I was talking to a couple of friends the other day reminiscing about how the car scene has changed in various ways, particularly the s2k scene. They all seemed to agree/notice that the s2k scene has somewhat tanked as of late and that it's not as tight-knit as it once was. Interestingly enough, none of them currently own an s2k, (nsx, rx7 owners.) At one point, the RX7 owner was really deep into his search for an S2k and mentioned that during his search that's when he realized how special the s2k community was at that time; I believe it was around '03-'04. (We're all in our 30's.)


I myself remember lurking on here back in '06 on my long quest for my current s2k. At that time, there was something special about the s2k community indeed. I didn't care to realize it then, and now I feel like I somewhat took it for granted. Reflecting on it now, the vibe I felt in the S2k community at that time was similar to the vibe I currently get from the NSX, RX7, and Lotus community. A sense of passion. A sense of camaraderie. A sense of willingness from most members to go out of their way to help a fellow member/owner, (whether they know them or not.) A true sense of appreciation and respect for their car and their car's capabilities. Personally, I just don't see that as much in the s2k community anymore.


My intent is to not make seemingly sweeping generalization about our community or any of it's members, but more so to draw attention towards what I feel is a negative cultural shift within the s2k community. If enthusiast from other car communities can point out this dynamic shift, I'm sure some of us see/feel it as well. As for s2ki, from my personal experience, we have some subsections/members here that still display that early s2ki strong sense of community vibe - (e.g. NY-Metro, vintage owners, forced induction, under the hood). However, to be honest I don't explore s2ki in it's entirety so I'm just naming some sections I'm familiar with.

Another great example would be the "I bought a S2000 and got ripped off" thread. Look at what this one thread in the NY-metro section accomplished across the internet. Props to the members over in the Southern Cali section on s2ki for helping enormously as well once they caught wind of it. That right there is a prime example of what the S2k community is truly about, helping another fellow member when needed. I just hope that we don't lose what remaining essence of that spirit we have left.

 

I think it's something every forum is experiencing it the last few years.
Some great forums completely died when facebook took over and most people just went there and ask the same f@#king question over and over...

I think this forum is still one of the best, most informative forums around, with a lot of active members who are still happy to help

 

While I would love to do one of the big events at The Dragon, time just doesn't permit most of the time. I feel so many people get the "Super Bowl" effect where they only want to attend the big event and pass by the local stuff. To me, the local get togethers are more genuine and fun. I love when somebody from flatland Ohio comes to my little town and I get to take them on my local roads that are just an absolute blast to drive. It hasn't been a lot of them yet, but the few that have ventured in SE Ohio have seemed to really enjoy themselves.

 

facebook and the car is getting to prices the civic crowd can afford has led to the demise of "the community" IMHO.

I see the S2000 "track community" on the east coast is fairly active. I attended a 10 S2000 meet on a Wed in Philly last week. And I've been hosting Billman meets every 6 months for the last 3.5 years at my house. These are 3 day long events and I see a minimum of 5 cars there / day.

While people may not post so much, there is still some community there.

I have never attended a Dragon event but have tracked my car at least 3 times / year every year for the 12 years I've owned the car. I have attended a Spring Fling, and multiple Fall Colors events years ago.

Meh.

 

I think that, along with the fact that the car has been out of production for 7 years has slowed the interest
in the car for those looking to buy new. There are very few options out there when looking for a near-new S
and those are coming at a premium.

 

BOOM

 

There are phases with all cars where you go from the tight-knit enthusiast group that can afford the car new, to the "falling out" when the cars are inexpensive and casually picked up and traded by the less interested/invested, to the tight-knit enthusiast group that can afford to maintain and care for an old, amazing car. Can you guess where the S2000 is now?

Facebook did a lot to kill online forum communities, but from what I've seen and experienced, it is the younger, less interested, less knowledgeable that use FB, which is why you see the same questions and same lower level of knowledge via that channel. Around here and other S2k forums, there is still a good group of owners that meet IRL and help each other out, and the forums contain a wealth of knowledge and access to great people.

This forum is centered around a car that has been out of production for almost a decade and that has no future legacy today, yet it is still healthier and more active than many forums for current, in-production vehicles. You see that with brand-specific forums, you don't really see that for a single model forum.

 

I blame it on the younger civic buyers that can now afford an ap1 and also the hella scene ruining this car and separating this community. I see a lot of kids talking and treating the s2k like its a civic which is a shame on other social media.

 

For a single model forum other than mustangs and corvettes, I think s2k does pretty well. I wasn't here back on 06 (I was on the coral) so I can't comment on the change over the years. Some areas of the site have less mature or interested people, but if you know where to look, there is great s2k support here.

 

I agree, this forum is still one of the best. My only fear is that it turns into a cold Honda-Tech environment.

Interesting point you make about the "Super Bowl" effect. I also noticed the small local gatherings or "tech day meets" within the New England section of s2ki have completely dried up; it's a barren. It sucks because I remember a couple I attended. One of my first (real life) interactions with some members on here were at a tech day meet. I also learned a lot that day as well.

I hate to admit it, but I think you're right about the fb comment and the accessibility of the s2k now ruining the community. I say we take a stance on this and start inflating the s2k's asking prices collectively to a point of ridiculousness. The NSX community are currently doing it, and it seems to be working lol.

I seriously think that the track community is the direction I need to head into. I definitely need to head over to one of your Billman meets as well. I always enjoy reading those threads about the experience. Thanks for contributing to community, Freq.

NH, I hear you, but one could argue by saying look at the Supra, NSX, RX7 community. Those cars have been out of production longer than the s2k, and yet their communities remain seemingly tight-knit.

Well written. I do agree, cars go through fluctuation stages as time goes on. During these stages, the demographics are most likely to change as well. We are seeing this now with the s2k. I beg to ask the question, what if the s2k was never a Honda, but instead a Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar (or some other very niche car manufacturer), but around the same MSRP range, would we see this same sort of decline? As glorious as this car may be, I'm almost convinced that the community demise and valuation demise stems from it just being a Honda.

THIS. Although I hate criticizing what other folk do to their car, as it is their car essentially, I find it somewhat frustrating. Aside from the fact most of us on here think STANCE, for example, looks tacky and is counterintuitive, subconsciously it really does separate the community as Rosie stated. It creates a sense of hostility within the community...(half of us find it stupid/ridiculous, the other half gets defensive.)

Agreed.