Hi Folks,

Haven't posted in awhile but thought I owed it to the community to post what may be one last time.
Starting around 2017, I started to feel the thrill was gone as BB King once said. The thrill between my S2K and me. that is. I'm the only owner of my 2002 Suzuka blue and it has been a wonderful ride all these years. Almost nothing has gone wrong, some tasteful mods made it a lot more fun and I babied it every day of its garaged life! I was 51 when I bought it and now I'm 72. I still run 3-5 miles almost everyday but have needed hearing aids for awhile now. Getting old sucks. The S2K was no longer a comfortable ride for me and the sameness was getting to me after almost 20 years, a quarter of a lifetime for some.
My first car was a sports car back in 1972. Up until then, I only rode motorbikes. My brother helped me piece together a 1957 Mercedes 190SL in Belgium where he attended med school and spoke the local languages fluently. We put together a gorgeous car for $2200 shipped to NYC! It lasted a few years until I wrecked it and I always wanted another MB. I became a professional mechanic thanks to a BMW apprenticeship and taught auto shop in school, a real gas! So, in 2017 I started looking at Mercedes, particularly the SLK's which kinda sucked when my S2000 was born but seemed to slowly rise in stature especially with the 171 models as they are known by enthusiasts. So I watched them and the pricing for a couple of years.
Meanwhile I picked up one of the premier independent Mercedes shops as a client (I'm now an electrical engineer) and learned all I could. To make a long story shorter, I bought one in September of 2019. A 2007 350 SLK with 50K miles most options and perfect looking.
I did not, could not sell the S2K my baby, right away and wanted to make sure this new car was going to be reliable! I spent more $$ on the Benz in the last 2 years than I spent on the Honda in 20, just for small stuff! I do not recommend the car unless you are a German car mechanic with patience plus!!! However, It's everything I wanted. Briefly, that's retractable hard top, quiet/dry/wam as a sedan when up, still a roadster when down! Auto tranny so that in pinch, my wife can drive it! All sorts of creature comforts and technoid doodads from heated neck blowers from the head rests to 30 way adjustable/heated seats. A lot more...
So, my battery died in the S2k from sitting in the garage and I had to drive it to put 100 miles on it to get the smog cert. I took one of my favorite rides and it was an eye opener! The motor sang its high rpm song! The incredible slick shifting 6spd! The fantastic go kart experience, for sure!
However, even with my latest hearing aids, I could barely hear the great custom sound system in the S2k or have any kind of a conversation top up or down! The back road I chose had a suck deteriorated pavement and the stiff S2k jolted me on many of the bumps compared to the Benz. The car is so tight/small inside compared to the roomy comfort laden interior of the SLK.
Shifting often to keep the revs/cornering up for the S2000's motor is now a lot of work for me. have learned to love the Benz's awesome torque that is there from 2200 rpm to almost redline along with the slick 7spd auto. I can still manually downshift if I want or need to but I'm not as much of a racer anymore, anyway. So there you have it. Once I figure out a price, I'll place my ad and move on. It's been a great ride and I still own and ride my motorcycle when I need a absolute jolt of adrenaline!
Here's some pics of the two in my now very cramped garage!!!

 

Glad you were able to enjoy the s2000 during the time you had it. Our needs and bodies change as we get older and sometimes its time to move on. I just got back into another s2000 after 6 years and its still a fun car to drive. I have a few more years of tracking i can do and lets see what happens after.

 

Automotive enthusiasm has many forms. I’m glad you found something that allows you to continue enjoying the hobby.

I bought my ‘02 S recently from the original owner whose situation was similar to yours, although he replaced it with an Audi S5 to do more cross-county traveling with his wife. I’m grateful that he took such good care of the car, as I’m sure your eventual buyer will be.

Can you post a full list of the modifications you made to the car over the years? I’m especially curious which upgrades you found most worthwhile. And more pictures!! Thanks.

 

Thanks for this post. Great seeing the long term ownership, and I hope that your car goes to a good home. It's clear that you still have plenty of fun ahead on your bike and with the SLK.

 

In 2004, after 2 years with my S2k, the computer world took a nosedive and I landed a dream job based on my professional auto mechanic and HS auto shop teaching background.
This affected any future mods I wanted to put in my S2K which originally included a bunch of suspension and power idea's. I used to blue print hi output motors so I was really planning on going
all out on the S2000!
I became the fleet manager for a large stable 50+ of exotic cars and a real live race winning Porsche gt that we won with at Le Mons and at Daytona.
Overnight, I was traveling the world in the company of well known personalities and meeting a few famous drivers in addition to my main gig to maintain the fleet.
You name it, many Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Porsches, Benz's, Audi's and even an S2000.
I got to drive all these cars often, race them at a number of tracks and lead our top sales people in a no holds barred rally with stops to eat well, topped by a huge party in San Francisco.

In the Stable!


Couple of S2k pics

Couple of S2k pics

I also conducted a training class before the rally which consisted of about 10-15 top sales people from all over the USA.
Here I am in one of the stables with some of the lesser, cheaper cars! Followed with a couple of pics of my S2K!
So, I know longer needed to drive my S2K much for a couple of years and decided not to put any $$ in to it for performance mods as my new gig was the biggest performance mod made!
After all these years, I am glad I did not install one of the superchargers, aftermarket coil overs like Bilsteins or other stuff! I am very happy with its stock performance and the suspension with the 17" wheels still feels great.

So here's the stuff I have done that pretty much come under looks, exhaust, stereo and wheels!
Di Grappa or Riks X Brace
Riks Badges
Riks custom carpets (wore holes in them and now the like like new stock rugs are back!)
Mugen Titanium Exhaust System
Volks 17" Wheels all around
OEM Suzuka blue front license plate hole plugs!
WLaurents Dual Custom Fiberglass SubWoofer Trunk Enclosures with 8" Kickers
Link to my entire custom stereo install https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-el...le-long-67577/
That air filter you clean, reoill and keep for ever!