Don't meet your heroes, why I sold my S2000

"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
10/31/2018 at 15:04 • Filed to: Decay's Beaters

Earlier this year I !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . It seemed like a great idea at the time, I mean who wouldn’t want a 800+hp S2000? I got everything in place to start working on it, going so far as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (which I don’t regret in the slightest BTW ) to make dropping the motor easier. By then it was summer, the roads were dry , and since the car ran I decided to take it out for a few pulls just to see what I was in for.

It was terrible.

First off were all the drive-line mounts. Solid everywhere. I’m not one to usually care about NVH, hell my FR-S is mostly spherical suspension bushings, but this was bad . Noticable vibration at all RPMs, enough to rattle the interior pretty hard. Plus there was loud drone in the interior. The solid mounts worked with the open exhaust to make the interior into a giant resonance chamber with the hardtop on.

Secondly was the clutch, the twin disk clutch was a real struggle to use in the hilly areas around my house. If I lived in a perfectly flat area I’m sure it would be fine, but I found myself stalling constantly.

Ok... so those seem relatively solvable, but they stuck in my mind and after I co uld never muster up the motivation to actually start work. So it sat in the garage

I gave it an honest think a month ago, and realized that even working perfectly I didn’t see myself driving it. For obvious reasons , It would be limited to dry weather usage, and being that it gets about 8 miles to the gallon, it certainly wouldn’t be a daily vehicle. I can’t think of a situation where I wouldn’t take a bike in the dry for fun runs, and I can’t think of a situation, where I would need a car, and take an s2000 over an FRS or Miata. I found that I liked the IDEA of owning this car, but the reality was that it just didn’t fit in with my usage.

I listed it for sale on a few national Facebook groups at the beginning of October. Had a few people come out and look, eventually it sold to a local who has already got further on the rebuild in two weeks than I did in 8 months.

I took some of the money and bought my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! a few days later.

DISCUSSION (24)

DutchieDC2R > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 15:55

I cant think of a situation where I would prefer a Miata (or an FRS for that matter) over the S2000.

Funny thing, my dc2 has near solid mounts and a loud exhaust, I know the pain of sitting in a moving deskdrawer full of nails.

Decay buys too many beaters > DutchieDC2R
10/31/2018 at 15:59

That comment was more about THIS S2000, not the platform as a whole. The FR-S makes a better appliance.. and well, the Miata doesn’t cost me anything and I find myself liking way more than I ever thought I would.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:06

Just a question I’ve thought about for a while, what does your insurance broker/agent say about the lift?

Do they know?

dogisbadob > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:08

Who the fuck buys a Firebird with no T-tops?

Also, I like the first-gen TT coupe more than I should, even though I know it’s based off the Mk4 Golf/ Jetta and one of the worst cars ever made

DutchieDC2R > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:09

The apeal of the Miata is......unfathomable. I still miss mine after 6 years, three of which I have been more than happily driving my dc2, in theory a much more fun car.

I guess there’s no replacement for cheap, reliable, rwd fun.

Such a shame you caught a bad example of an S, theyre great cars in general.

Decay buys too many beaters > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
10/31/2018 at 16:10

Hmmmm... Didn’t even think to tell them as it’s a tool and for personal use. Perhaps I should review my policy contract.

Decay buys too many beaters > DutchieDC2R
10/31/2018 at 16:14

Yeah, I’ve driven stock examples and they are fantastic . I was kind of hoping this would be a stockish car with basically unlimited power. But it took away a lot of that reliable, approachable, RWD fun that makes an S so good. Basically a M iata turned up to 11.

Also once you ride bikes, fancy convertibles start to seem quite silly indeed.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:16

I would email your broker. Seriously. You may have sublimits that preclude it or there is a possibility that if you have a loss, some idiot adjuster will think you are running a business out of your garage and try to deny your claim.

Take photos of it and your garage to show your broker.

Decay buys too many beaters > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
10/31/2018 at 16:20

Noted! Didn’t even think to look.
And I do run a business out of my garage... It just doesn’t involve a lift. I should probably tell them about that too :p

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:22

Seriously tell them. They may deny your claim if there are any commercial activities.

I had a guy recently who had water damage but was repairing furniture in his garage. I took pity on him and pushed it through, but we had an “off the record” conversation about him telling his broker ASAP.

BeaterGT > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:34

So what does a 800 hp S2000 sell for? Did it have crazy boost lag?

The conclusion is all too familiar having seen my friends give up their projects due to too much power or not being practical/reliable enough. Usually a combination of the two.

Decay buys too many beaters > BeaterGT
10/31/2018 at 16:38

Sells for about $18k (and that’s needing an engine refresh), there were some high dollar parts on the car that I could have parted out and made more... but I really just wanted the space and got tired of seeing it in the garage.

And yes on the crazy boost lag.

Kinja'd!!!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:40

Haha so you had a Miata, FRS, AND S2k all at the same time?? That seems rather redundant. I have been enjoying my Miata for a while and have rented a couple of FRS/BRZ and an S2k on Turo. While they were all different cars to some degree, they definitely all felt wayyyyy too similar to me to really want to have more than one out of that group.

While I really liked the s2k, the example I drove was kind of janky which was a little disappointing. I liked how much smoother it was than my Miata although it didnt quite reach Porsche Cayman levels of smooth.

I found the FRS/BRZ to be like a Miata but better. More space, a little faster, better looks, and soon to be just as cheap. Plus hopefully the Toyota bits will help it be easy to maintain. If I were to replace my Miata today, it would probably be with an FRS. I’d miss the convertible aspect, especially in Socal but I think I would get over it.

BeaterGT > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 16:46

Wow, how in the world are the rear tires are handling that? ! That does seem like a good deal for the car with it needing some TLC but is mostly well-sorted overall .

Decay buys too many beaters > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/31/2018 at 16:47

Lol yep... That lightweight Japanese 2 door life :p

The FR-S, I’ve had for a while, and is fairly practical. Plus does great as a reliable track car. My M iata was a $200 car I found in the woods, so I couldn’t not do that. The S2000 had so much power I figured it would slot in above the FR-S, but the reality was that it just wasn’t and enjoyable car to drive and I didn’t have an emotional attachment to it.

And don’t let the T oyota badges fool you. It’s 100% a S ubaru. (seriously, the only parts T oyota contributed was the diff out of an Is300, and the D4-S dual injector system)

Decay buys too many beaters > BeaterGT
10/31/2018 at 16:49

Mickey Thompson drag radials and some clever traction control logic.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 17:26

Just like the new Supra’s a BMW.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 17:59

Ahh so blown headgaskets in 3...2...1....

That sounds about right. I would think that any car where you add a 400% power increase there has to be some serious downsides without a TON of money being spent. And even then you will still face inherent downsides of doing that.

That color though is just mesmerizing. Id be in love just looking at the damn yellow thing, even if driving it sucked lol.

Decay buys too many beaters > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
10/31/2018 at 18:18

Nah, the Fa20 has been amazingly reliable in terms of head-gaskets . I’ve been on the platform forums since 2013 and the only issues seem to be throw-out bearings occasionally having issues, VERY early production cars had a software glitch that would knock on tip in and cook DI injector seals, and some cars had excessive engine sealant that made it’s way into oil galleys compromising 4th main bearing oiling. Overall though, it is far and away better that the EJ.

What I’ve found, generally up to about double factory power is great. After that things get very expensive and reliability falls off a cliff (even with everything done “right”. I had the FR-S turbocharged for while, it was great at around 300whp.

Alfalfa > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 21:12

I’d just like to point out that you said “don’t meet your heros” and then turned right around and bought you r dream bike.

Decay buys too many beaters > Alfalfa
10/31/2018 at 21:19

My working title for that review is "sometimes meet your heroes"

Nauraushaun > Decay buys too many beaters
10/31/2018 at 22:39

So your hero is an overpowered POS project car? Pfft! I still want an S2000.

A good one though

Decay buys too many beaters > Nauraushaun
10/31/2018 at 22:43

Pretty much lol

Or at least a car that can feel medium bike fast

wafflesnfalafel > Decay buys too many beaters
11/01/2018 at 00:08

Y ou did absolutely the right thing - if it’s not making you happy move on. It’s a sunk cost.