JonBoy

I believe the base model (with the manual tranny) is just as quick as a Type-S during most driving. If I'm not mistaken, it makes slightly more torque in the low- and mid-range. It just doesn't rev as high (6800 rpm vs 8000 rpm, I think?).

Honestly, your g/f probably wouldn't notice the difference and a base model is quite a bit cheaper these days.

K1LL3R 1NS1D3

not my gf anymore. shes still in ohio finishing up at kent state. im in NC now like 500 miles away. she might be having me pick one up somewhere down south though to get one free of salt corrosion

JonBoy

Sorry - missed the "ex" part.

madkimchi

i had 02 type s for about 3 years and great car. s2000 is my favorite honda and rsx-s would be my second. i did have tranny issues on 02 also my 2nd gear would just pop out when i let my clutch out. so i learned to drive with my right hand on shifter holding it firmly til my clutch is completely disengaged. other than that i don't remember having any issues. i actually wouldn't mind having rsx-s as a daily and s2000 for weekend. love k20a2 engine.

Ahwa2k

I had an '05 Type-S for 4 years. Overall it's a fun, reliable car. I did have transmission problems though (the '05 and '06 models are the same). It's been awhile so I might be misremembering which gears it was, but it was occasionally popping out of 2nd and having a hard time getting it into 3rd, so without any hassle they rebuilt my gearbox and replaced gears 1-4 under warranty.

I also had the power steering pump replaced under warranty because it was making whirring noises at low speed.

Abdizzle

Yeah I think this is true. Where the Type-S makes all of it's power over the base model is at the top of Vtec. I've driven both back to back and out of Vtec I couldn't really tell the difference between them.

Christople

instead of helping her buy a car why dont you let practice driving your "stick"

RSXLNT

I had an'03 Type S for 3 years. Never had the transmission problem. Second gear would grind a bit if you pulled hard when cold, but it never popped out of gear. Did dozens of track days and hundreds of mindless canyon runs in the car. It never broke.

A very easy and reassuring car to drive at speed and at the limit. Type R rear sway allows the back to rotate easily. More stable than my S in sweepers - Riverside at Buttonwillow; T1, 2 and 8 at Willow. Not as good as the S in really tight turns - Buttonhook, Cotton Corners.

'05 or newer Type S is the one to get. It has a lot of the Type-R parts on it: cams, intake manifold, gearing and a better master cylinder, steering rack, etc.

I love my S, but it takes a lot more skill and courage to drive at or near the limit.

hariku821

On my 03 2nd or 3rd was a little rough i cant remember which one it was. Also their were some wires i had to switch up on the sub to get it working its best. As far as i know the 05+ did not have any of those issues.

Beware of clubrsx though, its not the same as here.

iam7head

go for the type S if she could handle the transmission, the base model is pretty gutless