I’ve wanted a Honda S2000 on some level ever since they first went on sale. As a 10-year-old car nerd, the fact that it made more power per liter than any other naturally aspirated engine was just the coolest. Riding in one in college and then later getting to drive a family friend’s only cemented the want in my mind. The problem is, I’m not exactly swimming in cash, and a good S2000 is out of my price range. That said, I did just find this one listed for $15,900.
Of course, if you’re willing to settle for a rebuilt S2000, that price isn’t all that low. No, what really stood out to me was the fact that this car has a clean title. Somehow. Allegedly. The 125,000 miles aren’t bad either, considering it’s a 23-year-old car. That works out to, what, just under 5,500 miles a year? I don’t know about you, but if I’m buying an old car, I want one someone’s actually driven with some regularity, and right around 5,000 miles a year seems about perfect. It’s just enough that it hopefully didn’t sit for years and years without being so high that you have to worry about excessive wear and tear.
For those of you who haven’t looked at S2000 prices lately, they are officially no longer the incredible deals they used to be. If you remember a time when you could get an S2000 for less than $10,000, you may be surprised to learn that just under $16,000 for one with reasonable miles is a great deal. In fact, CarFax agrees. It’s officially a great deal!
When you’re looking at a cheap S2000, what you really want to see is the interior. If they trashed it, odds are, they didn’t take very good care of the rest of the car, either. Unfortunately for us, the dealer who listed the car didn’t bother to put any other photos online. The one you see at the top? That’s the only photo in the entire listing. Based on the one shot we have, though, it looks like it’s in pretty good condition. The headlights aren’t super cloudy, the paint and bodywork look fine, and the top is probably acceptable. After all, it’s a convertible, so I’d be driving it around with the top down anyway.
By today’s standards, the S2000 isn’t all that powerful. Heck, it doesn’t even make 250 horsepower. This one, though, has what appear to be a series of hood vents installed, suggesting one of the previous owners did something to the engine. Do we know what they did? Of course not. Did you really think the dealer that didn’t bother to post more than one photo was going to put the mods in the ad? Especially at that price?
If you think about it, though, isn’t the best part of buying a used car not knowing what the previous owner did to it? Isn’t half the fun of bringing a new sports car home figuring out what little surprises your new purchase has in store for you? This car promises adventure in the form of mysteries and secrets, and who doesn’t love secrets? Sure, it’s a $15,000-ish Honda S2000 with only one photo and signs of engine mods, but what’s the worst that could happen?
