Hello.

I've been looking for an s2000 and a respective forum lately. I'm about to trade in my 02 wrx for an 02 s2000. I had some questions for any owners who'd like to chime in:

Daily driver:
I've been driving my wrx for about 4 years on lowering springs - It's horrible with the long stock shocks and my guess is that the s2000's ride won't be nearly as bad as my car currently. However, I've read posts about the s2ks stiff ride so my question is how does it compare (in the long run, STOCK) to driving around on a car with swapped springs?

Purchase:
What are some obvious signs that the s2ks been modified, then returned to stock? I know mine's been modified but I expect not to receive much for the car anyways and now that I'm older and have a bit more money, I want to buy a stock S and keep it that way. I'm so over modifying...

And in general, what are some annoyances about the S that you just wouldn't notice until you've driven it for awhile? (ex: wind noise at high speeds, paint that chips easily,...oh wait, thats my car)

 

The ride is definately stiff. When I go over rough roads I feel every bump and it hurts not because of the jolt but because I feel like I'm hurting my car.

Not sure about telling if something was modded. Other than the metalic rattle of the top when its up, the sorry ass system and it not wanting to always go into 1st is about all I can think of as problems so far.

I've had mine for about a month. I love it. I have a 350z as well. I would suggest driving one of those and then you'll have an idea of what the S rides like. I feel its stiffer than my Z which also has nismo sway bars on it.

Other than that I guess the really bad visibility when the top is up.

 

I've driven both the Z and the S. The Z felt very "mustang" like. (seat position, instant go, hoodline) but I didnt like the Zs interior, nor the G35 for that matter. Compared the the S, the Zs interior feels cheap and plastic-e. One of the main reasons for buying the S is the interior - I love how everything wraps around the driver. I dont want to feel like im in a civic when I step into my car [wrx].

But you mentioned about the harsh ride...how does it compare to the Zs ride long term?

 

Well I made a 23hr drive in the Z from NC to TX when I was PCSing per se and it was alright. I prefer the seats in the Z because I felt they were more comfortable and were more adjustable.

The seats in the S for some reason on long drives get a little annoying. Not to bad but just not as good as the Z IMO.

I made a 6 or so hour trip down to austin during thanksgiving and it was fine. It was a lot of stop and go but that didn't cause any problems.

I'd say overall that you sacrifice ride quality for a better feel of the road and communication.

I can feel when my back end is sliding or doing something other than going straight long enough to correct or enhance what its doing.

I will say that with the top down and at highway speeds you will be yelling to your passenger lol

I'll put it this way. My mom likes my Z because its fast and has a decent ride. On the otherhand she doesn't like my S because it rides to harshly

 

For some reason, I actually find the S2000's ride to be quite nice -- at least for the AP2. The ride's stiff, but it's not rough (for me, stiffness doesn't always = roughness).

 

I switched from an STi to an S a little over a year ago, and the only thing I miss (given where I live now) is the back seat.

Now, the STi has a somewhat stiffer suspension than a stock WRX, but if yours was lowered and so on, I expect that it was stiffer yet. I don't think you'll have any suspension issues.

About a month after I bought the S, we (my wife and I -- we're in our fifties) drove it from Santa Fe to here in Boca. We made the trip a little easier by getting Rick's headrest cushions (for comfort and to help with the wind noise) and by getting inflatable lumbar cushions for the seats.

I've done lots of road trips in lots of different cars, and this one was the best ever. 'Nuff said. HPH

 

this is ironic, because the original poster is posting nearly the same thing I was going. I own a 2003 WRX (and I have for 3 years now) and I'm looking at getting myself in an S2000 within the next 6 months or so. I'm looking to get an AP2 though.

Along with the Original Poster's questions, I know the stereo is supposed to be pretty anemic. The stereo in the WRX is 'fairly' bad (and i had the 'premium sound package, with a little subwoofer in the front). I've noticed that a lot of people say the stock sound is bad mostly due to the OEM headunit. I have an aftermarket headunit in my car that I would transfer out, but do most people feel like it still needs a boost? I noticed one member on S2ki made custom trunk subwoofers and if he's still making those when I buy my car, I'd definitely invest in one.

This will be my daily driver, so I'm hoping the sound is decent, because good music is a good remedy to traffic.

 

The stock unit IMO is the worst I have ever heard.

Although the main problem is the stock HU is so sorry it can't even send enough power efficiently to the speakers that are there.

You can make a big difference with just changing the HU.

 

last tid-bit,

hardtops seem to be somewhat popular. I know they can be rather pricey, but do people (especially people that use these cars as daily drivers) feel like you need them (to reduce noise, theft, etc), especially in the winter time? or is it more a cosmetic modification?

 

Hmm I've kind of wondered that as well.

I personally don't like the look of them at all.