Don’t Hate, Appreciate!

On my leisurely drive home for lunch (yes, home page staff likes to take a leisurely and long lunch once in a while), I saw a rare and beautiful gem, a white NSX. It nearly escaped my peripheral vision, but as soon as I caught a mere glimpse of it, I knew undoubtedly what it was. You see, I have a not-so-secret desire to someday possess one, preferably a 2002+ model in Silverstone with black interior to match my S2000. This desire results in frequent visits to the NSX forum.

After a few months of casually lurking their marketplace section, hoping for depreciation, I quickly came to realize that the current prices probably wouldn’t be decreasing significantly anytime soon. Being a rare limited-production, hand-built, exotic, mid-engine sports car, it’s very likely that they may even begin to increase!

Who knows, maybe our S2000s’ value will follow a similar trend. Aside from all the various factors (e.g. season, modifications, mileage, accidents), generally speaking, isn’t it realistic to think that could happen? Ok, maybe it’s not as rare or exotic as the NSX or mid-engine for that matter, but they too were hand-built and their production was somewhat limited.

What was it that Shigeru Uehara once said? “Please take care of your S2000; keep it by your side for long and enjoy it from the bottom of your heart and share the quality and legacy of the S2000 with many friends so that the legend of the S2000 will continue for long” and, might I add, so that someday maybe it’ll be “worth its weight in gold.”

How each of us cares for our S2000s now could very well determine its future image several years from now. The social structure that we as a community share must be maintained as it will lend to keeping the enthusiasm for the car going. Many of us like to mod, but we must ensure that any modification, whether cosmetic or performance-oriented, only adds value to the car. It would also help if we spent money on ensuring the car rides on proper tires at all times and that we drive it within our abilities. After all, how’s an S2000 supposed to hold its value when it’s wrapped around a telephone pole or rolled off a cliff?

Will the S2000 be a highly sought-after trophy like the NSX or just another clunker we point and laugh at as we drive (or hover/fly) past one down the road? Perhaps the answer to that question lies within us.