Tell us your S2000 story
07-01-2006, 03:06 PM
#1
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Tell us your S2000 story
I thought this was an interesting thread on the s2katlanta forums, so I thought I'd post here. I know this has probably been done a billion times, but maybe the newer members haven't got a chance to tell their story!
Here's mine:
My 2000 civic Si with volk te37, koni yellow shocks, eibach pro kit, short shifter, and lightened flywheel and carbon pressure plate was stolen one night. January 28th 2005 there was an ice storm in atlanta, and I was involved in an accident on 285 east right before the buford hwy exit. I ran into the back of a woman doing 5 mph. I dropped my car off at Progressive insurance collision dept. up I-85 and they took it off site to get repaired.
When I picked it up from the Progressive place, I looked over the car and it looked great - until I got inside. I noticed the cd in the cdplayer was different, and that the cd that was playing in my car 2 weeks prior was nowhere to be found. My paperwork was also out of order. I decided to make a complaint but I waited - because I just wanted to drive my damn car and was too excited to go back inside to talk to them. I figured I'd do it over the phone. I was just sick of driving around the Chrysler Pacifica they gave me for 2 weeks.
Fast forward 2 more weeks - After an 18 hour study session studying for a midterm, I leave my apartment to go take the test. When I get outside, my car is gone. No broken glass, no trace of anything. I got no sleep for 2 days so I was a little out of it, and starting wondering if I parked my car somewhere strange - but to no avail. I called the police, and immediately emailed my professor about what happened. She emailed me back later that night saying that upon proof of a police report, she'd allow me to take it the next day. I was madder than hell and demanded that my insurance give me a rental that same day - and they did. I got a Mazda 6 wagon.
I had to shop around for cars, but nothing came to me. I wanted my Si back - badly. I looked at more online but I could not get one, because the 4-5 thousand in mods that I had - my insurance would not cover because I didn't have a premium parts policy (something I need to do for my S2000 now actually) They only gave me an extra 1000. I knew if I bought another Si, it'd end up being stock and I couldn't afford to get it back to where I had my old one, so I looked elsewhere.
I was thinking about 300zx TT, Mr2 Turbo, or an Integra type R. I actually test drove a 400+ rwhp mr2 with jdm motor, jdm turbo, etc. It had 15k worth of mods. I ripped through 1st gear and into 2nd and decided I'd end up having a heart attack in that thing. It actually hurt my chest when I acellerated! The guy said it was good for a 12 second 1/4 mile on pump gas, low 11s on race.
I went to the Toyota dealership where I bought my Si (it was barely used) and thought I'd see if they had anything cool in the used dept. The dealer was one of those shady type used car salesmen - who uses words like "badboy" and "sweet" a lot. He asked what type of car I wanted, and I said the car had to be manual transmission, and have at least 160 hp. He tried selling me a jetta turbo, miata, but they were all automatic and I made comments about how sports cars cannot be automatic Finally we test drove a Scion TC, which was actually a really nice car. It was black, just like my Si. I loved the interior and looks of the car, and so I took my mother out for a spin in it. I liked the car and all, but the 6500 redline really got to me. I was used to the 8000 redline in my Si, and I was a bit dissapointed there. Still, I was sick of not having a car and so I decided to get the TC.
When we got back to the dealership to start the paperwork, I noticed a car that wasn't there before I went for the test drive... an 03 Silverstone Honda S2000. I was like "whoa, that's been my dream of a car for 5 years now" so my mother inquires about it. The salesman is like "whoa now, that badboy is 28,000 dollars, let's stick to the Scion". I said that money is no option and that I wanted to drive it. He wouldn't let me take my mother alone so he went with me. I sat in the cockpit and for the first time in my life, I was happy sitting in a car. Every car I've had or driven, there are little quirks about it that I do not like; the seats don't fit right (I'm 6'2 150 lbs) there is too much bodyroll, the car feels too large, there is not enough power, etc. However, sitting in this car made me feel 'perfect' in every aspect. The seat held me in snug, the controls were futuristic looking and easily functional. The view of the road was perfect, and the car shifted so effing well. It made my Si feel like a playtoy. I let that car rip through a couple of gears before the salesmen told me to keep it down a bit and be careful, but I had the biggest smile on my face. Even the Mr2 that I drove didn't give me this type of satisfaction. We get back to the dealership and I tell them to forget the TC, that I have to have an S2000. We go over paperwork but they wouldn't budge on 28k. The car only had 5,000 miles but it was 2 years old, and the price was litereally insane. I told them I'd "think about it" and left. When I went home I got my ass on autotrader immediately and noticed that I could actually have the car of my dreams for under 20k. I was ecstatic. I thought about a newer model, but I knew I'd want to end up modding this car so I looked up 00/01 models, that were going for 16-19k. I only buy private party now because truthfully dealerships are a complete waste of money. The next day I called three people, all owners of the S2000. One was a silverstone, one was berlina black, and one was new formula red I planned to drive all three that day, and picked the best route to go to drive them all. I drove to the furthest one away first, and figured I'd make my way back into town. First up, was my future love - the nfr. I drove the thing and it seemed so much more raw than the 03 that I drove. I loved it. I told the owner that it was to be my car and to tell everyone else that called about it that they're out of luck. I had a check ready for him a few days later and it was all mine Oh, he sold it because he bought an automatic boxster so his wife could drive it too
So there's my story. I was really upset when I got in that wreck and my car was stolen, but if it were not for the ice storm, I'd still be driving around in my Si. I loved that car - I really did, but I wouldn't have my current love interest though! Oh, and I aced that exam that I missed and later got an A in the class, I was only 4 or 5 to do it out of 30 something
Thanks for reading!
Here's mine:
My 2000 civic Si with volk te37, koni yellow shocks, eibach pro kit, short shifter, and lightened flywheel and carbon pressure plate was stolen one night. January 28th 2005 there was an ice storm in atlanta, and I was involved in an accident on 285 east right before the buford hwy exit. I ran into the back of a woman doing 5 mph. I dropped my car off at Progressive insurance collision dept. up I-85 and they took it off site to get repaired.
When I picked it up from the Progressive place, I looked over the car and it looked great - until I got inside. I noticed the cd in the cdplayer was different, and that the cd that was playing in my car 2 weeks prior was nowhere to be found. My paperwork was also out of order. I decided to make a complaint but I waited - because I just wanted to drive my damn car and was too excited to go back inside to talk to them. I figured I'd do it over the phone. I was just sick of driving around the Chrysler Pacifica they gave me for 2 weeks.
Fast forward 2 more weeks - After an 18 hour study session studying for a midterm, I leave my apartment to go take the test. When I get outside, my car is gone. No broken glass, no trace of anything. I got no sleep for 2 days so I was a little out of it, and starting wondering if I parked my car somewhere strange - but to no avail. I called the police, and immediately emailed my professor about what happened. She emailed me back later that night saying that upon proof of a police report, she'd allow me to take it the next day. I was madder than hell and demanded that my insurance give me a rental that same day - and they did. I got a Mazda 6 wagon.
I had to shop around for cars, but nothing came to me. I wanted my Si back - badly. I looked at more online but I could not get one, because the 4-5 thousand in mods that I had - my insurance would not cover because I didn't have a premium parts policy (something I need to do for my S2000 now actually) They only gave me an extra 1000. I knew if I bought another Si, it'd end up being stock and I couldn't afford to get it back to where I had my old one, so I looked elsewhere.
I was thinking about 300zx TT, Mr2 Turbo, or an Integra type R. I actually test drove a 400+ rwhp mr2 with jdm motor, jdm turbo, etc. It had 15k worth of mods. I ripped through 1st gear and into 2nd and decided I'd end up having a heart attack in that thing. It actually hurt my chest when I acellerated! The guy said it was good for a 12 second 1/4 mile on pump gas, low 11s on race.
I went to the Toyota dealership where I bought my Si (it was barely used) and thought I'd see if they had anything cool in the used dept. The dealer was one of those shady type used car salesmen - who uses words like "badboy" and "sweet" a lot. He asked what type of car I wanted, and I said the car had to be manual transmission, and have at least 160 hp. He tried selling me a jetta turbo, miata, but they were all automatic and I made comments about how sports cars cannot be automatic Finally we test drove a Scion TC, which was actually a really nice car. It was black, just like my Si. I loved the interior and looks of the car, and so I took my mother out for a spin in it. I liked the car and all, but the 6500 redline really got to me. I was used to the 8000 redline in my Si, and I was a bit dissapointed there. Still, I was sick of not having a car and so I decided to get the TC.
When we got back to the dealership to start the paperwork, I noticed a car that wasn't there before I went for the test drive... an 03 Silverstone Honda S2000. I was like "whoa, that's been my dream of a car for 5 years now" so my mother inquires about it. The salesman is like "whoa now, that badboy is 28,000 dollars, let's stick to the Scion". I said that money is no option and that I wanted to drive it. He wouldn't let me take my mother alone so he went with me. I sat in the cockpit and for the first time in my life, I was happy sitting in a car. Every car I've had or driven, there are little quirks about it that I do not like; the seats don't fit right (I'm 6'2 150 lbs) there is too much bodyroll, the car feels too large, there is not enough power, etc. However, sitting in this car made me feel 'perfect' in every aspect. The seat held me in snug, the controls were futuristic looking and easily functional. The view of the road was perfect, and the car shifted so effing well. It made my Si feel like a playtoy. I let that car rip through a couple of gears before the salesmen told me to keep it down a bit and be careful, but I had the biggest smile on my face. Even the Mr2 that I drove didn't give me this type of satisfaction. We get back to the dealership and I tell them to forget the TC, that I have to have an S2000. We go over paperwork but they wouldn't budge on 28k. The car only had 5,000 miles but it was 2 years old, and the price was litereally insane. I told them I'd "think about it" and left. When I went home I got my ass on autotrader immediately and noticed that I could actually have the car of my dreams for under 20k. I was ecstatic. I thought about a newer model, but I knew I'd want to end up modding this car so I looked up 00/01 models, that were going for 16-19k. I only buy private party now because truthfully dealerships are a complete waste of money. The next day I called three people, all owners of the S2000. One was a silverstone, one was berlina black, and one was new formula red I planned to drive all three that day, and picked the best route to go to drive them all. I drove to the furthest one away first, and figured I'd make my way back into town. First up, was my future love - the nfr. I drove the thing and it seemed so much more raw than the 03 that I drove. I loved it. I told the owner that it was to be my car and to tell everyone else that called about it that they're out of luck. I had a check ready for him a few days later and it was all mine Oh, he sold it because he bought an automatic boxster so his wife could drive it too
So there's my story. I was really upset when I got in that wreck and my car was stolen, but if it were not for the ice storm, I'd still be driving around in my Si. I loved that car - I really did, but I wouldn't have my current love interest though! Oh, and I aced that exam that I missed and later got an A in the class, I was only 4 or 5 to do it out of 30 something
Thanks for reading!
07-01-2006, 03:56 PM
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It was 2003. I owned an RSX Type-S.
I took my (now ex) wife out to dinner. Afterwards we went to a jazz club. I remarked that I would like a martini, but I couldn't drink because I had to drive. She ordered me a martini, and said that she would drive.
I got whammo'd on martinis. On the way home my (ex) wife insisted on hauling ass, the RSX was a treat compared to the GS-R she normally drove. The more I asked her to slow down, the faster she drove.
The road into our neighborhood had a 25 mph speed limit. She was going more like 60 mph. A deer darted in front of us, and she veered right- over a really tall curb at 60 mph. I saw it coming and braced. We jumped through the air and landed in a field. The RSX was ****ed. It barely made it home. Both front wheels were pushed into the fenders and would barely turn. The sunroof was cracked and the roof was buckled. None of the dash lights worked.
The next day (Saturday) I had the RSX towed to the Acura lot. They laughed.
Then, on Monday, the salesman that sold me the RSX called- they had an S2000 on the lot. I didn't want to drive it, but they brought it to my office and told me to return it by the end of the week.
I signed the papers on Tuesday. End of story.
I took my (now ex) wife out to dinner. Afterwards we went to a jazz club. I remarked that I would like a martini, but I couldn't drink because I had to drive. She ordered me a martini, and said that she would drive.
I got whammo'd on martinis. On the way home my (ex) wife insisted on hauling ass, the RSX was a treat compared to the GS-R she normally drove. The more I asked her to slow down, the faster she drove.
The road into our neighborhood had a 25 mph speed limit. She was going more like 60 mph. A deer darted in front of us, and she veered right- over a really tall curb at 60 mph. I saw it coming and braced. We jumped through the air and landed in a field. The RSX was ****ed. It barely made it home. Both front wheels were pushed into the fenders and would barely turn. The sunroof was cracked and the roof was buckled. None of the dash lights worked.
The next day (Saturday) I had the RSX towed to the Acura lot. They laughed.
Then, on Monday, the salesman that sold me the RSX called- they had an S2000 on the lot. I didn't want to drive it, but they brought it to my office and told me to return it by the end of the week.
I signed the papers on Tuesday. End of story.
07-01-2006, 03:57 PM
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My S2000 story isn't that interesting, but it goes a little something like this... At the time I had an '03 325ci and had put a down payment on a Lotus Elise. While I was waiting for the first shipment of these cars, which took over a year and a half, a kid that my brother had worked with at the time (he had a spa AP1 and was on s2ki) had told my brother that there was a dealership in NJ that was going out of business and had left over '03 AP1's for really cheap. I called Planet Honda that night and found out that they were selling the cars at $25,500 for that weekend for brand new cars with 7 miles on the clock. I had always liked the all red interior on the S2000, but I didn't know that GPW/red wasn't available in '03, but they said that they had sebring/red for the same price. To make a long story short, the next day I drove the Jersey, bought the car and drove it home less than 24 hours after I heard about it. I then sold my BMW and after driving the S for a month and seeing how much fun it was, I cancelled my order for the Lotus and got my down payment back from the dealer.
07-01-2006, 04:13 PM
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When the s2k firt came out i was still pretty young and didnt think much of it, a friend of mine got one and she took me for a ride and let me drive it when i only had my restricts. From that drive i fell in love..ide never been in such a fun car before. I wanted one so bad but ended up with a 2000 celica gts which was the car i was in love with before the s2k. She was selling it about 4 months ago and thats wut i drive now and i love it!
07-01-2006, 05:13 PM
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It was fall of 99 when I had taken my 1999 Civic Ex into the dealership to get some fog lights installed, rear spoiler and front lip spoiler. I had a few hours to kill, so I was looking in the showroom. I first layed eyes on two s2k's, one NFR and one Spa yellow. It was love at first sight.
I remember walking up to the cars, but they were locked and the dealer was asking $50,000 for them at the time. I asked to sit in one and the salesman said nobody was allowed to sit in one unless they could afford one and to basically "keep dreaming kid!"
Three years later, my civic was paid off and my wife and I were driving through Northern Cali and I was in the market for a sporty convertible. We ended up at the honda dealership and it was after hours and I layed eyes on a brand new 2003 Suzuka Blue S2k! I immediately fell in love and had to drive it! We came back in the morning and I got to finally sit in the car. The sales man asked me if I would like to test drive the car, so of course I took him up on the offer. I remember my hear beginning to pace as I hit the little red button and I was addicted from that point on. The pure adrenaline from running it through the gears caught my heart, seeing the Dr Jeckle and Dr Hyde come from within the soul of this car, I knew she had to be mine.
After negotiating, the dealer still wouldn't come down on the price and was asking $5000 over sticker firm. I heartbrokingly drove home.
A month later we end up driving down to Chumash Casino near lompoc and we made a detour to the honda dealer and I once again found my love. I walked into the showroom and there stood a brand new 03 Suzuka Blue unlocked with the top down in the showroom. I went in and sat in the car and fell madly in love once again and I just had to have it. The salesman came out and talked to us for a bit and was really cool. 30 minutes later I ended up signing contracts and getting the car for a little under sticker (good price back in 03) and taking her home. I had the biggest smile driving home in my dream car!
I ended up having the sell the car a year later due to some terrible circumstances that arose and I was miserable since. A year passed and I ended up going back and picking up my 05 Silverstone and I plan on keeping her for the rest of my life
I remember walking up to the cars, but they were locked and the dealer was asking $50,000 for them at the time. I asked to sit in one and the salesman said nobody was allowed to sit in one unless they could afford one and to basically "keep dreaming kid!"
Three years later, my civic was paid off and my wife and I were driving through Northern Cali and I was in the market for a sporty convertible. We ended up at the honda dealership and it was after hours and I layed eyes on a brand new 2003 Suzuka Blue S2k! I immediately fell in love and had to drive it! We came back in the morning and I got to finally sit in the car. The sales man asked me if I would like to test drive the car, so of course I took him up on the offer. I remember my hear beginning to pace as I hit the little red button and I was addicted from that point on. The pure adrenaline from running it through the gears caught my heart, seeing the Dr Jeckle and Dr Hyde come from within the soul of this car, I knew she had to be mine.
After negotiating, the dealer still wouldn't come down on the price and was asking $5000 over sticker firm. I heartbrokingly drove home.
A month later we end up driving down to Chumash Casino near lompoc and we made a detour to the honda dealer and I once again found my love. I walked into the showroom and there stood a brand new 03 Suzuka Blue unlocked with the top down in the showroom. I went in and sat in the car and fell madly in love once again and I just had to have it. The salesman came out and talked to us for a bit and was really cool. 30 minutes later I ended up signing contracts and getting the car for a little under sticker (good price back in 03) and taking her home. I had the biggest smile driving home in my dream car!
I ended up having the sell the car a year later due to some terrible circumstances that arose and I was miserable since. A year passed and I ended up going back and picking up my 05 Silverstone and I plan on keeping her for the rest of my life
07-01-2006, 05:35 PM
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as some of you know...i'm a sales rep for grey goose vodka. and so one of my job requirements on some occasions is to go to the clubs and bars that are my accounts, and run a promotion there. to keep my image as a young successful businessman, i considered the rx8, s2k, and 350z...after the test drives, i said S all the way
i figured i just graduated college, ill never be 22 again, and i dont need a practical car.....so i bought the S
i figured i just graduated college, ill never be 22 again, and i dont need a practical car.....so i bought the S
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07-01-2006, 07:11 PM
#9
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I always wanted a Mustang or a Camaro (V8) ever since I was about 15 or 16. My first car ended up being a 2000 Ford Taurus which I bought at a dealer's auction with my own money. I had just turned 17 at the time. I wanted to turn it around quickly and make some cash in the process, but soon I realized that selling a car wasn't as easy as I thought. I drove that car for about 7 months, and finally ended up getting my money out of it. I didn't want another "expensive" car, but at the same time I wanted something fun. At the time I still liked Mustangs and Camaros.
After a month and a half of being without a car, my dad and I went for a drive, looking at cars by the side of the road. We found an early 90s Camaro for sale, and they were only asking $2000. I really wanted the car, but my dad didn't really want me to buy the car, since it was being sold by some redneck. Not even half a mile down the road I found a 1991 Honda CRX Si for sale. It had a few mods on it, but it also had 182,000 miles and a grinding transmission. We took it for a ride (I didn't even know how to drive manual at the time, so my dad was driving), and I really liked how close to the ground I sat in the car (it was lowered two inches). It just seemed like the perfect car for me at the time. That's how I got started with imports. Just a few months later I already wanted an engine swap in that car, in hopes of making it even more fun. Just a few days after I got those ideas, someone put a huge dent in the rear quarter panel of the car, and at that point I decided that it wasn't worth modding the car anymore. At that point I knew that my next car will be a really nice one. At the time I wanted a DSM.
During my last semester of high-school I signed up for auto-mechanics class, in hopes of learning how to wrench. Not even two weeks after starting the class, I got tired of working on the junkers that they had us work on in class. (If you have read this far, reply with a driving smiley) I asked the teacher how he felt about me buying a project car. He was OK with it. A few weeks later I found a '91 Toyota MR2 non-turbo for sale, with the body in excellent condition, but it was burning oil like a mother. Problem was that it was 700 miles away. So my dad and I rented a car, and made the trip in 24 hours. The people at Hertz said that they don't ever remember anyone putting that many miles on their car in 24 hours
Finding a new engine for the MR2 was not that easy, since everyone wanted a lot of money for their turbo engines, and I was a cheap bastard, and refused to pay that much. The old engine was already pulled from the car, and I still did not have a replacement engine. So I decided to rebuild what I had, and turn the car into a really good SCCA ES auto-crosser. The only problem was that graduation time was here and I had an internship lined up 2.5 hours away from Indianapolis. I was able to make arrangements with my teacher to work on it in the summer during the weekends when I was home.
So June came and I started my internship. I would carpool with a coworker to save on gas, and on the drive home often times there would be a red S2000 passing us. I think the first time I saw the car, I made a comment to him about how much I liked those cars, and from that point on every time we'd see it, he'd say "There goes your baby". From about that point on, I wanted an S2000. The only problem was that I had a CRX with close to 200,000 miles and a non-running MR2.
After starting college in the fall of 2005, I really started looking at my finances, hoping that I could afford one of those S2000s. I finished putting my MR2 back together, but starting it proved to be a real nightmare. I was having electrical problems left and right with that thing. Eventually I just had it towed home, and it sat in my parent's garage for more than a month without even touching it.
During my winter break of college, I went to work in Indianapolis for a month. I was still driving my CRX at the time. I drove home the weekend before New Years to celebrate with family. About 10 miles from home the battery light came on in the CRX. I still remember it: it was dark and it was snowing. Pretty soon my headlights started dimming and the wipers started slowing down. I was determined to make it home without getting a tow. Somehow I made it. I had supper, and afterwards I went outside to try to start the car. Nothing. My parent's driveway is at a fairly steep angle, so I started it by letting out the clutch while the car was rolling down the driveway. I tried to drive around our subdivision, but it died twice during the 2/3 mile drive. The next night I tried starting the car again, and it started fine. The battery light was gone too. So I decided to take it for a drive. I drove it to my college, which was 10 miles away. I parked it, and a few hours later, I came back to it to go home. Not even a mile down the road the car died. I called up my dad, and we tried jump starting it. I only got a few hundred feet down the road before it died again. We then spent the next hour tinkering with the car, but we got nowhere. We ended up pushing the car into the parking lot of an apartment complex. I ripped my CD player out of the car along with the speakers and pretty much thought I was going to abandon the car there. Monday I went back down to Indianapolis and started looking at S2000s. There were two dealers and they had three S2000s for sale, less than 10 minutes from the office where I worked at. In the next couple of days I test drove two of them. The one I was really interested in was an off-lease 2002 GPW with the full red interior and it only had 36k miles and had a 100k mile warranty. I was in I was looking at my finances again, but it just wasn't working out. It was simply too much money. I went home from Indianapolis 
At this point I had a pretty big problem on my hands. I had a broken down CRX and an MR2 with electrical problems. I had to do something about both. By this time I had gotten a ticket for the CRX, so I bought a battery drove home with it, and then returned the battery. I had a pretty good idea that the alternator had gone out on the CRX, but I didn't feel like fixing it, because I wanted an S2000. I sold the CRX, and by selling my CD player and speakers I got about $500 for it. I decided that I would get the MR2 running and then I would sell it. I had gotten some help from a friend who worked as a mechanic for a living. Together we got the car started again, and I was able to drive it for a few miles.
In the meantime I kept watching the classifieds section of s2ki for good deals and a NFR MY01 had come up for sale with only 19k miles. It was about 4 hours away from here. I got in contact with the seller and I drove there to check out the car. It was absolutely perfect. The owner anally took care of the car. He had detailed records of everything done to the car. Not only that, but the car came with 2 sets of wheels: 18" SSR Comps and stockies as well as many accessories from Muz, Rick's, etc. It even had warranty. Not to mention the price was very good. We came to an agreement on the price and as long as I was approved for my loan the car was mine. We shook hands on the deal, and I came home. I was feeling optimistic about the MR2, since I've already driven it, so I applied for a loan. To my amazement I was approved without even a co-signer. Keep in mind that I'm 19 years old and have never had a loan before. I test-drove the car on a Sunday and drove back up to Wisconsin on Wednesday and brought home my baby.
I ended up putting my MR2 up on ebay a couple of weeks later and lost some money, but I didn't really care at that point, since I had an S2000.
Four and a half months later, I'm still in with my car. It has given me absolutely no problems and it has been the best car that I have ever owned.
I can't beleive that I just wrote a 1600 word essay. I will probably end up using this in English class sometime.
After a month and a half of being without a car, my dad and I went for a drive, looking at cars by the side of the road. We found an early 90s Camaro for sale, and they were only asking $2000. I really wanted the car, but my dad didn't really want me to buy the car, since it was being sold by some redneck. Not even half a mile down the road I found a 1991 Honda CRX Si for sale. It had a few mods on it, but it also had 182,000 miles and a grinding transmission. We took it for a ride (I didn't even know how to drive manual at the time, so my dad was driving), and I really liked how close to the ground I sat in the car (it was lowered two inches). It just seemed like the perfect car for me at the time. That's how I got started with imports. Just a few months later I already wanted an engine swap in that car, in hopes of making it even more fun. Just a few days after I got those ideas, someone put a huge dent in the rear quarter panel of the car, and at that point I decided that it wasn't worth modding the car anymore. At that point I knew that my next car will be a really nice one. At the time I wanted a DSM.
During my last semester of high-school I signed up for auto-mechanics class, in hopes of learning how to wrench. Not even two weeks after starting the class, I got tired of working on the junkers that they had us work on in class. (If you have read this far, reply with a driving smiley) I asked the teacher how he felt about me buying a project car. He was OK with it. A few weeks later I found a '91 Toyota MR2 non-turbo for sale, with the body in excellent condition, but it was burning oil like a mother. Problem was that it was 700 miles away. So my dad and I rented a car, and made the trip in 24 hours. The people at Hertz said that they don't ever remember anyone putting that many miles on their car in 24 hours
Finding a new engine for the MR2 was not that easy, since everyone wanted a lot of money for their turbo engines, and I was a cheap bastard, and refused to pay that much. The old engine was already pulled from the car, and I still did not have a replacement engine. So I decided to rebuild what I had, and turn the car into a really good SCCA ES auto-crosser. The only problem was that graduation time was here and I had an internship lined up 2.5 hours away from Indianapolis. I was able to make arrangements with my teacher to work on it in the summer during the weekends when I was home.
So June came and I started my internship. I would carpool with a coworker to save on gas, and on the drive home often times there would be a red S2000 passing us. I think the first time I saw the car, I made a comment to him about how much I liked those cars, and from that point on every time we'd see it, he'd say "There goes your baby". From about that point on, I wanted an S2000. The only problem was that I had a CRX with close to 200,000 miles and a non-running MR2.
After starting college in the fall of 2005, I really started looking at my finances, hoping that I could afford one of those S2000s. I finished putting my MR2 back together, but starting it proved to be a real nightmare. I was having electrical problems left and right with that thing. Eventually I just had it towed home, and it sat in my parent's garage for more than a month without even touching it.
During my winter break of college, I went to work in Indianapolis for a month. I was still driving my CRX at the time. I drove home the weekend before New Years to celebrate with family. About 10 miles from home the battery light came on in the CRX. I still remember it: it was dark and it was snowing. Pretty soon my headlights started dimming and the wipers started slowing down. I was determined to make it home without getting a tow. Somehow I made it. I had supper, and afterwards I went outside to try to start the car. Nothing. My parent's driveway is at a fairly steep angle, so I started it by letting out the clutch while the car was rolling down the driveway. I tried to drive around our subdivision, but it died twice during the 2/3 mile drive. The next night I tried starting the car again, and it started fine. The battery light was gone too. So I decided to take it for a drive. I drove it to my college, which was 10 miles away. I parked it, and a few hours later, I came back to it to go home. Not even a mile down the road the car died. I called up my dad, and we tried jump starting it. I only got a few hundred feet down the road before it died again. We then spent the next hour tinkering with the car, but we got nowhere. We ended up pushing the car into the parking lot of an apartment complex. I ripped my CD player out of the car along with the speakers and pretty much thought I was going to abandon the car there. Monday I went back down to Indianapolis and started looking at S2000s. There were two dealers and they had three S2000s for sale, less than 10 minutes from the office where I worked at. In the next couple of days I test drove two of them. The one I was really interested in was an off-lease 2002 GPW with the full red interior and it only had 36k miles and had a 100k mile warranty. I was in
I was looking at my finances again, but it just wasn't working out. It was simply too much money. I went home from Indianapolis At this point I had a pretty big problem on my hands. I had a broken down CRX and an MR2 with electrical problems. I had to do something about both. By this time I had gotten a ticket for the CRX, so I bought a battery drove home with it, and then returned the battery. I had a pretty good idea that the alternator had gone out on the CRX, but I didn't feel like fixing it, because I wanted an S2000. I sold the CRX, and by selling my CD player and speakers I got about $500 for it. I decided that I would get the MR2 running and then I would sell it. I had gotten some help from a friend who worked as a mechanic for a living. Together we got the car started again, and I was able to drive it for a few miles.
In the meantime I kept watching the classifieds section of s2ki for good deals and a NFR MY01 had come up for sale with only 19k miles. It was about 4 hours away from here. I got in contact with the seller and I drove there to check out the car. It was absolutely perfect. The owner anally took care of the car. He had detailed records of everything done to the car. Not only that, but the car came with 2 sets of wheels: 18" SSR Comps and stockies as well as many accessories from Muz, Rick's, etc. It even had warranty. Not to mention the price was very good. We came to an agreement on the price and as long as I was approved for my loan the car was mine. We shook hands on the deal, and I came home. I was feeling optimistic about the MR2, since I've already driven it, so I applied for a loan. To my amazement I was approved without even a co-signer. Keep in mind that I'm 19 years old and have never had a loan before. I test-drove the car on a Sunday and drove back up to Wisconsin on Wednesday and brought home my baby.
I ended up putting my MR2 up on ebay a couple of weeks later and lost some money, but I didn't really care at that point, since I had an S2000.
Four and a half months later, I'm still in
with my car. It has given me absolutely no problems and it has been the best car that I have ever owned.I can't beleive that I just wrote a 1600 word essay. I will probably end up using this in English class sometime.
