any honda s2000 owners?

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i've wanted one for the longest time and i may have found one that i can finally take the plunge on. going to test drive an '01 model next weekend. from a dealership, says single owner with 104k miles. reason i chose this one is because the listing says it is completely stock, i wanted an unmolested one where the previous owner appreciated it for what it was and treated it with respect.

is there anything i should be looking out for during initial inspection?

post pics of your s2k here!
 
Are you familiar with working on rotary Motors or have a shop that is?
 
I'm not too up on them, but I do know the earlier ones were a little lass practical on the street due to the need to rev high before getting any torque. I knew several people who had them, but only kept for a couple years. Fun at autocrosses and track days, not so much on the street.
 
but that's part of the charm (also why i didnt look for 2nd generation which redlines at 8k instead of 9k), motorcycle on 4 wheels.
I hear you, but these people found it hard to live with after a short while. They were all track guys though, so their standards are likely different then those who are used to street-only driving.
 
Not sure what the po' po' situation is down there in Boca, but I understand the higher revs tend to attract attention. I doubt it will bother all of the senors in the neighborhood though, as it will be above their hearing range :biggrin:
 
You would expect Honda to produce a good roadster. One of the few automakers who still have the manual stick shift as an option with some of their models.

The 2000 had a double overhead cam V-Teck engine set behind the front wheels for 50/50 balance. It got good ratings sold well worldwide until the recession sank sales.

Roadster market is risky, only Mazda has survived. Honda, Toyota, Saturn, & others tried to cash in on Mazda's success.

If you are looking for a pure roadster that you can carve up the curves with the Honda should deliver. I imagine that you could get one pretty cheap. Just don't make a Costco run with it space is very limited:cool:
 
I don't remember seeing many curves to carve up when I visited Boca last year. Hopefully there are some good driving roads once you get a little out of town, though. Are there any hills anywhere in Florida? :biggrin:
 
Go with one of the best motors made VQ35DE. Look for a 350Z in good condition
 
S2000 is a fantastic car. 9k redline is audible joy.

If you must have the 9k rpm, look for an 03 model as they had a lot of the issues fixed from the previous years.

If you are happy with 8k, 04-05 have a cable operated throttle. 06+ are all electronic computer controlled throttle body. The AP2 (04+ cars) are better built and have the problems from prior years sorted out. They have LED tail lights and more updated body styling. Better looking OEM wheel options as well.

Some people, myself included, are purists and would go for a 9k rpm 2003 AP1 S2000 and just swap in the LED tail lights and glass window soft top from an AP2.

If you want to have 90% of the fun @ 50% of the cost, consider a Mazda Miata. A well-sorted 99-2005 Miata ready for the track will cost $5-8k, whereas an S2k will easily run twice that.
 
I don't remember seeing many curves to carve up when I visited Boca last year. Hopefully there are some good driving roads once you get a little out of town, though. Are there any hills anywhere in Florida? :biggrin:

We have Mt Dora. :cool2:
 
i think miatas drive great! but hate how it looks, cant get over it. the new ones look nice but i'm not dropping 30k. 10k is my limit. i'm not that picky about stuff going on within a car, i just want the driving aspect to be right. so naturally an M3 or porsche is what i really want but i don't care about a vehicle that much to invest that far into it.

this video is great and i had a similar reaction first time i drove one.
[video=youtube;XG_DpaCZy6k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG_DpaCZy6k[/video]
 
casual auto-x, or going for season championship with regional SCCA chapter? That will probably, uh, drive (sorry) what kind of condition you should look for, how much you may need to spend once you have it, etc. They really can haul ass on an auto-x course, so there will definitely be people who have pumped $$$ into them to make sure the finish up near the top as often as possible.
 
casual auto-x, or going for season championship with regional SCCA chapter? That will probably, uh, drive (sorry) what kind of condition you should look for, how much you may need to spend once you have it, etc. They really can haul ass on an auto-x course, so there will definitely be people who have pumped $$$ into them to make sure the finish up near the top as often as possible.

+1 Yeah, s2k's in the north east dominate on auto-x courses!
 
I think you can get a stock S2000 for 10 grand. I would look around may get it cheaper from private owner. Check the car top to bottom, service history etc.

The Porsche Boxer is another good roadster handles better than some of the $$$ Porsche. They made a lot of them & you can get used ones at very fair prices for what you are getting.
 
If you're set on a convertible, know that they generally do not age as well as cars with roofs. The tops will eventually need to be replaced, and they are usually expensive. The cabin is not as weather resistant with a soft top as a car with a roof, wet humid days may fog everything up, hot and colds days will exercise the limits of your AC, rain rails will age and crack letting rain flood your trunk and despite claims of extra stiffening reinforcement, as the car ages, you may notice it getting more and more flexible. If you don't intend on keeping and using the car for a long time, then have fun.
 
I was looking Honda S2000 few years back. Couldn't find a good example for a decent price. They've kept their value here (=were overpriced) too well. Eventually I went with a 350Z roadster instead.

Still love the S2000 and would love to own one one day. (The family stuffs getting in the way though. :lol2: ) S2000 used to have the highest displacement/hp output of any mass-produced stock engine at the time leaving behind all the Porches, Ferraris etc. No small feat. The back end is little snappy, but satisfying when you get it right.

I used to own a first gen Civic type R too and LOVED the crazy attitude screaming to the 8300 rpm redline. Harshest chassis I've ever driven on a factory stock car, but man it was a laugh to throw around. Built like a tank too.
 
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