15 Years of the S2000 in North America!
09-17-2014, 10:39 AM
#1
Thread Starter
15 Years of the S2000 in North America!
Formally announced in Fall of 1998 and first sold in Japan in April 1999, I had to wait till September 17, 1999 to take delivery of my own S2000. Fifteen years later, I still can't imagine selling it - every time I get in the car, it's such a satisfying experience that all thoughts of getting rid of it are forgotten.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating: the S2000 is one of those rare Special Cars - cars which burst on the scene with a unique combination of traits that made them uniquely, and enduringly, desirable. In the S2000's case, it's what Honda and Uehara-san call "Real Open Sports": performance, styling, and design that are all focused on direct driver involvement. And then there was its incredible value: at an MSRP of $32,000 its performance embarrassed cars costing nearly twice as much!
In hindsight there were certainly compromises, and some things that frankly weren't as successful as they woulda/shoulda/coulda been. For me, though, the result is a "warts and all" love affair that has kept the ownership experience eternally interesting and - as Honda intended - utterly involving for 15 years and counting.
Cheers to us all, and here's to the next 15 years, and then some!
John
P.S. Incidentally, that September 17 date is about a week before most of the rest of North America got their first S2000 shipments, thanks to L.A.'s proximity to the shipping port. So I suppose it's possible that I've owned an S2000 longer than anyone else in North America! I'm curious to know - can anyone here beat me?
I've said it before, but it bears repeating: the S2000 is one of those rare Special Cars - cars which burst on the scene with a unique combination of traits that made them uniquely, and enduringly, desirable. In the S2000's case, it's what Honda and Uehara-san call "Real Open Sports": performance, styling, and design that are all focused on direct driver involvement. And then there was its incredible value: at an MSRP of $32,000 its performance embarrassed cars costing nearly twice as much!
In hindsight there were certainly compromises, and some things that frankly weren't as successful as they woulda/shoulda/coulda been. For me, though, the result is a "warts and all" love affair that has kept the ownership experience eternally interesting and - as Honda intended - utterly involving for 15 years and counting.
Cheers to us all, and here's to the next 15 years, and then some!
John
P.S. Incidentally, that September 17 date is about a week before most of the rest of North America got their first S2000 shipments, thanks to L.A.'s proximity to the shipping port. So I suppose it's possible that I've owned an S2000 longer than anyone else in North America! I'm curious to know - can anyone here beat me?
09-17-2014, 10:50 AM
#2
09-17-2014, 10:50 AM
#3
I've only had mine since April but hope to have mine for many more years, ideally never having a reason to get rid of it. Hopefully you'll never either. I agree it's an incredibly special car and enjoy every time I take it out for a drive.
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09-17-2014, 11:59 AM
#8
I don't suffer the envy thing.. more like the, ah shoot, missed it.. but.. I wish I had been an Original Owner... I have read many of you and have a great respects.. congrats on 15 yrs...
on an interesting note.. I used to wrench at the corner there in Redondo Beach some 40 yrs ago.. little foreign car shop... doubt it's anywhere there nowdays.. so, thanks for two memories..
on an interesting note.. I used to wrench at the corner there in Redondo Beach some 40 yrs ago.. little foreign car shop... doubt it's anywhere there nowdays.. so, thanks for two memories..
09-17-2014, 07:28 PM
#10
Former Moderator
Didn't get them at the dealer until December 1999. My dealer got 2, a NFR and Silverstone. Both sold immediately, for full price plus every dealer installed accessory. I got to drive and service them before the salesmen and new owners.
We sold the NFR to a school teacher, last I saw it it had 110k miles, and still hadn't worn out a set of brake pads. The Silverstone got beat up pretty quick, didn't see it again after the warranty was up.
Other dealers were adding 10k in "market adjustment" and still sold them out.
We sold the NFR to a school teacher, last I saw it it had 110k miles, and still hadn't worn out a set of brake pads. The Silverstone got beat up pretty quick, didn't see it again after the warranty was up.
Other dealers were adding 10k in "market adjustment" and still sold them out.