GPW FTMFW!
g0 g3t it !
Man if you like it that much do it. Simple as that. I wanted black and tan not red though. MY 03' has 2k more miles than your 06' So the cars are out there.

Life is too short to not do something you feel strongly about.

You'll find the way you want to go. And don't worry about changing cars when you get where you want to be you'll stop.

 

I found this today, aside from the red badges and the hood it seems like a great deal. Perfect color combo.
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...e&rdpage=thumb

I still don't know if I want to go through the hassle of it all, but man I do love that color combo...

 

I owned a 2001 SSM Ap1 for ~8 months while in college but sold it due to practicality. I then bought a 2004 Suzuka which I had for 2+ years, modded/supercharger. I never completely loved the color, and the car was in solid condition but it wasn't mint. A local guy was selling his super clean/nicely modded 2003 GPW with black OEM hard top a few months back. I had seen the car a few times before and knew how clean it was. I decided to buy it and sell my AP2. I haven't even put 1,000 miles on the AP1 yet, but I absolutely love it. I'm very glad I did the swap.

 

Sweet, I was hoping you'd chime in here. Is there anything you miss about the AP2?

 

You have an 06. Buy a Flashpro, HFC or testpipe, and a tune. Enjoy huge performance gains especially in the mid-range. Then I doubt you'll want to go to an AP1.

 

Nothing that really comes to mind, aside from the aesthetic upgrades of the AP2 (AP2 front bumper is nicer IMO although my AP2 bumper was covered in rock chips. I equally like AP1 v2 tail lights and AP2 tail lights, I like AP2 headlights more, but I just got Rick's clear diffusers for my AP1 lights that I will hopefully install this weekend, which I like a lot more than the ambers on GPW. AP1 rear bumper is nicer especially since I have a single exhaust right now).

Aside from that stuff, I can't really compare the powertrain too much yet as my AP2 was supercharged, so of course my AP1 feels much slower, though I was thinking about returning to N/A on the AP2 before I sold it.

I absolutely love my color combination right now though (GPW, black interior, black OEM hard top, Gold RPF1s), this made the whole thing worth it to me. I was never 100% in love with Suzuka/blue interior.

As far as steering feel/suspension/etc, I really can't comment too much yet. I haven't driven my AP1 too much yet, so I'm still getting used to it. Suspension, wheel/tire set up (255 non staggered now), clutch/flywheel, are all aftermarket in my AP1 and much different than the set up I had in my AP2 so it almost feels like a different car entirely.

Also, having a 9k redline definitely takes a bit of getting used to, haha. I am still mentally ready to shift gears at 8k, it's weird.

 

why not take 2 thousand and get a kick ass paint job.....keep the car and mod it as you like.

 

You should do what you want based on your needs/wants/budget/situation. Only you can determine whether or not this is worth the hassle to you to get an AP1.

Do you have a very clear idea of what it will take for the house and ring? There's a tremendously wide range of options for both. The difference in prices that you've stated wouldn't have worked for my situation (especially if I was expecting to have to repair/mod the car that was going to be purchased). Obviously, YMMV.

Clarify why these are cons. The first doesn't seem like it belongs in an argument against the idea. The latter could easily be a con if it constantly puts you in a worse financial situation every time and if, as your posts indicate, you're easily distracted by greener grass on the other side of the fence.

Again, do you know exactly how much you need for the ring and the house? Is the car a higher priority than the ring and the house in case your financial situation suddenly changes? Have you purchased a house before? Are you familiar with all of the associated costs?

When was the last time you actually drove an AP1? Memory isn't as reliable as we think it is and it quite often tends to gloss over negative details that we seem to easily forget about. I'd suggest test driving (as you should always do) one before making any decision. If you can't state your reason for wanting the AP1 better than just "mystical" then you may want to go back and carefully reassess what you specifically prefer about the AP1 and whether it's worth going through this to you. That said, it's entirely possible that "mystical" is enough of a reason for you.

Consider test driving it rather than just spec sheet racing. Spec sheet racers aren't very fond of the S2000 either if you think about it. The experience > specs alone.

No paint job makes an AP2 into an AP1 (or vice versa).

 

I don't see why downgrade... you've got an 06. Buy a flashpro; 8.6K and more engine output through the entire powerband. And I always follow the rule of buy as new as possible, so I can't see why you'd want to downgrade years? Seems like you lose out, and quite frankly the ap2 is more attractive in the front. Unless GPW is that important to you...

 

I personally wouldn't do it. You said it yourself your stable and given past experiences at some point your job just handed you a fat check and said thank you. Can you get another check like that randomly, if so wait for the next one. Build yours whichever way suits you hell you can get vinyl wrap if you really need a white car Just start saving all your "car payments" and that could he towards a respectable 10% down on a home for you and your S maybe for the +1 too(debatable)