2001 gpw ap1
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2001 gpw ap1
Happy 2017 everyone.
It finally happened and I couldn't be happier.
I still go down to my garage and just stare at her all giddy and happy. Well...I have been in love with these cars since they were first released. A friend of mine purchased a Suzuka Blue AP1 when they first came out and I was hooked ever since. At the time it was completely impractical for me to get a 2-seater (still is, haha!) and on top of that I was too broke to buy one, lol. Here's my brief story of how she became mine.
I was on a random late night Craigslist search (November 2016) and came across a post...1 grainy camera phone picture of GPW S2000 and a short description of the vehicle. The post was up for 14 days at this point. I said "what the hell!" and decided to send an email. Four days later I finally got a response! I set up the soonest time available and drove down to Olympia area to take a looksey. It had been a rainy few weeks in Seattle. Upon first glance she was covered in dirt grime, but I knew the beauty that is GPW (my favorite color in the S). As I introduced myself and looked over the car I noticed the two-tone, mostly red interior. SCORE! I walk around the car and check for rust, everything checks out. Even the faded VIN stickers are on all the body panels! I go for a quick spin. Motor and clutch felt great. I bought it on the spot and drove her home. I washed her with alot of elbow grease 6 times and was pleasantly surprised how clean her body was (only two small dings on the passenger side).
I am the 3rd official owner of this car. The guy I purchased it from told me how meticulously the first owner took care of the vehicle (I wonder why =P). I could tell he knew a little about the car, but I could tell to him it was just a little "cool car" He explained because the first owner took such good care of it, he felt somewhat obligated to treat her with care and although she was dirty, I could tell he did take pretty decent care of her. He was using her as a commuter from Olympia to Auburn daily and then driving up to North Seattle for his son's soccer games. He said he felt guilty putting so many miles on her and complained about how he could barely fit his sons soccer bag or his golf gear in the trunk. I have done a few minor things and I plan to keep her forever. Enough jabber...here are a few pictures of my white beauty. I have plans for her so I'll post progress on her as I go. I look forward to meeting more S2000 owners in my area.
It finally happened and I couldn't be happier.
I still go down to my garage and just stare at her all giddy and happy. Well...I have been in love with these cars since they were first released. A friend of mine purchased a Suzuka Blue AP1 when they first came out and I was hooked ever since. At the time it was completely impractical for me to get a 2-seater (still is, haha!) and on top of that I was too broke to buy one, lol. Here's my brief story of how she became mine.
I was on a random late night Craigslist search (November 2016) and came across a post...1 grainy camera phone picture of GPW S2000 and a short description of the vehicle. The post was up for 14 days at this point. I said "what the hell!" and decided to send an email. Four days later I finally got a response! I set up the soonest time available and drove down to Olympia area to take a looksey. It had been a rainy few weeks in Seattle. Upon first glance she was covered in dirt grime, but I knew the beauty that is GPW (my favorite color in the S). As I introduced myself and looked over the car I noticed the two-tone, mostly red interior. SCORE! I walk around the car and check for rust, everything checks out. Even the faded VIN stickers are on all the body panels! I go for a quick spin. Motor and clutch felt great. I bought it on the spot and drove her home. I washed her with alot of elbow grease 6 times and was pleasantly surprised how clean her body was (only two small dings on the passenger side).
I am the 3rd official owner of this car. The guy I purchased it from told me how meticulously the first owner took care of the vehicle (I wonder why =P). I could tell he knew a little about the car, but I could tell to him it was just a little "cool car" He explained because the first owner took such good care of it, he felt somewhat obligated to treat her with care and although she was dirty, I could tell he did take pretty decent care of her. He was using her as a commuter from Olympia to Auburn daily and then driving up to North Seattle for his son's soccer games. He said he felt guilty putting so many miles on her and complained about how he could barely fit his sons soccer bag or his golf gear in the trunk. I have done a few minor things and I plan to keep her forever. Enough jabber...here are a few pictures of my white beauty. I have plans for her so I'll post progress on her as I go. I look forward to meeting more S2000 owners in my area.
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The picture on the right is the first day I picked her up. The photo to the left is after a buddy and I reconditioned the headlights. 4x Better then it was but there are stress cracks. I will order some cheapo ebay headlights and just swap the lenses with the bake-tech. I'm feeling like a risk taker and took off my front license plate....it just looks too clean without the plate 
Joined: Jul 2013
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Nice!!!
I was in a similar situation myself. I bought an 01 from a second owner back in July 2013, when I traveled to purchased the GPW 01 model, it was also covered in grime and dirt also. Which I thought the GPW looked very dull. However, I knew this was a gem since the owner did not seemed much of a car enthusiast (I could be wrong) owned 10+ years with only the past 3-5 years (seen through carfax) that it rack up the most miles. I also enjoy the process of making the car mind, upping the standard the S should have; just making it clean again. I have clay bared it a handful of times in the beginning and the paint gleams ever so nicely. That'll definitely take away the grime and make the painted surface feel smooth right after. Make sure you give it a try
I would suggest, if haven't already. check your valves retainers and make sure that the intake side is not cracked. I was fortunate, that the previous owner, was able to fix that before I bought it, the dude was an engineer. Other than that, I've been driving it everyday ever since and it has been treating me very well. It does burn quite some oil, where I noticed that time to time every 3-4 weeks, that I do need to add oil. I am also on my stock clutch at 185k. Enjoy the S bro.
I was in a similar situation myself. I bought an 01 from a second owner back in July 2013, when I traveled to purchased the GPW 01 model, it was also covered in grime and dirt also. Which I thought the GPW looked very dull. However, I knew this was a gem since the owner did not seemed much of a car enthusiast (I could be wrong) owned 10+ years with only the past 3-5 years (seen through carfax) that it rack up the most miles. I also enjoy the process of making the car mind, upping the standard the S should have; just making it clean again. I have clay bared it a handful of times in the beginning and the paint gleams ever so nicely. That'll definitely take away the grime and make the painted surface feel smooth right after. Make sure you give it a try
I would suggest, if haven't already. check your valves retainers and make sure that the intake side is not cracked. I was fortunate, that the previous owner, was able to fix that before I bought it, the dude was an engineer. Other than that, I've been driving it everyday ever since and it has been treating me very well. It does burn quite some oil, where I noticed that time to time every 3-4 weeks, that I do need to add oil. I am also on my stock clutch at 185k. Enjoy the S bro.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 83
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Nice!!!
I was in a similar situation myself. I bought an 01 from a second owner back in July 2013, when I traveled to purchased the GPW 01 model, it was also covered in grime and dirt also. Which I thought the GPW looked very dull. However, I knew this was a gem since the owner did not seemed much of a car enthusiast (I could be wrong) owned 10+ years with only the past 3-5 years (seen through carfax) that it rack up the most miles. I also enjoy the process of making the car mind, upping the standard the S should have; just making it clean again. I have clay bared it a handful of times in the beginning and the paint gleams ever so nicely. That'll definitely take away the grime and make the painted surface feel smooth right after. Make sure you give it a try
I would suggest, if haven't already. check your valves retainers and make sure that the intake side is not cracked. I was fortunate, that the previous owner, was able to fix that before I bought it, the dude was an engineer. Other than that, I've been driving it everyday ever since and it has been treating me very well. It does burn quite some oil, where I noticed that time to time every 3-4 weeks, that I do need to add oil. I am also on my stock clutch at 185k. Enjoy the S bro.
I was in a similar situation myself. I bought an 01 from a second owner back in July 2013, when I traveled to purchased the GPW 01 model, it was also covered in grime and dirt also. Which I thought the GPW looked very dull. However, I knew this was a gem since the owner did not seemed much of a car enthusiast (I could be wrong) owned 10+ years with only the past 3-5 years (seen through carfax) that it rack up the most miles. I also enjoy the process of making the car mind, upping the standard the S should have; just making it clean again. I have clay bared it a handful of times in the beginning and the paint gleams ever so nicely. That'll definitely take away the grime and make the painted surface feel smooth right after. Make sure you give it a try
I would suggest, if haven't already. check your valves retainers and make sure that the intake side is not cracked. I was fortunate, that the previous owner, was able to fix that before I bought it, the dude was an engineer. Other than that, I've been driving it everyday ever since and it has been treating me very well. It does burn quite some oil, where I noticed that time to time every 3-4 weeks, that I do need to add oil. I am also on my stock clutch at 185k. Enjoy the S bro.
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From: Cali
Sweet. I love my GPW. I too bought mine covered in dirt and grime and paint swirls. But, I knew it was a diamond underneath (no dings, dents, scrapes, rust, damage, not many chips, etc.). Especially compared to a few others I've seen, which were the complete opposite - all washed up, shiny, tire dressing, polished (to try to impress potential buyers), but had a lot of dings, dents, scrapes, 1000s of chips, mismatched paint, etc.
