Car to hold me over
 

So while I wait for 18 or even a 19 Comp M2’s to come to a price point I want I thought I could cure my return to a vert issue for a minute by buying a 06-07 S2000. I know these low mileage ones also command a silly price BUT if I pay that price for a low mileage one and take care of it and drive less then 5K a year, like I do now, I feel I will not loose much.

I know these are gutless wonders under 6K and as I get older ultimate power is no longer a thing for me. If it was I would not look at the 981s or the M2. There are plenty more less engaging cars with WAY more power used for cheaper (C63).

I have some other bills and investments I would like to take care of first while I wait for the used M2’s to come down.

I think AF had one and sold it right away due to the drive it like you stole it demeanor of the car. I am not a stranger to this type of car or driving. I have had both a 91 CRX si and a 94 Turbo MR2.

Anyway I think I am going to do it.

Thoughts appreciated.

I did have one and you’re right as soon as the title came in I sold it, my issue with that car was I found it loud and too small. I am a big fan of Japanese sports cars, I had both generations of the MR2 with the latter being the turbo, I also had an RX-7 and RX-8 so I know Japanese cars but the S2000 was not for me.

It was loud with the top up, the top down, etc. it was not loud like my 911 which I like, it was loud in an annoying way, I am not sure I could really explain it. Anyway it was fun to drive for the few months I had it and I wouldn’t go by me, the guy I sold it to loved it. He actually did like an insane road trip from NY to Canada and was happy as can be. I also have a good friend who is a big car guy he has a 70’s 911, he had an R8 as well as many other sports cars and he found a low mileage S2000 and loves it.

Btw I’ve driven Miatas and boxsters a lot and they did not have this feeling.

I agree with AF, they are definitely a very ... specific experience. I found the S2000 to be unbearably loud and coarse in normal driving. It was okay (though gutless) around town but on the highway they are so incredibly loud as to be really unpleasant.

I do have friends that absolutely love them, they're just not my cup of tea.

If it had made any sense for my scenario, I'd still own the 2007 I had. As long as you don't expect to go around drag racing at every stoplight, it's perfectly usable and sprightly around town. And rowing that gearbox is an absolute joy.

Yeah, they're loud on the highway. With basically no insulation, and the engine turning 4000 RPM at highway speed... well, it was fine for normal daily commutes, but fairly unpleasant on road trips of any length.

It would definitely be a contrast to your M5! And might be something you could keep along with the M2, when you get it. All that said, I’d get a Miata instead.

Yes on Miata instead—I’ve really tried to like the S2K, because I dig the concept and love the way they look. But...they just aren’t fun, to me.

Why not a 987 or 986? You can buy one cheap, they’re at the bottom of their depreciation curve, and if you get one that’s had the IMS done you won’t risk much.

I think the idea is smart. You're not going to lose any money on the m5 if it sits a bit, it will give you something different to drive and kick the 'vert bug.

On older cars like that there is so little depreciation left that the cost of ownership is negligible.

I will, of course, say you should check out a 1er 'vert, but I'm biased.

Thanks all. I knew the vote would be no from this crowd so I am not surprised but I need to drive one again since it has been almost 10y since my last experience. I don’t really DO road trips and my normal driving experience is to the ferry or the gym and back so I don't think I would get to tired of the highway drone.

Wd I would be selling the M5 and paying cash for the S2000 while I save some money and also improve some financial goals in my life for a 2-3y period.

The ultimate short term goal is no car payments, a fun vert that is reliable that I don’t spend a ton of money on where I can also make most of my money spent back in the end. The S2000 seems to fit that bill pretty well.

Edit: The end goal would be to satisfy my short term want for a vert and save to get an 19 M2 comp after.

Edit Edit: This went for less then I thought looking at prices recently.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2007-honda-s2000-25/

In a car like this I am searching for Red or Yellow. All of the other colors make the kind or boring lines a yawn.

I have to say that even the Miata gets tiring and too loud if driving on the highway for more than 20 minutes or so. Hard to have a conversation.

When I drove down to see you guys, I literally used headphones. I was trying to listen to German lessons and even with a very loud volume (within reason) I could not make out the subtleties of the German pronunciation. Of course, that was several hours of driving, but still.

If the S2000 is worse, yikes! But around town, the Miata is great top down or up. It's not exactly a pleasant/refined sound, but it's a fun/exciting sound all the way to redline.

$27K! That's crazy. I paid $28 for mine in 2007.

yeah but that's 34.5K in today's dollars

$27k for a twelve-year-old S2000? I know I'll sound like a homer here, but a used 987S is *a lot* more car than an S2000 and I would think $27k could get you a 987S.

That's outrageous. You can almost buy a brand new ND for that.

It’s one of those cars you buy high, not put a lot of miles on, and then in 2-3y get most of it back. The 987s you cant say that about. It will keep loosing money every year even if you dont drive it.

The 981s is like that also where you wont lose much being the last flat 6 but that buy in for a nice low mile one is 46-50k where a nice 07 S2K is mid to high 20’s. Paying cash that is a HUGE difference while waiting to get my M2 comp.

Just throwing this out there.....not my thing but my friend's dad had one of these back in high school. It drives like you'd except a 90s corvette to drive and feel but it was crazy fast and handled really good. Plus there is that collector thing and value with the low miles





https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...8443/overview/

Maybe. But that implies that you are approaching collectible status, and that's a different car than just one you buy to drive.

I could not deal with an old Vette ever!

I'm not sure that's true. It's a fool's errand to speculate on the future value of any given car but given 987 pricing, I bet you could drive it for 2-3 years and get most of your money back, especially since it doesn't sound like you're going to put that many miles on it. They have gotten really cheap.

The ND observation FC made is really great. In the real world I think the ND is actually quicker than an S2000 and feels a lot nicer to drive. Low-mileage ND1s can be had for under $20k, and that's a screaming deal for what you get.

So affordable!! LOL

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

Autotrader is blocked at work so I can't see what you shared :(

Pretty well-loaded 2012 987S in red with 18k miles asking $38k.

I mean, that's not a good deal. Is the goal here to search for overpriced cars and use those as an example of Boxsters being poor value?

Well, that's a very low mileage 2012 Boxster S. Compared to a 2007 S2000, that looks like a pretty good deal. But definitely apples and oranges on the years. How much does a 2007 Boxster S go for?

I'd probably look for a 2009, the first year of the DI Boxsters. A cursory look on cars.com finds several cars below $30k.

I just checked 07's and higher mileage (80-90k miles) ask under 20k. 50k mile examples ask mid 20's, and cream puffs ask upper 20's.

I did that as well and some of those do look good. I was mostly joking on the red car post.

I do really appreciate all of the reply’s and feedback.

I just did read online that they are thinking of putting a 6 back on the 718 GTS. If they do then the 981’s may start to come down. If I ever get a Boxster it will be a 981.

I hope that happens, but the reality is that those will start at $100k. I am not sure they will put pressure on $60k-and-under cars.

EDIT: It should, however, put pressure on the 3-4 y.o., $90k 981 Spyders. Maybe those will push the 981 GTS's and other loaded cars a bit lower.

If you're getting rid of the m5, a more complete daily driver may be a better option (cough 1er, cough). E90 328 hardtop vert, the recommendations for a 987 (you don't need an S if you're comparing to a s2k or miata), something that won't get tirig really quickly.

The 718 w/ h6 will be small production 100k+ so I don't think it will have a big impact on the price of 981s.

If you want even cheaper, z4s, and 986s can be had for under $15k and would be a good combo of fun and usable for 2 seats.

If it's just a car to hold you over, why restrict yourself to a 981? While they're great cars I'm sure (I've never driven one), that's a completely different class of car than an S2000. I'd argue that a 987S is as well, but it just happens to be one that you can get for S2000 money.

I am sorry if I confused everyone. I am not getting a 981 now. I was just saying if I ever get a Boxster in the future it will be a 981.

The only reason the S2000 made sense for me is that it will not be driven much or long distances and I am sure if I keep the miles down I can get a lot of my money back when I go to sell. Then get my M2 comp OR maybe a 981 after I am in a better place to do so and the prices may have come down some.

I hope that clears it up.

DROOL!!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...che-boxster-4/

Any guesses on final price? $60?

Oh wow. Perfect

Typical ad from this site

“The seller recently acquired the car from a friend and has added approximately 1k of the just under 28k miles shown”

Why is every ad like this .. someone purchases the car drives it and then sells it after a couple of months so they can make some money.

Sorry I don’t want the car for you, if the first owner was selling it that is a different story.

I will never buy a car from this website and something tells me no one here would either.

I should really want a 987.2S, but having sold my 987.1S in 2010, I cannot bring myself to buy basically the same car over a decade later. I'd have to get a 981S, and I'd prefer a GTS because of the standard equipment. That sucks given the low supply of 981's and the few years before the 718 went with the H4.

If that's what you want, buy EQU's instead.

Is it for sale?

Good question. There might have to be a 'mudgeons auction if it is :)

He mentioned something about it being a waste to own since he doesn’t drive it much...so, count down until he sells it!

I'm not generally in the camp of massively overpaying for questionable cars, so I'm pretty confident I agree with you here.

Agreed.