white98ls

Posted this in the "how much did you pay" thread but figured it's probably more appropriate as its own thread.

I'm looking to spend max. $13-14k for an '03-07 later this year, moderate miles (40-80k), as long as it's clean and stock or close to it. Looking at ads it seems like I can't, but looking at the "how much did you pay" thread it seems like I can.

1. What time of year is best to buy? I would think fall/winter, but does it really make a big difference?
2. Do certain areas of the country have particularly cheap S2ks? Or notably expensive?
3. Where did you buy yours? Private party from s2ki or CL? Dealer? Shady used car lot?

I bought my E39 M5 4 years ago via a forum and picked it up a couple of states away after having an inspection done, so I'm comfortable with finding the right one online and traveling to drive it back.

Much appreciated!

Andersonracing

I mean its all about shopping man. I just picked up my first S2k (2002 black on black) for 8,500$ with 71,000 miles on it, but it has a dent in the fender. so really just shop around the right deal will come up when it does... but a good starting place is craigslist, ive noticed Los Angeles has a very large amount of S2k's in it right in your price range.

l33t

From my experience it was just dumb luck, I was only looking for low miles tho.

LFK

Don't get too caught up in trying to pay bottom dollar or matching the "deals" that other members have posted. Honestly, I don't think you're going to get 06-07's at your budget ($13-14K). But that's okay. A well taken care of AP1 or higher mileage AP2 is still a S2000!

One's that are priced too high do sit for a while. This time of year, it's possible to even get a good deal from a stealership. If there are dealership's nearby with a S2000, don't be shy about giving a serious offer. It's just an offer.

Since the S2000 is a niche car, a "good price" for any given car can vary by $1000. That's alot when you're considering a $13-14K purchase (7-8%). But it's not really that much when you consider that it's a S2000. If you replace tires, top, seats, etc. and/or do regular service(s), that's pretty close to $1K anyways. So you'll see that $1000 is definitely worth it for a nicer car.

iBrakeLate

November-February good time to buy convertible

December is the best month to get the best price on most cars

white98ls

Thanks, all. I will keep these things in mind and probably look in earnest next October-November.

Andersonracing, LA CL sure does have a lot more selection than most other places.

It's too bad GPW is by far my favorite color, since it appears it's everybody else's favorite too The first one I ever saw was white/red, and my cousin bought a white/red in 2001... and I test drove a pristine one which just happened to be white/tan a few years ago. Now they're so sought after!

LFK

That's a long time to plan!

fredsvt

Buying 1 day before a hurricane hits is good too in October. I think I got a pretty good deal for a bone stock, senior owned car.
I've seen far fewer for sale now that we're in crummy weather.

DallasAp1

same here. i think your best option is to be patient and wait for one to pop up that really stands out to you.

Lakersfan

On the downside, it seems like almost daily someone is reporting a car lost in the line of duty so the population of available cars, while still quite large, is shrinking. It remains to be seen if the economy will show any meaningful improvement in the near term. This is could be an advantage, as well. I bought mine new in 11/09 (it was sitting in the showroom for over a year), crappy recessionary economy, cold for SoCal weather and a new dealer taking control of a financially failing dealership on the day I visited to purchase. I just got lucky and stumbled on this deal as I didn't have any specific strategy other than I had to have one "now" and my wife told me to go for it and get one. Just be patient and you will find that unicorn. Good Luck!