a garage queen and not see a track or drop of rain. Currently, I DD my car.

Figure out what is really important to you and either pony up the money for perfect or learn to be happy with a few sign of use. Just some advice. I think life is too short to waste waiting.

Edit - as for frame damage. We had a TL that got damaged in a crash. Frame was damaged, and straightened but title was still clean. It was a minor adjustment, not sure if it was reported. Car drove like new, because we had a good body shop do the work. When we sold the car, I got 50% more then kbb for the car and just $700 under what a dealer would have sold it for.

 

Well he passed up on Bryans car and IMO you really can't get much better than that.

I can see this thread being open for years.

There is no perfect car, they all come with their own little issues right from the assembly line.

 

all good points as nothing will be perfect, i should find something that is good enough and not waste time, thanks!

 

I could say that my s2k is a gem when I got it. It's an 05, had 38k miles, no accidents, and generally was a well taken care of car. The only downside was that it had 3 owners, it's lowered with eibach springs, it's a 'LOOK AT ME' color ( Rio yellow, but I personally like the color) the "brake ducts" were cut out from the front fascia, and the car came with nearly bald federals. Oh, and I had to go to Arizona to get it. It was worth the $16k, considering that the owner could have easily sold the car for more.

So if you are really looking for a good s2000, you may want to expand your search out of state.

 

What's strange to me is that so many people are in search of S2k's, yet its usually the people not in search of S2000's specifically that pick up nice/unbelievable deals. For example, the douchebag (if you're on here, sorry but you're a douchebag ) who bought the silverstone AP2V1 with all OEM accessories etc. for what was it 18k? and is attempting to sell it now for 26+.

The other thing to consider is that some of these cars are a decade old, it's going to be difficult to keep the plastic bumpers untouched/unscathed. These "bodyline" and "gap" inferences are what inexperienced car buyers use as their indicators of truth. If you take apart the S2000's front end (fenders, hood, headlights, bumper) and examine them for yourselves, you'll quickly realize how flawed that system is. The body panels are adjustable within a few mm's to better fit to eachother. How well it fits and how apparent the "lines" are depends on how patient the bodyman/installer is, not an indicator for how straight the chassis/frame is. I would say as far as frame damage, it's very easy to tell on an S2000, simply inspect the shock tower's and forward for the front, and the trunk interior behind the panels/lining.

 

Not true. Mine is perfect. Every f---ing time some a--hole has put a small scratch in it (twice in the last year no note...) I have taken it right to the body shop.

And it might even be up for sale depending on whether I can take it to Turkey with me when I go next March (2012, in case this thread is open forever) My car might work out for you, but it is Silverstone, so it might not. Anyway, you can PM me if you want to know more.


p.s. The only aftermarket parts are an alarm and a yellow-top optima battery (alarm needed more juice). And I have other cars. I've had it since 2007 (31,005 miles) I'm the 2nd owner, and it's got 56K now.

Sorry for interrupting your search. I'm in Monterey, I can make trips to SF or go to the Milpitas weekly

 

That's your idea of perfect. The fact that it was scratched before renders it imperfect in my opinion (it's all opinion btw). Can you say with confidence that your bodyshop's touch-up is spot-on down to the microns that a paint-depth gauge won't pick up the differences? Or are you referring to your car getting a paintjob every time there's a dent/scratch aka non-original paint? In both scenarios, the car is imperfect. So mac's right until someone brings out an all original S2000 with no imperfections.