FWIW, crossing a busy street in Miami Beach (a hotbed of sports cars) today, watched a deep blue C8 round the corner by me and hit the gas. Initially thought it was a 458. I like the S2000 but the C8 is a helluva buy. And Caymans ARE pricey but speak for themselves. With a moniker like “Legal Bill”, I suspect they’re both within reach

 

The items you describe are small potatoes, very inexpensive maintenance and repair items to be honest. The long term cost of keeping that car is very low.

But if you are thinking of selling the car, don't sink a single penny into it unless you need to make a repair for a safety item/safety reasons. That car will sell fast and for top dollar, no sense or benefit in putting money into it for sale purposes.

 

I get your point. While I'm not sure I want to keep chasing these things, I'm more concerned about the future failures. Like I said in my first post, I see a lot of posts describing some pretty strange problems. I'm just wondering what things I can expect. I'm guessing that the things I read about are not common?

 

All good points!

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but like I said in my first post, I'm more interested in learning what I'm likely to encounter in the future.

 

If your car doesnt see winter driving and you dont have exposure to salts, I cant imagine your body or wiring having many issues.

Ive owned 4 S2000s and many Hondas including ITRs, RSXS, and an NSX. All of them have been bulletproof reliable. As long as you stay on top of your fluid changes, oil/diff/tranny, you shouldnt see too many problems if any. The only thing that has made me get rid of some of my cars is rust. Ive bought some cars that have had rust issues, and parted ways with them.

The other thing to keep in mind is - should you ever have an issue for some reason, there are a lot of parts to be had. I briefly owned an MR2 and finding parts for that car was challenging.

To address the squeaks, you may want to consider looking at fresh tie rods, ball joints, and bushings all around. While its not going to make your car any faster, a nice tight feeling car is much more enjoyable than something that has loosened up and become sloppy.

 

Hi Bill, good to see you still on s2ki!

Hope you fix the S and keep it, seems so many people regret selling it after the fact.

 

I bought my 02 Suzuka Blue S new way back when. I just moved to S.W. FL in Nov. I lived Merrimack, NH since 86. Never drove my car in December before. It's not a bad thing.

 

Ball joints tend to creak when they get damaged or worn out.

Try swapping the lower ball joints from one side to another.

If it is the lower joints, change them ASAP. That's an ugly failure when it does happen.

I've seen them wear out around 80K miles. But they usually go well over 150K before making noises.

 

I have stored a few OEM things away with the thought I might need them in the future. If not, I should be able to sell them.

I have performed 2 valve adjusts (2009). Installed Billman TCTX. Fumoto valve. JDM/OEM convex left side mirror. Thinking about clutch master but Billman says constant refresh of fluid prevents almost all leaks.

Serpantine belt tensioner plus belt
Clutch parts
Spare (used) torque sensor for steering (a proper cleaning will also work but it was just $35 on eBay with 70K miles)
New driver and pax window rubber moldings
Inboard joint (axle cup)
Engine/trans mounts
Usual spare gaskets (Vtec) valve/spark plug tube seals