Not just SoCal; watch the auction sites. I really only wanted an AP2 in Rio Yellow Pearl, and their values are perilously close to $30k. In fact, a 70k mile example I bid on last year on BaT or C&B (in San Jose) went for over $30k.
Ultimately I "gave up" and just bought a 981 Boxster S (a 2013) for $42k. A 986 Boxster from the same era as an S2000 would absolutely be S2k prices.
I owned a Miata and wanted to own an S2k before moving up to the Boxster, but for today's asking prices, it just didn't make sense.
