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sa3eedi
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Even though I've just leased a TSX and I do like it, I still find myself always looking through used cars searching for something which I really want. That search never strays very far from the s2000.
I recently found a single owner '02 sebring silver with nearly 50k miles listed for $10k. In the pictuers I recieved and from the owner's description it looks quite clean, well maintained, and is almost all stock. I requested the vin and got a car history report and there are three main issues which I'm not so sure of.
There is an accident report for the car, which in all honesty the seller did disclose when I asked, before I even saw it in the carfax. He described it as a minor tweak where the bumper cover/skin was just replaced. However, looking at the carfax, there were annual vehicle registration events every year around this time of the year from 2002 until 2011. The accident happened in May of 2011, and there was no registration/renewal for this year. My question is, would something that simple require a police report and a claim to be filed as reported on the carfax?
The second issue is that the last reported mileage on the car was something absurd like 278k miles. Now, the seller tells me it currently has almost 50k on it, and I believe him especially since the report just before that one was only for 21k miles a year before that. Given that the car is nearly avergaing 5-6k miles per year, that would make sense for it to be close to 27k and an extra 0 was entered somehow. Interestingly though, there have been no other mileage reports since that one, even though it was back in 2008, but also if I register the car and report the mileage as shown in the car then that will show up as an odometer discrepancy on its history, negatively affecting any possible resale value in the future. Is it possible to rectify something like this, I imagine it's extremely difficult if so, or should I just assume most people would catch that sort of a mistake.
The third issue, is that while the car is mostly stock and has been purportedly only driven for 5 months out of the year by the same woman over its entire life, how could something like this happen
Why would anyone do this, and more importantly, what would need to be done to take care of it? Once it's removed, how are the holes covered, will there always be evidence to this travesty. Would I need to buy a clean trunk lid, or can this be covered up effectively and cheaply?
All in all is this a good one to pursue, or should I just continue looking. I appreciate all help, and thanks in advance.
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JeffX
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sa3eedi wrote:
Even though I've just leased a TSX and I do like it, I still find myself always looking through used cars searching for something which I really want. That search never strays very far from the s2000.
I recently found a single owner '02 sebring silver with nearly 50k miles listed for $10k. In the pictuers I recieved and from the owner's description it looks quite clean, well maintained, and is almost all stock. I requested the vin and got a car history report and there are three main issues which I'm not so sure of.
There is an accident report for the car, which in all honesty the seller did disclose when I asked, before I even saw it in the carfax. He described it as a minor tweak where the bumper cover/skin was just replaced. However, looking at the carfax, there were annual vehicle registration events every year around this time of the year from 2002 until 2011. The accident happened in May of 2011, and there was no registration/renewal for this year. My question is, would something that simple require a police report and a claim to be filed as reported on the carfax?
The second issue is that the last reported mileage on the car was something absurd like 278k miles. Now, the seller tells me it currently has almost 50k on it, and I believe him especially since the report just before that one was only for 21k miles a year before that. Given that the car is nearly avergaing 5-6k miles per year, that would make sense for it to be close to 27k and an extra 0 was entered somehow. Interestingly though, there have been no other mileage reports since that one, even though it was back in 2008, but also if I register the car and report the mileage as shown in the car then that will show up as an odometer discrepancy on its history, negatively affecting any possible resale value in the future. Is it possible to rectify something like this, I imagine it's extremely difficult if so, or should I just assume most people would catch that sort of a mistake.
The third issue, is that while the car is mostly stock and has been purportedly only driven for 5 months out of the year by the same woman over its entire life, how could something like this happen
Why would anyone do this, and more importantly, what would need to be done to take care of it? Once it's removed, how are the holes covered, will there always be evidence to this travesty. Would I need to buy a clean trunk lid, or can this be covered up effectively and cheaply?
All in all is this a good one to pursue, or should I just continue looking. I appreciate all help, and thanks in advance.
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I've heard some dealers bemoaning carfax because it really doesn't do a good job of capturing the nature of events. A crash is reported as a crash whether it's a cracked bumper skin or the car was in a rollover. From what you describe, it does sound like a mistake on the mileage. I don't think there's any possible way you could make a nearly 300k mile S2000 appear as one with 50k miles, so you should be able to tell right way from the condition of the interior and bodywork.
Ugh, I do think you're "screwed" on that freaking wing. I can't figure out why anybody would purposely do that to a street-driven S2000 - the wings work really well at speed on a track, but that's the only reason I would consider doing that to my car - and in that case I would buy a junk car trunklid and bolt it onto THAT and leave the stock one alone. I don't think you can satisfactorily "undo" that wing deal so maybe you could negotiate the price down because the only way to fix it would be to get a new decklid and have it painted. Matching the paint is gonna be a bitch. Speaking of the paint, in that photo, it almost looks like Silverstone rather than Sebring. Must be the lighting.
I would also ask the owner how often the car has been tracked, if at all.
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Chris_6MT
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Keep looking, that car is listed a couple thousand bucks under retail value for a reason. That spoiler indicates that a moron owned it at some point, and you'll need a new trunk to completely fix the damage done. If you're set on Sebring, they're all over the place and not very difficult to find. It took me almost 6 months to find a bone-stock 2003 GPW/Tan (only ~700 sold in the US), and I had to drive 600 miles to get it.
With every S2000 and used car in general, a full inspection is necessary including a compression test and preferably a used oil analysis. The F20C is dead reliable until they're run hard when low on oil, at which point they require new engines.
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sa3eedi
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Thanks for the great input.
I was afraid of that being the only real solution for the wing, which brings up two other good points you made that I hadn't considered. Was this car tracked hence the need for the wing, and are there any tell tale signs one can look for to verify the answer given by the seller. Even if you did replace the trunklid it's probably a lost cause trying to match it up with the rest of the now 10 year old car. The other two issues are easier to check for.
I'm not set on Sebring or any specific color, mostly just looking for a clean example that's not over priced. I've never done a used oil analysis, is that something where you can get immediate results, or do you have to wait until the oil is changed and have it sent in somewhere to get results?
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Mechanic
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Pls, pass on this car. The wing, for whatever reason, tells you the owner dogged it. The denial/misrepresentation WRT the accident tells you he's a liar. What else do you need to know?
If you want to find a good s2k, perhaps even a great one for decent $, spend some time on s2ki.com.
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Grace141
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Hey, how about an opinion that goes in another direction which is that of opportunity? This car with its question mark on mileage, possible accident history, and that wing will certainly never cross the podium at Pebble Beach so it's just another used car for sale. If you like the car and it checks out mechanically try a lowball offer and see what happens. The wing works in your favor because no one else will be bidding against you.
The better question is what do you want for a car. If it's a reasonably priced driver for all types of weather which you wouldn't mind leaving in the satellite lot at the airport for a week this is maybe your car. If you want a mint condition, super clean, new-to-you car walk away and never second guess the decision.
As for the wing, I'd never consider this car as anything more than a driver so I'd a.) look for a salvaged undamaged trunk lid in the correct color, b.) remove the wing and fill the holes with stainless steel smooth top carriage bolts sealed in place, or c.) remove the wing, leave the holes open, and never drive the car in the rain. This S2k would make a perfect track-day car.
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