We’ve all at some point received comments from strangers about our S2000’s. Of course some aren’t as welcomed as others, but I digress. It still strikes me as amazing that a 10 year old design still attracts positive attention.
My car is a bone stock Grand Prix White that I’ve owned for six years. I’m absolutely not kidding when I say I get at least 2-3 comments a week. A lady about two weeks ago said, “If I won the lotto I’d buy one of these.” I live in Florida so seeing an S2000 daily isn’t exactly a rare occurrence. My experiences occur mostly at drive-thru windows and gas stations. There are few cars out there that age very well. I think we’re quite lucky to consider the S2000 one of them.
I am somewhat biased to think the AP2 will age better due to rear L.E.D. lighting and nicer bumpers but we won’t go there at this time. The S2000 as a whole looks like it has aged beautifully and will continue to do so. What makes a car possess such qualities? In my opinion the lines have to flow beautifully. While funky and edgy styling is controversial, a clean design seems to hold up the best.
Jaguar XJR (Photo: Mats Olsson)
Another example would be the Jaguar XJ sedan from 1994-2003. It essentially had the same profile since the early 70’s. It looked great back then and still looks great now. It’s not poofy or bulbous. Its proportions look balanced and spot on. It has very clean classy lines. The design is almost too safe but it works. Take a look at the all new one. While it’s edgy and daring I’d wager most would be sick of it after a while. What other cars out there have aged well like our S2000?
- Onehots2k
Images courtesy of krshultz and Mats Olsson
NOTE: S2KI welcomes the opinions of its members on the S2000 and on all topics related to the S. Should you feel the creative urge to pen a few words then by all means do so and PM energetic, aashish2 or Onehots2k OR send us links to what you would like us to write about and we will feature you (or your community) on the S2KI Home Page.
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on Mar 16th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
FIRST!
on Mar 16th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
dude u already know what im gonna say here- but i would like to add the corvette to the list
especially the C5, I mean that model has been around since ’97 and even with the C6 out it still does not look 13 years old at all IMO. Some people even say the C5 looks better than the C6….except for the Z06 or ZR1 model haha
on Mar 16th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
I feel like the NSX will hold its glamour for a long time as well. With a few small accents (Honda badges instead of Acura) it makes the car more intriguing than usual.
on Mar 16th, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Very well said. :bow: I very much agree with you. our car is so gentle to the eyes yet so rugged. Performance?????? Come on. Named number 3 in the top ten cars made this decade. Beat the Corvette, g35/37, 350/370z, Porsche Cayman and the Lotus………. I must say we definetely own a car that’s hated on by people who can’t afford one or been in one. That crack of V-TEC mixed with 50/50 is a killer combo no enthusiast or everyday driver can resist. Even cops give me the thumbs up. Sick post. To all s2kiers, be safe and enjoy your vehicle for you have a japanese classic. The s2000 will one day resemble an NSX, Skyline, Supra or RX-7.Holding titles that won’t be easily beaten by the newer cars.
on Mar 16th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Hey dont call my car old! its an 08! haha j/k
But i agree our cars do age well and i think we owe a little of that to ourselves for maintaining them so well. I hear all the time of AP1 owners getting asked when they bought their “new” car and its practically a decade old! Personally i can definitly see our cars being considered a “classic” one day, but i also can see that our cars did seem to be a little ahead of their time at first.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 4:41 am
A little different opinion here.
The S2k design ,while attractive and purposeful ,is not distinctive or especially striking, like a Corvette or a Porsche.
My feeling is that many positive comments come from people who actually know what the car is and whats’ under the bodywork or from people who just like sports cars and may think it’s a Miata.
I use to wear out a lot of Detroit iron in my job, and would periodically evaluate the newest models. Chrysler always had the most advanced and exotic designs ( cab forward design up tp the Crossfire) but were crap mechanically.
The S2k is kind of a reverse Chrysler.
More than enough cattle for the hat.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 4:43 am
@ Derek- I will admit the C5 does not look 13 years old. The exterior still holds up pretty well IMO. We wont discuss the interior.
@Phil- There is something about the NSX that makes it still look nice. I use to hate the rear lights but have warmed up significantly to it.
@ Daniel- I sometimes get the feeling as well that we’re going to be driving a Japanese classic in its own right. Especially since Honda will never produce another NA/Non hybrid sports car again.
@Slater- You have a point as well. Not a lot of cars had power tops, push start buttons, and xenons as standard equipment in 1999. Hell, you couldn’t even get a power top in a Soltice/Sky.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 5:17 am
gerry, I don’t think the OP was ever trying to indicate the S2000 was “distinctive or especially striking”. The OP was speaking about its classic looks, ageless design, and clean lines. The S is often said to be modeled after classic British roadsters from a design standpoint.
As a tangent, in my opinion, the 8th generation Civic will look like a very ugly car some time in the coming years.
As for Porsche designs, I find them relatively boring and far from “striking”. They’re a little too round and bulbous for me. Just my own opinion.
I agree with the OP and will even say that the S looks best in unmodified form. I’ve always liked the classier look.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 5:57 am
@DWF – you probably were passed by an 8th gen Civic on track
Show me one Honda design till date that has not aged well when kept in pristine condition. The Civic Si is a serious track car in stock form. Not sure if you follow the Continental Tire Challenge series (formerly Koni Challenge), where the Compass 360 Si’s are the championship leaders this year having also won the championship last year. Its too bad that the low price point it is offered at makes it a target buy for people that do tasteless mods. My Si is tracked in stock trim with no changes other than tires (this season) and performance brake pads
I have an 8th Gen Si and I think the world of it. Come to think of it, it was Honda FWD cars (RSX, CRX, EP3 Si, Prelude etc. ) that got me hooked on to the NSX and the S.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 7:19 am
There’s no doubt that the s2000 is an exceptional piece of art work, and a timeless design. However I must say the reason why it aged so well is because over the last decade the car has only had one face minor face lift from Ap1 to Ap2, and has now been discontinued. Unlike the Miata, which I would also consider a great car with very consistant looks over the last decade, has had it’s major change in the last year or two. In my opinion, when that happens it makes it much less of a timeless design.
Having said so, because the s2000 is not a car that you will see around town everyday, I’ve also had my fair share of compliments, which makes my pride and joy that much more worthwhile.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 7:21 am
aashish2, thank you for keeping your Si in stock form and not murdering it with tasteless mods
In all honesty, I’m not saying the 8th gen is ugly, but it is definitely more on the edgy side with its steeply raked front end, going from the windshield to the bumper. My brother has an 8th gen black Si and it’s pretty cool. My statements were only speaking from a design standpoint (ie. It doesn’t have classic lines like the S). Then again, Honda’s intention was not to create classic lines for a car purely aimed at younger drivers, a fiercely competitive market. It had to be edgy with great performance and value, and that’s what the latest Si delivers.
I am not questioning its performance in the least
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
When I purchased my ’03 S2k in 2006 I knew it would be a classic. When it came out in 2000 it was an obvious instant classic: the look is clean, the car is outstanding, and the 9k redline made it very unique…In all the articles I read the only negatives comments were from people that were too fat to fit into it or too tall. I am 6’3″ and 213lbs. It is a little tight but when you are flying around a twisty road or hitting VTEC in traffic to pass another car there is no doubt this is an amazing car and an instant classic.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
I think convertible and simple design vehicles hold against aging.
on Mar 17th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Every time I drive my S2000 it turns heads in BOSTON. I love the car and it is one if the few designs that are timeless. Especially the AP2.
on Mar 18th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
i agree, i live in central florida and i get compliments on it all the time, and i appreciate every single one of them. im glad to own such a fantastic and classic machine.
and that is my fav kind of jag, timeless design at its best….(besides the S of course)
-chris
on Mar 22nd, 2010 at 9:50 am
I agree, especially with the look of the unmodified S2K. I love the timeless appearance of this car, and proudly keep my ’06 bone stock too (OK…I confess, I have the clear CR side indicators). I’m always baffled by those who say the design lacks pizzaz. The look of the car is what first caught my interest.
on Mar 22nd, 2010 at 9:08 pm
There’s an old saw that goes “beauty is more than skin deep.” In the best sense of auto coachwork, the S2K’s expresses what’s underneith. It’s a look that purposeful, spare, masculine. There are no geegaws, and there’s almost nothing you can do to make it better, inside or out, than it was on the showroom floor.
I would compare it to what I consider the best looking roadster (and coupe) design of the second half of the 20th century, the (1960s) XK-E Jag. Both out-performed contemporaries that were or are twice or thrice the price, and look better while doing it. Unlike the XK-E, I suspect the s2K will be eclipsed visually, but both cars set benchmarks packaging looks, performance and price.