hello spaceman

Hi folks,

Though I'm not in the UK, I figured I'd post this in the UK section since the S2000s sold here in South Africa were very similar in specification to those in the UK. At the very least, models sold in both countries share the chassis and F20C motor.

As mentioned in the subject, I'm looking at purchasing a Grand Prix White '07.
I've driven the car and looked for some of the usual stuff. Metal bodywork is in really good condition. The front and rear bumpers have parking lot and speed hump scratches, but the dealer I'm buying the car from said these would be touched up and sorted before I take delivery. Finally, the right-rear alloy has some kerb rash (parallel parking, no doubt), but I've got a really reputable place I'll take that to, on my dime.

Inside, everything is as good as can be expected from a 5-year-old daily driver. The dash is not scuffed or cracked. The buttons are fine. The S2000 faceplate for the radio is in excellent condition. Seat bolsters are not worn down, and the centre arm rest section has a bit of scuffing - is there an accepted fix for buffing these out or am I better off saving up for a replacement section?
The gear knob (stock leather one) is naff and I want to replace that. Any advice? I can get a polished Civic Type R or the anodized black Skunk2 (I think it's nice) shifters quite easily.

The top has no tears or problem areas. At least none I could see or detect with my limited knowledge. Any help on what to look for would be appreciated.

Engine bay is very clean. Service book has a full history with the agents (double checked with the servicing agent). Clutch felt fine. There's no whining or chattering from the diff. Geometry will get checked as soon as I get the car, but alignment and all that felt okay. Steering tracked true and had no slack.

I know that by 2007, most of the niggles and other things had been sorted and addressed, and Hondas have amazing reliability (it wouldn't be my first Honda). I'm just hoping to get some input, tips, advice and forewarnings from those who've driven and owned the cars for the past 5 years, to make the ownership experience more pleasant. I'd rather know about things that could go wrong, than be surprised by big bills.

Thanks in advance!

gbduo

Geometry bolts can seize in the UK, but in SA with your rather pleasant climate you may not have the problem, still worth checking through the dealer as very expensive to fix!

hello spaceman

Thanks!
I've spoken to the dealer who is selling me the car and one of the conditions of the sale is a signed point check from a Honda dealer. I'll check afterwards that the bolts were inspected. Is the solution to just have them greased with some copperslip?

hazzaman

Pretty much. You'll need to remove all the bolts and grease them up and refit. Will need the geometry resetting afterwards.

Bank on a couple of hours for someone who knows what they are doing assuming there are no siezed bolts or an all day job if you're diy.

If they are siezed then it becomes a massive PITA. A few bolts on my MY06 were stuck and it was a massive job to get them sorted.

NineBolts

By center section do you mean the cup holder trap door section? On MY07 car that would be black with a brushed finish, it can get light scuffing from just opening and closing it, some people leave it closed and it can often get scratched by the drivers watch strap. I just leave mine open and sit my iphone in the compartment. I think you can buy the sliding door but it will get damaged again.

Does the car have VSA? Any warning lights? on the dash?
a few owners of VSA cars have had an issue with the VSA module, symptoms would be a light on the dash, no ABS/VSA and a big hole in your wallet.

Apart from that the 06-07 cars are usually pretty good, they had a lot of minor revisions to subtle things like the seat leather, MAP sensor, various engine sensors, Radiator mounts. The list of things I see owners of earlier cars moaning about that are improved or fixed on these is quite long.

Enjoy

hello spaceman

Great, thanks man.

The centre section is exactly the bit you describe, yeah. I only spent about 20-minutes in the car when I test-drove it, so there's no doubt my anal nature will take over once it's mine and I want everything perfect. Of course, practicality will trump over spending money, so if keeping it open and putting keys/phones in there does the trick, I'll do that.

Vehicle has VSA, yes. When I drove it the car had a check-engine light because the previous owner had let the battery run down (or replaced it - unsure). Part of this includes the radio having been reset and required a code to unlock, so the story checks out. As a precaution, I've asked them to take it to a Honda dealer to be checked and have it reset. This will also be part of the point check I've asked for.

I'm paying a bit of a premium on the car, compared to other S2000s on the market, so I'm just ensuring I have all my bases covered. It's newer than those cars (04s and 05s, while this is an 07). At 65000km (~40000mi) mileage is decent for a 5yo car. There are cars with less mileage, but they're older and the sellers want a lot more money for them.

K3Nguru

They should have reset the CEL light. There has been some problems with engines on MY07 cars (the same as on newer cars). For example the engine block and VSA module of my car has been changed under warranty.