AirGate's NEW Sebring Silver! Pics and Long Story!
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Former Moderator
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 25,439
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From: St. Louis, MO
First off, let me say one thing: Thanks for your patience! I had just returned from a mini vacation (Rick's Fall Colors Meet) and was swamped with work!
So here we go now. After leaving Rick's awesome NorthEast "Fall Colors" Meet, I followed NJTom, REEDZ and bkw to the Jersey border. I then followed bkw to the split off on George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel. Thanks bkw!!!
So, now I am in Jersey with my family and my cousin shows me his new Civic Coupe that he bought on my advice!
He says to me that I'll never believe all the S2000's that were in the Paramus dealership so I think to myself. . .hmmm, wonder if there are any '02's!?! I decide to take the drive with my cousin and when we arrive at Paramus Honda, he was right! There are 5 S2000's but all were '01's! I then asked him if there were any other Honda dealers around and he said we should try in Clifton. So we're off! About 30 minutes later, we pull up to Planet Honda of Passaic Park, New Jersey (keep in mind this is all being done after midnight!). I see an S2000 inside the showroom and run up the stairs like a little boy in a toy store! I yell out. . ."nice, it's white. . .damn, it looks good!" Of course, at this point, I am thinking it's a '01. The top was up but it was blocked with the hood which was open! I then start to circle the outside of the showroom wanting to see if the top has glass or if there are any chrome rings on the tailights and before I could even think of looking for those two things, the COLOR strikes me! I yell out to my cousin. . ."holy shit! It's a 2002! It's a Sebring Silver! OMG!" Yeah, it was that bad! Any on lookers would have thought I just won the Jersey lotto!
So, I looked on for nearly 20 minutes and we left. The next morning, I drive into Planet Honda with my '00 Berlina Black/Red S2000 and ask the first salesman I see if anyone is "on" the Sebring Silver S2000. He replies, "no sir, we just got this car on Friday." I reply, uhhh, huh. . .I see, well what do you have it priced at? The salesman replies, "I believe we are selling this one at sticker. . .they are not easy to get, you know." Can you imagine what I am thinking right now? HeHeHe! LOL!!!! YES!!!!
Here's the hilarious part! I am just about to leave the dealer and drive out to their service department so I can have the fog lights and stainless grill removed and there is bkw looking at my new S2000! He had no idea it was me. We ended up driving together to the service department where he helped me remove lots of things from my '00! I gave him the Coastal Metals Ergo Foot Rest for the trouble! Thanks again Brian!!!
BTW, bkw showed me the new horn on the S2000! There's a pic in the link. . .much, much louder and deeper!
So here's the skinny:
My OLD Berlina Black/Red S2000 #6342 had 38,700 miles at trade in. It was already paid for and they at first offered me $20k. The final offer that I accepted was $26k for my baby!
The NEW Sebring Silver/Black S2000 #285 had only 11 miles and sold for sticker ($32,840.00).
The difference between the two was $6,840 + 990.00 for the HondaCare extended warranty = $7,830 to be financed. I am now paying a HUGE car payment!
Why? Well, since the beginning of my S2000 ownership, I have had some major issues with my beloved car! First of all, it was like no other S2000. It drove totally different (in a bad way). The transmission was always giving me little "problems." The tranny was completely replaced at 16k miles under Honda warranty, but the car still never drove right. In addition to this, the steering wheel was "affected" in the last tranny fix and had significant "play" when driving! The dealer said it was fine and never could get it right! Then came the insistent "chatter" of the clutch. Not slipping but a chatter. I complained about this from somewhere between 18k miles to 35,800 miles until Honda agreed to "look" at the pressure plate, flywheel and clutch. Honda replaced all of the above under warranty but was quick to tell me it was a one time courtesy! But, of course!
Well, that's enough about all that! All I can say about this NEW S2000 is the same that I and S2K Dude talked about the other night. . .the S2000 is now where it should have been to start with! The rear glass window is awesome and really gives the car a "tailored" look as do the rear chrome rings around the tailights! The new interior accents are good as well. The "leather-like vinyl" that covers the console is nice and it wraps around the the back of the seat. The shifter is alright. I preferred my old one. The new one is half metal and half with leather stitching that rubs into the palm of your hand. The new radio is better than the existing stock in '00 or '01 models but is nothing compared to what I had modified in my '00. The new Sebring Silver is just absolutely georgeous! It really reminds me of the Spa Yellow which I adore so very much! It has that "glow" to it the more you look and with a fresh coat of Zaino, the color wanted to jump out!!! Also, it seems to me that the rims are a little different. . .the inner portions used to be light gray on my '00 and now they seem to be a light, light bronze on my '02. Look at the pics and see if you know what I am talking about???
I have a link here to all my photos that show everything from the horn to front and side shots, interior shots and some shots of the top going up and down (for those of you interested in changing your tops). Also, I have ordered the front bumper plugs from HandA Accessories.com. . .
Have NO FEAR '02 S2000 Owners. . .the Coastal Metals grills will fit with no problems!
Here are some answers to questions asked in my previous post!
JBoggs: how much did you get on trade in? Your answer is above!
enuf: did you keep the grill and PIAA running lights? Yes, I kept both from my old S2000 and installed the grill on my new S2000. I gave the PIAA's to my cousin and will more than likely add PIAA's to mine soon. I just never really liked that "style" of PIAA.
indys2k: how'd you swing the deal? Your answer is above!
Radster: did you get hosed on the trade-in? Your answer is above! Thanks Kevin!
pbm317: do you notice the rumored "new transmission?" YES! Without a doubt! Much "smoother" shifting action and more of a "honda" feeling clutch as well! Of course, compared to my old one. . .a John Deere tractor was probably smoother! Kidding of course!
VAS2K: don't forget about that 600 mile break in time. HeHeHe! Mike, why do you think I bought it in Jersey? It's 600 miles from my home! LOL! Thanks Mike!
Tifosi Red: can we expect to see foglights again soon? Yes. I am actually searching now for the "perfect" ones! Those foglights were my "symbol." I'll have to have them back! For now, I just installed Coastal Metals grills!
MarkS2K: are you going to move any mods over to the new car? Yes, actually I had moved over the K&N Air Filter as well as the front grill. I also took my Muz Mat!
bguernsey: how much did they give you on trade in? Your answer is above!
So as you can see, several folks were concerned about the trade in price and so on! So was I!!! I am telling you, had it not been for the great deal, I would have waited! It's really great having this new S2000. . .it certainly draws much more attention than my balck with red!?!
The color is truly remarkable and the all black interior is very classy. I must admit that I do miss my RED leather seats! I really liked them! I just could never live with the "all red" interior! Speaking of that, I visited Honda's U.S. Website and saw that it only shows the seats RED and not everything else. . .what's that about???
So, here are some pics now plus a whole bunch more in the link! ENJOY! Any questions, please post here and I will answer ASAP!!!
The Link!
AirGate's Pics (PhotoPoint.com)
So here we go now. After leaving Rick's awesome NorthEast "Fall Colors" Meet, I followed NJTom, REEDZ and bkw to the Jersey border. I then followed bkw to the split off on George Washington Bridge and the Lincoln Tunnel. Thanks bkw!!!
So, now I am in Jersey with my family and my cousin shows me his new Civic Coupe that he bought on my advice!
He says to me that I'll never believe all the S2000's that were in the Paramus dealership so I think to myself. . .hmmm, wonder if there are any '02's!?! I decide to take the drive with my cousin and when we arrive at Paramus Honda, he was right! There are 5 S2000's but all were '01's! I then asked him if there were any other Honda dealers around and he said we should try in Clifton. So we're off! About 30 minutes later, we pull up to Planet Honda of Passaic Park, New Jersey (keep in mind this is all being done after midnight!). I see an S2000 inside the showroom and run up the stairs like a little boy in a toy store! I yell out. . ."nice, it's white. . .damn, it looks good!" Of course, at this point, I am thinking it's a '01. The top was up but it was blocked with the hood which was open! I then start to circle the outside of the showroom wanting to see if the top has glass or if there are any chrome rings on the tailights and before I could even think of looking for those two things, the COLOR strikes me! I yell out to my cousin. . ."holy shit! It's a 2002! It's a Sebring Silver! OMG!" Yeah, it was that bad! Any on lookers would have thought I just won the Jersey lotto!So, I looked on for nearly 20 minutes and we left. The next morning, I drive into Planet Honda with my '00 Berlina Black/Red S2000 and ask the first salesman I see if anyone is "on" the Sebring Silver S2000. He replies, "no sir, we just got this car on Friday." I reply, uhhh, huh. . .I see, well what do you have it priced at? The salesman replies, "I believe we are selling this one at sticker. . .they are not easy to get, you know." Can you imagine what I am thinking right now? HeHeHe! LOL!!!! YES!!!!
Here's the hilarious part! I am just about to leave the dealer and drive out to their service department so I can have the fog lights and stainless grill removed and there is bkw looking at my new S2000! He had no idea it was me. We ended up driving together to the service department where he helped me remove lots of things from my '00! I gave him the Coastal Metals Ergo Foot Rest for the trouble! Thanks again Brian!!!
BTW, bkw showed me the new horn on the S2000! There's a pic in the link. . .much, much louder and deeper!
So here's the skinny:
My OLD Berlina Black/Red S2000 #6342 had 38,700 miles at trade in. It was already paid for and they at first offered me $20k. The final offer that I accepted was $26k for my baby!
The NEW Sebring Silver/Black S2000 #285 had only 11 miles and sold for sticker ($32,840.00).
The difference between the two was $6,840 + 990.00 for the HondaCare extended warranty = $7,830 to be financed. I am now paying a HUGE car payment!
Why? Well, since the beginning of my S2000 ownership, I have had some major issues with my beloved car! First of all, it was like no other S2000. It drove totally different (in a bad way). The transmission was always giving me little "problems." The tranny was completely replaced at 16k miles under Honda warranty, but the car still never drove right. In addition to this, the steering wheel was "affected" in the last tranny fix and had significant "play" when driving! The dealer said it was fine and never could get it right! Then came the insistent "chatter" of the clutch. Not slipping but a chatter. I complained about this from somewhere between 18k miles to 35,800 miles until Honda agreed to "look" at the pressure plate, flywheel and clutch. Honda replaced all of the above under warranty but was quick to tell me it was a one time courtesy! But, of course!
Well, that's enough about all that! All I can say about this NEW S2000 is the same that I and S2K Dude talked about the other night. . .the S2000 is now where it should have been to start with! The rear glass window is awesome and really gives the car a "tailored" look as do the rear chrome rings around the tailights! The new interior accents are good as well. The "leather-like vinyl" that covers the console is nice and it wraps around the the back of the seat. The shifter is alright. I preferred my old one. The new one is half metal and half with leather stitching that rubs into the palm of your hand. The new radio is better than the existing stock in '00 or '01 models but is nothing compared to what I had modified in my '00. The new Sebring Silver is just absolutely georgeous! It really reminds me of the Spa Yellow which I adore so very much! It has that "glow" to it the more you look and with a fresh coat of Zaino, the color wanted to jump out!!! Also, it seems to me that the rims are a little different. . .the inner portions used to be light gray on my '00 and now they seem to be a light, light bronze on my '02. Look at the pics and see if you know what I am talking about???
I have a link here to all my photos that show everything from the horn to front and side shots, interior shots and some shots of the top going up and down (for those of you interested in changing your tops). Also, I have ordered the front bumper plugs from HandA Accessories.com. . .
Have NO FEAR '02 S2000 Owners. . .the Coastal Metals grills will fit with no problems!
Here are some answers to questions asked in my previous post!
JBoggs: how much did you get on trade in? Your answer is above!
enuf: did you keep the grill and PIAA running lights? Yes, I kept both from my old S2000 and installed the grill on my new S2000. I gave the PIAA's to my cousin and will more than likely add PIAA's to mine soon. I just never really liked that "style" of PIAA.
indys2k: how'd you swing the deal? Your answer is above!
Radster: did you get hosed on the trade-in? Your answer is above! Thanks Kevin!
pbm317: do you notice the rumored "new transmission?" YES! Without a doubt! Much "smoother" shifting action and more of a "honda" feeling clutch as well! Of course, compared to my old one. . .a John Deere tractor was probably smoother! Kidding of course!
VAS2K: don't forget about that 600 mile break in time. HeHeHe! Mike, why do you think I bought it in Jersey? It's 600 miles from my home! LOL! Thanks Mike!
Tifosi Red: can we expect to see foglights again soon? Yes. I am actually searching now for the "perfect" ones! Those foglights were my "symbol." I'll have to have them back! For now, I just installed Coastal Metals grills!
MarkS2K: are you going to move any mods over to the new car? Yes, actually I had moved over the K&N Air Filter as well as the front grill. I also took my Muz Mat!
bguernsey: how much did they give you on trade in? Your answer is above!
So as you can see, several folks were concerned about the trade in price and so on! So was I!!! I am telling you, had it not been for the great deal, I would have waited! It's really great having this new S2000. . .it certainly draws much more attention than my balck with red!?!
The color is truly remarkable and the all black interior is very classy. I must admit that I do miss my RED leather seats! I really liked them! I just could never live with the "all red" interior! Speaking of that, I visited Honda's U.S. Website and saw that it only shows the seats RED and not everything else. . .what's that about???So, here are some pics now plus a whole bunch more in the link! ENJOY! Any questions, please post here and I will answer ASAP!!!
The Link!
AirGate's Pics (PhotoPoint.com)
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 45,784
Likes: 8,293
From: Mish-she-gan
Looks good. If my math is right, it appears they gave you about 80% of your original purchase price. Which probably means they think they can recover about 90%. Not bad on a 2-year old car with 39k miles. Thanks for sharing the info. Also, the pictures were great. It was interesting to see how the new rear glass folded in. Looking at your wheels, I couldn't see any difference from my '01's.
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Registered User
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 11
Likes: 0
From: Hollywood
When you find the 'perfect' foglights plse post......
I like the way Mazda placed the foglights on
their 2001 Miata..... as similarly you did on
your MY '00 S2K....... A flush fit into the SK2's
recessed dummy air intakes.
Just wrote check for tomorrow's mail to pay
off my 2001 MX5........ Now I'm in the market
for a silver/Blk 2002 S2K which I can not find
(yet) down here in south Florida . My MX5 is
also silver/blk so I'll have a pair of bookends.
thanks for your posted info.
I like the way Mazda placed the foglights on
their 2001 Miata..... as similarly you did on
your MY '00 S2K....... A flush fit into the SK2's
recessed dummy air intakes.
Just wrote check for tomorrow's mail to pay
off my 2001 MX5........ Now I'm in the market
for a silver/Blk 2002 S2K which I can not find
(yet) down here in south Florida . My MX5 is
also silver/blk so I'll have a pair of bookends.
thanks for your posted info.
Community Organizer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,644
Likes: 143
From: Chapel Hill, NC
Stuff I saw thats different.
* Two holes in floor mats
* Backs of seats (plastic covers are silver?)
* NO BUMPER PLUGS!!!
* Horn is put in as an after thought!(it was)
* Honda QA was on top of things the H's are all lined up with the valve stems!!!
Are the 02's top mechanics different than 2000-2001.
* Two holes in floor mats
* Backs of seats (plastic covers are silver?)
* NO BUMPER PLUGS!!!
* Horn is put in as an after thought!(it was)
* Honda QA was on top of things the H's are all lined up with the valve stems!!!
Are the 02's top mechanics different than 2000-2001.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 388
Likes: 0
From: Longview, WA
Congratulations Raul.... It's a gorgeous color, and the grille insert looks awesome with this color as well. Oh, and good dealing on the trade too! Chow...and enjoy, which I'm sure you will. Kevin (RADSTER) P.S. I hope you don't add any of the exterior items: Side Strakes, Front Spoiler, Rear Spoiler..... I think it looks fantastic in it's pure state.
Kevin (RADSTER) P.S. I hope you don't add any of the exterior items: Side Strakes, Front Spoiler, Rear Spoiler..... I think it looks fantastic in it's pure state.