TFota

I sold my 2000 S2000 yesterday after nearly 13 years. When I bought it new in September 1999 I said I would never sell it and I've said this countless times since then. It's #313 and was one of the first S2000s in San Diego. I put a deposit on it in January 1999 and waited 9 months for it's release and to take delivery. I've had 90,000 miles of fun with it, including many meets, autocrosses, and track days.

Last year my wife needed a new car and we bought a 2011 BMW 335is Coupe and joined BMW CCA. We've become very active in the club and I've fallen in love with BMWs, the BMW culture, and we've found many new BMW friends. We started autocrossing it, and bought some dedicated wheels and tires for autocrossing and the track. It's an incredible car and I love driving it, although it is obviously completely different from an S2000.

Bottom line, I recently had a chance to drive a Z4 M Roadster and fell in love with it. My bucket list included owning my own BMW, a "///M" BMW, and I love roadsters, so I guess it was fate. I found a 2006 BMW M Roadster in Interlagos Blue, Extended Black Nappa Leather interior, Carbon Leather Trim, Premium Package, Navigation, Heated Seats, and iPod Adapter, every option available except for Sirius. It's a one-owner car with 31,700 miles, in excellent condition. Yesterday I did my first autocross in this car and it's quite the beast! It pulls like an ox from 2000 RPM all the way to 8000 RPM and the sound of the S54 M engine, same as in an E46 M3, is intoxicating. Some of the stats: 330 HP (+38%), 262 lb./ft. torque (+71%). Weight is 333 pounds more, just 11%. HP/weight ratio is 11.9 for the S2000 and only 9.7 for the M Roadster. It has a much more brutal and raw feeling to it.

The proud new owner is a 19 year old neighbor. He was 8 years old when we moved onto the block in 2001, and I still remember him seeing the car for the first time, eyes wide, so excited, because he knew the car from playing Gran Turismo on PlayStation. He loved the car, it became his dream car, and he apparently had his heart set on buying one some day. When his dad found out that I was selling mine, he called me up and said he wanted to buy it as a surprise for his son, who is now an all-A Junior at USD. Yesterday he drove away with the car he's wanted for the last 11 years. A sad day for me for sure, and I actually got a little choked up as I saw him drive away. But it was nice to see his excitement, just the same as it was when he was 8. He (and his parents) have promised me that he'll take good care of it.

I used to frequent this forum a lot in the early days and was one of the first members, although I haven't been very active here in years. I met Erik Petersen on the first known SoCal S2000 meet, probably late 1999 or early 2000, when six of us got together and drove to Palm Springs. I met a lot of great people on this forum and on the early meets and I loved the camaraderie. Some of the people I remember were Erik, Aaron B., Scott W., and Greg V. I don't remember everyone from the board but cdelena was one member that while we butted heads a few time, I always respected him and his advice and opinion. I also remember Rick and his leather products and had my car trimmed with his products. There are many others that I don't remember, but if you remember me and I haven't mentioned you I apologize.

So I bid a fond adieu to the S2000 and the S2000 community and to the many friends I've met here. May you have many great miles in your S2000!

ofsalesmen

It's wonderful that you were able to pass on the car to someone who will truly enjoy it. I also remember the first time I saw one... I was about 12 or 13 at the time and my heart skipped a beat. Never did I think in ten years that I would own one of my dream cars.

Also, I'm a huge BMW / M-car fan, and the Z4 M is an excellent car (especially in that gorgeous Interlagosblau). Hope you enjoy it!

USMC s2k

sounds like you had some great times with your s2k, i also remember in 2000 my dad and i went to the honda dealership to do service on his accord, and i remember seeing the s2k in the show room , i remember sitting in it, not being able to even reach the gas, " i was about 9 yrs old at the time" and told my self that i would own this car one day. and now 12 years later i have it in my garage. its a great feeling. Enjoy your BMW!!

Elistan

Best wishes!

Do us a favor - check back in a couple months and let us know if you still don't miss the S2000.

It's too bad Honda never continued developing the S2000, or developed a different model between the S2000 and NSX, that would have satisfied your criteria like the BMW. I still have my S2000 (purchased in '99 as well!) precisely because there's nothing in that range that strikes my fancy. (Although I haven't driven a Z4 M, but I do like the F30 328i I drove recently, for different reasons.) A $45k to $50k Honda two-seater with 300+ hp would be awesome.

TFota

Thanks! My wife and I did European Delivery on the 335is and spent 15 days in Europe driving the car as it was meant to be driven. It was an incredible trip and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We want to do another European Delivery and the plan was to do ED on an M4 in 2015. We both decided that if I bought the Z4 M we would just push that trip out another year or two. I was going to keep the S2000 even if I got the M4 and I may also keep the Z4 M. But that's a few years off and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

rob-2

Why wait for Honda to build it? Go super charge an 06+ with flash pro. Build a 450hp 2800lbs car.

OP - sorry to hear you're gone. My advice would be to keep the BMW until the warranty runs out and than sell it. Family friends have owned BMW's and while fun to drive they are a money pit. Best BMW value is leasing and never owning. This is unless of course you're able to work on them yourself and figure out tricky problems.

I am a little shocked you went from a light roadster to a heavy two door like the Z4 for auto-x reasons. There must be more at play with the community than the car. Were they not accepting of your Honda? 333lbs is a huge weight penalty. Power or not. The autox days showed me that while the Z4 M is powerful, very little of that power can be properly used on a short auto-x course. Lots of wheel spin, very bad in the corners and slow times. Odd car to buy for the auto-x, if that's how I'm to read this post.

So long. Would love to know where you're at in a year of BMW ownership. Sometimes the club makes the car.

Utah S2K

Thanks for the memories. Glad your "Stook" is in good hands. Please stop by once in awhile for old times sake. And make sure the neighbor boy knows where his new found friends are. Best of luck in your BMW's.....

Kindest regards,

Utah
aka "Chat Man"

P.S. Don't forget Shelli, Krazik, Mingster, Silver Surfer, Wyoming Barry......or all the other kids in PeeWee's Playhouse

TFota

Yes, I remember them! I've been trying to remember Mingster's name for the last two days. He organized one of the early S2000 SoCal meets which started at JPL where he worked and followed Angeles Crest Highway. It was the first S2000 meet that attracted a fair number of people. This is where I first met Aaron Bitterman. A great meet!

Utah S2K

Richard Ming aka "Mingster"

s2ka

You'll be back :-)

Old school Angeles Crest pics!

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