There's a First for Everything
02-21-2014, 07:55 PM
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There's a First for Everything
HI all!
The name is Jonathan and this is the first post ever in this forum!! Finally feels good to be a part of something this great and I am looking forward to learning from the true O.G. S2000 owners out there.
So little about me...
Born and raised in central Virginia. Pretty much was brought up into a culture of car lovers, true motor-heads I would say. With that being said, I owe everything to my father. He taught me everything I know about cars and he changed the way I looked at the skill. He taught me the fundamentals, the safety aspects and the consequences that would be rendered by an oversight or mistake. Taught me the reward of doing things yourself, the right way, the only way. Somehow along the way I remember picking up a Honda Tuning Mag and drooled over the cars that graced it's pages. I was in love. So, naturally I picked up the habit and began to tinker with none other than a Honda. First car was a 1993 Prelude. Bought it for $2500 cash money at the ripe age of 15. It was rough and needed some work. Luckily, my dad was a painter and we were able to get the body lines straightened and the paint refreshed within the first few months of ownership. At this point I didn't have a license yet but I spent hours with the car planning my next move for it. I was a sucker for OEM. I wanted the car to be as clean as a 1993 Prelude could be on a high school student's budget. Over time I got there. By far one of the cleanest cars around town, by 1993 OEM standards. Drove the car for a couple of years and besides a couple distributors and a axle, it faired really well. I did eventually do some mods but considering the car wasn't really a hot chassis to modify, I moved on to an EM1. This car was the furthest I have ever gone with modifying a car. It was a one owner and it held a very special place to my heart. I did everything myself that I possibly could. At this point I adopted a theory, "Buy it right, buy it once". See, with my Prelude I skipped corners where I could and bought the cheaper versions of everything. This time, I went legit and did things the way I wanted. But all things must come to an end and I sold the car. Years after I moved on to hatchback after Integra after Civic after....and so on. Pretty much leaving things OEM. Money was tight while going to school and it just wasn't in the books so I got my fix by working on other friends cars and making my OEM examples even more clean!
Fast forward a couple years. I am now 23, done with school, moved to Northern Va, began my dream career in IT, bought my first house, and pretty much married
Enough about me and on to the beginning of the S2000!!!
I have always loved them. Not a day went by that I didn't daydream about owning one. Finally after months of searching I found the perfect car.
2007 with 23,000 on the odometer. One owner car. The older gentleman who owned it sold it to the same dealer where he bought it. It was located about 10 miles north of Baltimore Maryland. Quite a hike but I would drive to Texas if it meant a perfect example. Needless to say I was set on the car. It was gorgeous minus one flaw...the soft top. It had been patched by a 3rd party company the dealer used in the normal wear spot. It looked like crap but I didn't care. It was replaceable item that most owners have to deal with so it didn't bother me. Now remember, I am thinking on a strict "keep it OEM" mentality. The papers were drawn up and I got the keys, but not that day. I had to wait for some paperwork to clear. I was ok with that and I understood the process that was needed. As I was leaving the dealership I watched the dealer drive the car back to it's location on the lot. As he pulled the car in the parking spot he drove over the curb, slightly scraping the bottom of the bumper. Let's just say that didn't go over well. After multiple talks with the manager the only deal they would make was the repair the bumper. I did not want that. My father was a painter and if anyone was going to paint the bumper it would be him. I grew up in body shops so I know how that type of work is treated and I was not going to take a chance over a few scrapes on the bottom that a front lip would conceal.
Anyway, after bringing up painful memories, I was happy with my purchase. I have owned the S for a little over a year now and put only about 1500 miles on the clock! It's because I work a lot, not because I choose not to driver her : ). I have tossed around the ideas of trading her for a Tacoma, EVO, IS F, and STI. You name it, I thought about trading it. I have finally decided that I couldn't go out like that without knowing the true joy she could bring to my life. It's garaged at all times and not my daily so I have no excuse to not push the limits. It only took me a year to figure that out.... : )
Thanks everyone! I look forward to the future.
-Jonathan
The name is Jonathan and this is the first post ever in this forum!! Finally feels good to be a part of something this great and I am looking forward to learning from the true O.G. S2000 owners out there.
So little about me...
Born and raised in central Virginia. Pretty much was brought up into a culture of car lovers, true motor-heads I would say. With that being said, I owe everything to my father. He taught me everything I know about cars and he changed the way I looked at the skill. He taught me the fundamentals, the safety aspects and the consequences that would be rendered by an oversight or mistake. Taught me the reward of doing things yourself, the right way, the only way. Somehow along the way I remember picking up a Honda Tuning Mag and drooled over the cars that graced it's pages. I was in love. So, naturally I picked up the habit and began to tinker with none other than a Honda. First car was a 1993 Prelude. Bought it for $2500 cash money at the ripe age of 15. It was rough and needed some work. Luckily, my dad was a painter and we were able to get the body lines straightened and the paint refreshed within the first few months of ownership. At this point I didn't have a license yet but I spent hours with the car planning my next move for it. I was a sucker for OEM. I wanted the car to be as clean as a 1993 Prelude could be on a high school student's budget. Over time I got there. By far one of the cleanest cars around town, by 1993 OEM standards. Drove the car for a couple of years and besides a couple distributors and a axle, it faired really well. I did eventually do some mods but considering the car wasn't really a hot chassis to modify, I moved on to an EM1. This car was the furthest I have ever gone with modifying a car. It was a one owner and it held a very special place to my heart. I did everything myself that I possibly could. At this point I adopted a theory, "Buy it right, buy it once". See, with my Prelude I skipped corners where I could and bought the cheaper versions of everything. This time, I went legit and did things the way I wanted. But all things must come to an end and I sold the car. Years after I moved on to hatchback after Integra after Civic after....and so on. Pretty much leaving things OEM. Money was tight while going to school and it just wasn't in the books so I got my fix by working on other friends cars and making my OEM examples even more clean!
Fast forward a couple years. I am now 23, done with school, moved to Northern Va, began my dream career in IT, bought my first house, and pretty much married
Enough about me and on to the beginning of the S2000!!!
I have always loved them. Not a day went by that I didn't daydream about owning one. Finally after months of searching I found the perfect car.
2007 with 23,000 on the odometer. One owner car. The older gentleman who owned it sold it to the same dealer where he bought it. It was located about 10 miles north of Baltimore Maryland. Quite a hike but I would drive to Texas if it meant a perfect example. Needless to say I was set on the car. It was gorgeous minus one flaw...the soft top. It had been patched by a 3rd party company the dealer used in the normal wear spot. It looked like crap but I didn't care. It was replaceable item that most owners have to deal with so it didn't bother me. Now remember, I am thinking on a strict "keep it OEM" mentality. The papers were drawn up and I got the keys, but not that day. I had to wait for some paperwork to clear. I was ok with that and I understood the process that was needed. As I was leaving the dealership I watched the dealer drive the car back to it's location on the lot. As he pulled the car in the parking spot he drove over the curb, slightly scraping the bottom of the bumper. Let's just say that didn't go over well. After multiple talks with the manager the only deal they would make was the repair the bumper. I did not want that. My father was a painter and if anyone was going to paint the bumper it would be him. I grew up in body shops so I know how that type of work is treated and I was not going to take a chance over a few scrapes on the bottom that a front lip would conceal.
Anyway, after bringing up painful memories, I was happy with my purchase. I have owned the S for a little over a year now and put only about 1500 miles on the clock! It's because I work a lot, not because I choose not to driver her : ). I have tossed around the ideas of trading her for a Tacoma, EVO, IS F, and STI. You name it, I thought about trading it. I have finally decided that I couldn't go out like that without knowing the true joy she could bring to my life. It's garaged at all times and not my daily so I have no excuse to not push the limits. It only took me a year to figure that out.... : )
Thanks everyone! I look forward to the future.
-Jonathan
and welcome....
02-22-2014, 03:41 PM
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Yup sure is! I really want to just build an overall nice street car that can also be pushed around on the track. Im not in the whole stance seen or jdm this, jdm that. I want to pursue quality parts and avoid trends if possible. I want to base my build on product performance not what's hot this week. Sometimes those things go hand and hand and if so, that's cool too. Mainly, I want to build my idea of what the S should be.
First mod will definitely be a front lip. Don't know if I want to do the normal OEM lip or CR. I will most likely upgrade the bumper in the future so not sure if I want to spend the extra $ on the CR lip.
Any ideas?
First mod will definitely be a front lip. Don't know if I want to do the normal OEM lip or CR. I will most likely upgrade the bumper in the future so not sure if I want to spend the extra $ on the CR lip.
Any ideas?
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02-24-2014, 04:43 AM
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