Your post says your ready. Don't waste time without or of the best cars ever. Do it. You can kill yourself in any car if you're an idiot. Just be sure to autocross and track on street tires - preferably Ye same ones you daily on. Nothin calms down daily driving like knowing you'll be less competitive in the next event if you burn up your tires on the street

 

Sounds like you already pretty much know what you want in a car and the S will be eventually right for you. Make sure you're doing the math right financially. $10K (CAD?) is a lot to pay for a car at 16. You'll have a fun car but make sure you can afford all the other experiences in your late teens, traveling, and that the rest of your life goes beyond paying for your car.

Also for a first car... excuse me while I go into /buzzkill mode When you're a brand new driver any car will feel like enough and the slower one is the most 'sensible' choice. A Civic for a year while you're still saving up makes sense. Then you'll be able to afford an S in better condition too. You will learn A TON the first 1-2 years. Wayy better to make small mistakes with 120hp than 240hp. The CA DMV says accident rates for 16 year olds are something like double that of 19 year olds. even 16->17 is a huge difference. Chart below is per driver, so factor in that 19 year olds also drive more (possibly double).


I was always into cars but drove my parents' old, "boring" 95 Accord auto when I first got my license. 0-60 in... 12 seconds. Didn't even have VTEC You learn to work with what you have, and driving a car with limited power teaches you things too. Eventually I upgraded, and the step up was fun!

If you have everything worked out financially, are ready, good luck and enjoy!

 

As most stated, you seem mature enough to buy an S2000. But an S2K for 8-10K is gonna be almost impossible to find. Especially in Canada. S2K's in Canada usually go for $2K more than they would in the states. And if you manage to find one it will probably be in a somewhat poor condition and needs a lot of TLC.

One thing that I'd like to add is that people tend to say that Honda's go forever. I really don't think this applies to S2K. I mean obviously they can last for a while if you take good care of them. But they do have problems. A lot of F20C's seem to burn oil. Timing chain tensioner can go bad. AP1 retainers cracking. These are all problems that if you don't pay attention to can very much destruct your engine.

I really don't mean to be a pessimistic person. I know where you're coming from. I bought an MR2 GT-S (turbo) when I was 18. It was either that or buying something sensible that I can drive in Winter and fit more than one additional person in while also being more reliable and cheaper than a 15 year old car at the time. But no, I wanted an MR2. Because I just couldn't see myself buying something as boring as a Corolla for example. I wanted a car that's exciting to drive... a car that make you want just to go out for a cruise. So I bought the MR2. A year later things worked out for me financially and I bought a Civic as my daily driver/Winter beater because the MR2 was too much of an inconvenience in terms of reliability, space, sound, etc. After that I started enjoying my MR2 a lot more than before. Cause it did not impose as much of an inconvenience as before. Now reliability wise the MR2 is less reliable than the S2K due to the age of the car, being turbocharged, etc. But I still think this applies to the S2K.

So I guess what I'm trying to say here in simple terms, is that with cars like these (MR2, S2K), you get to enjoy them a lot more when you can afford to have second car to daily drive in and have money leftover for maintaining the cars. The weather also is a big factor here. I really don't think one would enjoy driving an S2K in Canadian Winters if you are planning to.

Finally, this is just my opinion. Normally I wouldn't post anything that seems to be going against the grain but you seem mature enough to handle it. If you end up buying an S2K, first make sure to post pictures and second check out this thread.

 

I give you permission because you're the first 16 year old I've seen on a forum in a long time that uses complete sentences and proper punctuation. There is hope... Lol.

 

It honestly sounds like you're going to buy one regardless, so I don't think it really matters what anyone on this forum says to you. However, I don't think the car is a good choice for someone your age. Not because you couldn't handle it (chances are you could, as long as you didn't drive like an ass), but because it's not a practical choice for someone your age. You most likely have more than one friend, and you most likely hang out with more than one person at a time on occasion. For what it is, the car is spacious. But in the grand scheme of things, it isn't spacious. And it's not a comfortable or quiet ride compared to most. My tC with broken springs, blown out shocks and an exhaust is smoother and quieter than my bone stock S2000. That's not at all to say the tC is a better sports car, but it is a much better commuter. I've taken the tC camping numerous times, can fit my entire mountain bike inside the back hatch with the rear seats down, and can carry 4 people plus myself to lunch. I can also get near 30mpg highway with it. The S2000 can never do those things, because that's not what it was designed to do. I just think something with more space and more function would be more rewarding for someone like you at this point. At least until you graduate from high school and face the cold, lonely reality of adult life. Haha. Then you won't need to lug a bunch of other people around with you, and throwing yourself around corners in your S will keep you happy.

 

I was prepared to tell you that you're going to kill yourself , until you mentioned your karting background (I would have killed myself in an s at 16).

Practicality and costs (mainly insurance) aside, I think the biggest issue would be your self control. Even the most mature 16y/o has moments of weakness, leading to poor judgment.

Do you have the self control not to show off? Not to take a corner just a little too fast to impress the girl with you? Not to oblige to the revving Civic/WRX/EVO nest to you at the stoplight?

 

If you are sixteen with the ability to save up 8-10k within a relatively normal amount of time, than there is nothing wrong with purchasing an s2000. But with that budget I don't think you will get in one good condition. With that being said, your going to be working a lot to put money into the repairs (if you want to be independent). Once you get the s2000, you maybe involved in an accident due to the lack of inexperience on the road. After that you will have more broken parts and be forced to save up more money once your parents are upset because they are helping you out or you will get upset yourself and sell the car for a big lost. An s2000 will more likely be damaged under your care. I'm just speaking from experience. In my first car I: scrapped and damaged my front bumper, dented the rear fender, backed up into someone, hit a pothole and damaged the CV joint, destroyed all my struts because I drove the car in a dirt road going 40mph for over 6 miles. Good thing I didn't have an s2000 lol

 

Think about what will happen after you buy the car. Let's say you get bitten by the modification bug or worse a major mechanic failure happens. How will you pay for the bill?

What I am getting at is at your age you should focus on school/career and get a vehicle that you think will not cost you much to maintain/fix/worry. Depending on your chosen career path you will not have time to think about cars.

Sidenote: thanks to anamono for hyperlinking my thread

 

honestly i think its a bad choice. for one the insurance is going to be alot whether its older or not because of your age. No sense in your mom overpaying for insurance just so you can drive a sporty car. the odds of you getting a ticket or accident are high. one ticket or accident and the insurance will go up.

an s2k at that price will probably need maintence and repairs. are you ready to pay for those too?

buy a more sensible car, save money and when you can afford it on your own and afford decent coverages (not just state mins) then get one.

i see it alot because i work in insurance. people buy a sporty car and then realize the insurance is more expensive and stick themselves with minimum coverages to keep the cost down. but what are they actually saving? nothing. they are just opening themselves up for liability.

sorry just my opinion

 

My advice is that if you can't afford a car **comfortably**, then you should not get it. There are always unforeseen expenses.