I'm sure I've said this many times, but IMO, the NC Miata is the best bang for the buck Miata right now. It is faster and more sophisticated than the NA/NB, has tremendous aftermarket support just like the NA/NB, far more reliable than NA/NB bcos they are just much newer cars, and are nowhere nearly as prone to rust issues as NA/NB.

The NC is actually relatively cheap on gas, low maintenance, and insurance wasn't expensive either. You could do a lot worse.

When the C63 V8 came out, I wanted one BAD. But I joked with my parents, even if some one GAVE me a C63 I wouldn't be able to afford to even drive it. It was something like 70l on gas for 280km range. It was ridiculously bad.

Would an S2000 that was in the hands of a 17 year old back in the day still have any collector appeal now?

I had a red DX, great car:

https://i.imgur.com/fnpmP7b.jpg

There was a time when myself and 3 of my buddies all had EG’s:

https://i.imgur.com/MgEV3zx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Pfec9No.jpg

4th one was a turbo coupe I don’t have a picture of.

A buddy of mine also saved up all his Pennie’s and bought this EF to try and join the civic nation crew lol:

https://i.imgur.com/Nt00mHh.jpg

This thing had some fucking weird engine I can’t remember what it was.. it was a DOHC engine but like a prelude bottom with a GSR head or some Frankenstein BS the previous owner thought he wanted… my buddy -always- mis-shifted 2nd or 3rd so he eventually was shunned from the civic crew lol.

In terms of the original question I’ve got 2, I would have been 17 in 2003/2004

DA GSR, always loved that big wide mouth bumper the GSR had

https://i.imgur.com/j6ssufs.jpg

Or probably the top choice would be a 93 5.0 LX

https://i.imgur.com/5Ff4fDn.jpg

Those 5.0’s were a legitimately fast car for the time and still probably shit on a lot of modern cars today. A manual transmission and some street radials and you could get sideways just down gearing

Plentiful parts, cheap performance upgrades, big base to build on

I had no cash flow when I was 17 so any car given to me would've been useless without a separate allowance to cover operating costs. My parents didn't give me an allowance and I wasn't allowed to work, so even something simple like buying cafeteria food was not an option. I only got to enjoy food from the school store because I worked there as one of the managers lol

Do we get to stick the remainder of the $$$ in the trunk to give back as well?

People buying S2000s... you're managing to get them for under $20,000 of today's money? The rules say that you're buying the car in today's world and then sending it back in time.

If so I'd like to know where to find a S2000 for less than $20k please.

Civic EK hatch with an engine swap. Looking at todays prices one with a K swap may be hard to get.

After reading this post I did some googling and the article hit me right in the feels .
I think it looked better in blue.

https://stickydiljoe.com/2021/10/04/...s-feels-civic/

Ok, ok, rules updated!! You get the rest of the cash in the trunk to pay for operating expenses! :p

i've already got it - just need the time machine to send it back.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0ca517cb_b.jpg

might leave a note w a few tips for 17 year old me in the glovebox too.

I own this car because this is as close as I'm ever going to get to a time machine. It does a pretty good job of making me feel 17 again everytime I drive it.

I would have said S2000, but there is no way to get one for $20k these days. I would probably send myself an early or late NC1 Miata or NA. If not a convertible, then I could buy a decent EP3 today, and put the rest in the trunk for whatever comes up.

Come on, there’s no saving the money. You get 20k and 1 car, let’s say max 5k of that can be used for mods

TII RX7 would be the illogical choice. MR2 with a v6 swap would be pretty killer too. E36 3 series really is a solid all around car too.

EF/EG civics are so solid though, and that intake noise!

I remember when I was about to buy my EG there was a purple FC RX7 for sale for a similar price.. damn was I tempted but I’m sure I made the right choice in the end lol

2GR would be available for some of us already at 17, so a 2GR SW would be a kick ass car. It'll probably kick your ass too :badpokerface:

Forgot to respond to this - I don't know about 17 yo me but it's the vertical not the horizontal that's the issue KEKW

I have a stupidly long torso/stubby legs and in a NB my forehead sticks out into the slipstream without either gangster leaning back or using lowering rails. Also I no fit in it with helmet when roof is up.

S2000 fits no problem either way.

What car would you buy your 17 y/o self?
 

2008-2010 WRX STI

-also a car that I would pick:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0408516815.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e4ef586f66.jpg


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Don't know about the other guys, but I can't read, or write with proper grammar sooooo.......

I'm sticking to my s2000 for 8k + rice mods :drunk:

fudgeeeeeee I woulda said R32... but ofc... 20K cant even get you into a GTS-T...

20K today....

17 yrs old.... hmmm......

A stupidly over priced Panda Corolla GT-S Hatch with watanabes... once again... early 2000's... Found out about Initial D back in... Grade 10? lolol...

lololol

A sensible choice that actually ticked all boxes would be a manual, convertible, 128i from 2004 to 2006 lolol, decently reliable...decent handling... decent on date nights...

Deepdown, we all know I am going to...get that Panda AE86, cassette to 3.5mm jack wire hooked up to my 512MB Ipod Shuffle with the full Eurobeat that I downloaded off using KaZaa

I can see it now... showing up to school and car meets...you bet I'm gonna have a stack of paper cups in my glove box... lolol (everytime I park the car... fill water), everytime I am about to drive, dump the water out the window...

17 yr old me was defintely all show and no go... lololol

https://i.imgur.com/LzRpUo8.jpg

I'd buy my 17 yo self, the car I have now:

https://i.imgur.com/USvJ17h.jpg

A clown at our high school had one of those MR2’s with like a cherry bomb muffler and a front windshield banner “MR2 die for” uhg

My brother had an AW11 with t tops as his first car, he bought it from someone down there around 2010? It was white with bronze wheels, I want to say Konig Hyperlites or something like that, MOMO Race wheel and some funky mini sunwoofer on the floor in front of the passenger seat.

The first time he let me drive it I went over some train tracks and the O2 sensor fell out because it was just held on with worm clamps.

On second thought, a DB1 in white would also work very well for my 17 year old self. It would even be practical with 4 doors, and I liked it better than the 2 door hatch version.

A good friend in HS had that as his family car, although he used to drive it lots. We did a lot of stupid stuff in it, of course including speed runs on the UBC stretch of SW Marine Drive lol~

https://carsbase.com/photo/acura/acu...3-pic61724.jpg
(I'm surprised I couldn't find a photo of an unmolested white DB1 at all...)

These cars were so much better built than the Nissan / Mazda / Ford crap that my dad bought, and at the time, I just couldn't understand why Dad didn't go with Honda / Acura products.

(Of course, now that I am in a similar position as he was in, I have a better understanding of the constraints he had to juggle...)

love the golden era Hondas.
4 door cheaper on insurance, and more stealth. Plus parents won't give you hell if they see you driving a family sedan. lol.