Josh Ehlert

Hello everyone. I have been a lurker on this forum for awhile. I do not own an s2000 (yet?) and would like your guy's insight. I would like your opinion if an s2000 is the right car for me. A little about me. 1st, I am a bigger guy. 5'11" and right around 215 lbs. (I'm working on it ). Will I fit comfortably in one? I have owned a del sol and fit ok. I like all cars, my previous cars include civics, talons/eclipses, a couple of probes/mx6's, and some mini trucks. I've done the turbo kits and nitrous thing on pretty much all of them. I seem to have hit a modifying block when it comes to cars for the past year or so. (EK still sitting in the garage with no motor) I want a car that has a good aftermarket if I should ever decide to go that route but something that is also good in stock form. Im trying to steer away from the thought of "I like what that car could become" and would rather enjoy the car from the very start. I want something nice to cruise around in the summer and something that doesn't feel so much like a toy. I dont really hang out with a lot of car guys anymore so I guess the car needs to be good without HAVING to modify it. (shits not that fun for me by myself)

S2000's in my area seem to be right around $16,000 which seems prety normal from what I've seen from stalking over the past few years. I don't wanna drop that kind of change on "just a phase" If anything maybe this thread is a think out loud kinda thing. Either way, all you guys have some nice ass cars and I thank anyone in advance for any insight.

Adrenalize

I'm pretty much the same height as you and on the chubbier side as well lol. I fit just fine in the car, snug but not uncomfortable.

You say you want a car that's great out of the box? The S is exactly that. It performs so well in stock form and it's reliable too.

The S has a great aftermarket, it can be pricey but there's plenty of support.

Also the S has great resale value incase you're worried about all the money you'll spend.

Sounds like the car for you. But do test drive one thoroughly to make sure you like it. Only way to find out.

zeroptzero

I'm 6 feet tall and a bit heavier than you and I fit fine. There isn't a lot of space once you are seated in the car, it feels very race car like, maybe not the best for daily driving but I didn't buy it as such.

IMO this is the type of car that you buy and enjoy it for what it is. It's a great driving experience and a very unique car with unique attributes. There isn't a better car out there for $16,000. If you are looking for a super fast street car this won't be it, adding boost seems to be the best way to add power if you need it. Definitely try and test drive one if you can and see if you like what it has to offer. Good luck, maybe we will see you joining the community.

EricJT7

The only thing that beats the experience of driving an S2000 for me in that price range, would be perhaps a motorcycle. And if it weren't for the safety factor, I'd probably have one instead, or better yet in addition. But as far as cars go, it is going to be very difficult to beat, or even match the driving pleasure of the S2000 for under $30,000, at least for me. Find one that is well kept and mechanically in great shape, and take it for a test drive. At 5'11" and 215, you should still fit. I'm 5'10", and even when I weighed the most--190 pounds--I seem to fit good in the car.

Chuck S

Getting into my S2000 is the challenge with my 185 pound 5'9" frame -- wish there was an OEM flat bottom wheel! The driving position is pretty much fixed with only back-forth and rake adjustments -- very basic but (once in) fits me perfectly.

These cars are keeping their value from asking prices I've seen. I spent $20K on an '06 with 38K miles last summer during the height of summer car demand in Ohio. Dealer serviced, detailed, etc. Never any body damage, "all matching numbers." Brake master cylinder recall performed. New front brake discs and pads. The detailing made the car look new inside, outside, and under the hood. Since these cars are rare in this part of the world most folks think it's a new car and are surprised to learn it's 8 years old.

Unfortunately the previous owner buggered the car with black Enkei wheels with no center caps making the car look like someone stole the wheel covers . But the car needed new tires anyway and there's a market for these "racing" wheels. Still don't know the horsepower added with black wheels -- if they'd been silver they might still be on the car but it now looks stunning with stock wheels. Between the sale of the black wheels and reconditioned '06 Honda wheels there was about a $300 cost. BTW the Honda OEM AP2V2 wheels are Enkei's if anyone is into brand names. Heck, they may all be Enkeis.

Put new tires in your immediate budget if you want to drive the car hard. All season radials work poorly. New Bridgestone RE-11A (so-called extreme performance) tires ran about $700 from tire rack and professional installation ran another $100.

As for "the phase" don't worry as long as you buy a stock car. I suspect I can keep mine another couple of years and a few thousand miles and pass it on the next owner near the same price, maybe a couple thousand lower or even higher depending on the time of the year. But note my car is NOT my only vehicle and is currently patiently wanting for spring to be driven again. In my experience modifications rarely bring enough resale value to the car to be worth their initial expenses. I swore I was going to keep my '06 stock but there's an Invidia Q300 exhaust system sitting in a carton in my garage. But this will (probably) be the only major modification other than getting a dyno dune. Supercharging will certainly add power but the cost does not seem to be reflected in resale values -- and for some of us decreases the value, it's all individual. Some of these cars have been modified so heavily they have little attraction for me.

-- Chuck

zeroptzero

That's very true, I had a bad experience on a motorcycle so I'd rather not try them again. I've always viewed the S2000 as a motorcycle on 4 wheels lol.

Apex1.0

This

S2000 is a drivers car first and foremost if you love to drive it's the perfect car for you. The only car I have ever driven that is a more extreme drivers car is a Lotus Elise. If you were looking for top-down cruising there a better car's to pick.

jimmy-buffett

6-foot-1, around 260. I fit fine, but it's a tight fit. It's much easier to get into and out of the car with the top down. I'm also a former delSol owner, that car defied the laws of physics with how small it was compared to how much room it had.

If there's any chance of you ever modding it significantly, you want the '06 for the flashable ECU. That's also the year that they introduced traction control.

$18,250 for my '06 with 42K miles on it. Rare color, bought it in October in a ski town so I got a bit of a deal on it. The great thing about this car? Unless you do something stupid to it, you'll never lose a lot of money on it. You can get high-miles early year ones for ~$9-10K, but for the low miles examples you'll always be fine on value.

I wouldn't buy one as a daily driver / only car, it's far too impractical for that. But as a weekend car, especially where I live (Denver) in the summer, there's nothing better as long as you're staying on pavement.

Josh Ehlert

Thank you guys for the responses so far. No this car will not be a daily driver by any means. Winters here is Wisconsin are far too bad to drive anything you care about. If the salt infested roads don't get to it, some jack ass driver will.

takeshi

Depending on what you specifically mean by "good" that definitely describes the S2000. If you're a spec sheet racer it's not the right car for you. If you're looking to drag or have a torque fetish then it's not the right car for you. If you want a plush, fully featured GT it's not the right car for you. If you want fun in the twisties then it is the right car for you. You can read all you want but to really answer your question you need to drive one.

No way we can tell you if you're going through a phase or not. You have to make that determination.