Hey everyone I am thinking about financing a S2K and I just had a few questions before I seriously consider it.

1) Is it roomy enough for you tall guys? I am 6ft 200lbs. and I do not want to feel squished and uncomfortable since it will be my daily driver.

2) Is insurance high for this car? I would think so since it is a convertible. Just wanted to see. For you former Integra owners how much was the difference in coverage?

3) Any common problems or recalls associated with 2000-2004 S2K's?

4) I have not test driven one yet so I just wanted some feedback as to how it drives as well as the ergonomics of the interior (shifter placement, steering wheel, armrest, AC, cupholders, etc...)

5) Anything you would like to add.

I really would really appreciate some responses. Thanks in advanced!

 

1. I'm 6' 180# and it is roomy ENOUGH. It is not roomy, but I don't feel squished. It has lots of headroom actually.

2. Insurance was about $15/mo more than my GSR. I'm 28.

3. spark plugs for 00-01; make SURE this was done. the plugs could break wrecking the internals. That is the only recall, except for a few 00s who got new tail lights due to cheap red dye.

The window regulator can get shorted, meaning the auto down won't work. windows still work fine. The clutch springs don't manage powertrain vibration well, and you may hear a buzz when coasting or decellerating. It is really just cosmetic. the most important "issue" is making sure the tranny shifts smoothly. Look out for grinding on 2nd.

4. The integra is very roomy in comparison. It is a very snug fit, but it feels like a perfect pair of jeans. It is a little tight for long trips. As long as you're not too fat, the seats are very supportive and comfy, even though adjustments are minimal. placement of controls is identical to the Integra. Shifter is perfect. All controls are easy to reach without even taking your hands off the wheel. I give ergonomics an A++.

The leather isn't the best, but it is way better than the Integra leather. It's not TL leather. I would get an extended powertrain warranty as F20C motors make even Integra Type R motors look cheap. Resale has held up very well; 00's still sell for 2/3 MSRP after 4-5 years. Considering the beating the used car market has taken from GM/ford/chrysler/mitsu offering 0%+incentives, the S has done excellent.

The S2000 is a special car. Honda doesn't make very many so resale should stay high. Theft isn't a big issue as the F20C won't work in civics without major custom work like bell housings. The only thing to watch for is the seats. Invest in McGard seat locks.

Also, I'd guess this is your first RWD car. Never, NEVER, NEVER lift the throttle or shift gears in the middle of an aggressive turn. the tail will come out and spin the car.

The 02 and up have a glass window. this is nice, but the plastic one is bigger. As long as you maintain the plastic window you're fine. You can also retrofit a glass window for about $800 plus labor.

 

I know steven975 already filled you in on everything but it never hurts to hear it from two people.

1. i'm 6'1" and 230lbs and it is plenty roomy for me...well, i have to put the seat all the way back but i am very comfortable with it, it's my daily driver.

2. my insurance is high, $242. the reason for that is i'm 23 and i got a few tickets.

3. as far as recalls or major problems, steven already covered it but you may also check out the TSB's on this site http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/

4. the car handles very nice but because of the shorter wheelbase in the rwd configuration it has a tendancy to wanna kick the rear end out under hard cornering if you're not careful.

5. you will love this car. if you don't have a girl right now you will probably get one after getting this car. i've had a lot of compliments, especially from girls. you know girls love to ride in convertibles.

 

Thanks alot for the input guys. Anymore out there?

 

call up your insurance company and ask for a quote, given your current record, policy, etc. with any year s2000 to get an estimate. it might vary given your age/record/area you live in as well as commute.

 

6'3" andi fit fine.... I'm pretty skinny though, i cut out some of the padding under the seat to let it sit lower and it felt more comfortable for me.

 

Bump it!

 

Get in the car and drive, it, all the opinions in the world won't convince you it will be the right ride, and right fit for you.

I could never drive it daily, it would lose it's appeal fast. It's been a summer-weekend car for me, and as far as value goes, and enjoyment it is the best way.

It's bad on gas when you drive it agressively, the paint is thin, it chips way too eaily, the car does not have too much room, virtually no storage. To keep the rear end stable requires a more agressive alignment, which eats tires faster. Keeping sticky tires on the car is an investment alone, if milage stacks up.

Get in in drive it and you will know.

 

i daily drive my s2000 and it has lost none of it's appeal what-so-ever. so let's get a few things straight about these downsides you listed..


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's bad on gas when you drive it agressively</TD></TR></TABLE>

...because so many cars allow you to beat on it and get 50mpg.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the paint is thin, it chips way too eaily</TD></TR></TABLE>

seen any american car's paint lately? or even a Nissan's paint?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the car does not have too much room, virtually no storage.</TD></TR></TABLE>

roadsters generally aren't concerned with mass storage.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To keep the rear end stable requires a more agressive alignment, which eats tires faster.</TD></TR></TABLE>

not true. i have shitty non-OEM tires and haven't had it aligned in a long time, i have no problems keeping it planted. you just can't be stupid with it.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Keeping sticky tires on the car is an investment alone, if milage stacks up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

if you want to talk about going through tires, you need to meet my friend with the 10 sec. LS1. getting good performance tires for this car does not require a second mortage on your house. it all depends on how heavy your right foot is.

 

I plan on buying one as soon as my insurance goes down, I went to buy one about a year ago and when i got my insurance quote i laughed in there face and then realized they were not jokeing, they wanted more a month than the car payment was. They wanted $450+ a month for insurance and the car payment was only 3 something. So for now i'm just sticking with my teg looking foward to the spring when hopefully i will have a clear insurance record and will be over 25

 

I'll save my last post for the day for this.

Daily driven means different things in different places.

If I lived in Nevada, it would be different.

You dont have a change of seasons, nor does So-Cal, so it may be different.

I don't drive my car in the rain, and it is impossible to keep this car like new in winter.

I know about paint processes, Honda JPN's paint is notoriously thin compared, to european sports cars, since that would be this car primary comparison.

If you are referring to American Hondas, the Ohio plant uses a much tougher base and top coat than the Japanese Market's plants.

If you are not talking about Honda US then maybe you were referring to the American Roadster? What would they be? And don't say the Sebring, or PT Cruiser.

The paint is thin and chips much easier than the Boxter, BWM Roadster and the Audi.

Hope that clears that up.


To maintain the factory grip of this car, I could accept no less than the stickest, street tires.

S03, F1GSD3, RE050, S02, MX.

I have burned through sets of all of them, half on the s2000.
The MX being the cheapest, still will cost you nearly 500 installed and that is running the rears at the wrong size at 225-50-16 for that tire.

My set of S03s just installed pushed 800 installed.

If you drive like you are driving a Taurus around you will get 15k miles out of the rear.

Also the gas milage issue...
What other car do you have to put to the absolute max of the power band to reach tq.?

I could hop in many comparable cars and out run the S2000 in street starts without running to the redline all day to pick up average accel.

I see many people buying this car, with the luxury car mindset. If you want to enjoy life crusing around with the all seasons and style, buy a mercedes convertable.

So many people buy this car for the wrong reasons. It's home is the track, and autox with a little work. This is not a good road car IMO, compared to the other roadsters. It never was designed that way.

It's a celebration of performance. If you want to dumb the car down as a grocier getter thats your business.

Personally, coming from an enthusiest, thats a damn shame to do.

 

I am 6'1'' and 175. It is real snug but in a good way. It is a roadster and the cockpit is designed that way. The seat will slide back but not real far. the only complaints I have is seeing the stop lights...(I have to slide down in my seat a little cause the top of the windshield is low and the blind spots...(real bad with the top down...the soft and hard top are both bad. This car is amazing though and you already probably know a little about since you are considering it. It has two generations now. 2000-2003, and 2004+. In 04 it was given a minor facelift with new projector headlights and taillights, new 17in. wheel and tire package, new bumpers that look more aggresive and a new motor displacing 2.2L rather than 2.0 and giving more low end torque but keeping the some 240hp number. The redline was lowered from 9,000 to 8,200. So a new gauge cluster was used as well as a few interior appointments. Personally I would stick with the 2000-2003 model. But I like them both. I worked at a dealership for over 2 years and drove them both regularly. Very smooth fast cars. Not the best for daily drivers though but not bad at all. They just really are made for spirited driving and are at home on the track. VTEC is very srtong when is kicks in at 8300rpm and pulls hard till redline (earily model) the peak torque is around 7200rpm. I really like the 2.0L motor with its 9000rpm redline. But after driving the 04 S2k I did notice the extra low end torque right away. Go take a test drive and see what you think for yourself now and have fun. Rear-wheel drive is great especially for us honda guys it is sure a great experience. The S2000 is one of my favorite cars for so many reasons. Like 120hp/liter (most hp/L than any other na 4cyl on earth!) Just remeber to bring the SUV when you go golfing as your bag will not fit in the trunk But oh well, it makes up for that.

 

[QUOTE=Ryocross]"I know about paint processes, Honda JPN's paint is notoriously thin compared, to european sports cars, since that would be this car primary comparison.

If you are referring to American Hondas, the Ohio plant uses a much tougher base and top coat than the Japanese Market's plants.

If you are not talking about Honda US then maybe you were referring to the American Roadster? What would they be? And don't say the Sebring, or PT Cruiser.

The paint is thin and chips much easier than the Boxter, BWM Roadster and the Audi."

All Honda S2000's are made in Japan. And are comprised of near 100% Japanese parts. So speaking about paint, zero S2000's are painted in the states.

 

American Honda's paint processes are different than Honda JPN.

When he referred to American cars was he referring to American cars (Detroit)
Or American Honda.

I think you missed the point.

I said the S2000s paint chips easily.

He said

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">seen any american car's paint lately? or even a Nissan's paint?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Whats that have to do with the S2000 paint? Then I compared the S2000 paint to the competition. Audi, BMW, etc. Their processes are far superior, and durable.
When I mentioned American Honda I was speaking on the Domestic Hondas.
Which are more durable than the Japanese counter parts, but hardly what I would call up to par with the competitions paint process.


Aside from all that do you think, after spewing all the crap I posted, about the car, tires, alignments paint etc, would you honestly think I would not know where the car was made?

I actually own the car unlike many people who troll around here babling about it without ever driving own.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whats that have to do with the S2000 paint?</TD></TR></TABLE>

what the hell are you talking about? YOU brought up the thin paint, i asked if you'd seen the paint on american cars, or Nissans? their paint is just as bad if not worse. point being= don't bitch about paint, cause others have it a lot worse.

and the fact is MOST people don't crossshop BMWs or Audis when they look at the S2000, they cross shop the 350Z & mayyyyyyybe the Mazdaspeed Miata. & their paint quality makes ours look like a God-send.

please don't insinuate that i drive my car like a grandma, because i don't. but i also don't "burn" through multiple sets of tires then bitch about the cost.

i don't see why you keep complaining about this car so much though, honestly. your driving style may not make it a "good road car", but that doesnt mean it can't be one.

unless i'm in vtec all the time i get pretty damned good gas mileage. i honestly think it's your heavy right foot that gives you your bad mileage.

 

Motavia- I think you missed the point. Like I said S2000 is nearly 100% Japanese. It is built in Japan for both the JDM and USDM.
Whatever. Anyways back to the real topic...let us know how the test drive goes and Bump for a real sports car!

By the way American Honda's manufacturing facilities are not located in Detroit. They are in Ohio, Alabama, and the Carolina's. Even Mexico and Ontario.

 

Well, I am not going to continue with a debate on here because as usual most people on this forum just want to be right. So let me help you so everyone feels better.

1.Buy the car even though it may not be practical, and you'll get girls who don't even know what kind of car it is.
2.Drive it all year around, in the snow if you like.
3.Throw some all seasons on the car, you get better treadware, you just have to watch it when you actually wanna put the throttle down.
4.Do some shopping, pack the trunk full of stuff no problem, theres more room on the passenger seat.
5.Enjoy interstate drives, the front clip, hood and fenders don't chip up as bad as american cars, so feel lucky.
6. Don't bother with the TT, Z4, or Boxster. Anyone who looks at these cars looks at the 350z, and the MS Miata because they are more comparable.
7.The American Honda's, not to be confused the the American Domestics of Detroit, Civics, Accords and Element's of Ohio use the same process paint process as the Tochigi plant in Japan where the NSX and S2000 are made. There is no difference.
8.The Honda Odyssey made in Alabama, also has a the same exact process, just, like the Civics, Accords, and Elements. Making all these Hondas exactly the same.
There is no evidance that the aluminum NSX body and S2000, had any part of them hand sprayed. They were all prepped to deal with the hard salty winters of the midwest, just like the Ohio built Hondas, and Alabama Minivan.

9.Hit Vtec all the time, because after all you get a Honda you get Vtec, hit it hard, and fast. Go in vtec to get some shopping done. Vtec, is a way of life, add some body kits, 19" rims, and cruise around, and feel the vtec flow.

10.Buy and I/H/E for well over 2k and feel hear the vtec, just dont go near a dyno, because I hear they are not accurate for telling the true potential of those mods.

11. Last get everyones advice on the car before you even set foot in one, because everyone on here many who dont even own one can talk you into how pratical they are.

Hope that helps.

And thanks for telling me some things about the car I did not know guys.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Motavia &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well, I am not going to continue with a debate on here because as usual most people on this forum just want to be right. So let me help you so everyone feels better.

1.Buy the car even though it may not be practical, and you'll get girls who don't even know what kind of car it is.
2.Drive it all year around, in the snow if you like.
3.Throw some all seasons on the car, you get better treadware, you just have to watch it when you actually wanna put the throttle down.
4.Do some shopping, pack the trunk full of stuff no problem, theres more room on the passenger seat.
5.Enjoy interstate drives, the front clip, hood and fenders don't chip up as bad as american cars, so feel lucky.
6. Don't bother with the TT, Z4, or Boxster. Anyone who looks at these cars looks at the 350z, and the MS Miata because they are more comparable.
7.The American Honda's, not to be confused the the American Domestics of Detroit, Civics, Accords and Element's of Ohio use the same process paint process as the Tochigi plant in Japan where the NSX and S2000 are made. There is no difference.
8.The Honda Odyssey made in Alabama, also has a the same exact process, just, like the Civics, Accords, and Elements. Making all these Hondas exactly the same.
There is no evidance that the aluminum NSX body and S2000, had any part of them hand sprayed. They were all prepped to deal with the hard salty winters of the midwest, just like the Ohio built Hondas, and Alabama Minivan.

9.Hit Vtec all the time, because after all you get a Honda you get Vtec, hit it hard, and fast. Go in vtec to get some shopping done. Vtec, is a way of life, add some body kits, 19" rims, and cruise around, and feel the vtec flow.

10.Buy and I/H/E for well over 2k and feel hear the vtec, just dont go near a dyno, because I hear they are not accurate for telling the true potential of those mods.

11. Last get everyones advice on the car before you even set foot in one, because everyone on here many who dont even own one can talk you into how pratical they are.

Hope that helps.

And thanks for telling me some things about the car I did not know guys.</TD></TR></TABLE>


you're being a goddamn idiot.

"everyone on here just wants to be right." aren't you being a little hypocritical with that statement?

you're pretty short-sighted if you think this car should only ever see the track.

 

1. Search

2. Search will give you A LOT OF INFO HERE

3. Insurance quotes are free, try calling since there are so many variables, ages, location...record..etc. etc.

4. Go test drive it, what people say are subjective.

5. you can go here to search: https://honda-tech.com/zerosearch