Newbie from Kent
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 34
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From: Canterbury
Newbie from Kent
Hi all,
This is a rather momentous event for me. I have always been crazy about sports cars ever since I was a young boy watching Knight Rider!
An avid Evo and Car Mag reader I have always dreamed of the day I could get a proper drivers car. My career path took me into sales where I have been lucky to experience lots of executive metal, but nothing to satisfy the knight rider craving... That young boy is now turning 33 this year, and through a mixture of luck and persistence I am in the throws of starting my own business
This means that for the first time in my driving life I get to choose my daily car without the corporate restrictions!
Unless you are reading this by mistake, you have already guessed that I am in the market for an S2000. I am attracted to this car because it has a great engine/gearbox and is a little different to the boxster/Z4 route. Different is good. It is to be my daily driver to do all my work and play driving. I can do quite a fair mileage but should be only 18k pa or so from now on.
My budget isn't huge, £6.5k or so. Yesterday I went to see this car:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...32af?logcode=p
It was alright. It had the hard top (which I think is a must for me) and only 50k on the clock. My issues were that it looked a little unloved, the clutch was quite heavy (although I drive a new mazda 6 atm so maybe its relative) and I didnt get a chance to try out the Vtec. Everytime I got close the dealer told me to slow down! The alloys were badly corroded too. Apart from that tho it was alright. A few weeks with me and I am sure it would be back to gleaming. I think I just need to see a few more examples so I can see what a good one or bad one looks like.
Anyway, if anyone is in Kent and wants to give me some tips then please say hi!
Cheers
Paul
This is a rather momentous event for me. I have always been crazy about sports cars ever since I was a young boy watching Knight Rider!
An avid Evo and Car Mag reader I have always dreamed of the day I could get a proper drivers car. My career path took me into sales where I have been lucky to experience lots of executive metal, but nothing to satisfy the knight rider craving... That young boy is now turning 33 this year, and through a mixture of luck and persistence I am in the throws of starting my own business
This means that for the first time in my driving life I get to choose my daily car without the corporate restrictions!
Unless you are reading this by mistake, you have already guessed that I am in the market for an S2000. I am attracted to this car because it has a great engine/gearbox and is a little different to the boxster/Z4 route. Different is good. It is to be my daily driver to do all my work and play driving. I can do quite a fair mileage but should be only 18k pa or so from now on.
My budget isn't huge, £6.5k or so. Yesterday I went to see this car:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...32af?logcode=p
It was alright. It had the hard top (which I think is a must for me) and only 50k on the clock. My issues were that it looked a little unloved, the clutch was quite heavy (although I drive a new mazda 6 atm so maybe its relative) and I didnt get a chance to try out the Vtec. Everytime I got close the dealer told me to slow down! The alloys were badly corroded too. Apart from that tho it was alright. A few weeks with me and I am sure it would be back to gleaming. I think I just need to see a few more examples so I can see what a good one or bad one looks like.
Anyway, if anyone is in Kent and wants to give me some tips then please say hi!
Cheers
Paul
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 448
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From: Austin
Welcome!!
I hope you don't plan on being able to have phone conversations in your car - even with the hardtop.
I was a field sales rep for a tech company when I first got my S2000. I would put 2,000 miles a week on it some weeks driving to meetings. I can tell you that it's impossible to have a phone conversation in the car over about 40 miles per hour. It's just too loud (my car is completely stock). If you're just using it to commute to the office though it should be great.
Overall, these are really great, high quality, simple, durable cars that are a rush to drive. Only Honda could have pulled off mixing classic sports car elements with F1 technology while making it both reliable and LEV compliant. It's really too bad that they didn't evolve the platform. I'm disappointed that they let it live and die the normal product lifecycle.
I hope you don't plan on being able to have phone conversations in your car - even with the hardtop.
I was a field sales rep for a tech company when I first got my S2000. I would put 2,000 miles a week on it some weeks driving to meetings. I can tell you that it's impossible to have a phone conversation in the car over about 40 miles per hour. It's just too loud (my car is completely stock). If you're just using it to commute to the office though it should be great.
Overall, these are really great, high quality, simple, durable cars that are a rush to drive. Only Honda could have pulled off mixing classic sports car elements with F1 technology while making it both reliable and LEV compliant. It's really too bad that they didn't evolve the platform. I'm disappointed that they let it live and die the normal product lifecycle.
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 34
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From: Canterbury
Well, I went to view my 2nd potential car today.
It went on Pistonheads last night at 10pm and I had the email sent by 11pm. It seems the amount of good deals on the open market are few with roughly 2 new cars per week coming up for sale. So when I saw the ad I knew I had to act fast!
It was a 2002 AP1 in Nurb Blue with Hardtop and black leather, 69k. The owner was really fastidious and open, the car looked like it had been loved and I knew I had to have it. He let me drive it and experience the Vtec. Wow! I was amazed. Such an engaging and characterful car. I was very impressed with the low down torque at low/mid revs. I have read all the reviews that say there is nothing below the 6000rpm. Really??? I am used to driving high power diesel cars with 400NM of torque and more! I could definitely feel a sustained shove in the back with the S2000 and I wasnt expecting it at all. And the noise and delivery are really beautiful. It reminded me of my friends 996 C2s, a dominating rush of sound and shove! And to know it is 'just' a 2litre 4 pot. Bonkers! When Honda made this car, they meant it.
So we shook on a deal and I am going to collect the car on Monday! I cannot wait to get to know the car better with lots of driving and time to familiarise myself with its movements.
Cheers all
Paul
It went on Pistonheads last night at 10pm and I had the email sent by 11pm. It seems the amount of good deals on the open market are few with roughly 2 new cars per week coming up for sale. So when I saw the ad I knew I had to act fast!
It was a 2002 AP1 in Nurb Blue with Hardtop and black leather, 69k. The owner was really fastidious and open, the car looked like it had been loved and I knew I had to have it. He let me drive it and experience the Vtec. Wow! I was amazed. Such an engaging and characterful car. I was very impressed with the low down torque at low/mid revs. I have read all the reviews that say there is nothing below the 6000rpm. Really??? I am used to driving high power diesel cars with 400NM of torque and more! I could definitely feel a sustained shove in the back with the S2000 and I wasnt expecting it at all. And the noise and delivery are really beautiful. It reminded me of my friends 996 C2s, a dominating rush of sound and shove! And to know it is 'just' a 2litre 4 pot. Bonkers! When Honda made this car, they meant it.
So we shook on a deal and I am going to collect the car on Monday! I cannot wait to get to know the car better with lots of driving and time to familiarise myself with its movements.
Cheers all
Paul
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 6
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HI Paul,
I noticed this one for sale when I was looking for mine, Its definitely worth having a good look around. I ended up getting mine from Aberdeen! Lucky enough for me a good friend of mine is an engineer and agreed to give it a once over. The seller was good bloke and drove it all the way down to the midlands for me! Was a bit of a gamble but my gosh it paid off!
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=329045
I noticed this one for sale when I was looking for mine, Its definitely worth having a good look around. I ended up getting mine from Aberdeen! Lucky enough for me a good friend of mine is an engineer and agreed to give it a once over. The seller was good bloke and drove it all the way down to the midlands for me! Was a bit of a gamble but my gosh it paid off!
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=329045
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2014
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From: Canterbury
Here she is home! On the way I popped into Halfords and spent £85 on cleaning bits haha! Managed to get a quick wash in before dark. And have just been out conditioning the leather. God I love this car!
Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 34
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From: Canterbury
Clayed the whole car today. Tomorrow the wax....! I noticed my front wheels have quite a pronounced camber; the outside of the front tyres are fine but the insides are 1mm off their limits. I guess this is normal? Got to find a good place in the UK to source some replacement RE050As.