I am very seriously contemplating the purchase of a pre-2005 Honda S2000 and I wanted to seek the guidance of some of the current owners.

Are there any models years that should be avoided?

Have there been any significant upgrades that would make one model year more desirable than other?

I appreciate any advice you can provide.

Tom

 

avoid MY00 from what I understand... I personally own a 01 and it's *virtually* problem free (alternator/battery/o2 sensor so far were the only repairs, I've owned it over 1 year...) The only change is from AP1 to AP2, but that won't matter to you, since you're contemplating an AP1 off the line... so yea

 

04= ap2 and therefore in his scope

I prefer the AP2, but I would not ever dog on teh AP1, both great cars and get them!

 

There were minor changes between MY00-01 and MY02-03. Most notably the plastic rear window was replaced with glass and the sound system added door tweeters.

There were major changes between MY00-03 and MY04-05. Displacement increase is the one most focus on...up from 2.0 to 2.2 which resulted in more torque and more rwhp while reducing redline by 900rpm. But there were suspension changes to help tame the tendency to oversteer and wheel size increased from 16" to 17". Plus interior changes and a host of some 2500 other changes.

Another minor set of changes from MY04-05 to MY06+ most notably drive by wire and stability control.

Problems on the car are pretty rare. There are some issues popping more frequently as the cars age. Not so many year specific issues...a very few MY00 cars had synchro issues...a very few MY04+ cars have other tranny issues.

 

It's all in how the car has been cared for... I'd suggest looking in the 'For Sale' forums on this website and support the community. People here generally take great care of their S2ks.

But to answer your question, avoid the plastic rear window, check for wear on the convertible top of older models, and ditto to everything said above. The car is very reliable.

Good Luck

 

Here is a link to a pretty comprehensive thread:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=590849

Enjoy the search!

 

Welcome and enjoy the hunt.
Personally, I would stay away from pre MY02; with that said, if you can find a well cared for "S", it just comes down to what you can afford and personal taste.
Here's another one... as 8 ball says, Enjoy the search.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=271158