After years of dreaming about owning this car, i have finally bought one. It is an '03 Silverstone AP1 with 52k miles and so far, i absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I live in NY and this is my daily driver so this coming winter is going to be rough :/ Does anyone have any advice for new s2k owners?

 

Congrats and welcome! There is a wealth of knowledge here. There are a few threads here, but i believe this is the comprehensive one,,,,

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/775...-a-used-s2000/

 

 

Take care of it.

 

IMO you may want to invest in a really cheap winter beater to keep your S2000 off the roads in the winter time. The salt will not do the car any good

 

3 words, Pick the two of them that suit you best: Winter, tires, beater

On a somewhat more serious note, I have wondered something since purchasing my S2k. I may start a thread on it as I'd really like to see Billman's opinion given the number of northeastern S2k's he has seen. I have been an Integra enthusiast over the last 5 years. The Integra guys swear that one of the causes of rusty quarter panels is the rubber strip that is stuck to the wheel well to protect from rock chips. They claim it retains moisture against the panel and does more harm than good and encourage others to rip them off. Our S2k's have the same rubber strip and I am wondering what the general consensus is on its relation to rust.

I am personally working on selling my old Integra to buy a more suitable winter beater (CRV, 4runner, or subaru) but do not have a garage for the S2k. It will not be driven in the snow, but may go out on occasion during winter(Hopefully not, working on other arrangements). I have seen many decent looking CRV's and subarus in the $2.5-3k range on craigslist. It is a no brainer for me to keep my S2k safe and rust free. Insurance will be dirt cheap and I can probably sell it spring if I'd like for what I paid. If you are not going the beater route, please listen to the others and get some snow tires.

 

I can confirm after owning 6 Honda throughout my driving career, two of them EF Civics and one CD5 Accord, that the rubber fender strips are definitely a source of rusty quarter panels- whether the design of the S2000 follows other Hondas with the same strip is definitely a question for Billman. I have seen S2000s with quarter panel rust but do not know if it is directly related to the rubber strip.

As for a winter beater, I would definitely recommend a 4WD small SUV. I sold my '99 CRV last year just in time for winter to a local guy who wanted a beater. $2700 with 140K on the odometer. Not the prettiest (signs of rust forming), but it was well maintained and a turn key winter beater that would not need repair work in freezing temps with snow on the ground.

As a Subaru owner, I would be weary about buying one during this time. Not sure what area you will be shopping in, but in the Northeast, there is quite the "Subaru tax" on winter beaters for sale. Everyone around here that has a running Subaru thinks they are sitting on a gold mine....

 

congrats!

 

i live in CT, drive my S2000 year round, snow included, i have never been stuck, including going up hills with snow stuck to the road. I use an all season tire. The way I see it, if the snow is really that bad that i couldn't drive in it in anything other than a truck or something, i don't really need to go anywhere ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .

On that note, winter is coming, throw on a santa hat, christmas pandora, drop the top, and put that shit sideways in a parking and show all those high school kids in their wrx's how its done .




.....I also, for the record, can not afford a winter beater, so that would be the reason my car now sees year round duty, definitely not by choice. But, it works.

 

Congrats. I just got my 1st one too a couple weeks ago.

I'm still getting used to its' tight rotations and sensitive handling. I'm worried come rain time. I can't imagine driving in snow. I'm a poosy. But this guy aint

https://youtu.be/0L4Ycc8B2Q0