Ok, I have the choice of getting a '01 S2000 (Silver w/ black leather) totally stock w/ 25,500 miles and driven by an old man. The only way to do this is spend the $5000 I have for mods on the down payment; the rest i can do. My '98 ITR w/ almost 70,000 miles, good 10 months (or 30,000 miles) of warranty left. Carfax says the s2k is clean. So which would you do, Im loosin' it here.

 

dood, get the s2k. the r is just going downhill from now on...sad i know, but its time to move on. get the s2k and be done with it.

 

ive only had the R since 10/25/02 BTW and she's not stock

 

I agree with this, and I am tempted to do the same, however every time I drive the R, I can't bear the thought.

 

Been through this dilema a few times.
Some things to consider if you haven't:

1) S2K has a "weak" tranny. It's not that bad, but some have had problems with gear grinding. So hard launches (frequently) are frowned upon. There are a few technical service bulletins he should or could have had performed. (Spark Plug, Clutch, and a few others). So I guess I'm saying if you're into drag racing, this may pose a potential problem.

2) The S2K will need a trailer (or second car driven by someone) to haul race tires to a track. The R seemed to be able to swallow large amounts of track/auto-x gear.

3) The mods are there, but it's hard to get a lot of power w/o going Forced Induction. Supposedly a Mugen S2K will walk a Stock S2K pretty good, but that's roughly $1500 for I/H/E/ECU = $6K (Not that that's bad, just so you know).
I'm not sure that an R w/ the same $$ wouldn't be faster, because that could be I/H/E/ Toda A's, and VAFC + a few other goodies.

4) Supposedly lowering the car makes it handle worse (maybe Mugen or King Motorsports begs to differ) and they may be right. I'm just saying be aware, that that's what the mags are saying after testing.

5) If you're into "weight down" there isn't a whole lot you can do before you start having bare metal S2K. No back seats to take out. 16" lightweight wheels = shitty offsets (spoon, CE28N, etc). Of course there are lightweight 17's with the perfect offsets (CE28N, Mugen).

That's the quick list. I'm sure there are more. Of course there are pro's and con's.
I've had the chance to drive many miles in an S2K...and Loved it! I loved my Type R. It's definately a tough choice. The S2K steering is fabulous, and the shifter feels great, the car feels pretty solid....etc, etc.

Just trying to toss out ideas I had thought of. Not suggesting either way for you, just some opinions.

Good luck with your decision

 

dont forget about backfiring and differentials being torn up by stock motors, and very very bad blind spots, etc etc

Has anyone driven a S2000. I drove a '02 and it was awesome and I never even hit VTEC.


[Modified by 98cwitr, 5:13 AM 1/14/2003]

 

Good point. I forgot about that. With the top up, rear visibility sucks! Good thing you can import the Australia left hand mirror which is convex over there. I've heard that really helps you see behind you, and eliminate the blind spot, and looks better than those stick on small circular mirrors.

VTEC feels week in those cars. I think it may be all the NVH prevention the S applied. Where the "R" seemed rawer, the S seems a tad refined....such as less VTEC noise. Can you put an AEM on there and get it to growl, of course! I'm not sure if it was the lack of noise, but when you hit VTEC, it doesn't seem as drastic as a switch over in an R.

Oh well, nothing a Toda Cam won't fix

 

I either neither car, but definitely is a tough decision. 00-ITR-373 listed some good points. Also, will the S2k be your daily driver? I personally, would need a daily driver and the S2k would be my weekend sports car, etc. How are the winters where you live? Good luck..

 

I drove one on track and I thought it sucked. It had very little power/torque for the addiutionaly power it was supposed to have. I am not a convertible fan but would loe to put a hardtop on one. If I got an S2k though it would have to be supercharged to make it fun.

How do you have 10 months left on your warranty? Seems like you would have run out or have more like 3 years left (7years, 100,000 miles). (Standard warranty is 4 years, 50k miles)

 

S2K is over rated IMO. Dont get me wrong, I love them and they drive awesome, just too pricey for what you get. There is a lot out there in the same price range that offers a lot more.

 

ok, name something.....

 

EVO.

 

Just about anyone here can do the same trade. Within 300 miles of me, there several 2001 S2000 for around 26,000. If you have a 00 or 01 ITR, you can probably get around $20,000 for it, so you would be left with $5,000 to come up with.

Personally, I would rather get a 97-98 M3.


http://www.autotrader.com/findacar/r...&ac_afflt=none




[Modified by jond, 8:29 AM 1/14/2003]

 

Hate to say this but I thing the E36 BMW is a better choice for a used acr for the money.

I still

 

I think the new WRX STI is in the same price range as an S2K, and I would definatly get a new STI over a S2000 any day

 

ITR=Practicality and a nice FWD car on the track
S2000=No Practicality and a nice RWD car on the track

I love driving both cars but the S2k is the funnest car I have ever driven, RWD is a lot of fun.. Oh yea if your looking for cars like that consider the upcoming RX8 and 350z as well. WRX and Evo are also awesome cars, but I dont really see them as being in the same catagory. Just my thoughts, both are nice cars.

 

Another thing to consider is the 1/4 mile time on the S2000. From what I've heard, the S2000 isn't much faster than the ITR in that department unless you launch it perfectly which apparently is tricky.

 

97-98 Corvette

 

S2K typically run around 14.1, 14.2 stock in the 1/4...some mutant S2Ks can break 13s stock. Thats not THAT impressive for $30K, and it certainly isnt killing the rest of the competition. The EVO will kill it, and its probably gonna be less than the S2K. The 350 starts at around $27K, and is just as fast, however has a lot more power and more weight. But let us not forget, it is only 4cyl NA and its impressive that it can hold its own. I just think the technology that went into the developement of the S2K jacked up the price too much. Also, the S2K is already so well developed, its hard to squeeze more power out of it with basic bolt ons. You really have to get drastic to get big gains from an S2K. Superchargers seem to be getting popular among the S2K crowd.

EDIT: none of the cars listed above were designed or intended for the drag strip. They each have their own niche in the car world. Its up to you to decide what you want from the car and go from there.


[Modified by RTW DC2, 8:43 AM 1/14/2003]

 

If you care about quarter mile times, I would not reccomend the s2k

 

Nothing that is said on this board will help you more than actually going out and driving the s2k. Mine is my daily driver, and I have no problems. Just drive responsibly when the weather is foul. The handling is great, and believe me, the acceleration is not disapointing.

 

S2000+ this: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=379607


nicey nicey nice

 

Im over 6 feet tall and the S2K is too small for me. It feels like Im cramped up and that there is nowhere to go. Gotta look at if you are going to be hauling a few people too. The ITR holds 4 compared to 2 of the S2K. The ITR can hold a lot more luggage than a S2K if you plan on traveling anywhere

 

Both true...but that has it's advantages also. Get out of driving whenever you want! Never stuck being designated driver or anything. Just pimp it when you feel like it.

 

Get an insurance quote before you buy......

Convertibles are usually much more expensive.

I think the storage space issue is the biggest one. I personally can't see very well in an S2K because the top of the windshield is too low/seating position too high. It's even worse with the top up. In general, the S2K is very small inside with the top up. If it rains alot where you are or you have inclement weather - this is something to consider.

On the flip side - it's a great car that responds well to great driving. You really need to wind it to have fun (i.e. at the track) and the motor is sweet.