Hey guys, I'm new to the forums.

I drive a K20 swapped EK Civic, and I've been thinking about selling it and getting an S2000. I have driven a few, and race many.. I'd like to think that I would heading in the right direction, but then again I know what it takes to make the S2000 really fast.

What are you guys opinions of trading in a K20 Civic or a stock S2000?

I know RWD is obvious, and that is a big reason in my choice. Honda is another, I am a die hard Honda guy, I wouldnt own any other import. The fact that the car is such a good car in stock form is another big plus for me as well.

Any insight on what I'll be getting into? I have a good friend that knows a lot about them, and he tells me to come to this site!!

Thanks guys!

 

TypeOne,

Welcome to the board! To get the S2000 to go fast in a straight line, your best bet is to go forced induction. Mods don't do much to the S if you let it stay in NA form, and there isn't really another engine swap that you could do to this car. You could go with J's engine, but it's not going to be cheap I believe.

Anyway, I personally feel that the RWD S2000 would be much more fun and rewarding. The car's built with pure performance in mind -- at a relatively low/reasonable price. The 50/50 weight distribution from FMR layout, LSD, rigid chassis, and all the other goodies are what this car is about. One more thing: the transmission is truly amazing. I have yet to find another regular production car (i.e. only up to Carreras) that has a transmission that is a good as the S2000's.

However, if you are looking for that "punch" then the S2000 might be a little disappointing. The S2000 isn't really fast per se in that department; it's not slow by any means though.

Being a die-heart Honda fan myself, I couldn't convince myself to go with an M3, (or more broadly speaking, the other great cars out there). At the same time, I really wanted to have a performance-oriented RWD car with a smooth transmission (I'm really picky about the transmission). I wanted to get the DC2R after my Prelude, but the TypeR is still FWD. The NSX was too flashy and expensive (since I wanted an 02+ model). The S2000 fits my criteria well

As for insight, there isn't really much. Just check you oil level regularly (some cars drink engine oil), and take it easy when driving in the cold/rain. Do the regular maintenance, and you are golden

Keep us posted with your decision!

 

Thanks for the reply,

I've been contemplating a change for a while now and I hope it will come soon!

I too am a stick for a smooth transmission, honestly I hate cable driven trannys, a reason why I would never drive an Evolution. My car is very reliable now, but its all about the comfort level. I hate driving my car in traffic, in the rain, in the heat..it sucks ass.

But, we will see how long it will take to sell my car.

As far as years go, which ones are the best buy?

I know the 00-01 have a funky fuel map, platic rear windows and such.

Which year had the least amount of problems, or new additions..?

 

Funny that you mentioned Evolution actually. It was one of the top 3 that I considered -- albeit the S was miles ahead of both the M3 and Evo on my list I must admit I do have a lot of respect for Evo, although I really have a hard time seeing myself owning one.


Anyway, as for model year differences, your best bet is to check out the sticky threads. They contain far more information than you could imagine. They even go down to the details of door panels!

People generally group S2000s into two main categories (lets take US for now, Japan makes everything more complicated ...). The 2000-03 models are AP1s, and 2004+ are AP2s.

2004-2005 AP2s have 8000rpm redline (as opposed to 9,000rpm), a few more pounds of torque, softer rear suspension setup, thicker tires (both front and back), 17" rims, stiffer chassis, small changes to steering rack ratio, different interior panels & gauge cluster & steering wheel, transmission (synchros are stronger, and gear ratios are slightly altered), different front & back bumps, different head & rear lights, differen exhaust tips, different horn (the beep beep sound is "richer"), has a clutch delay valve, different valve cover, etc.

2006 and 2007 AP2s have all of the above changes plus VSA (vehicle stability assistance???), different seat design and leather material, drive-by-wire system, and different wheel design.

There are also small differences within AP1s (like glass top, suspension setup, etc).

Also try running a search in the forum; it's definitely one of those "beaten to death" topics around here -- people have very different opinions about this. Some argue that the 9,000rpm redline is a must and helps AutoX, while others argue that the higher torque and small differences in brake system make a big difference on a track.

Just for kicks, here is one article that does a pretty good job of explaining the major differences between 2003 (AP1) and 2004 models (AP2):

http://www.carpages.ca/go/roadtest/2004_ho...0_overview.aspx

 

Sure, I'm pretty aware of most of the subtle differences, my questions was really which one do people tend to look for. I know it's really all about preference, but right now if I had to pick I would find a nice low miles 03.

I really appreciate you responses. I will check out those links and dig around the forums for a little while.

Thanks again bro,

David