u/Source256

I'm relatively new to maintaining a car as old and important as my new 03 S2000. It as 145,000 miles on it, clutch feels fantastic, TCT has been done according to carfax, and I've got fluids and AP2 intake valve retainers and keepers on the way as we speak. If anyone has anything they think I should add at any point in the list, I would greatly appreciate the info! Its all in chronological order.

Just really wanted to make a post telling the short and boring story of how I ended up joining this fantastic community, this car symbolizes my growth and maturation as a driver and figured some may find the story entertaining.

I had always been a pretty boring driver, automatic car go fast brrr kinda guy. That is, until I stepped into my first piece of Japanese engineering at 23 years old. Got myself a terrible loan on a 07 Acura TL, which was recommended by my lifelong friend (drove a TL type S). I was very unaware of the car scene compared to him, but I knew he loved his car so figured I would take the recommendation. Man it was a fantastic car. The body style, the power, hell even the agility was amazing compared to what I had driven previously (2001 Saturn and 98 Lincoln town car).

Then we got into the mods. Buddy got himself a house and with that came a garage, which he quickly fitted with everything we needed to do work on our own cars. It started out... rough. What should have been a cheap break job on my TL ended with a angle grinder and having to take it to a shop anyway, cost a fortune at the time. But hey, we were learning. Ordered a J pipe and a AEM cold air intake, and the but dyno felt a solid 25 whp difference! Loved the TL, but I really wanted to make the shift to a manual transmission. I had already begun shopping around for something when I saw it. Driving through my small town, a little dealership that always had seemingly exotic cars had a tiny yellow sports car in their lot. It instantly caught my eye, but what really surprised me was the badge right on the front fender. HONDA??? SPORTS CAR??? Sure I knew there were some expensive ones here and there, but my ignorance of the JDM scene left me in shock.

Friend gave me all the details, legendary S2000, one of a kind beast revving to a whopping 9,000 RPM, at least for the AP1. Turns out, they did indeed have a AP1 S2000 in yellow at my local dealer. I immediately had to have it. I shot down there, sat down with the owner of the lot and anxiously waited to see if I would be able to afford a car like this. I just HAD to have it.

after waiting some time, I got the worst of news. I should have expected it, I still owed 3 grand on the TL, and the S2000 was going for a premium since it was the only one within a 150 mile radius and it was CLEAN. Would have needed at least a 8,000 dollar down payment, and even with that the APR on such a old car was tremendously high. That day I found my dream car, and immediately watched it vanish. The car was gone less than a week later, and I was left with a promise to myself that one day I would get my hands on one.

I ended up in a MX5 2021 MIata RF, which was a FANTASTIC car. Really did make me forget about the S2000 for a little bit, at least until I wrecked it 3 days later. Could have killed myself, I really overestimated my ability to drive a manual and also control the car in low grip situations. Really was just an inexperienced driver with ALOT to learn. Luckily, insurance fully covered the vehicle and I (stupidly) bought another brand new 2023 Miata RF not too long after the wreck. I decided at that point I would really try to learn the ins and outs of how cars work, and more importantly how to really drive. I drove that Miata RF for 3 years and put 13k miles on it (working from home) before about a month ago I sold it. Had a kid around a year ago and really couldn't afford to have a "project car" that I not only couldn't bring myself to touch in terms of mods, but also was still ridiculously expensive with a very long loan term.

Went without a car for a month to clear out most of my debt and be prepared to buy the first old project car that popped out at me. I had my mind set on some BRZ twin or 350z that was high mileage but fairly well taken care of. I had thought of a S2000, actually for quite a while since getting accustomed to the Miata and its various ways it kept me safe and complacent with the limits TC and SC set for me. I kinda just figured S2000 prices had skyrocketed based on the limited examples I had seen, and figured my dream car was still well out of reach. Decided to look around anyway, and after about a month I saw it pop up. 144,000 miles and 3 accidents, oof. Well, lets dig deeper anyway, why not. Turns out, all the accidents were minor and the car was kept by a single owner for 20 years, which included most of the miles put on it. It came in at a great price, 16995 before fees which was at least 4-5 grand lower than most other "clean" examples I had seen. With that being said, the accidents and the mileage seemed to have little effect on the look of the car. The interior and exterior were very well kept for a car of its age and use, so I figured it can't hurt to take a look. Worst case scenario its got some terrible frame damage and we just walk away.

Well my buddy ended up deciding to by a 2026 Type R, so we went to pick that up the same day we planned to look at the S2k. We get to the sketchy dealership and there she is, already running. Figured maybe there was some weird sound on a cold start, but whatever we are fairly confident mechanics after working on his old civic Si. We hop in, and damn she drives like a beauty. Passes every check we throw at it. They throw it on the lift, and everything looks clean. Frame is straight as an arrow, a slight oil leak but common and easy to remedy, TCT had already been done. We were able to talk them down to 15,500 out the door due to how long they had sat on it, and that day I got to drive home my dream car.

I've had it for 2 days now, but already I can tell I made the right decision. I'm prepared to put as much money into this car as I can over the next 5 years or so to really make it fit my personality and driving style, and I am very ready for this car to teach me how to drive on the next level.