Urban Dictionary contains several connotations that modern society has attached to the word “unicorn”. For the purposes of this article and considering that this is a family friendly section of a car website, we will define a unicorn as that vehicle for which you’d go any distance to own, keep, drive and cherish forever.
Most of us own and drive an S2000, and yet some of us find ourselves pining for one more. Perhaps the miles on the current car were put on too quickly, or perhaps it has been customized beyond recognition, and we now desire to find a clean and pristine model that can be stored for perpetuity OR maybe we seek one to build into a racetrack-only machine. It does not help that Honda has stopped production of the S2000 and that the only ones that can be found are CPO vehicles with garish dealership stickers on them quoting an exorbitant price. How one wishes that the proverbial little old ladies of the world had bought up all the S2000 CRs and barely driven them each year, stored them in a temperature controlled barn during the winter, and then one day deciding to down-size, sell it to one of us without a clue as to the value of their low-mileage gem. That, however, is a dream with a very low probability of occurring. Most of us will have to climb mountains and cross valleys, possibly outwit a salesman or two. How much further would you go then if you found that unicorn that spoke to you on the dealership floor or through images on AutoTrader and asked it to take you home?
We also have those whose S2000 is the unicorn they have always desired. A sizeable portion of us would belong to this group. Having bought the car of our dreams (or at least of one dream), we now spend the rest of our active adult lives around it. We spend hours carefully detailing the car, work overtime for the extra money so we can pay off the car or for the financial leverage to make it louder, faster or to lower it. We cringe or grunt every time a significant other rests their feet on the foot well center bar and request annulment of the relationship when feet are placed higher still on the dashboard.
Then we have those who have always wanted an S2000 or nothing. They are specific about the model year, color, interior trim and mileage and will go the distance to purchase the right car. One of our editors recently ran into another member driving a 2006 Silverstone S2000 with the red and black interior. Recognizing that this was the car that he originally wanted to purchase until the deal fell through, he struck up a conversation with the owner who said that he was researching S2000s since before he learned how to drive. He’d spend nights falling asleep reading S2KI on his computer and looking at pictures of the car in the gallery section. The ’06 Silverstone with that interior combination spoke to him and he decided that it would be the car he’d buy one day or not buy one at all. Not knowing how to drive a stick, he had a family member come check the car out for him and had the car transported to his home. He had found his unicorn and our news editor was finally happy about the one that got away.
Are you still searching for your unicorn or have you found it? To what extent would you go to get one or to keep the one you already have? Care to tell us how you found it?
Tip of the hat to S2KNFR and Mark355 for the inspiration
Photos courtesy of DG and triman54
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on Jun 16th, 2011 at 4:59 am
I saw mine on Auto Trader. I went to the dealership a few hours away after salivating over the pictures for a week or so and paid probably too much for it that day. I think the salesman saw through my feigned nonchalance: I was all weak-kneed when I saw it sparking white in the parking lot.
It was everything I wanted. I learned of the car from the original Gran Turismo; a beautiful white AP1 S2000 was your reward for busting ass and getting all golds for one of the license classes. I loved the look of the car (however pixelated it may have been), and stomped AI face in many races with my comparatively underpowered Playstation dream car. Lo and behold I run across virtually (well, materially) the same car several years later. I bought my S last October, and I’ve been through all of the fun, arduous, and irritating moments highlighted in the article!
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 5:04 am
Owning a S2000 was always a dream for me. My first experience was in 2002 when a good friend of mine had purchased a MY03 BB w/ black interior, and from the first time he let me ride in it, I was completely and utterly hooked. It was complete infatuation from day one. Every driving game I played, I wanted an S2k, every time I saw one I was in awe, etc…
Flash forward 7 years. That’s right, 7 years. I had graduated college, FINALLY found a decent job, and built up a little nest egg. I had always known I wanted GPW with red interior. I searched high and low for around 3 months before finding the MY07 I wanted around 1000 miles away. I bought a one-way ticket and drove it home.
I’ve never once looked back, and I never will. They will likely bury me with this car.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 5:07 am
Found mine on auto trader. Was looking for a gpw with red/black (the best color combo lol) found a low mileage 07, in mint at a honda dealership in NC. I’m in iowa which is about 1,200+ miles away. Got really lucky though because the sales guy was from the same town I live in. Worked out a deal and he drove it to me for free. He brought it over a holiday weekend and stayed with his family and flew back. I was really lucky but i was fully prepared to drive down and pick it up. Now when someone asks I always tell them it was meant to be.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 5:20 am
It took me 10 years to actually own my unicorn. Since 99 the debut of the s2000, i fell in love with the car. It called my name telling me to purchase it. I have gone to many honda dealers just to test drive them. It was awesome. One day i had the money to put down on a 2009 CR model.but when they ran my credit, it went down hill from there. Right there is when my unicorn got away. Few months later. OCT 09. a friend had tipped me off that his aunt owned an s2000. At first i didnt believe him because his knowledge of cars was somewhere else. But he kept insisting to go to the house and take a look at it. As soon as she opened the garage, there she was. In pristine condition, 62k on the mileage, my adrenaline pumped so hard for those keys as the unicorn said, “I am all your for the taking.” we negotiated prices. Mind you it was a 01 s2000. And boom the perfect price was settled at: $7000. from then on it was a happy ending to a story never finished… YET…
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 5:24 am
Well it was never an issue with finding My unicorn, but when I found it it was an issue weather Ill be alive to enjoy it……. When my wife found out or rather saw what I had purched my TRUE LOVE S2k, Surely You didnt think I was going to say my wife…………. Lord is she reads this post im done for, anyway, I wasnt to sure if I would live long enough to enjoy my S2k But as you can see Im still posting so Im alive but it really is hard to post sometimes with a patch over my Eye she kindly redecoreded for me LOL Just kidding, about the EYE part. Or maybe not..
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 6:52 am
I’ve always admired the S2000 back in high school for its abilities, while others poked and made fun of it, comparing it to the likes of straight line American muscle.. Nothing could sway my judgment of the S. After 8 years of wanting an S, I had first sighted my 05bb/Ap2 on auto trader selling for waayy too much. I then waited for 2 months as the price slowly dropped week after week. After the Honda dealer cut their price almost in half. I jumped out of the front door to the Honda dealership to get my S. I then haggle them down some more.. After a month of waiting for banks and financing to go though, the day finally came where it was mine. The feeling was surreal as I sat in the seat and started her.. It was the beginning of an experience that I will cherish forever, and will likely tell my kids and grand kids of the fun and the thrilling moments me and my S have shared.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 7:12 am
Does anyone know whos CR that is at the top of the page? What wheels those are? What suspension mods were done? It has inspired me
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 7:17 am
This is my unicorn (and the car I found a few weeks ago)
- 2005 Grand Prix White (none of that silly DBW stuff)
- 1 owner (60s) with so many cars he never drove it
- Low miles : 9k to be exact
- Perfect condition
- Honda changed the oil every year (even though he barely drove 1k miles/year)
- Every record kept including the window sticker and dealership delivery paperwork
- Not a single door ding (because it was never parked next to another car, not once)
- Perfect engine (he never got over 4k RPM)
- Never been on the highway (also never over 55mph)
- Passenger seat had been sat in 3 times!!!! (and one of those was on the test drive)
- Never even used the trunk
And to top it all off, it wasn’t $25k or even $20k, he sold it for
$17k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He turned down an offer of $20k they day I bought it (less than 24 hours from when he posted it)
The one thing he wanted to apologize for was the dirty car cover!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
He took me to breakfast, and even left his XM radio account on so that I could drive back with music
Now my garage has 2 S2000s and a CBR600RR Graffiti Edition
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 7:47 am
I am still searching for my unicorn. It’s either a white AP1 with a full red, or red and black interior, or a Laguna blue 2006-2007 model. Must not have any modifications to the engine, could be lowered, and on the AP2, could have flashpro. That’s all I’ll accept.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 8:11 am
I found mine in PA…2005 GPW with Tan/Black..Ive searched high and low until I came across 2 of them. One was an 2003 and the other a 2005..I craved the AP2, and it was the one I finally purchased. I passed up a 2004 Silverstone with 29k miles on it and a hard top for $12,500..I ended up getting mine for $16k with 64k miles on it and no hard top. BUT..it was the one i wanted. I didnt want to settle on something if if wasnt the right one. Ill never get rid of it! I love it!
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 9:11 am
I’m going to be the first to commit heresy here and suggest something other than an S2000… 07-08 Lotus Exige S in white, with the factory 5-points and no Touring Package.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 9:51 am
i need to go no further than to reference my name. i restored my t-type from nothing and wont ever sell it.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 10:03 am
I am one of those “who have always wanted an S2000 or nothing, specific about the model year, color, interior trim and mileage and will go the distance to purchase the right car.”
This will be the first car I’d buy. It was my first love, instead of a girl. The car is perfect, and the bodies around there make it better.
I have to study one more year, and then I can buy the car wich is part of me still I was 7 y/o.
There is one ( ore more) s2K’s waiting for me out there, this make me happy and is my unicorn.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 10:29 am
Whoa, DG’s S made the front page. Congrats!
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 11:16 am
The S2000 was always a car that I had wanted, but was impractical as my only car in my own perspective. I bought a 2009 Accord coming out of college, and then purchased a Triumph Daytona 675 to settle the need for speed and agility when the times came around. A couple weeks ago, I began looking for a S2000 and was in the process of selling my bike. I would have waited for the right one for as long as necessary, as long as it was worth it. The funny part is, it came quicker than expected.
I located a 2007 LBP S2000 with 16k miles in nearby Louisiana and within a week, put down a deposit, booked my ticket, and prepared to fly out to purchase having only seen photos. After $19,500 exchanged hands, the S is in my garage alongside the daily-driven Accord and I couldn’t be happier. Knowing the GPW AP2 with black interior is 1 out of a million, the LBP has always been a color I’ve loved just as much and was lucky to find one never modified and in pristine condition. I found my unicorn and couldn’t be happier.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 11:48 am
My (first) S2000 was a bit of a “stumble upon”, really. To be honest I had never heard of an S2000 until I was in the market for a new car 3 years ago. I had mentioned to a friend that I was in need of a new car, and he had responded with “I’m actually in need to SELL my car”. It was like destiny. He showed me what kind of car it was, and later that night I looked up videos, pictures, any info I could find about the car. The next week I had got to drive that beautiful SSM for the first time in my life. From then on I was hooked. My whole life became “S2000 this” and “S2000 that”. I’m on my 3rd S now, and that hasn’t changed one bit.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
I actually fall into the “low probability of it ever happening” category. I also had a specific color and interior combination in mind (even though the interior has since been stripped and the car will be painted flat black once the body work is finished). I was looking for a 2000 NFR S2000. I didn’t want anything later than a 2000 because of the changes made to the car. I had always intended to track the car once in awhile, but didn’t plan on building a full race car until after I bought it. I got really lucky and found the exact car I was looking for with 1 owner and only 20,000 miles. The car had been garaged when it wasn’t being driven (which was most of the time) and was in climate controlled storage during the winter. The lady had recently gotten divorced and sold the car because she didn’t drive it very much and didn’t need that many cars sitting around. The S2000 has always been my “unicorn”. I test drove every decent tuner car made from 92-06 before deciding on an S2k. Once the S2k is done (which will most likely be at least 5 years from now) I plan on getting an NSX and turning it into a full race car as well. I guess you could say the NSX is my next unicorn, although I haven’t picked out a year/color/interior combination yet.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
I own three Unicorns and will soon own a third CR-Unicorn
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
I have been dreaming about the s2000 since I was in high school (c/o2001) and at that time I could not afford it. At the time I was rolling in a 93 DelSol and the guys in the S2 would always mess with me, calling it the “delslow.” I would say to myself that one day I will own a S2. 10 years later, after college, odd jobs and a marriage, I found my unicorn online (autotrader) and she was sitting really nice in Silver chrome wheels (AP2 v1) and blue top (I thought it was weird) but it grew on me and I have a vision for my unicorn. It took me ten years of hard work to obtain my illusive unicorn. In retrospect, all of the hard work, it is all worth it.
on Jun 16th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Oh how i fell in love with the S2K… from the first year when it came out in 99, i wanted one. had enough cash but at 19 the insurance was going to kill me costing more then the payment. held off for a couple of years then had a family… the S2K was not “practical” then so got a lexus instead. Now that they stopped making them and in the year 2011 i finally found the one i wanted. Same as the S featured above! 07 S2K in GPW with black and red interior under 40k miles. My unicorn has finally came home!
on Jun 17th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
found mine last year in november.. rather we found each other… wasnt at all planning to buy a car that day or any time soon, my buddy asks me if i wanted to go with him to the dealer to check out a car.. and there she was tripple black ap2 with v3 rims and around 32k miles on her at the time. and before i knew it i was signing papers and took her home with me, got her at a really good prace at really nice apr with bumper to bumper coverage honda care and what have you thrown in.. and we are living happily ever after =]
on Jun 17th, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Three months ago I’d never seen an S2k. There aren’t many Hondas & virtually no Honda dealers in the Oz country. There city only here.
When my son borrowed my Triumph TR8, & didn’t bring it back, I went looking for another convertible. I tried a Ford, my youngest daughter has that, a Peugeot, & a BMW, but with each it was only a couple of weeks & I got rid of them.
A mate insisted I go for a 250 Kilometer drive with him to look at an S2k, the first one I’d seen. It was so rough we didn’t even open a door, & drove home, but the seed was sown. A couple of weeks later saw me drive 4 hours to look at a low mileage one.
It is a beauty. As soon as I slipped into the seat I had this feeling of coming home. I knew I was going to buy it, even before I started the engine.
I drove her home, & went back for the car I’d driven up, the next day.
Every mile just gets better than the last one. Why did it take me so long to find this thing of beauty?
on Jun 17th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
it was 1999 when i set my eyes on her. I was but 19, driving a ferd thunderchicken tc, I swore to myself “someday” ‘you’ will be mine. 9 years went by, maisto model was purchased, oogled at the freakin thing on the internet pics, lied like a lion to score a test drive, then on a late drive back from rdu-myr late 2006, i saw her.
She was sitting there, black AP1, in front of a buyhere payhere. it was december christmas eve. everything was closed. i swore if i went back there when it opened and the car was still there, i would do anything to get her.
long story short salesman asked for my ID to run a credit check, he came back offering me to wash the car for me. 119,000 miles on it. i couldnt care less, specially the 19% interest on the car loan and a bevy of check engine lights. 2 yrs later i had to give her back(repo cause i didnt pay) 20g’s was still 20g’s after 2 yrs…….
Prospecting a new purchase, perhaps even a TL or RSX, like fate, there she appeared again. Silver002 AP1 19,000 miles. once again i could care less about anything else, this time wiser, i scored a 3% interest on the loan(cosigned, duh). she needs tires soon, and here i sit, staring at her. as i write this. thank you Honda. you make me Happy!
I believe in The Power of Dreams.
on Jun 20th, 2011 at 7:46 pm
Several years ago one of the houses at the entrance of my neighborhood had a BB S2000, every time I passed it I would just stare at it shining back at me. A few months ago I started searching for my unicorn — a GPW 06+, red/black interior, all stock with no front/rear lip. All this time I only saw one on Auto Trader that was clean enough for me to call the dealer. Unfortunately it was sold just a few days earlier
. Now it’s more waiting and hoping for someone to sell theirs.
on Jun 21st, 2011 at 2:58 pm
If Mark355 really was one of the members who inspired this article, then I have his unicorn, though he’d have to travel tot he UK and fight me for it!! Chassis number 355 anyone?
on Jun 22nd, 2011 at 2:25 pm
Just picked mine up this week! I saw it posted on s2ki after searching high and low for a number of months, though honestly I had been in love with the car for much longer than that. I flew out to Florida to pick it up, and drove it up to Virginia over 2 days. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase right now, it feels strange to finally have the car I’ve wanted for so long.
on Jun 30th, 2011 at 11:13 pm
I found my unicorn on autotrader. My dream car was the gpw with the full red interior 2002 . Ever since I saw it for the first time, I always said one day I’m gonna buy it. And last september I finally found one in texas, listed at 10000. I’m located in seattle washington and I took a flight out there and drove it to LA. Which took 18 hrs. Then enjoyed this beautiful car in socal for a fews days then drove all the way to seattle which took another 18 hrs. I must say, it was worth it every mile and every dollar. That’s how I found my unicorn and I love her unconditionally:)
on Jul 4th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
1991 BMW E30 M3 in Alpine White in DS condition with less than 30k miles…
on Jul 6th, 2011 at 3:42 pm
There’s beauty in finding one’s passion and purpose, and some of us are lucky enough to have a tangible desire, like a car, to ground our otherwise abstract desire for “happiness”. Reading this post made me realize that having the proverbial Unicorn to chase after is what gives me motivation to move forward rather than linger. I honestly love the S2000, but I can’t help but feel lust for higher end Italian cars like the Ferrari. The beauty with Japanese sport cars is that they’re usually not hundreds of thousands of dollars, so many of us have some room to make mods, and thus the appeal of the S2K and Nissan Z roadsters.
Regards,
Alex
on Jul 29th, 2011 at 10:21 pm
Found my unicorn on autotrader “ap1 gpw red and black interior”. I live in jersey car was at a dealer in Maine. Since I had previously worked at a dealer here near my house I asked them for help, never burn your bridges. They contacted the dealer and as the pictures showed they confirmed the car was as mint as stated. The dealer I worked for offered to ship it for me but, even though money wasn’t an issue to have it shipped I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a road trip and drive the s back. Called up a buddy of mine left early morning, 3:30 am, and took the drive up 400 miles. Finally got up there and the car was in MINT condition. The drive back was amazing having the car on the highway stopping here and there to fill up and having ppl coming up to ask questions. Definitely worth the trip, I’d do it again if I had too.