Hey guys, I'm new to the forum. I currently own a 2002 base manual RSX. I'm 18 and very satisfied with the car. Has a sportiness to it and gets great gas mileage. I also put a few mods installed myself like the OEM bodykit, comptech short shifter and had some 17" 5Zigen wheels along with some Eibach sportlines installed. Other than that, I like the stock performance and don't like to really add many performance mods engine-wise to my car.

Anyway, there's my lifestory. But I just joined this forum because I've just begun to save up for an 04 S2000. The reason I picked an 04 is because while I'm sad they don't rev to 9k rpm, I definitely prefer the new bodystyling and after all the complaining about low torque, the little 0.2 L increase in displacement should add a little bit of practicality for everyday driving.

Now I've driven an 03 at a dealership before and I loved it. It's been awhile though so I'd like to give it another go and hopefully drive an 04-07. I'd like to see how different it is.

Also, while the car is very sporty, I'm still concerned with the safety. Since pre-06 models don't have traction control, is it very twitchy around corners? I won't drive it dangerously, but sometimes I get the urge to take a corner kinda hard to test the car a little but I don't want to be going into a wall. I've never owned a RWD car but have driven several (Porsche 911, 99 Mustang, Merc. CLS, Merc. C-Class, Merc. SL500, BMW 323CI, BMW 745LI.) I've never really pushed either hard besides maybe the C-Class but I still haven't had enough experience on a longterm basis with any.

Power-wise, my brother has an 05 STI and even though it all that power can be fun, the fun-level in the car isn't necessarily higher. Having the smooth tranny in the S2K, smooth powerband, and convertible top can make it a much funner car to me. I also don't need more than two seats because when me and some friends drive around, we usually take another friends Sienna to fit us all in there. The 350Z is nice, but I've heard bad things about the interior/tranny on it and was told besides the engine, it's a terrible car. I'm sure it's more practical and doesn't require as much revving for torque though, but that's not all that important to me. Plus in my area, everyone has 350Zs and G35s. The S2000 isn't the rarest car but still, there are fewer. I like the styling of the S2000 better anyway. I just believe Honda makes some of the best cars and have been really satisfied with my RSX, the 03 Civic SI my brother had before, as well as the newer Accord my friend has now.

I'd like to get Berlina Black but the thing is I wish it came with red interior. It looks sooo good, I don't know why they don't just give an option alng with the black interior. Is it easy to get some used Red/Black seats and swap em?

Also, I plan on buying the whole thing out cash after selling my car in about a year, so it's gonna be awhile until I get one. My friends tell me to just save up a couple thousand, sell my car, then get a 2000 model. I like the older models but it's just missing a lot of things that I would end up regretting not getting the 04. Glass back, new body style, new engine, larger wheels, etc. I'm placing all the money I make into Certificate of Deposit accounts with about 5.12% interest and hopefully in about 9 months to a year I can have enough for an 04 that is about 22k now, and will be a little cheaper then. I don't make much, but I also don't have many expenses yet since I'm living at home still and just started goin to a community college. I will most likely have to pay for insurance though and I hear the S2k isn't exactly cheap when it comes to insurance. Any responses or tips on all this rambling I've had? Thanks for listening.

 

Get an 02-03, and do some 04+ exterior/interior mod conversions.

 

the s2000 was the first car i ever drove (i learned how to drive starting from scratch in this car) and this is what i personally found:

the safety/spinning out and hitting curbs issue

unless u purposely floor it while in the process of making a turn, it won't lose it's tail (this is also pending on the thread level/status of your tires, if they're crap then i'm not too sure). so, in the rain; drive accordingly to the speed limit, don't floor every gear, and if you happen to start losing control of your rear end, don't let go of the gas pedal as the momentum will cause you to shift and of course steer accordingly to get back in control.

and personally i'd get an 2004+ s2000, the styling is much more refined in my opinion. if it's out of the budget, i'd look for an 2002+, cause the rear glass window is key.

 

Yeah I'd do the 03 with exterior mods but I don't think I'm willing to purchase all the headlights/taillights/bumpers and installing them even though I'm sure I can myself. I'd rather just buy the whole package as an 04 with the bigger wheels and the important thing is I think I'd prefer the newer engine. As much as the older one fits more with it's raw sporty styling with the 9000 rpm and the 100hp/l, I think for practicality, I'd rather go for the 2.2 L which is I'm sure still a very sporty engine.

As for spinning out, I kinda understand how if you're tailing out, you should keep accelerating. Is this because yo don't want to cut the momentum that's keeping you to go straight?

Now obviously I'm not gonna try this, but just to understand better in case I was ever in this predicament.

Let's say I was making a hard right turn at around 50-60 mph, now the front tires would be feeling the tension right? Now Suddenly, my car begins to oversteer and the nose is going to the right, towards the wall. If I turn the steering wheel to the left and straighten it (not all the way to the left) and continue to gas while the car still has momentum, it should fix itself and continue going straight right?

I've seen several videos where (I think one was in a viper), someone was taking a turn in this similar situation and completely counter steered and I think started braking, and ended up going into a wall.

This kinda stuff interests me and is important in case I'm ever in a bad situation.

 

ya don't brake but don't smash the gas either, just hold it steady. i've never experienced a major spin out before so i don't want to give any false info, so i'll let somebody else chime in

if u want to experiment with the car though, try going to a big empty parking lot when it's raining and practice regaining control

but really, in my opinion, rwd isn't difficult to drive as compared to fwd, that is if you're driving civilized. obviously track driving and pushing to the limits is a diff. story

tires are really important though, make sure they come in 4 of the same make/model (don't mix tires) and never cheap out on them. and alignments are necessary if you feel the car nudging to either sides while driving straight

best of luck

 

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I'm usually a very safe driver but obviously with a sports car, I'm gonna get the urge to kick it a little. Still no traffic tickets or accidents. But it's always good to know how to control your car in bad situations.

 

uh... that might change.

 

Heh, I hope not. Chances will def. increase but I think I can be responsible enough.

 

Just remember it is not a RSX.

Rear Wheel Drive is a whole new ball park. The S2000 outhandles the RSX, but you will need to build your skills before you even try things you took for granted in the RSX.

 

more money to spend just get a 04 its not like your going to track the car and what the hell wrong with an 04 for me its the same.... your just going to spend more on an 03 or 04 and buy the front bumper headlights, tailights, rear bumper and all the stuff you need... trust me it will cost alot more....