Thursday 29th October 2015

Honda S2000: Catch it While You Can

One of the most undervalued used sports cars is finally being appreciated, it seems...

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OK, the Mazda MX-5 is the most obvious choice if you're after a two-seater sports car. Nothing approaches it for value, but the MX-5 does lack ultimate pace and excitement.

240hp, 9,000rpm and reliable? Yes!

Luckily there's another Japanese roadster that solves the MX-5's lack of spine-tingliness, and in spectacular style. How else could you describe the Honda S2000, a car with one of the all-time great naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines?

The stats speak for themselves. 240hp from 2.0 litres (the highest power-per-litre NA engine on sale at the time), an ability to rev beyond 9,000rpm and 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds. Another stat: the S2000 regularly tops customer satisfaction and reliability tables in surveys. It is a Honda, after all.

Rare - and usually unmolested
Some 7,898 cars were imported to the UK between 1999 and 2009. Most of these are still on the road, although a certain proportion have spat themselves definitively off the road: early examples do have a reputation for, ah, twitchy handling. Some rear-drive fans actually like this trait, but if you prefer lane-keeping over lairiness, post-2004 cars have bigger 17in wheels, slower steering and suspension tweaks to ease this, while stability control became optional in 2006.

Steering slowed in 2004 facelift

Like so many Japanese performance cars these days, originality is prized and mods are frowned upon. Luckily, most S2000s have remained standard - and these days, buyers are seeking well-kept, OE cars with a full service history.

Depreciation-proof?
Prices have definitely firmed up of late. In fact they're very much on the increase, not just for good 'uns but even not-so-good ones, of which there seem to be fewer these days. Another candidate for depreciation-proof motoring, then.

Not so long ago you could find S2000s for as little as £4,000 (and there were lots around at the £6K mark), but today the very cheapest S2000 in the classifieds is £5,600, and that's for a 128,000-mile car with a number of mods and scuffed bodywork. The minimum sensible price entry point for S2000 ownership today is more like £8K-£9K, where quite a few cars are priced.

The GT model is desirable with its removable hardtop (make sure yours has the stand and bag that goes with it), but you shouldn't pay significantly extra for one. A one-owner 84K-mile GT with a striking red leather interior looks good value to me at £8,350.

More sombre colours less desirable

Go up a bit and you're into 'keeper' territory. £11,993 gets you a 50K-mile, two-owner, full history car. It's 2004 (and therefore pre-VED increase - which is significant as CO2 emissions of 236g/km push it into a painful tax band). It's also in the unloved shade of Moonrock grey metallic.

Unloved shade? Maybe - S2000s really look best in bold colours like blue, orange and - as with this example - yellow. £13,993 may seem a bit strong for a 2006 but the Indy Yellow Pearl paint with black leather trim looks superb, and the car seems to be in fantastic condition, with a full history.

Quite a few S2000s are now creeping up to the £15K mark, with the top price in the classifieds currently no less than £19,950 for an ultra-low mileage (4,700-mile) car with a full Honda history.

Is this over-the-top for a nine-year old car with a design dating from the 20th century? I'd argue not: if you pay £10K-£15K for a low-mileage S2000 with history and look after it, it's hard to see how you can go wrong.

 

[Boulders]

I still miss mine dreadfully, even six years later!! I don't think we shall see their like again 😞
GY03 YHC Where are you now??

[forzaminardi]

I bought my S2000 in Spring 2014 and while enjoying it but keeping it in fine fettle, figured I could sell it for maybe £3k more in summer 2016. So far my reckoning looks about right, only problem being I stuffed it into a wall last February Even so, the unthinkable/incomprehensible happened and my insurance paid up I think around £2k more than I paid for it in the first place!

Fantastic cars imo. There's been more than enough written about their pros and cons over the years on PH to show that people either get them or don't. In my opinion that's one of the factors that gives a car potential to appreciate as it ages - those that 'get it' are willing to pay to have one, where as a more vanilla car (even if it's ostensibly 'better') just fades away.

Coincidentally mine was New Imola Orange, similar to the one post above, only a 2007 model.

[Frimley111R]

That car still looks great even today, years and years after its release.

[Black S2K]

It's no Golf GTD though...

Very limited appeal - thankfully.

[pits]

Catch it while you can? Thats the one thing a lot of S2000 owners seem to struggle with

[AlexHat]

This isn't helping. I keep coming back to looking at these, but I don't have the money

[MIP1983]

Boulders said:

I still miss mine dreadfully, even six years later!! I don't think we shall see their like again ?? http://thumbsnap.com/5KFupHz4
GY03 YHC Where are you now??

Looks like you had the roof elastic issue that stops the soft top folding down all the way. Easily fixed though.


I miss mine, enjoyed 6+ years of ownership and then like the absent minded fool I am, backed it though a hedge into a field on a wet n orrible day.

I've gone over to a Z4 3.0si now (can this one appreciate in value too plz?). The extra torque is welcome, and it feels like a more expensive car, but I'll always have a soft spot for the s2k.

The S2000 'UK exhaust mod' is essential, so much lovely character and sound (without drone) to unleash with a small section of pipe.

Edited by MIP1983 on Thursday 29th October 11:29

[jakesmith]

Running costs are the only reason why you'd pick this over a Bosxste surely?

[snorkel sucker]

Had an MY00 back in 2006 only for a few months over the summer, but managed to sell it for only a couple of hundred quid less than I paid for it, despite putting something like 10k miles on it.

As an event to drive, it really was (and still is) up there with anything I've driven. Revving it out to the red line, digital red bars lighting up one, two, three never got boring and the cam change made it feel even more exotic.

First rwd car I owned and the first car I tried to oversteer. Absolutely s^&t myself when I realised just how snap happy they are!

They don't make 'em like they used to...

[bigalx]

Looked at these but went for an E36 M3 Evo Convertible instead - still both of them would have been fairly solid "investments".

[steve1386]

I miss mine so much...Absolutely superb cars. Had a Silverstone GT, with the black interior with red inserts - a great colour combination IMHO. Couple of subtle breathing mods and these sound unreal, and add a good 15-20 bhp too.

Future classics that you can already see starting to appreciate well. I would have another one in a heart beat!

[C7 JFW]

Delighted to still have mine and enjoy it tremendously whenever I take it out.

[mikey k]

jakesmith said:

Running costs are the only reason why you'd pick this over a Bosxste surely?

Not driven a properly looked after one then I guess

I reckon of the ~8k they imported there are probably only 1/2 to 2/3rds due to write offs and dead engines, less in the UK now than Aston Martins!
I'd disagree about most being unmodded, I reckon the majority have a tweak or two
AS for the GT no all got the stand and bag from Honda UK (only early ones) AND the GT DOES command a premium.
Not sure where they get Moonrock as "unloved"? Its one of the most popular colours after Silverstone.
The "bold" colours are slower to sell, other than the Lime Greens which are like rocking horse st.

[steve1386]

jakesmith said:

Running costs are the only reason why you'd pick this over a Bosxste surely?

Series 2 Boxter S (or later) would be the only decent alternative, otherwise the S2000 was a much more exciting car to drive...faster too!

[otolith]

jakesmith said:

Running costs are the only reason why you'd pick this over a Bosxste surely?

Subjectively, they're nicer looking. They're rarer. They have somewhat different reputations for major engine issues. Some people have a subjective preference for front engine over mid engine configurations.

[vtecyo]

They're still strong money...

Compare the price for a 55 plate one on circa 60k miles to that of a 3.0 Z4. The S2k is much more expensive.

[Durzel]

Looks a lot faster than it actually is, but it's still a hell of a car. I really enjoyed mine. Major plus points are the sublime gearbox, and a tightly focused driver zone. The standard Bridgestones were widow makers in the wet though, at least in my experience.

[steve1386]

Durzel said:

Looks a lot faster than it actually is, but it's still a hell of a car. I really enjoyed mine. Major plus points are the sublime gearbox, and a tightly focused driver zone. The standard Bridgestones were widow makers in the wet though, at least in my experience.

Awful things...mine came straight off in place of Hankook Ventus V12 Evos - did the same on my Civic Type R

[TameRacingDriver]

vtecyo said:

They're still strong money...

Compare the price for a 55 plate one on circa 60k miles to that of a 3.0 Z4. The S2k is much more expensive.

Yep, I was seriously considering an S2K thinking I might get one for £5k-£6k. Well, you can, but you'll either be extremely fortunate to find one that someone desperately wants rid of and will take a low price for a looked after car, or you'll be buying something tired.

I think I'm going to go for the Z4C instead though (which I believe will also appreciate in a few years). For the same price as a leggy 2004 S2K you can get a pretty tidy 2007 Z4C, and the latter is maybe not as fun at 10/10ths but probably a more satisfying all-round ownership prospect.

Guess I've missed the boat with the S2000 really (story of my life haha).

[Yidwann]

Ahhhh man I miss mine too... Summer 2005, went to go and buy a Civic Type R from our local Honda Dealership and well... it was a bloody hot day and one had come in that I could afford! HN51 BVE.... wonder where you are now, drove it like I stole it everywhere and it loved it just as much! Only lost the rear once, and that was in the wet! It was amazing when I came to sell it how many people that had owned one before and were coming back for their second bite!

Loved my Silver and Red leather combo!