Dan in Pasadena

So what do you know about them? Drove one last night. I grew up on American muscle, so this car is decidely different. No low end torque but pulls like a *****' up to 9000RPM! Yikes that is different than a V8. And diferent than our Porsche fours too.

Before you all say it (because I said it too)Additionl $$ to get a Boxster is not an option and she is buying new only, she says she's not considering leasing again but tonight we're driving a TT and the Porsche dealer is right next door. I'll try to get her to drive a Boxster. Since she's buying she briefly considered the Miata, MR2 or Z3, but they aren't in ther same performance class at all. She liked the M Roadster very much but just too much $$. What does the board think of the S2000?

AndyK

Sweet looking car. Never rode in one because it looks like I wouldn't fit! Small car. I also heard it has no low-end torque, but at 9,000 rpm, it must make an interesting noise!?

I will never buy a NEW car again. A car is a terrible investment--and a NEW car is even worse. I would rather have a 3 year old Boxter over any Honda--period.

I have spoken.

<img src="graemlins/a_smil17.gif" border="0" alt="[blabla]" />

ian

I love the S2000, I think they are great little cars and I think if I was going to get an open toped car that would be it. Those engines are just incrdible when they get up in the revs.

Around town they don't feel fast, but when you start to let that engine boil it is really quick, also the handling is incredible, one of the best handling cars from the factory that I have driven.

turbopop

Never drove in one, and am not a big Honda fan, but I have run against them in autocross. They are really quick and the handling appears to be very crisp. While everyone on the course(mostly Porsches) are squealing tires and/or plowing through turns or oversteering, these things just zip through like they are on rails. I hate them for that.. <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />
I just don't know how long any motor (even a Honda) will last that lives at 8000+ rpm.

jim968

Dan, Very seriously, if she spends much time in stop-and-go traffic, she's likely to _hate_ it very quickly because of all the gear-changing it'll take. That's the big weakness of small, peaky engines... but if she's mostly driving open road or light-traffic twisties, it ought to be great fun.

Reliability-wise, I'd trust a Honda about the same as a Toyota.. tops.

Jim, _almost_ wishing that Toyota had made the 944/968...

rage2

Driving in traffic, my wife and I HATED it in the S2000. It's a cool car though, gets a lot of looks. Driving in parking lots is murder too, the car doesn't want to go slow at 1000rpm.

The car doesn't feel that fast because it isn't really that fast in a straight line =). Around corners, it's great. The 9000rpm redline is nice for doing 2nd gear drifts, can kick the tires out in 2nd for a lot longer than other cars. The handling's a lot tighter than the 951, but it's not as forgiving.

We have SLK's now. The SLK 32 AMG is a blast to drive, and is a very comfortable cruiser in traffic. In the open road, it's a force to be reckon with.

Robby

I like the S2000, but haven't actually driven one. I can't really add anything about it that hasn't already been said here, but I do also like the Audi TT and Mercedes SLK- I don't think I'm referring to the AMG though- I mean the one that's in the mid $30K range I believe w/the Kompressor- I think they're cool, but the Audi is really about my favorite when taking price, performance, looks (especially interior) and everything into consideration. Of course, I even like the MR2 Spyder- I didn't realize it was so far behind performance-wise, but if $$$ were a major problem, it would be a nice choice. I'm not a big roadster fan overall though- I think of them as more for women, although I wouldn't let that stop me from owning one- I'd prefer a normal convertible though- like an M3 convertible maybe Too bad it's so far out of my league ($$$)... For that matter, I'd probably rather have a 968 convertible (even though it would be used) than any of the new ones, but everyone's got their own opinions. At any rate, I think the S2000 would be a fairly cool car for her, unless she really has to drive in a lot of stop and go traffic...

Peckster

Don't worry about the engine lasting at high rpms. Honda knows a thing or two about this. I owned a CBR600 that often saw 13.5 K, and it never mised a beat or failed to idle after being thrashed at tracks. It was bulletproof.

Buy with confidence.

rage2

[quote]Originally posted by John Peck:
<strong>Don't worry about the engine lasting at high rpms. Honda knows a thing or two about this. I owned a CBR600 that often saw 13.5 K, and it never mised a beat or failed to idle after being thrashed at tracks. It was bulletproof.

Buy with confidence.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'm on the S2K forums (www.s2ki.com) and there has been quite a few engine failures already. The ratio was about 1 in 100 where an engine failed and was rebuilt (not replaced) under warranty.

Check out the following thread that follows the engine failures. 27 engines out of 1836 registered owners on the forum.

<a href="http://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8051&highlight=short+block" target="_blank">http://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8051&highlight=short+block</a>

Dan in Pasadena

Thanks guys for the opinions. I too feel that reliability will not be an issue. Honda, maybe above all others except Toyota, has it's reputation firmly planted on reliability. I doubt they would chance offering a 9K redline engine they didn't feel was bulletproof...or as close as it can be.
My girlfriend DOES do a lot of stop and go driving so I agree that this car will not be the perfect choice. Adding to that opinion is that she is moving from a Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd to this tiny car. A totally different experience. But she drove an MGB in her college days and has always wanted to go back to an open roadster - nostalgia! MG's were nice drivers for their day, but anything except reliable!

Lemon Yellow 87 n/a

Used boxster all the way. Get one of them dealer approved pre-owned. Chances are, some dude liked his boxster but wanted to get a 911 instead and left the boxster with the dealer (repeat buyer= probably took care of car). Plus, the dealer will have inspected the car, so you get a car thats as good as new, without the ridiculous sticker price. I'd also consider a TT (my pops likes 'em too). The S2000 is certainly interesting, but the bottom line is that its a highly strung honda that will depreciate its way to oblivion like all other high tech jap cars do (rx7, 300zx, supra etc.).

Turby

If your girlfriend does a lot of stop and go driving, you should consider an SLK Kompressor. These cars are extremely quick on the takeoff. A used one could be had for the price of the S2000. And Mercades is also known to have 300,000mi+ cars still on the road. I too really like the S2000, but would pick the kompressor.

PorscheG96

[quote]Originally posted by turby:
<strong>86 951 450HP BLACK EXT/RED INT.
18 inch 3pc chrome
TT brakes
coil overs
968 spoiler/A.I.R. front lip
Audi H.I.D.
50k invested,nowhere near done</strong><hr></blockquote>
Damb. Pics please.

Tabor

Jim,

I have never ridden in an S2000, but I have had my share of rides in Integra Type-R's.

Here is the HP/Torque graph for the Japan spec S2000:



As you can see, it is not very "peaky" at all.

Lemon Yellow 87 n/a

100 hp @ 4000 rpm. Damn, thats civic like. Looks like a pretty boring car in normal driving circumstances. I heard you have to beat the crap out of it to get any power. Also, in my opinion, the higher the revs, the more likely something is gonna break.