bluefrog

Hi all, prospective buyer here...

After years of dreaming I'm finally in the market for an S (fingers crossed) so I've recently been to look at a few. My budget is fairly low, so far I've looked at 1999 to 2001 models around the 4-5k mark. Most of which have been a wee bit rough round the edges, surprise surprise!

There's currently a 2002 model - s/s with black int. including hard top for sale on pistonheads for £4750. Went for a butchers and it looks pretty tidy, done 80k with full main dealer service history (service now due). Few small marks here and there, but bodywork generally in good condition for the age. I remembered to ask about the geo and he said in the 4 years he's owned it he hasn't felt the need to get it checked as all the tyres are wearing evenly So there's no way to know if any or all of the adj bolts are seized. Needless to say I'd get it checked if I bought it.

He'd had the common noisy timing chain problem and ended up getting the chain replaced, bit of a nasty/expensive surprise apparently :-s One less thing for the new owner to worry about tho, for a while at least.

The only thing that is bugging me is the panel gaps round the front bumper, bonnet & lights are a bit 'off' not symmetrical etc. He said he's never had an accident in it, no crash damage repair, but front bumper and wings have been resprayed due to stone chips etc. Apparently the front wings were removed to get this done?? Does this make sense?

I am guessing there is no way of knowing for sure whether an S has had frontal impact damage, without taking off the bumper & inspecting the chassis rails/beams?? The slam panel at the front of the engine bay looks good & original etc.

He said he'd let it go for £4500. Too good to be true??

Any advice/opinions appreciated

Cheers!

gaddafi

almost certainly some bs going on about the repairs

what does an HPI check say?

if it was a pukka repair he'll have all the receipts - something tells me he won't have them

main dealer service history - does he have the bills to back it up and does he have bills from the same dealer(s) for the timing chain, etc?

assume the bolts will be seized

not necessarily a problem if the car drives right but needs to be factored into the price you pay as something that will need to be done - or a potential buyer will use against your asking price in the future

sounds to me like the car has badly repaired crash damage so I'd walk unless the stuff I've mentioned above checks out

a straight car shouldn't cost any more than he is asking in the current climate

s2k_Nut

I wouldn't sell mine (2002) for that money, someone on the forum paid 7.4k from a dealer for an 03 just recently, I think that is a little on the high side however between 6,600 and 7k would be about right I think.

simundo777

Does sound cheap but I paid £6k for a 53 plate with 54,000 miles, 1 owner. Full Honda history and all receipts. I do think I got a very good deal but if someone really needs to sell then naturally the price will drop.

s2k4tony

Greetings Bluefrog... from another Lancashire owner.

You have to be realistic and expect that many s2000's have had moments with hedges, impacts front and back for whatever reason (normally the nature of the car if wearing rubbish tyres, or just the driver "caught out" on a slippy road... or as said,having horrendous Geo with knackered bushes ).
Accident damage is ok, so long as the repair is fully doc'd and invisible i.e perfectly repaired. I think with pricing, its subjective and unfair to say whats worth what. You may be very fortunate to get a minter '02 for £5k, but for me, I'd be suspicious about this. Considering UK cars market price (what they tend to sell at) for anything '02 and above is about £6k upwards. I think you just go with your gut instinct, look for wads of history and notice any missing history gaps... this can be crucial!
Good luck

We could be at a turning point with these cars, pricing will only go one way and you could see earlier ones fetching as low as £3k late next year.

richmc

Bear in mind at this time of year soft top prices will take a seasonal dip, it happens every year.

AquilaEagle

Sounds very cheap - definitely worth an HPI / Autocheck. Plus the good advice from gad above

bluefrog

Cheers folks!


Lots of useful advice, think I've got a better idea of car values now - 4500 would be a more realistic price for a 'not so tidy' 1999-2000 with high mileage perhaps...


I did get an autocheck on the car which came back fine, but then this only tells you so much.


There's plenty of other S2K's on offer at the moment and I'm in no rush, so we shall see...


Tony, I think you're right regarding car values. Taking all things into account, insurance premium hikes, fuel prices going up again in Jan and no doubt higher tax in April. I've seen quite a few early cars with avg-high miles going for around 3k already!

s2k4tony

Its a shame, because the price hikes have really hit S owners in the pocket, some even selling up for "other" cheaper to run performance cars (like Mini's )
It's still a car that can be ran as a daily, its the insurance that's the p*ss take.

s2k4tony

It would need to be 100k miler AND cat d/c (repaired perfectly) for that kinda price. 07's are way more expensive normally, 10 grand being about the marker.