Hi everyone! I'm from the south suburbs of Chicago and currently the owner of a stage 2 2006 STI that I've had for about a year now. Frankly, I'm just getting bored of the car. The maintenance is starting to become killer (89k miles now) and I don't have money to mod it AND maintain it. I always do maintenance first before mods, and I wish more people had that mentality. I MIGHT be selling it to purchase an S2000 very soon. I've always liked S2ks, but the versatility of the STI and boxer rumble made me buy that instead. The S2k will be my daily driver and I will try and drive it in the winter with some Blizzaks. I do not have enough for 2 cars, otherwise I would buy a beater for the winter. The roads get cleared pretty quickly where I live, so I don't think it will be that big of a deal, unless some members here talk me out of it.

I went to look at my first black S2000 today, but didn't pan out the way I thought it would by the looks of the ad.

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/3856734280.html

It had the look of an AP2 with the AP1 redline, which is what made me interested. A CEL was on because of the K&N intake, so the seller says, but he has the stock filter. He said when I come to look again, he will use his scanner to pull the code and show me. There were tons of swirls in the paint which indicated lack of maintenance, and a ding on the driver-side door not shown in the ad. The seller also sold the AP2 wheels. I'm going to pass on it mainly because of the CEL.

I'm really excited about possibly buying one of these cars. I'm sure I'll miss boost, but I drive like a grandma anyway. I'm kind of on the fence whether to get an AP1 or AP2, so I'll just have to drive both. There aren't many for sale in my color preference (White, black or red), so I will just have to wait it out! Hopefully you guys can help me out with my decision making process in the coming weeks.

 

Here is my STI for those curious:

 

you really need to test drive one.

i think youll miss the torque going from a sti to a s2k


imo get a low mileage ap1 if you can find one.

 

Thats a clean hawkeye you have there. I have jumped around plenty of vehicles and even though the s2k has low torque I love it more than my old 400whp s4 and my 500whp srt4. It all comes down to ones personal tastes, and for me it was a car that handled better than everything on the market. I am still part of my local Subaru club as I had an 02 bugeye wrx wagon and honestly all I hear from the club is how everyone's car keeps breaking down. One good thing about the s2k is if you treat it right it will not break down like most f/i cars will. All in all I would say find someone who is nice enough to let you drive theirs, and make a decision from there, hell if you were closer id drive mine for you to try. Also s2k's can be driven in winter but I would save that money you spend on maintenance for a winter beater, mainly for the fact the s2k shouldn't cost as much to maintain haha. Good luck either way and hopefully you get what you want

 

Welcome! I have a 2005 STi (20G/E85/EWG/ELH/etc...) and a 2004 S2000. The STi is nice at times to have a bigger car and the torque is addicting, but I find myself driving my S2000 a bit more lately. I don't think I could have one as my only car though. Neither my S2000 or STi are daily drivers, but I couldn't imagine trying to do everything in the S2000. It's rough (KWv3's), small, a thief magnet, small... and small. With that said, my primary reason for purchase was to track it. An older clean model with a cheap beater shouldn't be to hard find within budget.

Good luck with the search.

 

and welcome....

 

Thanks!

I've been thinking about this pretty seriously for the past week. After coming out of class, my car was glistening in the sun and blinding me with its white paint. I just stood there and admired the thing. I think I've realized I can't get rid of it, because I know I'll miss it terribly.

I'm still going to try and test drive one though and stick around on these forums. Maybe when I'm done with school and hopefully land a job, I can own both

 

That might be a better option, especially in the midwest haha. Its much better to have other vehicles for tasks you dont want to do in the s2k. I have 4 currently but will be down to a truck and the s2k once I move hopefully . If the STI is your true love there is no reason why you should sell her, just drive her till she dies then consider other vehicles

 

Going back to your original question. Depending on your budget, I would opt for an AP2. A bit more torque, stronger transmission, and better drivetrain. Plus if you decide to mod, an 06+ will give you the option of tuning the car with FlashPro which earlier models can't support.

If the budget is smaller, look for a 03 AP1 with the lowest miles possible. You can always change out exterior panels, interior, etc but you will have the rear glass and revised rear suspension. I would actually like to own a clean AP1 but they are hard to find with low miles.

All things equal, I would get an 06+ AP2. There is a bit more potential for performance and the slight upgrades in exterior and interior styling give it higher curb appeal in my book.

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They aren't too hard to find around here because most people store them for the winter. Most of them are of an unwanted color though. I say I'm not going to buy one, but one test drive could change my mind.

Thanks for the input everyone