RE: Honda S2000: Catch it While You Can
Discussion
I brought my s2000 in the summer and have To say it surprised me how good it was to drive . I got the s2000 to stop me putting miles on my z3m coupe , which is a fantastic drivers car I honestly thought the s2000 would have it pants pulled down by the z3m but the more I drove it the less and less I drove the bmw to the point where it's now sorn and tucked away in the garage .
I don't think the s2000 is car you get in and it blows you away the first time you drive it but it gets under your skin . It definitely a car that take time to bond with .
I paid 6k for mine in May and it's a great weekend car anyone tempted to get one should now before all the good ones are gone
I don't think the s2000 is car you get in and it blows you away the first time you drive it but it gets under your skin . It definitely a car that take time to bond with .
I paid 6k for mine in May and it's a great weekend car anyone tempted to get one should now before all the good ones are gone
I've had mine for 8 months now and if you accept its flaws, there is nothing better in it's category.
It's also not as snappy as everyone makes out and I'm no driving god. It's actually very controllable in the wet (mine is an 04) and can be adjusted on the throttle. I imagine the most common cause of crashes is people lifting off the throttle, applying too much oppo in which case it will spit you off the opposite way in a swift manner. Bad wheel alignment also makes for unpredictable handling.
I saw and drove around 8 before I bought mine, which at 106k miles drove far better than cars with half the mileage. There are a LOT of rusty and bent examples out there. At one point I contemplated giving up as I wondered if there were actually any good one's left.
I notice the link to 1st Choice Cars in Oxfordshire, I went to see one of their cars whilst I was searching which was a waste of time. The owner is an idiot IMO
It's also not as snappy as everyone makes out and I'm no driving god. It's actually very controllable in the wet (mine is an 04) and can be adjusted on the throttle. I imagine the most common cause of crashes is people lifting off the throttle, applying too much oppo in which case it will spit you off the opposite way in a swift manner. Bad wheel alignment also makes for unpredictable handling.
I saw and drove around 8 before I bought mine, which at 106k miles drove far better than cars with half the mileage. There are a LOT of rusty and bent examples out there. At one point I contemplated giving up as I wondered if there were actually any good one's left.
I notice the link to 1st Choice Cars in Oxfordshire, I went to see one of their cars whilst I was searching which was a waste of time. The owner is an idiot IMO
MIP1983 said:
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.GY03 YHC Where are you now??
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
Had mine almost 3 years. Planned on just keeping it for 1 but I love it too much.
Daily driver. So easy to drive, every commute in it is fun and every gap in traffic or roundabout makes the car enjoyable.
Looks great. Silverstone lets it down personally. Love mine in orange it's so different.
Can't think of anything to replace it with. May keep it forever!
Daily driver. So easy to drive, every commute in it is fun and every gap in traffic or roundabout makes the car enjoyable.
Looks great. Silverstone lets it down personally. Love mine in orange it's so different.
Can't think of anything to replace it with. May keep it forever!
I really should get myself one of these. It ticks all my boxes, rwd,twitchy,convertible, quick enough, not french.....
But.
Although I've not driven one,was lucky to have a passenger ride around llandow circuit and it didnt excite me. Felt slow to be honest,probably due to the lack of torque at,well,any rpm really. I know things are much different when you are in the drivers seat so will have to test drive one,and see what its all about.
When EVERY car on the road is a turbo,these will be a petrolheads wet dream!
But.
Although I've not driven one,was lucky to have a passenger ride around llandow circuit and it didnt excite me. Felt slow to be honest,probably due to the lack of torque at,well,any rpm really. I know things are much different when you are in the drivers seat so will have to test drive one,and see what its all about.
When EVERY car on the road is a turbo,these will be a petrolheads wet dream!
sideways man said:
I really should get myself one of these. It ticks all my boxes, rwd,twitchy,convertible, quick enough, not french.....
But.
Although I've not driven one,was lucky to have a passenger ride around llandow circuit and it didnt excite me. Felt slow to be honest,probably due to the lack of torque at,well,any rpm really. I know things are much different when you are in the drivers seat so will have to test drive one,and see what its all about.
When EVERY car on the road is a turbo,these will be a petrolheads wet dream!
Honesly- drive one. I didn't buy one after I had an awful passenger ride experience at a dealership (who comically wouldn't let me drive it as I was 'too young' at 24).But.
Although I've not driven one,was lucky to have a passenger ride around llandow circuit and it didnt excite me. Felt slow to be honest,probably due to the lack of torque at,well,any rpm really. I know things are much different when you are in the drivers seat so will have to test drive one,and see what its all about.
When EVERY car on the road is a turbo,these will be a petrolheads wet dream!
Later, looking for a replacement for my boring-as-s
te msport E46 330 coupe, I found it a fantastic drive. Ended up buying a nismo 350z which was great but I would still have an S2000 in a moment.The white/red anniversary ones are my fav- but at ~£20k a pricey option and just as good as the cheaper £6-10k alternatives (I actually liked the super-revvy early cars).
sideways man said:
I really should get myself one of these. It ticks all my boxes, rwd,twitchy,convertible, quick enough, not french.....
But.
Although I've not driven one,was lucky to have a passenger ride around llandow circuit and it didnt excite me. Felt slow to be honest,probably due to the lack of torque at,well,any rpm really. I know things are much different when you are in the drivers seat so will have to test drive one,and see what its all about.
When EVERY car on the road is a turbo,these will be a petrolheads wet dream!
Honestly- drive one. I didn't buy one after I had an awful passenger ride experience at a dealership (who comically wouldn't let me drive it as I was 'too young' at 24).But.
Although I've not driven one,was lucky to have a passenger ride around llandow circuit and it didnt excite me. Felt slow to be honest,probably due to the lack of torque at,well,any rpm really. I know things are much different when you are in the drivers seat so will have to test drive one,and see what its all about.
When EVERY car on the road is a turbo,these will be a petrolheads wet dream!
Later, looking for a replacement for my boring-as-s
te msport E46 330 coupe, I found it a fantastic drive. Ended up buying a nismo 350z which was great but I would still have an S2000 in a moment.The white/red anniversary ones are my fav- but at ~£20k a pricey option and just as good as the cheaper £6-10k alternatives (I actually liked the super-revvy early cars).
I have stated this on the S2K website, if you want the best MY of all then seek out a 55plate GT The pros....no daft DBW or VSA, lower tax band, honeycomb headrests without solid inserts, aesthetically pleasing 10 spoke forked alloys, centre console with aluminium finish matching radio cover like for like....engine not prone to failure when compared to the 2009 MY.
C'mon, it's only good driven in isolation; man machine empty road - perfect car. I had this car ten years ago and loved it but a lot of car enthusiasts said it was a dead steering gutless engined wonder. Why the blinkers on now to its short comings lol. Feels like I'm signing my death warrant here lol.
Richyboy said:
C'mon, it's only good driven in isolation; man machine empty road - perfect car. I had this car ten years ago and loved it but a lot of car enthusiasts said it was a dead steering gutless engined wonder. Why the blinkers on now to its short comings lol. Feels like I'm signing my death warrant here lol.
The only definite short coming is the steering, oh and maybe rust... All the other attributes are exactly how they are meant to be. Race spec 4 cylinder, great gearbox, focussed cabin, fast folding roof. I even like the chassis balance. It's not a motorway cruiser thats for sure but we will never see anything like it again and that's why values are going up.Great car, an all-time best in sector at the price.
The facelift GT was a car i enjoyed immensely and 118.5 bhp/litre n/a even years later was never matched by anything non-exotic.
An Enzo had 109 bhp per litre and the 458 Speciale is the only n/a car i can think of right now to better the Honda on this measurement.
The facelift GT was a car i enjoyed immensely and 118.5 bhp/litre n/a even years later was never matched by anything non-exotic.
An Enzo had 109 bhp per litre and the 458 Speciale is the only n/a car i can think of right now to better the Honda on this measurement.
I've had mine for a year now. It's a 2005 GT which, as already mentioned, is the "sweet spot". The engine has a reasonably flat torque curve up to the point where vTec kicks in (Yo!) - earlier cars were much peakier, and these gave the car its' reputation for waywardness, but suspension changes and more user-friendly engine tuning means that you need to make an effort to provoke a facelift (post 2004) car.
Mine has had the all-important suspension alignment sorted, and all of the adjusters have been cleaned up and greased. Have it looked after by a specialist such as TGM and you won't go far wrong.
This was taken a couple of months ago:
Since then I've had an Ohlins suspension kit fitted, which drops it about 25mm and sorts out the low-speed harshness, which was becoming tiresome on the somewhat neglected roads in and around the New Forest, where I live.
Unless circumstances dictate, I can't see myself selling it any time soon.
Mine has had the all-important suspension alignment sorted, and all of the adjusters have been cleaned up and greased. Have it looked after by a specialist such as TGM and you won't go far wrong.
This was taken a couple of months ago:
Since then I've had an Ohlins suspension kit fitted, which drops it about 25mm and sorts out the low-speed harshness, which was becoming tiresome on the somewhat neglected roads in and around the New Forest, where I live.
Unless circumstances dictate, I can't see myself selling it any time soon.
I bought mine new in 2003 in preference to a Porsche Boxster S after much playing (testing). To my mind the Honda looked better and felt more alive. 12 years later I've still got it in showroom condition, with less than 8k miles on the clock and full Honda history. It's a brilliant car when the sun's out. Only real problem is I'm 6'3 and really too tall for it so can't drive with the roof up, part of the reason for the low miles. I'm also very fortunate to have a company car for everyday use.
I was going to sell it this year to help fund a new purchase, but trying to work out a price is really difficult. In the end I took it for a drive on some favourite roads and decided to hang on to it, especially as values were starting to rise. I'm using it even less now since the arrival of the Scooby RB320 a few months ago, but when the sun comes out it's hard to resist.
One of my colleagues has a 2002 version with over 100k miles that runs like clockwork, so high mileage doesn't appear to be a problem with them.
I'd really recommend an S2000 to anyone wanting a quick fun car, but do be aware they can bite!
I was going to sell it this year to help fund a new purchase, but trying to work out a price is really difficult. In the end I took it for a drive on some favourite roads and decided to hang on to it, especially as values were starting to rise. I'm using it even less now since the arrival of the Scooby RB320 a few months ago, but when the sun comes out it's hard to resist.
One of my colleagues has a 2002 version with over 100k miles that runs like clockwork, so high mileage doesn't appear to be a problem with them.
I'd really recommend an S2000 to anyone wanting a quick fun car, but do be aware they can bite!
Still very much in love with my S2000 - MY2006 even with her expensive tax which when paying via direct debit these days does soften the blow some what. Had her nearly 3 years now and nothing has tempted me away from her. Only really re-mapped Golf diesel quick these days which does grate but perhaps that supercharger mod needs to be done.
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