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Automotive Classifieds of Interest Corvallis On The Job

My 2001 Honda S2000 AP1 Has Been For Sale for 2 Weeks with No Bites!

Well this hasn’t happened to me before. I think all the cars I’ve offered for sale in the last 10-15 years have all sold in less than 2 weeks. After a full detail from Carlos at Sports Car Shop in Eugene I was confident that my 55k mile AP1 would have lots of attention, especially with the VIN-matched factory hardtop being available as well. Amazingly the only contacts I’ve had are standard issue Craigslist spam farm emails. See to the right for my ad, which I think is priced below book and accurately represented.

And here is my competition:

2001 Honda S2000, 31k miles adult owned – $13900 (Beaverton)

This is a 2001 Honda S2000. It has been adult owned and garaged it’s entire life(sunny day car). It currently shows 31,830 on the odometer though the weather is getting nice so it may get a few more miles on it before the car sells. I hold a clean title in my hand. This car has never been wrecked and the original soft top is still in excellent condition. The interior is also excellent, it looks pretty darn close to brand new. The drivers side seat foam is still perfect which is very hard to find on S2000’s. The exterior has some minor rock chips etc as you’d expect with a used car but still shines and looks VERY good. No dents or door dings. The car will come with all the manuals, aftermarket car cover, both keys w/remotes, convertible boot cover, and front license bracket and plate(not currently on the car). The car is all stock minus the following:

1)Boston Acoustics speakers. The OEM speakers are included so you could go back to stock though I can’t think of any reason you’d want to. The OEM speakers have PAPER cones!!!

2)USA-Spec ipod adaptor. This allows you to plug your ipod in to the OEM stereo and control your playlists via the CD shuttle controls. This is one of the few adaptors that allows full control of your ipod through the OEM stereo. It’s plug and play, so no holes were drilled nor any wires cut. You can simply unplug it and throw it away if you don’t like it.

3)Short antenna. The OEM antenna looked bad and such a sporty car. Again, this is plug and play(it just unscrews). The OEM antenna is included in case you want to go back.

4)K&N air filter. The OEM filter was dirty and I wanted the best replacement so I bought a K&N. It simply drops in the OEM airbox.

5)Updated banjo bolts. Honda changed the bango bolts mid ’02 for better oil flow. This was a recall everywhere else in the world but in the USA. Better safe than sorry so I replaced them.

6)rear suspension tweek. The ’00-01 cars were known for their snap oversteer. Part of this is because they had the stiffest rear sway bar of any other year and part was the suspension geometry. I have corrected the suspenion geometry and replaced the rear sway bar with a ’02-03 model. This is the next stiffest sway bar if you look through all model years. This helps take the ‘edge’ off without changing the feel of the car much. The original sway bar is included.

I’m asking $13900. Cash talks and BS walks. Please don’t contact me if you don’t have he funds available and no test drives without funds either. I can email more pictures on request and I can show the car most evenings. Low ballers will be ignored. I’ve watched the market for two years and I know what these cars sell for and what they are worth. With 31k miles this Honda is barely broke in…


Honda S2000 OEM Hardtop Extras Clean Title – $18500 (vancouver)

2002 S2000. Only 53k miles. Well maintained. Needs nothing.
Sebring silver with RARE red interior/black accents.
Soft top is in excellent condition.
2002 models are by many considered the most desirable. First year with a GLASS rear window in the soft top, suspension updates, cosmetic updates…and it was before the second generation changes, which in my opinion took away a bit of the character of the car. They kind of toned things down a bit too much for my taste.
Anyhow, it includes a lot of great extras that really enhance the appearance and driveability of the car, such as…..

*AP2 Wheels (17″), bigger size than AP1 for better handling and road grip (one of the few knocks on the stock AP1 models)
*OEM matching Honda Hardtop (a few scratches on it but in excellent condition)
*Clear Bra (great for keeping the rock chips away)
*Upgraded Comptech Exhaust/Sounds great
*Upgraded Stereo and Speakers (kenwood excelon with infinity speakers)
*Wheel and Seat locks
*High End Alarm (lots of extra features to keep it safe)
*Honda factory shop manual

So for the time being I think I’m going to pull the car off the market and enjoy it. Almost as soon as I had the car listed the spring weather turned to awesome and we’ve really enjoyed having a convertible for three weekends straight. There’s also an autocross coming up that I’d like to do with my buddy Gary who campaigns his Cadillac!

In the meantime I’m going to assess how much I’d like to keep the car versus shopping for another bike with the equity I have in the car. I miss the hunt and because aside from when the weather is nice, the car really doesn’t get driven much now that I work full time from home.

Decisions, decisions…

dc

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Automotive

My 2001 Honda S2000, Let Me Show You It

2001 Honda S2000 at the car wash 3.26.2009

After years of lusting after an S2000, I finally have one. I rule! In all seriousness, it was a tough call between this car and a Boxster. Regulars know that I’ve been on the lookout and waiting for the right time since I sold my M3. I was pretty certain I wanted Boxster as I had convinced myself it was more special. But all the examples that have come up for sale near me, that were in my price range, were all 97-99 models for the most part, and most had higher miles than I was comfortable with. There was also that little voice that kept telling me that I’d have to have a 2000+ in the ‘S’ variety — which in almost all cases was out of my range or would require a dedicated trip to source.

2001 Honda S2000 at the car wash 3.26.2009So I hit crazedlist.org for S2000’s on a whim and I was shocked to see how much the values had fallen for these cars. 18 months ago, most clean and cared for examples were nearly $20k. Now the market is plentiful with lots of variety in the 13-15k range. Which is when I spotted my 01 in Medford. Only a 4 hour drive away, I just needed to find time to get down there! This proved difficult as I spotted the car before leaving on a trip to Georgia to see our man Ed for his birthday. Then I returned to catch up on work and my brother made a surprise trip out for two weeks. During that trip we made several trips to Portland and a long weekend in Seattle. Nearly 4 weeks later, the car was shockingly still available for sale! So we made another long weekend of it and drove the car. The previous owner is realtor and grandmother who only put 4k miles on the car in a little over a two years of ownership. And the owner before that must have hardly driven the car either as the car sits today with less than 35k miles on the clock! Combine that with the factory fitted hardtop and zero modifications, I knew we were going to buy.

And then we test drove the car. If you’ve been skeptical about this car from what you’ve heard or read, forget about it and find one to drive. This is a real sports car and Honda did an amazing job with this package. I keep describing it as focused and the best value out there right now. The motor is flat out amazing and perfectly matched in this balanced package. Plus we got 27mpg on the way home, with several spirited runs up the rev range!

As you can tell I’m smitten with the purchase and ready to drop the top this spring! I’ll have the occasional update related to the S2000 on this blog, but I have also started a new S2000 blog that will detail the experience of ownership, the best of the aftermarket, and buying tips for those now in the market.

Click the pics for full size links.

dc

Categories
Automotive Classifieds of Interest German Cars For Sale

Zeintop + Early Boxster = Budget Cayman

I had never heard of this hardtop option before, but check out this really cool aftermarket option from Zeintec. It’s called the Zeintop and by removing a couple panels from your early first generation Boxster, it fits in place like a hard top but also incorporates a hatchback design that utilizes the stock trunk area. The result is remarkably similar in design and look of the much newer Porsche Cayman.

Porsche Boxster with ZeintopPorsche Boxster with ZeintopPorsche Boxster with Zeintop Hatch Open

And according to this thread on Pelican Parts, there is a promotion offer right now that prices the top at around $3k! Mix in a low miles, second hand Boxster like this one, and viola, a budget Cayman for around $20k:

1998 Boxster White For Sale1998 Boxster White For Sale

quote from seller’s Craigslist posting in San Francisco:

1998 Porsche Boxster-17,500mi-Original Owner-Very Clean – $15500 (saratoga)

[…]

This white, 1998 Porsche Boxster is offered with less than 17,500 miles. I’m the original Owner of this beauty and kept the Boxster in the garage. It is an instant classic. Its extremely clean. Enjoy the thrill and excitement of your new Boxster.

As most readers have noticed, I’m watching used Boxsters and this sure looks like a really interesting option!

dc