Honda S2000

[RS Grant]

I read a thread in General Gassing which was talking about the Honda S2000 and having always fancied one, it got the cogs turning and some scanning of the classifieds thrown in for good measure too.

I discovered that these cars were starting to rise in value from the level they were at the last time I checked, but was tempted enough to enquire about a few examples.. which ultimately led to me deciding that I wanted a Facelift model because I preferred the slightly sharper (in my opinion) styling changes and with some great use of man maths, I increased my budget to suit.

Anyway, that's a brief blurb about what got me here.. and here are the details of the car which I've bought; as with my other threads, I'll add pictures and comments to the thread from time to time.

Basic Details:

2005 Facelift Model
Silverstone Metallic
Black/Red Leather Interior
Headrest Speakers
OEM Honda Front Lip
OEM Side Strakes
OEM Rear Spoiler

Modifications:

Megan Racing Toe Arms
Megan Racing Front & Rear Bumpsteer Kit
MY00 S2000 Anti-Roll Bars
Grooved Front Brake Discs
Yellowstuff Front Brake Pads
OE Rear Brake Discs
Yellowstuff Rear Brake Pads
Kenwood iPod/Bluetooth Radio (still works through dashboard controls)

The car has also had the 'UK Exhaust Mod' carried out with 38mm pipe, there's a wee video of this at the end of the post. It adds a lovely note to the exhaust without sounding ridiculous or having any drone, plus it keeps the facelift OEM tail pipes which I really like and think suit the car perfectly.













Video:



There isn't a great deal that I'd like to change really, will probably go over it and clean it up and replace any wee bits that I come across. Apart from that learning to drive it a bit better would be good, the Golf R only really revs to ~6500rpm and my Transit goes to about 2500rpm before I change gear! ...where as this will go all the way to ~9000rpm.


Cheers,
Grant

[Hackney]

Excellent choice.

I went into Brayley Honda the other day and asked them to call me if they got one in.

I owned an '06 for a couple of years from new and loved it. I couldn't do much modding as it was a lease car but I did manage to get the suspension / alignment sorted by CoG (essential) with anti-roll bars and I did the cheap air box mod.

Definitely could do with another one in my life right now.

Make sure you check out the S2K forum, the British pages are a great resource and loads of ex owners still hang out there (including me)

[williamp]

Very, very nice. Well done...


... 9000rpm, a dab of oppo and.....oh...


Sorry. Couldn't resist

[RS Grant]

Hackney said:

Excellent choice.

I went into Brayley Honda the other day and asked them to call me if they got one in.

I owned an '06 for a couple of years from new and loved it. I couldn't do much modding as it was a lease car but I did manage to get the suspension / alignment sorted by CoG (essential) with anti-roll bars and I did the cheap air box mod.

Definitely could do with another one in my life right now.

Make sure you check out the S2K forum, the British pages are a great resource and loads of ex owners still hang out there (including me)

One of my good friends has owned three of them over the years and I've had the chance to drive them from time to time, so I kinda knew what they were all about.. but actually having one of my own is far better!!

I've actually been a member of s2ki since 2007 and yesterday was the first time I've actually posted, when I introduced myself and my car. ...you're right though, there seems to be a LOT of information on the forum so I already know that there will be many hours of reading done, but sad as it may be, I enjoy that and it's all part of the ownership experience for me. The car has a comprehensive history of geometry checks and bolt greasing, something which I was pretty anal about given the nightmare I heard it can be to rectify seized bolts.

I seemed to have timed it perfectly with the few days of Scottish Summertime appearing too!!


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

williamp said:

Very, very nice. Well done...


... 9000rpm, a dab of oppo and.....oh...


Sorry. Couldn't resist

Haha, brilliant!! I hadn't realised what this photo could look like.. if I ever have an ambition > ability moment in the car then I hope it ends up in exactly the same undamaged way as it is in this photo!!


Cheers,
Grant

[Sillyhatday]

Nice car. Indeed a future classic and worth investing in.

I'm looking for one too. One that's a bit rougher though, to turn into a small project.

Any plan for this car?

[RS Grant]

Sillyhatday said:

Nice car. Indeed a future classic and worth investing in.

I'm looking for one too. One that's a bit rougher though, to turn into a small project.

Any plan for this car?

Thanks, it's a cracking car.. not many are made like an S2000.

There was a guy asking what to put a family members's S2000 (his brother-in-law I think?) up for in the first page or two of the Honda section on here. IIRC it's been standing for a while but mileage isn't silly and he was thinking around the 4k mark value-wise, that might be a decent shout for a wee project to recommission?


- Edit... here is the link: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...


My plans so far for this car are to rectify a small crack in the front lip spoiler from (I assume) a previous owner kissing a kerb due to it being low.. a decent 'seats-out' clean of the interior and proper clean of the hood and top up the wax on the bodywork.

No real plans to modify it further power/handling-wise at the moment, I'm aware that they make some very big figures with a turbo/supercharger bolted to them but I think that might rather spoil the package and in my ownership this is only going to be used as a nice weather, roof down car rather than a balls-out racing car.


Cheers,
Grant

Edited by RS Grant on Monday 9th May 11:59

[Yadizzle1]

Hackney said:

Excellent choice.

I went into Brayley Honda the other day and asked them to call me if they got one in.

I owned an '06 for a couple of years from new and loved it. I couldn't do much modding as it was a lease car but I did manage to get the suspension / alignment sorted by CoG (essential) with anti-roll bars and I did the cheap air box mod.

Definitely could do with another one in my life right now.

Make sure you check out the S2K forum, the British pages are a great resource and loads of ex owners still hang out there (including me)

If that's Brayley Honda in Enfield, I'd be a bit wary. Sold me a car which the salesman claimed to have 1 owner, turned out it had 3. Promised to fix a foglight before collection, took them 3 months of buggering to get around to it.

[rsmithinfo]

Has it got an AEM v2 induction kit on it? I miss my old S2000, had it for 51,000 miles and loved them all.

[RS Grant]

rsmithinfo said:

Has it got an AEM v2 induction kit on it? I miss my old S2000, had it for 51,000 miles and loved them all.

It's just got the standard intake on it just now, however, I removed the airbox lid when I was out for a drive the other day and as the standard filter is a big cone filter the induction note is absolutely terrific. Not sure if there are any real drawbacks or whether it'll suffer noticeably with heatsoak but it felt fine for the hour or so on the open road I drove it.


Cheers,
Grant

[Hackney]

Yadizzle1 said:

Hackney said:

Excellent choice.

I went into Brayley Honda the other day and asked them to call me if they got one in.

I owned an '06 for a couple of years from new and loved it. I couldn't do much modding as it was a lease car but I did manage to get the suspension / alignment sorted by CoG (essential) with anti-roll bars and I did the cheap air box mod.

Definitely could do with another one in my life right now.

Make sure you check out the S2K forum, the British pages are a great resource and loads of ex owners still hang out there (including me)

If that's Brayley Honda in Enfield, I'd be a bit wary. Sold me a car which the salesman claimed to have 1 owner, turned out it had 3. Promised to fix a foglight before collection, took them 3 months of buggering to get around to it.

My bad. I meant Crown Honda (the one in Bushey), I work in Enfield and the Brayley name must have entered my subconscious.

[rsmithinfo]

RS Grant said:

It's just got the standard intake on it just now, however, I removed the airbox lid when I was out for a drive the other day and as the standard filter is a big cone filter the induction note is absolutely terrific. Not sure if there are any real drawbacks or whether it'll suffer noticeably with heatsoak but it felt fine for the hour or so on the open road I drove it.


Cheers,
Grant

Get an AEM v2 - the noise from those is as good as decent exhaust on an S2000 in my opinion. Gives a great low rev range noise too. Which then gets drowned out after VTEC kicks in Now I want to get another one. Thanks for that

[neilbauer]

Lovely car op
I bought a Citroën DS3 a few months ago as I needed a cheap to run car as new job meant more miles. I was really tempted by this though http://www.churchsperformancecars.co.uk/cmFQIRjFbU... If only mpg didn't matter

[RS Grant]

rsmithinfo said:

RS Grant said:

It's just got the standard intake on it just now, however, I removed the airbox lid when I was out for a drive the other day and as the standard filter is a big cone filter the induction note is absolutely terrific. Not sure if there are any real drawbacks or whether it'll suffer noticeably with heatsoak but it felt fine for the hour or so on the open road I drove it.


Cheers,
Grant

Get an AEM v2 - the noise from those is as good as decent exhaust on an S2000 in my opinion. Gives a great low rev range noise too. Which then gets drowned out after VTEC kicks in Now I want to get another one. Thanks for that

I'll have to make a wee video of the standard air box with the lid removed, it's a very throaty induction note low down and the VTEC changeover is far more audible and more of a bark than standard. I'm not sure an AEM or the like would be worth it on a smiles-per-£ basis, maybe some YouTube'ing is required.

Haha you're in the same boat as me, I had my head turned by a thread on here... so much so that I bought one and I don't regret it at all. Definitely been a good decision, the cracking weather has helped the bonding process too.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

neilbauer said:

Lovely car op
I bought a Citroën DS3 a few months ago as I needed a cheap to run car as new job meant more miles. I was really tempted by this though http://www.churchsperformancecars.co.uk/cmFQIRjFbU... If only mpg didn't matter

Thanks Neil, can't see the link.. was it an S2000?

DS3 are decent wee cars, a friends missus drives one and while I've only been in it a couple of times, it was comfy and seemed to have a decent amount of kit on it.


Cheers,
Grant

[RS Grant]

The Golf has hardly had a look-in recently, hence the thin layer of dust on it in this photo.




Think the S2000 needs attention on the brakes, the pedal firms up initially then softens if you apply pressure.. so assume it's maybe a seal in the master cylinder that's gone perhaps?? Will investigate and rectify before its MOT next month.


Cheers,
Grant

[neilbauer]

RS Grant said:

neilbauer said:

Lovely car op
I bought a Citroën DS3 a few months ago as I needed a cheap to run car as new job meant more miles. I was really tempted by this though http://www.churchsperformancecars.co.uk/cmFQIRjFbU... If only mpg didn't matter

Thanks Neil, can't see the link.. was it an S2000?

DS3 are decent wee cars, a friends missus drives one and while I've only been in it a couple of times, it was comfy and seemed to have a decent amount of kit on it.


Cheers,
Grant

Yes it is an s2000 at Churcher's Performance Cars, very similar to yours.
On another note my step daughters bf has an s2k that he is putting airbags, wide arch kit, spoiler and over 3k CCW Wheels then he's going to wrap it white.... It might look ok when it's done but I'd prefer yours to be honest!

[RS Grant]

neilbauer said:

RS Grant said:

neilbauer said:

Lovely car op
I bought a Citroën DS3 a few months ago as I needed a cheap to run car as new job meant more miles. I was really tempted by this though http://www.churchsperformancecars.co.uk/cmFQIRjFbU... If only mpg didn't matter

Thanks Neil, can't see the link.. was it an S2000?

DS3 are decent wee cars, a friends missus drives one and while I've only been in it a couple of times, it was comfy and seemed to have a decent amount of kit on it.


Cheers,
Grant

Yes it is an s2000 at Churcher's Performance Cars, very similar to yours.
On another note my step daughters bf has an s2k that he is putting airbags, wide arch kit, spoiler and over 3k CCW Wheels then he's going to wrap it white.... It might look ok when it's done but I'd prefer yours to be honest!

So there is, the link wouldn't load for me before but seems to work fine now for some reason.. looks a nice car, never visited them in person but they always seem to have nice looking cars listed on their website.

Hmm, not sure about the direction your step daughters boyfriend is going with his.. doesn't sound like a cheap exercise either!! Fire up a few pictures once he's done it though, I'm happy to be proved wrong.


Cheers,
Grant

[neilbauer]

Yes will do, I'm interested to see how it ends up!!