RE: Honda S2000: Spotted
Discussion
I have had mine for four years and use it as a daily driver. I can't understand the criticisms of engine (lack of torque) or gearing (too tall).
The engine and gearbox are the best bits of the car, noise is immense with the air box lid off. The gearing is 10mph per 1000 revs in 3rd and so 50 at 5000 up to 90 at 9000. 20mph at 1000 revs in top and has six gears and so hardly too tall.
Roof is very good and it is comfy with roof down. I had to have the suspension done and have spent a bit on the brakes but otherwise very reliable.
Good daily driver. Comfy, warm, dry, good visibility and not too big. Even has a radio.
My criticism is that the steering lacks feel, tricky in the wet and it does not feel special when going slowly but a very good road car.
The engine and gearbox are the best bits of the car, noise is immense with the air box lid off. The gearing is 10mph per 1000 revs in 3rd and so 50 at 5000 up to 90 at 9000. 20mph at 1000 revs in top and has six gears and so hardly too tall.
Roof is very good and it is comfy with roof down. I had to have the suspension done and have spent a bit on the brakes but otherwise very reliable.
Good daily driver. Comfy, warm, dry, good visibility and not too big. Even has a radio.
My criticism is that the steering lacks feel, tricky in the wet and it does not feel special when going slowly but a very good road car.
This could go on and on...lack of steering feel,on the limit handling blah blah blah!
All depends on what you want from a car,Daily driver the S2 is not but then why would you buy one for that? No storage for possessions let alone full sized people but that’s not what it was about! It was built for the fun factor and I do think we have to remember the age,there not spring chickens anymore but are still very capable in today’s turbo army of hot hatches.
I had one and loved it,yes they do have a tendency to break away very quickly on the limit but then the boxster sounds like a washing machine
Again depends what you want from/out of a car but in my opinion Honda done a grand job building a little B road tear away car with such high tech engine building at the time and still running strong today
All depends on what you want from a car,Daily driver the S2 is not but then why would you buy one for that? No storage for possessions let alone full sized people but that’s not what it was about! It was built for the fun factor and I do think we have to remember the age,there not spring chickens anymore but are still very capable in today’s turbo army of hot hatches.
I had one and loved it,yes they do have a tendency to break away very quickly on the limit but then the boxster sounds like a washing machine
Again depends what you want from/out of a car but in my opinion Honda done a grand job building a little B road tear away car with such high tech engine building at the time and still running strong today
I have had 2 of them. Got one of the first batch onto the country and then had a 2006 facelifted version.
They were great cars and loved them to bits.
Yes the low torque thing was always an issue but when you ring its neck then it will pay dividends. They demand a certain type of driver.
What did annoy me was when I bought the 2006 version the VED was £175. A year later they bumped it up to £425. Joke and a rip off by the government.
They were great cars and loved them to bits.
Yes the low torque thing was always an issue but when you ring its neck then it will pay dividends. They demand a certain type of driver.
What did annoy me was when I bought the 2006 version the VED was £175. A year later they bumped it up to £425. Joke and a rip off by the government.
fuchsiasteve said:
I drove a 981 boxster S but it didn't have the fireworks, gearshift or edginess of the s2000.
Factor in the reliability of the Honda and it's a real no brainer as the boxsters are far more expensive to maintain and suffer from well documented reliability issues.
Stick an aem v2 long ram air intake on the s2000 and the sound is bloody amazing. There is nothing to touch it in the noise stakes for under 20k.
It's a real drivers car though and you have to be on your metal when you drive it hard. No nannying driver aids to save you if you get it wrong on an early revision 1 but that's why I love it so much.
Owned both over the years...the 981 S was a brilliant, brilliant sports car with the build quality expected of Porsche and a nice noise behind your head.....the S2000 was just different and more addictive though. Raw, nutty engine note (made better with the right exhaust), nimble and that gear change was like an enfield 303 rifle bolt. It's the only car I really miss from my past stable.Factor in the reliability of the Honda and it's a real no brainer as the boxsters are far more expensive to maintain and suffer from well documented reliability issues.
Stick an aem v2 long ram air intake on the s2000 and the sound is bloody amazing. There is nothing to touch it in the noise stakes for under 20k.
It's a real drivers car though and you have to be on your metal when you drive it hard. No nannying driver aids to save you if you get it wrong on an early revision 1 but that's why I love it so much.
Jonstar said:
Unfortunately you don't 'wear them' the seat is set too high and there is no adjustment in the
Steering wheel to help compensate, this is a common criticism. Also it's not a case of getting them but rather just being objective, and realising their not the road going race car they would like you too believe, drive one back to back with a dc2 and it's easy to see this!
I drove a couple when I had my DC2, (loosely) expecting it to be a RWD, soft-top version of that, but I couldn't get over how 'chunky' and heavy it felt in comparison. I believe the S2000 is only marginally lighter than the Accord Type R that I also had later.Steering wheel to help compensate, this is a common criticism. Also it's not a case of getting them but rather just being objective, and realising their not the road going race car they would like you too believe, drive one back to back with a dc2 and it's easy to see this!
It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
I always seem to end up posting in S2000 threads, but oh well.
Bought mine for £6k about 4 years ago, with 46k on it. I'm now at 85k and could probably sell it for £7k. Keeping this one though.
Personally, I don't think you can fully appreciate the S2000 unless you've taken it to its limits. Driving normally, everything tends to feel a bit wobbly, soft, gutless and annoying. When you drive one properly though, I can't think of anything anywhere near as capable out of the box for this kind of money. The best change I did was to add a bucket seat, which fixed the seating & wheel position and attached you to the car properly so you can feel its movements. IMO, the early spec (pre suspension revisions and facelift) is the more more exciting car.
Vid - Cadwell park, stock car basically other than brakes and a bucket seat. Absolute riot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba6DhCirQHQ
Bought mine for £6k about 4 years ago, with 46k on it. I'm now at 85k and could probably sell it for £7k. Keeping this one though.
Personally, I don't think you can fully appreciate the S2000 unless you've taken it to its limits. Driving normally, everything tends to feel a bit wobbly, soft, gutless and annoying. When you drive one properly though, I can't think of anything anywhere near as capable out of the box for this kind of money. The best change I did was to add a bucket seat, which fixed the seating & wheel position and attached you to the car properly so you can feel its movements. IMO, the early spec (pre suspension revisions and facelift) is the more more exciting car.
Vid - Cadwell park, stock car basically other than brakes and a bucket seat. Absolute riot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba6DhCirQHQ
Andy S15 said:
Vid - Cadwell park, stock car basically other than brakes and a bucket seat. Absolute riot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba6DhCirQHQ
Great video - I’ve yet to do Cadell in mine! Can’t wait for some to counter with how flat, boring and disappointing a well-peddled S2000 can be... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba6DhCirQHQ
Squirrelofwoe said:
I drove a couple when I had my DC2, (loosely) expecting it to be a RWD, soft-top version of that, but I couldn't get over how 'chunky' and heavy it felt in comparison. I believe the S2000 is only marginally lighter than the Accord Type R that I also had later.
It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
The internet suggests;It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
Accord Type R 1405
S2000 (pre facelift) 1274
UKDM 'Teg 1140
I think it's the steering that makes the car feel more weighty, only thing I don't actively enjoy whilst driving it...being 5' 8" means I fit perfectly too.
trails said:
Squirrelofwoe said:
I drove a couple when I had my DC2, (loosely) expecting it to be a RWD, soft-top version of that, but I couldn't get over how 'chunky' and heavy it felt in comparison. I believe the S2000 is only marginally lighter than the Accord Type R that I also had later.
It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
The internet suggests;It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
Accord Type R 1405
S2000 (pre facelift) 1274
UKDM 'Teg 1140
I think it's the steering that makes the car feel more weighty, only thing I don't actively enjoy whilst driving it...being 5' 8" means I fit perfectly too.
u04pww2 said:
trails said:
Squirrelofwoe said:
I drove a couple when I had my DC2, (loosely) expecting it to be a RWD, soft-top version of that, but I couldn't get over how 'chunky' and heavy it felt in comparison. I believe the S2000 is only marginally lighter than the Accord Type R that I also had later.
It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
The internet suggests;It was enough to put me off changing at the time, but having not had my DC2 / ATR for a few years now I'd quite fancy another go in an S2000. I think they look superb, and the fact you can buy a 2 seat roadster with an engine that revs to 9,000rpm for that kind of money should be applauded. In my opinion it's the perfect antidote to the current wave of DSG, turbocharged torque monsters that see you doing license-losing speeds in the blink of eye with minimal involvement.
Accord Type R 1405
S2000 (pre facelift) 1274
UKDM 'Teg 1140
I think it's the steering that makes the car feel more weighty, only thing I don't actively enjoy whilst driving it...being 5' 8" means I fit perfectly too.
Squirrelofwoe said:
Yeah 1306 is the figure I had in mind too. But then it did always feel crazy light for a saloon car.
And don't forget the Impreza Turbo of the day was quoted at only 1235KG, which considering it had AWD hardware was even crazier light!I'd love an S2000. Only briefly drove one, but preferred it to the Boxster S 987 which I also briefly drove at the same time. Boxster was too polished for me. S2000 a real espresso of a car...
I nearly bought one but got a 350Z instead, maybe 5 years ago, there were loads of cheap, slightly worn out examples out for 3k and up, those cars are now 5 years older and are 8 grand plus collectors items, should have predicted it, no replacement, limited numbers, many got stuffed, looked good, went well and had a Honda badge.
Andy S15 said:
I always seem to end up posting in S2000 threads, but oh well.
Driving normally, everything tends to feel a bit wobbly, soft, gutless and annoying.
I agree with annoying, but wobbly and soft? Mine isn't, and the suspension is 100% standard, although only on 66k milesDriving normally, everything tends to feel a bit wobbly, soft, gutless and annoying.
Andy S15 said:
IMO, the early spec (pre suspension revisions and facelift) is the more more exciting car.
Hmm, considering I have a facelift and mine isn't soft and wobbly at all, I'd say the facelift is the more exciting car! Squirrelofwoe said:
Yeah 1306 is the figure I had in mind too. But then it did always feel crazy light for a saloon car.
PH gives a more favourable kerb weight than a Google search I have a classic impreza too and the S2ks predecessors were 182s...hardly heavy weights but I've still never felt like the Honda was lardy.
trails said:
Squirrelofwoe said:
Yeah 1306 is the figure I had in mind too. But then it did always feel crazy light for a saloon car.
PH gives a more favourable kerb weight than a Google search I have a classic impreza too and the S2ks predecessors were 182s...hardly heavy weights but I've still never felt like the Honda was lardy.
My experience of the S2000 feeling a bit lardy was purely down to me having driven to & from the test drive in my DC2, which was just a lot more raw. I always wondered at the time how an R version of the S2000 might have turned out.
Either way, I'd quite like to try another one at some point as after a few years without a screaming Vtec (the K24 in my Accord doesn't match up), I bet I would love it.
Squirrelofwoe said:
I was going by what was quoted on the old Evo lists, probably different places tested/weighed them to different criteria- and in fairness my ATR never weighed 1306 as the boot was always full of junk!
My experience of the S2000 feeling a bit lardy was purely down to me having driven to & from the test drive in my DC2, which was just a lot more raw. I always wondered at the time how an R version of the S2000 might have turned out.
Either way, I'd quite like to try another one at some point as after a few years without a screaming Vtec (the K24 in my Accord doesn't match up), I bet I would love it.
Agree on the Type-R, what a thing that could have been! Nearly sold mine last year but 987.2 I drove didn't really move me...as a 55 plate with 70k and only two owners its appreciating -albeit slowly- so can't see it going anywhere anytime soon My experience of the S2000 feeling a bit lardy was purely down to me having driven to & from the test drive in my DC2, which was just a lot more raw. I always wondered at the time how an R version of the S2000 might have turned out.
Either way, I'd quite like to try another one at some point as after a few years without a screaming Vtec (the K24 in my Accord doesn't match up), I bet I would love it.
Had my 06' for just over two years now.
Tested a 2.5 and 3.2 Boxster, TTS and Z4.
For me it primarily came down to character. I desperately wanted to have a Porsche badge stare back at me whilst driving and both Boxsters were 'nice'...but for me they, and the other two, were not 'events' in the same way.
As someone else noted a 'flaw' can be a positive thing sometimes....
The fact you have to committed if you want the 'drama... without it, it may as well be a base Civic - which if you're stuck in traffic is no bad thing.
I fitted lower seat rails (I'm 5'11) got the geo done, it already had AEM V2, K&N and a stainless exhaust.
It was/is a weekend, 'roadtrip' car. The boot holds enough to go camping for 2 weeks, job done.
Worthy of note....still...:
How many cars rev to 9k
How many make that much power per litre
Its a very special engine despite being only 4 cylinders.
Add roof off
Add THE best gear linkage (maybe not ratios)
Add what has turned out to be a very gracefully ageing design, inside and out.
none of it's competition ever 'ate it alive' lol.
Mine is probably still worth the £11k I paid for it....but if I sold it, I'd need well north of £20k to think of anything to replace it with, that could offer the same mix of qualities and character.
LeMans again this year...
Tested a 2.5 and 3.2 Boxster, TTS and Z4.
For me it primarily came down to character. I desperately wanted to have a Porsche badge stare back at me whilst driving and both Boxsters were 'nice'...but for me they, and the other two, were not 'events' in the same way.
As someone else noted a 'flaw' can be a positive thing sometimes....
The fact you have to committed if you want the 'drama... without it, it may as well be a base Civic - which if you're stuck in traffic is no bad thing.
I fitted lower seat rails (I'm 5'11) got the geo done, it already had AEM V2, K&N and a stainless exhaust.
It was/is a weekend, 'roadtrip' car. The boot holds enough to go camping for 2 weeks, job done.
Worthy of note....still...:
How many cars rev to 9k
How many make that much power per litre
Its a very special engine despite being only 4 cylinders.
Add roof off
Add THE best gear linkage (maybe not ratios)
Add what has turned out to be a very gracefully ageing design, inside and out.
none of it's competition ever 'ate it alive' lol.
Mine is probably still worth the £11k I paid for it....but if I sold it, I'd need well north of £20k to think of anything to replace it with, that could offer the same mix of qualities and character.
LeMans again this year...
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