OK, I've got a friend who's looking to buy a S2K. Probably a 2004+. I know www.s2ki.com is the main forum but where else is there good information? We're looking for buying tips, what to look out for, what you can/can't live without. Also I'd love to hear from current or previous owners on your experiences.
I'm sorry to bust your balls a little bit, but you just told us where you should go to get info on an S2000. Yet you're actually asking a Ferrari forum for advise?
Ummm... I can see from your post count you're kinda new here. Yes, I know S2ki is the main forum for S2Ks but as Rennlist is the main forum for Porsche Pelican is another that many might not know about that's almost as large. If not larger. Then also say you were looking for a Boxster, there's also 986Forum.com as well as Porsche Pete's Boxster Board (PPBB.com). So there's usually a lot more out there than many might know. Also, I don't know if you've figured it out yet, we're currently in the "Other Cars" section of Ferrarichat. Where, you know, you discuss "Other Cars." There are the normal Eurocentric listings that would go with individuals who are drawn to Ferrari such as Porsche, Lambo and the like and then there's the General Automotive Discussion area where we are. If you look at the listings you'll see quite a lot of discussion about cars that don't fit into the other categories. Given the number of enthusiast here I can assure you not all own a Ferrari and even the ones who do often have owned other makes and models as well. I come here for an enthusiast view on a number of different cars as they tend to tell it like it is where as if I were to go to the S2K board and ask "Are these good cars?" I'm sure the answer would be a resounding yes. Take a look over in the Porsche section and youll see individuals looking for advice on where to go for information on specific cars and also direct advice from owners and enthusiast here. Ive seen the same thing for Lancias and Alfas in the Other Italian section.
Oh I understand that, but you specifically were asking for... Now there is no better place to get that information than from the actual owners of S2k's correct? And the best place to find S2k owners would be??? Oh and just because I've only got 4 hundred and some odd posts doesn't quite mean I'm new around here, so please check your ego at the door
A friend of mine has a 2001 (AP1) S2000 that he bought bone stock but now is fairly modified. A few years and thousands of dollars later it has different wheels/tires, coilovers, brakes, CF trunk/spoiler, seats, seat belts, clutch/flywheel, exhaust and a turbocharger (I believe it's a T3/4 hybrid) running off of a GReddy E-Manage. Last time it dyno'd about 330whp. It's also fairly stripped out in the name of saving weight. IIRC, it's a couple hundred pounds lighter than stock. The car itself has stood up to quite a bit of abuse. He autocrosses regularly and drives to and from the track no trailer queen here. As far as reliability goes it's been great. In stock form the car was bullet-proof. Remember it's a Honda. Working on the car is really easy and a big improvement in under the hood room was replacing the stock air box with a cold air intake. I believe his is AEM. The performance gain was probably zero to none, but It freed up a lot of space in the engine bay. When the car was stock I found it very easy and fun to drive. I know people complain of low end grunt (a 2.0L Honda motor with a 9000RPM red line will cause that) but I didn't think it was bad at all. Visibility was good and the driver focused cockpit meant all controls were in easy reach. One downside on the interior was that the sound system was pretty poor, but that can be upgraded easily. There also aren't a lot of cubby holes so most cargo or knick-knacks go in the trunk. One highlight for me is that I am 6'5" and just under 200 pounds and didn't find it uncomfortable. Sure a little tight, but that's to be expected. Other downsides we have found are not so great MPG (about 20) and his car had the plastic rear window which cracked when the top was put down on a cold day. It's expensive to replace, but the convertible top is about to be removed in favor of a Mugen hard top. There are differences between AP1 and AP2 S2k's but s2ki.com can fill you in more. I know Ap2's have 2.2L engines to provide a bit more low end torque at the cost of a red line that is 1000RPM lower. Hope this helps.
OP is asking for S2K owners to chime in on tips / pointers. F-Chat is definitely a reasonable place to do so. Personally, as someone that is interested in purchasing a Honda S2000, I found www.s2ki.com a waste of time. Didn't help me much at all, and all the cars for sale were heavily modded - which I don't want. I found as much useful info here, and since the S2000 isn't the focus, you tend to get a more honest answer out of S2000 owners. My 2 cents. I'd tell your friend to get a pre-2004. The engine is more exciting, and the difference in torque isn't really noticeable. Challenge is finding a non-modded car.
Thank you gentlemen. I appreciate your time and information. I'll certainly check out Honda-Tech.com. Anyone else?
Not much to add, except that I really miss my 2002 AP1...and if it's red, he'll get noticed a lot when he revs the engine....which will be pretty much all the time! They're great cars. Trans/differentials need to be carefully checked out, as they don't take kindly to drop-clutch starts. As another posted noted, a lot of these cars were modded. I'd seek out late-model lease returns. Honda just stopped making them last year.
My wife had an AP1(00-03) model, and it definitely lacked the low-end grunt everyone talks about, but it was super-reliable and had one of the best shifters in a car I've ever felt. The out of the box handling was superb. The 04+ AP2's are 2.2 and have a bit more torque. Overall, a really fun car in the $20,000 category used.
00-01 are the RAWest of the cars - no comfort creatures, and a 9k redline. 02-03 - Same as the previous years but then they added chrome rings to the taillights and interior door panels, they also mapped the ECU to be more aggressive. 04-06- They changed to a 2.2L, 8k redline, more creature comforts like door pockets, and underdash pocket, changed the center console, facelifted front and rear end (in 06 they added TC ) Theres really not much to be on the look out for...its only a honda. Ive had 2 and ran them each up and over 100k with no issues. I guess if you were going to be on the look out for anything check out the condition of the top. towards the rear there are usually wear spots. If the seats look new dont be surprised if its because someone slashed the top and stole the original seats (happened to me 3x). If you pop the hood you should see Vin stickers on the front fenders and front bumper unless theyve been repaired (hint to an accident since they are clearly visible with no effort) When the car is running listen for a "ticking" noise, its typical of low oil pressure and a common "problem" (mystic honda sells a better tensioner to resolve this "problem" but as long as you check your oil levels your good). And if the transmission sounds loud in the cabin, have the fluid checked, it will be noisy but shouldnt be overly noisy (the trans sits literally inches below your arm when your seated). take it for a drive and just inspect it well (btw listen for wind noise on the drive, if a top has been replaced you want to make sure its adjusted properly). S2ki.com is a great place for information but take it with a grain of salt there are a lot of misinformed people there and a lot more that think they know what they are talking about.
I'm looking at getting into an Evo by the end of the summer and the forum I was directed to was evolutionm.net. I don't think I've seen a single car that hasn't been modded in some way over there. Good luck to both of us in our search for stock cars..
What I would recommend. It can be quite the rice house sometimes, but to be fair there is quite a lot of basic information available about most Hondas/Acuras in bone stock form. They're pretty crazy about anything Honda, modified or no. Good luck. S2K is a great automobile.
And what Andrew said: Buy the original iteration of the car. It got tamer as it progressed. The originals were said to be tricky and fidgety, but the newer ones got fatter and slower. When I'm in the market I'll be looking for an '00-'01.
I am actually somewhat looking for one myself... The car didnt have any major changes until 04, other than cosmetic stuff and the glass rear window. My advice, (which I am following myself) is to find an 02-03. This is still the purest of sportscars, and has the glass rear window. The window is the single biggest issue IMO as the plastic one will turn to crap if it hasnt already
I had a 00 MY. bought at 9k miles; sold at 25k. Silverstone Sliver w/ red leather. If i had to do it again, id wind up with an 02 ive decided. 00's didnt have clocks (even in the radio) and it was hard to live without that. The stereo was certainly lacking. Listening to it sing up to 9k was always an aural treat but The 02 up stereo is 10x better. The 00 and 01 i believe didnt come with a center arm rest (just carpet over the tunnel) I bought a leather center armrest/ tunnel cover from ricks2k(.com?) Incredible quality. Redline in the gearbox and the rear end made a world of difference. The only other after market goodie i added to mine was a comptech(now defunct?) carbon fiber intake. Also worth every penny. Ive heard the 02 or 03 ecu (and cams ive heard) story but after driving mine and a buddies back to back i couldnt feel the difference. The 2.2l cars are much better around town, but there really is a night and day difference between the two motors on windy roads and such; even forgetting about the extra 1k redline. I would take the 2.0l even if that revved to 8k. While much more "buzzy" it was raw feeling - the 2.2l was more fluid feeling.
Regarding the comment about useful info, I have to respectfully disagree. I've been an S2000 owner for 8 years now and use S2ki.com for a lot of technical info when I can't find it in the owner's/helms repair manual. Just like any other forum, there is a lot of "noise" that you need to filter out but the under the hood section has a lot of great DIY and general info regarding the car and the various model years. It's not an all inclusive list but it is a great resource from the various years. S2ki.com just happens to be the largest resource/community as to what Fchat is for this group. The caliber of experts, enthusiasts and knowledge varies greatly so be ready to filter out that noise I mentioned. Charles - Start here: http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=568555 and here: http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showforum=22 ,and then check the other areas of the site as needed. Their search function is horrible even after all these years but there are ways around that. This should provide you with most everything you need to know. S2000.com has some decent info & members and crossover users but is a fraction of the size. I wouldn't even bother with Honda-Tech unless you're just not finding any technical info any where. I haven't read the whole thread yet but just wanted to point these out right off the bat.
Regarding modified cars commented on earlier and the issue of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater". Get to know the owner, what modifications they had and WHY they did them. If they have no idea why, walk away. A good used car is all about how it was used and how it was carefully modified, such as the suspension, etc. The stock S2000 is an amazing car for what it is but there's always room for improvement because of aging parts, changes in technology, compromises for comfort vs performance, etc. Stock for stock, it is one of the most fun cars out there and the reason why most people go back to an S2000 because of the driving experience. A well sorted car will go on for a VERY long time!
I am always drawn to the value of the AP1 cars, but it's supremely difficult to find one that's either not beat to hell or has traveled a zillion miles. If you ask the questions of reliability and such on S2ki you get "search" or when you search you get "It's a Honda, it'll last forever." But really, what kind of parts fail after lots of wear? How much can one expect to spend per year on things like clutches, brakes, a/c compressors, leaky seals, and the other random BS? I had an '00 Civic Si that I bought used and ran for over 40k miles and only had to change the oil. Zero problems. Are these AP1 S2k's the same? And what about when the mileage gets up into the six-digit level?
i've had 2..a my 2000 [built oct 99] and a my 08 cr...if you drive them like a crack-crazed punk-ass kid, redline every shift, chances are you will break something [rear end, clutch, missed downshift-bent valves]....if you are reasonably prudent they will give no, repeat, no trouble....interestingly enough tho, the rear tires give 1/2 the wear of the fronts no matter how hard you push them. for a good deal find an older guy with a clean car with no mods...chances are it's been well cared for.
My dad tracked/daily drove (including Indiana winters) an 06 S2K for 2.5 years. No issues at all, and he beat the crap out of it. Tires/brake pads/oil and that was it.
We have a first-year ('00) model, and it's so close to being the perfect roadster it's hard to justify modifying it. Of course being a Honda it was way too quiet, so an exhaust system was needed and on the intake side just the removal of the airbox top. The stock wheels are light and forged, so we powdercoated them black and put them back on. Lastly, the red/black interior is excellent but we liked the red/black seats from the '05 model better than the stock all-red ones, so we bought a pair of those. All done, it's now officially perfect ;^D Brian Image Unavailable, Please Login
