Lately we've been concerned about a growing "in your face" trend about all matters pertaining to the S2000 and this board, and we thought we'd post this concern to prompt what we hope will be a constructive discussion.

Our concern begins with what increasingly appears to be what we see as defacing of the S2000's beautiful design with aftermarket body kits, which do little more than turn a tasteful and graceful car into self-conscious hell on wheels. An extreme but good example is this poor beast, which, thankfully, is being sold into parts and hopefully will be purchased by someone who hasn

 

I fully agree with you Rick. Unfortunately as all of us have noticed, the price of used S2000's is getting down in to the low-mid $20k range. This is opening the door to a market of young buyers that have a love for the Fast & the Furious. They think huge aluminum wings, gaudy body kits. 20" rims, and altezza tail lights are the coolest thing since sliced bread. A lot of these kids will buy a used S2000 over a new RSX-S or Celica, and kill the spirit of the S2000 with their ricey ways.

 

I couldn't have said it better.

 

rick- my thoughts:

1. beauty is in the eye of the beholder- i remember when i first bought my car i never thought i would mod it at all. i even replied to one of your first posts saying something like that! since then i have changed my mind completely (you had a lot to do with that!). i dont think we can have a mod-police!

2. i agree with you 100% that our community is getting a bit more vulgar than it was when it began. but i think it is still the result of a very few members (often new). maybe new members should not be allowed to post for a couple of days until they get a sense for our "community". i do recall a member who became vulgar in the beginning... he was removed from the board. dont know if that is still being done.

(by the way, i could not see the pic that you posted)

 

I agree on both points myself.

I don't know what to say about the body kits and such. I will say that I think just because the car is a Honda, and lumped in that whole import scene, the same players make that kind of thing for the car, because they make similar kits for other Hondas. The even make a lot of that stuff for the NSX.

I will admit though, I HAVE seen some VERY ugly Porsche body kits down here in South Florida.

What can you say on this, but what's been said. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Additionally this is a free country. While I can definitely say I'd NEVER put 99% of that stuff on my car, there are folks who think its great.

On to the second part, I've definitely noticed the post quality has gone way down hill lately. When I first joined the board, last August almost every single post had some kind of constructive information inside. Now it seems many of the posts are immature and childish, which is OK sometimes, but its becoming disturbingly prevalent.

Another thing about the posting is the continued repetition of questions that have been asked and answered many times. I think I lot of flaming is done when this occurs. Could a revision to the site FAQ or Library improve this? Possibly.

In relation to both points. I think a lot of this has developed due to the car being more accessible financially to more people. More people, especially younger people, can afford a $22,000 used S2000, than could afford a $40,000 (when they first came out) new S2000. This brings a different crowd into the mix.

Hopefully that didn't sound elitist, but...

 

Can't we all just get along? I am fairly new to this community, so I do not know of post quality. I am aware of the recent color wars on whose color is better and I feel that should stop. We should all be getting along for the sake of being privileged to drive such an awesome machine.

As for constructive posts, I feel there are many of them. In the past month that I have been a member I have treated my S to a clear bra, found out when I should go synthetic, which oil filter to go with, and recently buy a front lip spoiler at a very reduced cost from a site sponsor.

God bless your insightfulness and drive safe!

 

To the second point first....I wholeheartedly agree. While there are a few mental midgets who walk this planet under the guise of mature adults, I believe the lion's share of disrespect is shifting in the direction of the young adults who are now able to afford the used S2000s appearing in mass on the market. Don't misunderstand me, I can list quite a few teens who command my respect because they hold themselves to a higher standard than most. However, the majority of teens are forced to do what teens have done for centuries...grow up and learn respect over a long period of time...maturing. Now that this section of society is able to afford the S2000s more and more, the S2000 group as a whole is forced to endure watching/listening/reading about their trials and tribulations towards maturity, in many cases, towards a rude, crude, and socially unacceptable conclusion. This is the price we pay to live and play in a world/group that allows ALL of us so much freedom of expression.



Now, speaking of freedom of expression, on to the first point. I am totally shocked, Rick, to read those words coming from your fingertips. Never once did I think the day would come when I might equate the handles Rick Hesel and Bieg. While I don't agree with your assessment, to wit:

"defacing of the S2000's beautiful design with aftermarket body kits, which do little more than turn a tasteful and graceful car into self-conscious hell on wheels"

I can certainly appreciate your position. I won't wax so romantic as to proclaim beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but why must you think someone believes they're Batman with the Batmobile simply because they changed the lines on the car? Forget all of the psychological babble about that person being an artist expressing his views...how about if you just say to yourself "They did it because they liked it". I purchased a Veilside kit many months ago, and the kit itself is still in the shop waiting for me to find time. But when I purchased the kit, my FIRST thought was "I like the way that looks, very aggressive", not "I'm gonna be Batman, everyone will envy me", and I guarantee you, despite all of the bad comments before I purchased the kit, I never once thought "Gee, I hope no one feels I'm screwing up this car".

You have added on a boatload of cosmetic enhancements, none of which help performance and probably HURT performance due to increased weight (braided cables, chrome covers, etc.), but YOU liked them, and YOU thought they made the car look sharper, so you did it. I'll admit, the engine bay looks very sharp, but it's not what I'M interested in, so I chose to go another route. You said "Some of this stuff is so bad it

 

Here's one for Rick:

 

Yeah! Let's keep posting these ugly spunk modifications so we can all see the abuse that's been heaped on Honda's beautiful original design. Could you imagine this nonsense on an E-type Jaguar. It's sacrilege!

 

Thanks for fixing the pictures, I think...