New owner -> Cross country drive
07-15-2007, 09:38 AM
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New owner -> Cross country drive
About a month or two ago I decided to sell my 2001 Saab and pick up a convertible. The S2000, SLK, boxster (high mileage), Saab convertible, etc were all in my pot of cars to choose from. I figured I would sell the Saab (which is on the east coast), fly to my new job on the west coast and see what I could get out there.
Well, two weekends ago visiting family in MI and wasting time test driving cars I fell in love with a 2002 S2000 which had the right price and was in nearly new condition. After considering it for a couple days I figured what the hell and picked it up. Now I've got this car and I need to move to WA state (picking up stuff and visiting) from various places on the east coast. I'd say an approximate starting point is upstate NY.
To get this out of the way, I've done this drive three times already (twice in a Saab, once in a Jeep) and I'm actually looking forward to moving with only what I can fit in the trunk.
Now, I'll have the car for about 3-4 weeks before I have to take off out west. During that time I want to get a feel for her and make sure there are no major problems to fix (which I'm pretty sure there aren't, but one never knows). I'd like to know if anyone has any suggestions for preventative maintenance before I go out on a 3000 mile drive. My plans right now are:
Change the oil
Change the diff fluid
Give the brakes a good once over
Change the gear box oil?
Anything else I should do as well?
Secondly, once I really get some driving time in I need to make a decision about the stereo. Most of my driving is open road/highway making entertainment very important. I'm not going to take up any trunk space with an amp nor do I want to swap out for a non-stock head unit. That said, is there any advantage to a AP2 style head unit and can I fit an amp to either of them (through line outs only, not through the previously amplified outputs....) How 'bad' are the speakers in the 2002 model?
Anyone else take theirs on extended trips? How did it go?
Thanks in advance.
Ben
Well, two weekends ago visiting family in MI and wasting time test driving cars I fell in love with a 2002 S2000 which had the right price and was in nearly new condition. After considering it for a couple days I figured what the hell and picked it up. Now I've got this car and I need to move to WA state (picking up stuff and visiting) from various places on the east coast. I'd say an approximate starting point is upstate NY.
To get this out of the way, I've done this drive three times already (twice in a Saab, once in a Jeep) and I'm actually looking forward to moving with only what I can fit in the trunk.
Now, I'll have the car for about 3-4 weeks before I have to take off out west. During that time I want to get a feel for her and make sure there are no major problems to fix (which I'm pretty sure there aren't, but one never knows). I'd like to know if anyone has any suggestions for preventative maintenance before I go out on a 3000 mile drive. My plans right now are:
Change the oil
Change the diff fluid
Give the brakes a good once over
Change the gear box oil?
Anything else I should do as well?
Secondly, once I really get some driving time in I need to make a decision about the stereo. Most of my driving is open road/highway making entertainment very important. I'm not going to take up any trunk space with an amp nor do I want to swap out for a non-stock head unit. That said, is there any advantage to a AP2 style head unit and can I fit an amp to either of them (through line outs only, not through the previously amplified outputs....) How 'bad' are the speakers in the 2002 model?
Anyone else take theirs on extended trips? How did it go?
Thanks in advance.
Ben
07-15-2007, 10:43 AM
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Hi Ben and welcome 
You didn't mention the car's mileage or service history but I'd take a look at the cooling system to see if it's due for a radiator flush. Oh yeah, and check those tires for wear and correct pressure as well!
I also have an '02 with a stock stereo, and agree you will need an upgrade if music on the road is a priority.
Get some seat locks!
Some of us - well me anyway - have found that the seats offer less than ideal lower back support. I improved that situation by using a lower seat cushion that is wedge shaped in profile.
The Trunk has a sort of false bottom/insert, below which the tools are stored. Lose the insert, wrap the tools and place them in the spare, and you will have much more trunk room.
The wheels are different in size front and rear which means a particular procedure needs to be followed in order to use the spare. Refer to your owner's manual for details.
One other thing: You mentioned wanting to get a feel for the car. I've found the S2000 to be a wonderfully responsive and sweet handling car. The flip side of this is that the car can feel a bit "twitchy" on the open road and requires just a bit more attention to drive safely than the typical automobile. (In other words, this car isn't that hard to spin
)
Hope you have a great trip!
You didn't mention the car's mileage or service history but I'd take a look at the cooling system to see if it's due for a radiator flush. Oh yeah, and check those tires for wear and correct pressure as well!
I also have an '02 with a stock stereo, and agree you will need an upgrade if music on the road is a priority.
Get some seat locks!
Some of us - well me anyway - have found that the seats offer less than ideal lower back support. I improved that situation by using a lower seat cushion that is wedge shaped in profile.
The Trunk has a sort of false bottom/insert, below which the tools are stored. Lose the insert, wrap the tools and place them in the spare, and you will have much more trunk room.
The wheels are different in size front and rear which means a particular procedure needs to be followed in order to use the spare. Refer to your owner's manual for details.
One other thing: You mentioned wanting to get a feel for the car. I've found the S2000 to be a wonderfully responsive and sweet handling car. The flip side of this is that the car can feel a bit "twitchy" on the open road and requires just a bit more attention to drive safely than the typical automobile. (In other words, this car isn't that hard to spin
)Hope you have a great trip!
07-15-2007, 01:05 PM
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Thanks for the advice you guys. The car has new tires (less than 1000 miles) and only 19,000 miles total, so it's been treated well through life. However, I don't have service records for it. I know the honda dealership that it's been serviced at for the past 3 years and 7000 miles, but they have only done 3 oil changes (if that counts as service). I also might pick up a cheapo spark plug compression tester just to make sure I'm not looking at any catastrophic problems (BTW. Does anyone know stock compression numbers?).
I've mainly driven FWD saabs over the years, but also have a RWD Jeep and RWD Austin Healey, both of which like to get squirrly in the rain. I'll just have to take it slow for the first couple months, especially with the initial trip.
Time to head over to the audio forum and see what ideas are over there for a stereo.
Ben
I've mainly driven FWD saabs over the years, but also have a RWD Jeep and RWD Austin Healey, both of which like to get squirrly in the rain. I'll just have to take it slow for the first couple months, especially with the initial trip.
Time to head over to the audio forum and see what ideas are over there for a stereo.
Ben
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