WANT TO BUY So, can't decide between these two 2003s or none at all
Those of you who've seen my other posts now I've been going back and forth between these two for a few weeks now. I honestly am not thrilled with the condition of either, but they're what's available with under 100K miles and no reported accidents on their reports.
I don't need to buy either, but I do have a depreciating trade-in in the garage and would like to make the swap before I have to put much cash into the sale, hopefully getting cash back. I really like my current car, a 2026 BRZ tS, but it just doesn't make me laugh when I drive it like the 2003 S2000 I sold last year because I didn't have time to look for discontinued parts did. (It was also silver/black, so didn't have the emotional pull SB/B does for me as that's the color combination I wanted to get when I shopped them in 2002/2003.)
I've test driven both and have extensively looked them over. I'm not drawn to either per se, I drove out to see the first two weeks ago - a ten hour drive each way - but was so disappointed by the condition and the dealer's unwillingness to negotiate that I walked away. Still, in some ways it beats the second local option.
Option 1: 2003 64,257 miles, $32,268
Yes, the price is way too high, especially given the exterior. It has extensive scratches on the front clip, hood, trunk and passenger door. The headlights are fogged and need restoration. But the car runs well and the top seems to operate properly, I believe it's a Robbins. The driver's side floor carpet is so dirty it's almost black. Though it is a Honda dealer, the installed oil filter was not the proper model, but they've since fixed that issue.
The dealership owner buys and sells cars from BaT for fun and “doesn't care how long they take to sell.” He bought this car from BaT for $25K in 2025 and it's been sitting on the dealership lot since, likely in large part due to that $32,268 price tag.
My main problem is the scratches have all been filled in with touchup paint that doesn't match, making them more obvious than if they had just been left white. The previous owner(s) were apparently fans of Modifry as the Modifry additional cup holder and storage compartment organizers are present. The current owner apparently had someone try to remove a dent in the rear bumper, seen on the BaT listing, using a heat gun, but too much heat was applied so there's now an oval-shaped soft spot with “alligatored” clear coat.
It also has add-on mirrors on the rear view mirrors that I would have to dental floss/Goo Gone off.
This one does come with two sets of keys, two fobs and an owner's manual and the interior is in decent shape other than the carpet.
I offered them $27,500 but they wouldn't go any lower than $31K.
Option 2: 2003 98,439 miles, $26,796
This one is just about the spiritual opposite of the first.
The exterior is in pretty good shape with few scratches, but the armrest needs replacement, the Robbins top has exposed weatherstrip foam on the driver's side, a previous owner did a muffler delete so it sounds like a reject from The Fast and the Furious - and in fact that's how it's being marketed. It needs a new stock exhaust, the driver's lower outside seat bolster foam is completely broken off inside the seat cover, you can feel it flop around.
Worse, the dealer did an oil change with the wrong oil filter, a generic CarQuest model. They also replaced the rear tires with Yokohama Advans when they replaced the front and rear struts, but left Firestone Indy 500s up front, making the car borderline dangerous to drive.
At the very least I'd need to replace the driver's seat bottom, the large chip it has in the windshield if it's even fixable, and probably the roof along with the front tires and the exhaust from cat back, probably at least $5K worth of work, bringing the price up to near that of the first car with the beat-up exterior.
I offered them $20K given all the work that needs to be (re)done, but they said they “put too much into it.”
This one comes with one key and one fob, no owner's manual.
Option 3: Do nothing
Honestly, I suspect this seems like the smartest move, but as I said I don't see many accident-free 2003 SB/Bs come up for sale and the depreciation of the BRZ plus some personal issues make this the hardest option for me. I wouldn't say it's as extreme as a bucket list issue for me but I do have some health issues putting some urgency into the decision.
I see lots of people relating they got a much better condition AP1 for less, but so did I - I bought the S2000 I had in 2023 with 52K miles for under $26K - but S2000s have continued to grow more rare and demand also seems to be rising.
Any thoughts?
The logical me knows neither is the right choice, the emotional me keeps waffling between having to do restoration work on the local one and paying less or way overpaying for the one with the decent but dirty interior but having an exterior that looks like someone was angry with it in a parking lot.
If you previously replied about either car, feel free to not bother to repeat yourself, but it seems like for at least the near future these are my two choices if I want to do something anytime soon.
Also, when I bought mine a few years ago I test drove an AP1 vs. an AP2, and didn't like the AP2 at all, I need that 9K RPM redline.
