Say Chi Sin Lo

Beautiful car!

I was doing some reading. It looks like there's no way you can install AP2 tailights onto AP1 cars without cutting up metals.

GuthNW

Congratulations! I have a suggestion: with the exception of the tires, why don't you try living with the car as is for a while before you being modifying it? I'm saying this as someone who prefers the AP2 cars. But if I were to have ended up with an AP1 instead, I'd be cool with that. Instead of trying to make it look like an AP2, I'd likely embrace those things that are unique to the AP1. I don't feel this way about just S2000s, but most cars in general. These days I simply appreciate the fact that any car models can survive a long enough production span to undergo such changes. (It now seems like an eternity since car manufacturers used to make notable changes on a yearly basis). I think it's cool that you found a year 2000 model with over 100K miles that's still basically stock and in great shape. That's actually more impressive to me than what price you might have paid.

Jumping down from my soapbox now, I also understand the need that many feel to modify their cars to suit themselves. It is "your car" now after all, lol. If you do end up feeling like you can't live with the car the way it is, I hope that you'll at least hang on to all of the original parts so that if you should ever desire to do so you can easily return the car to stock. Over time there are fewer and fewer stockers around, that's just how things work when it comes to cars. Whatever you do, I know that you'll enjoy your S.

Say Chi Sin Lo

I completely understand where you're coming from. And yeah, I will definitely embrace the car for what it is.

As for the exterior, overall, it is in GREAT shape for the model year. My aunties saw the car and they said "exotic brands really do have high quality paint." And I'm standing there going: "it's a Honda... lol"

Let me just say this @GuthNW , if I can't find a set of AP2 bumpers that are in as good of a shape as the rest of this car, it's not happening.

Kyle

Finalllllyyyyyyy!!!! Beautiful car man!

Say Chi Sin Lo

Thank you! I'm very excited. There are some paint imperfections, but it's extremely minor and they are not blatantly obvious either. For the price that I paid for, in this kind of mechanical shape, I'd be very ungrateful to complaint.

I am looking forward to the ownership once I take care of the title, registration, insurance. I hope it won't be too long because I will be busy in the coming days/2weeks.

I also would want to do some preventative/maintenance prior to driving it like it was intended. Of course the previous owner did a great job with the maintenance, but I will be doing my own as well for a peace of mind.

Kyle

Yep yep! That's basically where I was this past season. Got my car in the beginning of July and spent most of the months waiting on parts to get it where I wanted it. It's now stashed away in storage for the winter until next year, I only put a few hundred miles on it this season Any car that's driven will have imperfections. My car is definitely going to need a front bumper respray and some PDR work this spring; just the name of the game.

It looks like a real gem though man, that engine bay is spotless, that's how you can really tell a car was well cared-for....and I don't just mean someone did a quick power washing; it looks like someone was regularly under there keeping things tip top and clean. Excited to see what you're gonna do with it. And I echo what other people are saying, leave the AP1 look. There's a certain elegance in an AP1 front end that's attractive to me, especially with an OEM lip, gears lip, or BYS lip. AP2 is nice too, I just think AP1 looks good in its own right.

Say Chi Sin Lo

I'm not going to lie, the looks of my AP1 is definitely growing on me. I think mechanically, I'd leave this car stock. Why? Because Honda engineers were way smarter than me.

I may consider getting a set of AP2v1 wheels. I think I would appreciate a wider contact with the pavement.

Kyle

Call me retarded, but I'm not leaving mine stock because modifying stuff is fun, and I wanna make it go faster; increase the giggle factor. I was all set to do an AP2 front end conversion before I even got my car, but there's just something about the AP1 that grew on me....I feel like I see more AP2s than AP1s, and I find myself getting excited when I see another AP1 vs an AP2.....Having owned my car for a few months I wouldn't want an AP2, but I think generally people that buy ANY s2000 are more than satisfied and don't bother lusting over a different MY.

IA-SteveB

That's funny that you say that. I don't see ANY S2000s in my neck of the woods. I live in an area where there are about 100k people in sister cities and I have only seen two other S2000s and one of them belongs to a friend of mine. The other one belongs to a guy about a mile away and is an exact twin of mine. If I drive down his street people wave at me thinking it is him. If there are more in my area I certainly haven't seen them but Iowa is not a great drop top state anyway.

Chuck S

Don't worry, I had no idea what these were anyway!

I agree the 2004 and later face lift cars look better than the earlier versions but it's all cosmetic other than the wheels which are a real upgrade.

You can mitigate some oversteer with the CR-spec tire sizes on 17" AP1V1 wheels. Bridgestone S-04 tires (Max performance summer tires) in 215mm front and 255mm rear widths. Lower tire profile on 17" rims yields a stiffer sidewall with less squirm during cornering. Try these wheels and tires for several thousand miles before thinking you need to diddle with the suspension. The S-04 tires handle just as well as my former Dunlap star-specs or Bridgestone RE-11A tires. Since I'm not drifting corners or even getting tire squeal I must not drive as aggressively as my wife accuses me of driving.

- Chuck