S2000 '01 vs. '03 dilemma

[bgwdivemaster]

Greetings all,

I am new to this forum and the Honda S2000 world at large.

I am currently in the middle of a purchase decision and hope you guys can help me out with it.

Carmax has two S2000s I am interested in:

(a) Silver with black interior 2001 with 65k miles on it.
(b) Blue with blue interior 2003 with 23k miles on it.

At first glance the obvious choice is (b) newer with lower miles etc. The issue is (b) is USD$2000 more and honestly that extra is a bit of a stretch for me.

I know Honda's are famous for their reliability and VTEC engines are pretty bulletproof. That being said, I am calling on your expertise to assist me with this.

Is (a) going to cause me major problems out of the gate (electrics failure, major replace parts needed soon, plastic rear window a pain in the ass, etc.?)

Does 2003 have major improvements over 2001 that are a big deal? ex. the rear glass w/ defroster over the pastic one
Cheers lads,

Blair

[vonster]

the 03 is better glass window, nice color,only proplem i had with my car was auto tensioner, and 3 gear started grinding,great car i love mine only needs to be turboed

[JakeO5]

On face value I would probably go with the 03 just because newer and less miles. Having said that, if the 65k miles were light and it was garage kept and the 23k miles were hard with tracking and not garage kept then I would of course flip that choice. The only S2000 that stands out in consumor reports is the 2004 but I don't think anyone knows why that year in particular has a higher rating. All have great track records though and this is a great sports car in any year. Pure fun to drive. You said there was a 2000 dollar difference. Offer what you want to pay and see what they say. When I bought mine the price on the window was about 4000 more than I offered and eventually paid. Car dealers need to move cars and the S2000 is a nitch car, not as easy to move as the more family friendly cars. If you are ready to buy, you may find that the dealers are very ready to work with you, especially in the used car market. I also just recently bought my daughter a college car. Dealer was having a hard time moving it because it was a stick-shift. I checked car fax and saw the miles on it when they got it and the miles on it 3 months later when I looked at it. The difference was 4 miles. I pointed that out to them, that no one was looking at it and they accepted my offer, a really great deal.

[J'sS2K]

it's a no brainer man...03 FTW!!!

[SXY_S2K]

I would definitely go with the '03. The miles and the glass rear window alone would be worth it to me (unless like stated earlier you find out something bad about the '03s history). Plus, the Suzuka Blue with Blue int. is definitely more rare, and might help your resale value in the future. That is if you can HANDLE all that blue! lol

[desmo4]

I would check carfax on one or both. perhaps that might help the decision process.

Jonathan

[fltsfshr]

Besides a glass window the 03 also has other advantages. More refined suspension, oil jet bolt fix, tweeters in the doors, a better console cover and several tsb fixes done on earlier model years. The 02 and 03's were known for making an additional 5hp on the dynos over the 00 and 01's.

fltsfshr

[Java Junky]

Carfax'z'a plus, but oddz are (provided they've both been left stock)they're both just barely broken in.
Not bein' able'da kick the tirez, itt'z all guesstimation, but I'd suspect that you'd be happy with either.
(But the '03 duzz have some advantagez iff itt'z not gonna break the bank.)
Good luck.

[chazdawg35]

I have an 03 and the only gripe I have is the soft top tearing in the corners. Check that out first I have been quoted $1500 for a new top installed. OUCH!

[bgwdivemaster]

Help much appreciated. The '01 is being transfered up to the Carmax near me so I'll take a look at it first hand. Carfax wise they are both perfect but from the feedback though it looks like I might need to find the $2000 for the '03.

Cheers lads

[s2000isu]

03 no question 2 grand for 40k less miles and 2 years newer. Shouldnt even be a question unless the 03 looks beat compared to the 01

[philiam]

Not a good time of year to get a deal on drop tops. At the end of summer dealers are more prone to deal. I think you might be able to get it down to a thousand dollar difference if you tell them that's all you can afford.

[lonestarbuzz]

dude, the $2000 is NOT because of miles/years, its because it is Suzuka, which is clearly the best and fastest color available. you have to buy the Suzuka.

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by bgwdivemaster

The issue is (b) is USD$2000 more and honestly that extra is a bit of a stretch for me.

If that's a problem you might want to go with A or reconsider the S altogether. While the S is a reliable Honda maintenance still isn't cheap. You'll want some cash onhand for summer tires, alignments, etc etc.

[turbosix]

$2k = $40 more a month

is $40 a month really stretching it?

[Neil]

If you don't hurry up and decide what you want ...........they could be gone.......tis the season !

[JDMHonda]

Suzuka is the fastest color so go with that one.

[bgwdivemaster]

Originally Posted by turbosix

$2k = $40 more a month

is $40 a month really stretching it?

$40 a month isn't much but I'm buying this car in cash as a fun summer car.

[Vezna31]

I thought "girlie men" only drove suzuka blue...lol

[lonestarbuzz]

it's funny you mention that, vez. i know a good amount of guys who drive suzukas on the boards. but whenever i see one, it's always an old lady. that makes me sad. if i won the lottery, i would buy all those suzukas from those women and give them to men. manly men, too, like lumberjacks.

[JDMHonda]

hey hey hey suzuka is not for girlie men

[turbosix]

Originally Posted by bgwdivemaster

$40 a month isn't much but I'm buying this car in cash as a fun summer car.

can you not finance half or more of it then? you've obviously got the cash to almost buy the 03 outright... buy it with a huge down payment and pay it off in a few months?

[gomarlins3]

I would go with the '03.

[philiam]

Originally Posted by lonestarbuzz

it's funny you mention that, vez. i know a good amount of guys who drive suzukas on the boards. but whenever i see one, it's always an old lady. that makes me sad. if i won the lottery, i would buy all those suzukas from those women and give them to men. manly men, too, like lumberjacks.

Would they come with good lumber support?

[big mike]

if $2k is pushing it i would recommend u go somewhere else.....i got my 03 with 46K on it with a warranty and clean carfax for under $16k...i looked at carmax to see what they price it for and i saw a 04 with 43k on it and it went for $17500+ and carmax is "no haggle" which means no negotiating...so i would keep looking...