OK, I just saw this thread that "toofast4u" started:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=99702
I believe this will explain his hate on for the S2000. Go read it and decide for yourselves if there is a legit reason for him to feel this way or if there is more to the story than what is being told. And yes, you can over-rev this engine! And yes, most of us know how.

 

viper...the experiences I have had with honda about my blown engine is one of the reasons I am dissatified with their service and competence of their mechanics. However I still stand by my intial statement that I'd buy a BMW over a s2000. Although the numbers may be the same on paper, on the street it's a different story....the hp rating may be fine, but once you take a look at the torque settings, you will see what I'm talking about. Also the BMW, in my experience, has proven to be a more stable car with respects to handeling, and maitenence...I have a bmw with 155k miles and check oil every 3000 miles...however i hear on this board you guys check your oil every 300 miles.

Also, due to the fact honda needs to spin their motors at 9000 rpm, causes for higher rate of failure in the engines. You may say well ferrari spins at about 8500, this is true but they are also running a V-8. the E46 M3 runs high, and yes they have problems with their car's engines, but none of the spun rod bearing problems had anything to do with the engine itself it was a mis-calibrated part.. The Mclaren F1 with the S70 engine redlines at 7500, and look at that beast go...The 330 though, although not the fastest car on the block, is a good compromise between it all...if you are even willing to go older, a E36 M3 would, IMO, smoke the s2000 all around. The e36 M3 was named "best handeling car in america" by car and driver. Also for practibilities sake, m3's have a backseat and speakers in the back....The s2000 will most likely lose off the line to a m3 and then hopefully pick it back up around 3rd gear, only to lose out when the m3 goes to 4th.

Overall, BMW makes a better car. Regardless of the fact I've had problems with honda service...the car's speak for themselves. and Frankly the only time a stock s2000 vs a stock m3 or 330 has a chance is top of 3rd gear and....well that's all I can think of.

Honda builds reliable cars no doubt but affordable high performance cars they do not.

 

#1 if you only check your oil every 3000 miles, you're not a very good car owner.

#2 maybe the S2000 is not the "ultimate" high performance car, but it certainly is a reliable, affordable, high performance car. Anyone who says otherwise should be ignored.

 

I'm a very good car owner, and for you to say otherwise without knowing me is ignorance on your part. Cars are not made to burn a quart of oil every 1000 miles like some members here on this forum have posted. Oil during normal wear and tear, should burn a fraction of that every 3000 miles. Also I know how much oil my car burns...and there is no need to check every 300 miles.

so destiny, I'd suggest you get your shit straight before accusing me of being a bad car owner....

 

You had a bad experience with a used S2000. Get over it, sell it, sue honda, the previous owner, and any dealership that touched your car. Most owners only have oil comsumption problems when the car is first breaking in. Even my 98 Prelude would burn a quart of oil every 3000 miles.

 

gabedude...I know I have...and believe me I would like nothing to get away from some people on this board who think their car is the shit. Listen guys...s2000 is a good car...but not the shit...BMW is a good car....but still not the shit...BMW is better than honda...but that's a different battle in itself.

I am not arguing that new cars need oil to break in...but 1 quart for a 20k mile car seems excessive...just my 2 cents.

 

With regard to your BMWs, I think you're really talking apples and oranges here, toofast. I will say this (and I suspect most of my owner bretheren will agree): The BMW Z-4 roadster is in direct competition with the S2000. That's the direction folks should be looking if they're interested in doing some comparision shopping between BMW and Honda.

In my opinion, the other cars you're talking about here don't even belong in this discussion. Other direct competition would be the Porsche Boxster (probably the S version), the Audi TT, and the Mazda Miata. Now you're talking apples to apples. You probably should even include the 'Vette here, but that's a bit of a reach.

I've seen some folks look at the 350Z as competition, but I don't exactly understand that comparison. It's the closest thing Nissan has for us to throw against the S2000, I guess.

By the way, toofast, there are a very vocal group of owners around here who have done some extremely mods to their S2000s and I'm sure can compete with any 3-series BMW. Many of those mods are expensive, I'll grant that.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by toofast4u
[B]I'm a very good car owner, and for you to say otherwise without knowing me is ignorance on your part.

 

The H22A in the Honda Prelude has FRM walls as well. Mine consumed about 1 quart every 3K.

 

here's some more info to further my claim that S2000 are not all they are cracked up to be

With the s2k being a midengined car, the entire mass of the motor is behind the front axle, reducing polar moment of inertia and providing point and shoot handling, along with its short wheelbase, reasonably low weight and ultra quick steering.

However, not all is roses. I owned an S2000, and my 325is. The S2000 is very difficult to drive above 7/10's, street or track. It's tricky at its handling limit, and will bite you in the ass with a bad driver input much like the Pcars of old.

While it can post reasonable straight line numbers you have to abuse your clutch and rear diff to get those numbers (many times resulting in premature failure) and even when running a 14 second quarter, it doesn't feel fast. No kick you in the pants torquey pull.

The handling faults can be traced to the low PMI, quick steering, and over damped (in compression) rear shocks, and poorly engineered rear suspension setup that results in toe changes (bumpsteer) during compression.

By comparison, I can easily drive a M3 at 10/10's while turning fast laps on a set of Hoosiers, with little of the pucker factor drama of the S2k. I suppose this is good and bad, but I'm not a fan of evil handling cars.