Yessir, It was one helluva steal, has a top secret exhaust and tein coils, only downside is the bent valves.

I am having the entire head rebuilt with brian crower valves, retainers, springs, street cams, ARP bolts and gasket.

Hopefully the amuse kit comes soon too, as well as the Toda ITB's so I can start my journal :)

Married and never made an irresponsible decision (financially anyways). Like I said, I've always purchased cars cash but they were always around $10k so it wasn't difficult. With the recent house purchase, funds are a bit depleted. Figured I was due for one - 30 is only a few years away.

I think I'll wait an
extra year, save the cash and if I still want one by then, I can have it without taking a loan. But more likely I'll invest it... sad I know

Any of you guys consider the Boxster? Maintenance seems not too terrible and prices are slightly more.
Going to read up on the forums see if this IMS issue was prevalent in earlier models.

Single and constantly making irresponsible decisions. My T88 Supra, Typhoon, Supercharged S2000, and the stock-as-fuck 135i were all ridiculous in their own way and time.

Now I appreciate the feeling VS the cost factor in buying a car. What vehicle rewards your soul on a personal level the most for the least kind of money? I have so many good memories of nights driving around with the top down in summer, oh god my Supra was insane to drive!!!

Ahhh

Do what is right for where you are in life, if you've always wanted that impractical convertible... DO IT NOW!!!

If bang-for-the-buck is the primary requirement, there is really no better option than a Miata from any of the generations. There is a reason why Miatas are the single most frequently raced car in the whole world.

im on the same boat trying to decide to do the leap and buy an nsx
20+ y/o for 30k+. seem to be the same price in the states as it is here though, wearas s2k's
are cheaper in the US

Man, good to know I'm not the only one.
So damn hard to plan ahead, investments, family etc..
The NSX I could justify as it really was Honda's halo car (still is?). I don't know many cars 20+ that look as sharp.

Get a Miata. I got one last March for my 2nd car - a 2008 GT with only 17,000km on it for $20K. A few parts on it, a tune and you'll be making close to 200hp which will be plenty quick.

What part don't you get? To the other poster, would a CR S2000 qualify as a collector plate to hand down to your youngest child? Just nickel and diming all possible factors and looking into the long term for our future young auto enthusiasts. Not that means anything with bozo's still in the mix.

Get a Miata, Im sure there's some factory warranty clearance examples on the lot with good financing.

I owned NC Miata and currently has an AP1 S2000.
Here are my $0.02:

1) Financially speaking, GET THE S2000 !! You said it yourself, it's crazy it's keeping its value so well, especially at local market. Enough said.
(Seriously, any other cars mentioned above will give you more depreciation over the next several years of ownership, cash/finance/lease no matter, and a lot less fun).

2) It's strictly a summer car you said... then GET THE S2000 !!!
The gearbox and engine combo is pure sex..... let along the chassis. Even in stock form, you will feel like you are Ayrton Senna in daily street driving.

3) S2000 vs. Miata: GET THE S2000 !!! Trust me... you may save a few grands by getting an used NC Miata, but you will hope you spend a few grand more and get the S2000 ! Spend some time with both and study the details, you will understand why S2000 was a $50K car while Miata was at $30K.

Seriously, since you said it's strictly a summer car, and you seem to be financially smart, S2000 is really your best bet, with its top of the class fun factor and low total cost of ownership ( low maintenance cost + high resale value).

One buys an S2000 with his heart, not with his head.

Cayman > Boxster

I would have agreed with you until I got a Miata. Now it's always convertible > hard top version (unless you are tracking it). Chicks dig convertibles. Even convertibles with a gay hairdresser stereotype.

I love convertibles on nice summer days (except for the cost in trunk space, which makes getting my golf bag in and out more of a chore), unfortunately, they're definitely not an ideal daily driver in BC from October through April. I personally don't care if women are attracted to my car or not.

out of all the cars listed in your post the AP! is the one to get yes using your LOC to pay for it will net you south of 2k in interest but as you also noted they hold their value well so as long as you keep up with your two year payment schedule but shortly after that interest is payed off it will always be worth more that what you have owing on it. So that debt becomes an asset much sooner than the others listed

I hear ya on the golf bag - it's a bit of pain jamming it in the trunk of my Miata.

Also hear ya on the daily driver bit - I stored mine from November to March. As Victoria gets half the rain that Vancouver does it works fine the rest of the year - it's actually quite awesome that rest of the year since it also doesn't get too hot in Victoria. Just warm enough to keep the top down for most the 7 months it's not in storage.

There will always be a market for Manual RWD Convertibles...

Hell, the premium on older RWD japanese cars is still high as hell

s2000 is more than fine for daily driving all year around
+1 to not caring if women are attracted to my car or not.

I was really tempted to go for a Boxster or Cayman but the IMS issue is enough to scare me away. From some of the research I did, there is a 10-12% chance of it happening on the 986 1st gen Boxster, although it really depends on the year as there were 3 different IMS bearings used. There are several kits you can purchase and have either a stronger IMS bearing retrofitted.

The 987.2 MY05/06 might be using the old engine and the IMS bearing can be fixed, but newer ones can't. 987.1 Caymans generally used the newer engine of which I have read conflicting information about the IMS bearing being upgraded in the 987.1's.

You're much safer with 987.2's since they completely removed that part. There's also less issues with the engine in general from what I've read.

Miata
Is
Always
The
Answer

Yeah, especially if you're having trouble coming out of the closet.

17K isn't a lot of money in terms of cars. For AP1, yes, it is on the high side.

But for AP2v2/v3/CR, then it is on the low side.

heck, even some used Civics cost more than 17K.

With regular maintenance an S2000 is a good car, it has a robust engine and can bring a smile to your face everyday you drive it.

http://i57.tinypic.com/2aepgqw.jpg

Don't mind the crappy phone pic but one of these cars has about 300,000 kms on it's chassis and she seems to be running great!

Just echoing what everyone else has said: S2000 is a blast to drive and is reliable and relatively cheap to maintain. Shifter is great (so is the Miata's shifter) and the engine is fun to rev it out. Steering feel is poor (EPS) and the car's size and lack of an adjustable steering wheel means that some people don't fit comfortably in the car.

I've had mine for 8 years now and every time I think of selling it, I realize that I'm not quite ready to sell it yet. So in the past, I've changed my daily driver instead, as my S2000 is my weekend car. Having said that, in the near future, I may finally decide to sell it--we'll see.