09-25-2006, 01:34 PM
50,000 miles; the point at which I consider a car to no longer be "new." Why not a quick overview of how the car is after its first 6 years of life?
Engine
Bulletproof. I change the oil every 3000-4000 miles using Mobil One and a Purolator filter. It has yet to even hiccup aside from some check engine lights caused by an ill-fitting gas cap ($4 fix).
Suspension
Still feels as good as new. There is a squeak in the front, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. Heck, if it didn't squeak, I'd have soemthing to be worried about.
Drivetrain
Unfortunately, this is one downside. I have one of the early cars that had the clutch screws come loose, which causes a buzzing upon engine braking. It is quite annoying, but my car was out of the recall window by the time I got it. It doesn't affect drivability, but is quite annoying.
The rear differential has recently clicked a little when I reverse out of my driveway. I plan on flushing the fluid sometime soon. If that doesn't solve it, I have a loose bolt on a driveshaft, which is a simple and common fix.
Exterior
Aside from the accident that took a year to get repaired, no major complaints here regarding anything metal.
The top is cause for concern, though. My rear window was replaced during the accident debacle (body shop scratched my old one), but if it hadn't, that'd be an expense I'd have to forego sometime soon.
The cloth top has been bleached/dried a good bit, but I plan on putting some super product that BJ has on it. I have also noticed some small cracks/tears in two seams; I'm not sure what to do with those.
The top has also collected water in the passenger's side frame too, which all falls when I accelerate. I think this is related to my driveway being slanted so I'm going to try parking in the street when it rains from now on.
Interior
I've had to replace my stock carpets as the passenger side was getting worn through on the frame rail. BJ lucked out by getting two sets sent to our house, so I got them on the cheap.
The seats are a total pain to clean in the crevices. The driver's side is also beginning to show some decent wear.
The stock head unit has been treating me fine thanks to the previous owner putting some nice speakers in the doors. Unfortunately, the speakers are a little big, causing the door panel to rattle on the tweeter mounts. I had to repair one with superglue (it had broke the tweeter off) and plan on putting some foam in between the two to solve the rattling.
The interior itself has a good number of rattles, but with the top down and the music up, they're hard to notice.
Efficiency
I regularly see around 23mpg commuting and 30ish on the highway. This could be better if not for the car's ridiculously short gearing (required to make it scoot). I can't complain as it is better than most cars and still a sports car
mile:
Conclusion
I feel bad getting to drive this thing to work every day. I see other people in their boring cars and realize how good I have it. Sure, I can't take a week long road trip without a luggage rack, but that has only been an issue once. Sure, I can't haul around all my friends, but that rarely happens either. This past weekend crusing down and back to the beach/river/vacation house was awesome. It can even fit a full bag of golf clubs! I have yet to toss a bike rack on it, but I'm thinking of maybe even going with a hitch so I can put a basket (for trips) as well as a nice bike rack on the rear. For my age and situation, the car is perfect; time and again I try to think of something within my price range that I'd like to have and I draw a blank. Also, when else will I be able to enjoy something as impractical? Maybe 40 years down the line? The S2000 gets my thumbup
Engine
Bulletproof. I change the oil every 3000-4000 miles using Mobil One and a Purolator filter. It has yet to even hiccup aside from some check engine lights caused by an ill-fitting gas cap ($4 fix).
Suspension
Still feels as good as new. There is a squeak in the front, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. Heck, if it didn't squeak, I'd have soemthing to be worried about.
Drivetrain
Unfortunately, this is one downside. I have one of the early cars that had the clutch screws come loose, which causes a buzzing upon engine braking. It is quite annoying, but my car was out of the recall window by the time I got it. It doesn't affect drivability, but is quite annoying.
The rear differential has recently clicked a little when I reverse out of my driveway. I plan on flushing the fluid sometime soon. If that doesn't solve it, I have a loose bolt on a driveshaft, which is a simple and common fix.
Exterior
Aside from the accident that took a year to get repaired, no major complaints here regarding anything metal.
The top is cause for concern, though. My rear window was replaced during the accident debacle (body shop scratched my old one), but if it hadn't, that'd be an expense I'd have to forego sometime soon.
The cloth top has been bleached/dried a good bit, but I plan on putting some super product that BJ has on it. I have also noticed some small cracks/tears in two seams; I'm not sure what to do with those.
The top has also collected water in the passenger's side frame too, which all falls when I accelerate. I think this is related to my driveway being slanted so I'm going to try parking in the street when it rains from now on.
Interior
I've had to replace my stock carpets as the passenger side was getting worn through on the frame rail. BJ lucked out by getting two sets sent to our house, so I got them on the cheap.
The seats are a total pain to clean in the crevices. The driver's side is also beginning to show some decent wear.
The stock head unit has been treating me fine thanks to the previous owner putting some nice speakers in the doors. Unfortunately, the speakers are a little big, causing the door panel to rattle on the tweeter mounts. I had to repair one with superglue (it had broke the tweeter off) and plan on putting some foam in between the two to solve the rattling.
The interior itself has a good number of rattles, but with the top down and the music up, they're hard to notice.
Efficiency
I regularly see around 23mpg commuting and 30ish on the highway. This could be better if not for the car's ridiculously short gearing (required to make it scoot). I can't complain as it is better than most cars and still a sports car
mile:Conclusion
I feel bad getting to drive this thing to work every day. I see other people in their boring cars and realize how good I have it. Sure, I can't take a week long road trip without a luggage rack, but that has only been an issue once. Sure, I can't haul around all my friends, but that rarely happens either. This past weekend crusing down and back to the beach/river/vacation house was awesome. It can even fit a full bag of golf clubs! I have yet to toss a bike rack on it, but I'm thinking of maybe even going with a hitch so I can put a basket (for trips) as well as a nice bike rack on the rear. For my age and situation, the car is perfect; time and again I try to think of something within my price range that I'd like to have and I draw a blank. Also, when else will I be able to enjoy something as impractical? Maybe 40 years down the line? The S2000 gets my thumbup
I Am Mike
4 wheels: '01 RAV4 (Formerly '93 Civic CX, '01 S2000, '10 GTI, '09 A4 Avant)
2 wheels: '12 Surly Cross-Check Custom | '14 Trek Madone 2.1 105 | '17 Norco Threshold SL Force 1 | '17 Norco Revolver 9.2 FS | '18 BMC Roadmachine 02 Two | '19 Norco Search XR Steel (Formerly '97 Honda VFR750F, '05 Giant TCR 2, '15 WeThePeople Atlas 24, '10 Scott Scale 29er XT, '11 Cervelo R3 Rival, '12 Ridley X-Fire Red)
No longer onyachin.
4 wheels: '01 RAV4 (Formerly '93 Civic CX, '01 S2000, '10 GTI, '09 A4 Avant)
2 wheels: '12 Surly Cross-Check Custom | '14 Trek Madone 2.1 105 | '17 Norco Threshold SL Force 1 | '17 Norco Revolver 9.2 FS | '18 BMC Roadmachine 02 Two | '19 Norco Search XR Steel (Formerly '97 Honda VFR750F, '05 Giant TCR 2, '15 WeThePeople Atlas 24, '10 Scott Scale 29er XT, '11 Cervelo R3 Rival, '12 Ridley X-Fire Red)
No longer onyachin.
