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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Honda S2000 Lease Questions
270 messages, Last post on Dec 01, 2008 at 5:20 AM
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I placed a deposit on a new s2000 over the phone. The salesman indicated that the color I wanted was in the storage site, with plastic coverage on it. However, when I got to the dealership, I found that the car was not at the storage site but rather at the dealership itself and clearly available for test driving. It had already 18 miles on it. I was immediately invited for a test drive. The engine felt tight and pulled more than I expected, the car was supreme. Yet the 18 miles on it are a sore point as it is obvious that it has been test-driven by multiple drivers already. The sales manager himself indicated that S2000s arrive with approximately 4 miles on the odometer. The excuse for the relatively high mileage was that the car has been driven back and forth from the storage site a couple of miles away. Discouraged by the potential problem of a test-drive car, I targeted the one on the sales floor, assuming that such a car would be less likely to be taken for a test-drive than those on the lot. The car looks like just-off the truck, yet I found out that it has 26 miles on it! We all know how sensitive high-rev engines are to break-in abuse, thus the thought that an enthusiastic kid may have rev it up to or near the red line without appropriate warm up concerns me a lot. Any thoughts please!!!
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Replying to: donquixote30 (May 18, 2007 2:46 pm) My 2002 S2000 was also off the showroom floor and had 10 miles on the odometer. The sales manager appeared professional and claimed that the only miles the car had been driven were him taking the car for a 6 mile easy drive and gas fill-up. He did it with all the S2000's to make sure the car felt and sounded right before the sale. On cars that did get short test drives, he or one of his senior sales people went along to make sure of no abuse. They also didn't allow test drives by anyone under about 25 that didn't appear to have the abilty to purchase. Another dealer I went to at the time was far less professional (Rosenthol Honda, Tysons Corner). They literally tossed the keys of a new S2000 (still with plastic wrap) to me and said "let it rip". I wouldn't buy an oil filter from them, let alone a car. You may have to satisfy yourself with the professionalism of the dealership and their test drive practices, rather than try to find a new S2000 with only 3-4 delivery miles. If it's anly consolation, I never had any issues in 18,000 miles with my S2000 and have never had any issues with my 2005 911S that had 40 miles on the odometer when I purchased it. Same deal - sales manager went along for all rides. And, fortunately, fewer boy racers pass the "can afford" test on the 911. Good luck.
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Replying to: habitat1 (May 19, 2007 6:08 am) Thanks for taking your time to express your thoughts. This fear about relatively extended odometer miles comes precisely from an experience I had when buying my 997S. The sales manager himself committed the crime. He knew I was trading-in two fast cars, and apparently wanted to impress me with the new 997 power/torque credentials by pressing the throttle all the way to the floor, on first gear, on a New and COLD Carrera that was available at the dealers' lot. By the way, that Carrera was sold a few days later to an unsuspecting customer. In short, one never knows. The car I'm about to buy may be fine, but certainly there is a risk involved. I'm going back to the dealer on Monday, and I will request a test drive on the one displayed on the sales floor which has 26 miles on it. I'll listen to the engine very carefully and to the exhaust as well. I have scrutinized all the potentially revealing signs of use/abuse on that car and have found nothing to worry about. I'm also going to ask for a printout revealing the "rev history" of the engine. I don't know the technical term for that but Porsche can run an engine test which would reveal whether or not the break-in has been carried out according to factory expectations. I doubt if Honda has a similar tracing technique though. I'm also thinking about offering the sales manager a significant down payment to induce him to order a car from the factory, provided I get it for the same price, $29,300. However, I suspect there are no more S2000s being produced. Again, thanks for your help.
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Replying to: donquixote30 (May 19, 2007 9:59 am) 
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Replying to: donquixote30 (May 18, 2007 2:46 pm) [Honda S2000 Forum] |
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Replying to: donquixote30 (May 18, 2007 2:46 pm) Sure, we would all like to get 2-3 mile car or 10 or something - but it is just not going to happen for most folks. My 01 S2000 I got used with over 1,000 on it and my 05 was new with 30 or so on it. Both ran/run flawlessly (knock on wood). If there was some "harm" done in those early miles, it would surely show up before the Honda factory warranty runs out - but I would not think it will. Insisting on low miles is like folks you see in the store some time - they open the package to check out the item, then when they decide to buy they put back the package they opened and get a sealed item. Having one's cake and eating it too, I guess  Dennis |
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Replying to: accelerator (May 18, 2007 7:40 am) I like Rio Yellow, but I am afraid my wife would never ride with me if I had gotten that (both of mine have been NFR). Get the break in miles in quick so you can start revving to your heart's content. Dennis
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Replying to: dwynne (May 21, 2007 7:12 am) We took it for a short trip (300 round trip miles). I annoyed my wife because after about 10 minutes at a speed, I would adjust the speed by 5-10 mph to avoid breaking the engine in at a constant speed (not really sure if this matters but...). After today, I am at 402 on the odometer. Getting on the freeway, I did run the tach past 7k, do you think I "broke" anything? It wasn't a hard accerlation and it was downhill so the engine rev'd up quicker than I had expected (Honest officer) so there wasn't a huge weight load put on the engine. I keep hearing how crucial it is for proper break-in so I'm nervous. The car performed beautifully on the trip. I have a slight sunburn on the top of my head to show for it! Can you put sun-tan lotion in your hair?  Regarding the NFR and Rio Yellow, I was actually looking at an NFR and the wife suggested the yellow! 
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Replying to: accelerator (May 21, 2007 7:39 am) Vtec'ing the car on the ramp should hurt nothing. I think the owner's manual does not even mention not revving the engine nor does it mention not driving at a constant speed. I think they just recommend no hard braking for the first xxx miles and no full throttle acceleration for the first xxxx miles. I think it is a good idea to avoid prolonged steady speeds and on the S maybe avoiding a lot of redline runs. In fact the engines seem to handle pretty much whatever is done to them. There is a cold motor redline (4-4.5k?) that you will find if you try to rev up too much before the engine is fully warmed up. It does that all the time, not just for break in. The service manager at my local dealership also said no reason to change the initial oil out early, just do it around when you normally would. Honda states 10k in the book, I think, and 5k for harsh driving. I usually change mine about 4-5k, but that can be about once a year . If the build date on your car is pretty old (so it has been sitting on the lot a while) you might do the first change a little earlier. Dennis
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Replying to: dwynne (May 21, 2007 10:37 am) This is the first car I've started and allow to idle for a minute or two before just taking off. Usually, I crank and go. I've never had a car make me feel quite like this car does... Is this odd? Does Honda sponsor a therapy group for S owners?  I cannot wait to go find some twisties...
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