Starting to age.
05-28-2010, 11:22 PM
#1
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Starting to age.
I was looking at a particular S in the FS section and started to think about the look and style of the car.
The prices are now ridiculously low, so the barriers to entry have all but gone. But, at what price has this come? I used to see the shape as a 'timeless classic' and it certainly has belting lines in certain areas but it also has a look of desperation about it now - and I wondered if that is purely because of the price it is currently selling at, ie, if it was still a 20k+ vehicle would I see the same shape in a different light.
It must have an influence on my thinking but it doesn't detract from the fact that the car in its 11 yo guise has now dated. I also add, that the addition of an oem front lip also increases the desperation factor by quite a margin.
I always thought I would get another one and at these sub 10k prices you would have to be a fool to not experience it for 6 months but I had over 4 great years in one of these and am starting to think that its not a place I want to go back.
The thread reads a little bit as an incitement, that is not its intention. It is to gauge the views of the once owners that still live on here to what they see the car as now.
I caveat the above with the following: Some MY revisions have been a big positive in style terms, ie MY04+ and some of the fresher colours, such as white. Some MY revs did nothing for the vehicle ie MY02+ those wheels were not a significant enough change. The engine and driving aids were never a plus in my view though. Can't beat that <01 harshness
So, 'stylewise' what do the current owners think versus the previous owners? What is your initial view when you see these vehicles these days? Magnum PI or Jack Bauer?
The prices are now ridiculously low, so the barriers to entry have all but gone. But, at what price has this come? I used to see the shape as a 'timeless classic' and it certainly has belting lines in certain areas but it also has a look of desperation about it now - and I wondered if that is purely because of the price it is currently selling at, ie, if it was still a 20k+ vehicle would I see the same shape in a different light.
It must have an influence on my thinking but it doesn't detract from the fact that the car in its 11 yo guise has now dated. I also add, that the addition of an oem front lip also increases the desperation factor by quite a margin.
I always thought I would get another one and at these sub 10k prices you would have to be a fool to not experience it for 6 months but I had over 4 great years in one of these and am starting to think that its not a place I want to go back.
The thread reads a little bit as an incitement, that is not its intention. It is to gauge the views of the once owners that still live on here to what they see the car as now.
I caveat the above with the following: Some MY revisions have been a big positive in style terms, ie MY04+ and some of the fresher colours, such as white. Some MY revs did nothing for the vehicle ie MY02+ those wheels were not a significant enough change. The engine and driving aids were never a plus in my view though. Can't beat that <01 harshness
So, 'stylewise' what do the current owners think versus the previous owners? What is your initial view when you see these vehicles these days? Magnum PI or Jack Bauer?
05-28-2010, 11:53 PM
#3
Honestly?
I chose the S2000 over an Mr2 roadster or a newer Mazda MX5 as it has more power and I prefer the look of it. If i wasn't so bothered about the engine or the looks, i'd have gone for the Mx5. If i get bored of the running costs, an early Mx5 is a very real possibility assuming all i want is roof down fun. The S2000 has given me a taste of topless driving and i'd be loathe to give that up.
A porsche was not an option, the purchase price may be similar but the running costs are higher. Plus I don't like the idea of buying a poverty spec Porsche - that does make a statement i'm anxious to avoid. The S2000 has no model range as such so there is no cachet to attach to a particular specification. The Porsche might be better dynamically but on the roads I drive on, I don't think i'd notice the difference enough of the time to warrant the difference in purchase price for a nice one.
I don't much care for wings / spoilers / skirts - cross dressing for cars, you either like the original shape or you don't. I think it's a nice shape as standard and it has aged reasonably well, it's pretty and the lines are clean and uncluttered. I think it needs to be taken care of, it needs to be kept clean and shiny but it doesn't need things sticking on.
At £10,000 ish for an 04+ car, it's as good as or better than anything else out there at the price. As a £28,000 car when new, you'd have had to be a true Honda Fan to buy one. I think that with the price as it is, there is far less of a statement being made about the owner other than that they chose not to buy a eurobox and for whatever other reasons don't need 4 doors and a boot.
That said, when the time comes to sell up and move on, i'll do so happy in the knowledge I owned one and be all misty eyed about it but with no desire to own another one. There are other cars I want to own and drive, the list is long and it's a short life.
I chose the S2000 over an Mr2 roadster or a newer Mazda MX5 as it has more power and I prefer the look of it. If i wasn't so bothered about the engine or the looks, i'd have gone for the Mx5. If i get bored of the running costs, an early Mx5 is a very real possibility assuming all i want is roof down fun. The S2000 has given me a taste of topless driving and i'd be loathe to give that up.
A porsche was not an option, the purchase price may be similar but the running costs are higher. Plus I don't like the idea of buying a poverty spec Porsche - that does make a statement i'm anxious to avoid. The S2000 has no model range as such so there is no cachet to attach to a particular specification. The Porsche might be better dynamically but on the roads I drive on, I don't think i'd notice the difference enough of the time to warrant the difference in purchase price for a nice one.
I don't much care for wings / spoilers / skirts - cross dressing for cars, you either like the original shape or you don't. I think it's a nice shape as standard and it has aged reasonably well, it's pretty and the lines are clean and uncluttered. I think it needs to be taken care of, it needs to be kept clean and shiny but it doesn't need things sticking on.
At £10,000 ish for an 04+ car, it's as good as or better than anything else out there at the price. As a £28,000 car when new, you'd have had to be a true Honda Fan to buy one. I think that with the price as it is, there is far less of a statement being made about the owner other than that they chose not to buy a eurobox and for whatever other reasons don't need 4 doors and a boot.
That said, when the time comes to sell up and move on, i'll do so happy in the knowledge I owned one and be all misty eyed about it but with no desire to own another one. There are other cars I want to own and drive, the list is long and it's a short life.
05-29-2010, 12:27 AM
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Originally Posted by unclefester,May 29 2010, 08:53 AM
Plus I don't like the idea of buying a poverty spec Porsche - that does make a statement i'm anxious to avoid.
But you have already destroyed a perfectly good S2000 which now looks like it has gone through an "ebay abortion" with all the tat you have put on it.
I didnt think you would be worried about image
A reminder for viewers for the "work in progress" LOL
Love the signiture BTW
05-29-2010, 12:29 AM
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It's a very interesting question.
Having been an owner for almost 4 years now and having owned a lot of other cars as well.
I know the S2000 has aged and dynamically is outclassed by a lot fo cars.
But then to be honest it always was, in its price range it was underpowered as well.
However, it is and was a very clean design and driving an S marks you out as someone who wanted an S...not someone who couldn't afford something else.
I think the same holds true now and probably always well.
You can get all sorts of things for the price of an S so ifyou're driving one then it's because you want to.
I actually think we're in a transition stage right now, it's gone from being a current model to an old model.
the price attracts a certain type of person, but that will change.,
in 5 years time the S will be seen as a future classic and be revered as such. Original cars will attract a premium over modified ones and those who drive them will be seen as enthusiasts. I have a feeling that with values where they are right now, i'll be keeping mine.
however i say the same thing about my Atom, my e46 M3 and my 360 so perhaps i just love my cars!
Having been an owner for almost 4 years now and having owned a lot of other cars as well.
I know the S2000 has aged and dynamically is outclassed by a lot fo cars.
But then to be honest it always was, in its price range it was underpowered as well.
However, it is and was a very clean design and driving an S marks you out as someone who wanted an S...not someone who couldn't afford something else.
I think the same holds true now and probably always well.
You can get all sorts of things for the price of an S so ifyou're driving one then it's because you want to.
I actually think we're in a transition stage right now, it's gone from being a current model to an old model.
the price attracts a certain type of person, but that will change.,
in 5 years time the S will be seen as a future classic and be revered as such. Original cars will attract a premium over modified ones and those who drive them will be seen as enthusiasts. I have a feeling that with values where they are right now, i'll be keeping mine.
however i say the same thing about my Atom, my e46 M3 and my 360 so perhaps i just love my cars!
05-29-2010, 12:34 AM
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I agree that it has aged - and IMO it's more obvious in the 99-03 shape. I think the undersized 16" wheels might be a factor in that.
I was never truly convinced that the car was destined for "future classic" status. If it is, I suspect it has a way to go yet before it gets there.
All of that said, it's still a pretty good-looking car compared to a lot of what's on the road thesedays.
I was never truly convinced that the car was destined for "future classic" status. If it is, I suspect it has a way to go yet before it gets there.
All of that said, it's still a pretty good-looking car compared to a lot of what's on the road thesedays.
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05-29-2010, 01:32 AM
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The fact that the bottom fell out of the cars price and is now within the grasp of punters who perhaps couldnt have considered it 2 years ago has greatly changed the perception of the car I'd say.
Dare I say this without sounding pompous; The fact that anyone who 2 years ago would have been looking at average hatches can now sit themselves in an S has taken the shine off the car; regardless of the fact that its still a great drivers car the feeling of it being a bit special and a bit classy has now gone completely imo.
I'm gonna stick my neck out a bit here and say that I suspect that a number of people on here who've owned an S in the past and have subsequently sold it, have done so, at least partly, for the above reason.
:exitright:
Dare I say this without sounding pompous; The fact that anyone who 2 years ago would have been looking at average hatches can now sit themselves in an S has taken the shine off the car; regardless of the fact that its still a great drivers car the feeling of it being a bit special and a bit classy has now gone completely imo.
I'm gonna stick my neck out a bit here
and say that I suspect that a number of people on here who've owned an S in the past and have subsequently sold it, have done so, at least partly, for the above reason.:exitright:
05-29-2010, 01:35 AM
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I possibly didn't get the complete feeling across in my op. Whenever I see one, I still always have a look but I wonder, again, if that is because of my own feelings for the model and ex-ownership status.
Def <04 is a very old looking machine now. If I were to go back, it would have to be, for aesthetic appeal, a +04 with zero styling modifications. Bone stock.
Def <04 is a very old looking machine now. If I were to go back, it would have to be, for aesthetic appeal, a +04 with zero styling modifications. Bone stock.
05-29-2010, 01:40 AM
#10
i think the 16s show it's age and the japs dont style cars well
but i also dont really care. modern tends to be big and heavy, i honestly cant think of many modern cars i like atm
next car will be an exige or a tvr but i cant see me parting with the S
but i also dont really care. modern tends to be big and heavy, i honestly cant think of many modern cars i like atm
next car will be an exige or a tvr but i cant see me parting with the S