Honda S2000 (1999) review

The engine should be reliable, but needless to say, you want one that’s been looked after. There’s no real way to tell this other than scoping out how much of an enthusiast the previous owner is, but with the S2000’s high-revving VTEC engine desiring frequent oil changes, you want to know its thirst has been respected.

If oil levels are low, the car’s ECU is meant to stop the VTEC kicking in, so if you test drive a car that refuses to go north of 6,000rpm, it could need a top up. A refill should reset the fault code, but it’s a potential sign the car has not been properly maintained. On the whole, owners report S2000s actually being pretty cheap to run, particularly when it comes to fuel economy.

A common fault is a ticking timing-chain tensioner, the only real blight on the engine’s otherwise impeccable reliability record. Some owners recommend fitting a replacement part from third-party specialists, rather than Honda’s own, which can prove brittle.

Bodywork wise, it’s worth being mindful of rust, both before and after buying an S2000. Honda skimped on underbody seal, apparently to keep the car nice and light. It’ll be lighter still when its panels turn to dust.

So get down on your hands and knees and have a look underneath to see if there’s any corrosion. Find out if previous owners have applied underseal through the car’s life. And when you do buy a nice, uncrusty car, be sure to get some protection applied yourself if you’re going to use it all year round. Which you really should.

Oh, and as a soft-top car, make sure the roof folds up and down as it should, and that it doesn’t leak. If it’s a dry day when you inspect that car, then have a good prod around the interior to check for damp. And if the S2000 you’re looking at is a GT spec model, then it should have a body-coloured hard top with it too. Make a point of asking if it’s not present...

Honda S2000 values appear to be solidifying, after dropping below £5,000 a short while back. The least you likely want to spend is £6,000. For that, expect an unmodified, pre-2002 car with circa-100,000 miles, lots of history and a decent chunk of MoT left.

Facelifted, 2004 cars start at around £9,000. These are the ones to aim for if you want the fresher styling on top and the friendlier chassis mods beneath. Expect around 80,000 miles at that price, and there should be a number of hard-top equipped GT models around too, if that’s what you desire.

Naturally, miles fall and conditions rise the further you up your budget. Around £15,000 should buy you some of the finest S2000s out there (we’ve found a 2009 car with just 18,000 miles for that), but some touch £20,000, those Edition 100s – marked out by white paint, red leather and a special plaque on the door sill – among them.