Should I Buy An S2000?
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Buffalo
I've been lurking around this forum for only a few weeks. I recently let go of my beloved '97 Miata M-Edition with JRSC and a ton of other good stuff. I'm having my '03 Silverstone/Red S2000 delivered to me tomorrow morning!! Wish me luck! I don't know how much sleep I'm going to get tonight; it's been getting real difficult to wait!
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 33,147
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From: Randolph, NJ
Originally posted by paul1948
I've been lurking around this forum for only a few weeks. I recently let go of my beloved '97 Miata M-Edition with JRSC and a ton of other good stuff. I'm having my '03 Silverstone/Red S2000 delivered to me tomorrow morning!! Wish me luck! I don't know how much sleep I'm going to get tonight; it's been getting real difficult to wait!
I've been lurking around this forum for only a few weeks. I recently let go of my beloved '97 Miata M-Edition with JRSC and a ton of other good stuff. I'm having my '03 Silverstone/Red S2000 delivered to me tomorrow morning!! Wish me luck! I don't know how much sleep I'm going to get tonight; it's been getting real difficult to wait!
Read the manual
Check your oil often
You will soon own the most fun to own and drive car on the planet. Enjoy. Welcome to our community.
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: richmond, in./dayton,oh.
i just had to chime in.......i do not know when it will be (probably next summer at the latest), but my next car will be a s2000. i currently have a 99' prelude which i bought new. i have ragged on it for 92,000 miles with only having the timing belt replaced. i am sold on honda. i dream, fantasize, drool over the s. well, i will shut up now. i have been a guest on here for a while now. usually trolling the classifieds for stuff that will work on my lude. take care everyone. this site is GREAT.
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From: Drunk In Da Pub
ok chazmo or whoever else can help, ive decided to go with the oil bolt upgrade..... would I need the info out of a 2002 helms or what? and if anyone had the part number/helms to scan to me I would greatly appreciate it, thanks.....
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Joined: Mar 2001
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Look to the last item in our sponsor's site here:
http://www.handa-accessories.com/s2000maint.html
I believe that ALL oiljet bolts have been converted over to the new ones in the parts book. ie. You CANNOT order the "old" bolts. You will automatically get the new ones.
The information in the Helm manual for changing the oil bolts is sketchy at best. However, you will need the info in there for correct torques on all the bolts you will encounter PLUS, VERY IMPORTANTLY, the sequence for torquing the oil pan bolts.
Just remember that when the time comes to change them out, each oil jet has an alignment pin that must be perfectly matched up with the alingment pinhole on the bottom of the block. Failure to do so will have devastating consequences and most likely has been the cause of several "boo-boos".
http://www.handa-accessories.com/s2000maint.html
I believe that ALL oiljet bolts have been converted over to the new ones in the parts book. ie. You CANNOT order the "old" bolts. You will automatically get the new ones.
The information in the Helm manual for changing the oil bolts is sketchy at best. However, you will need the info in there for correct torques on all the bolts you will encounter PLUS, VERY IMPORTANTLY, the sequence for torquing the oil pan bolts.
Just remember that when the time comes to change them out, each oil jet has an alignment pin that must be perfectly matched up with the alingment pinhole on the bottom of the block. Failure to do so will have devastating consequences and most likely has been the cause of several "boo-boos".
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 42,315
Likes: 45
From: Central Massachusetts
hondaS2001,
There've been some threads on folks doing the install of these new bolts. If you look at the H and A web page that xviper points at, you'll see they list the bolt as Honda Part# 15290-PCX-000. $14.13.
Good luck.
There've been some threads on folks doing the install of these new bolts. If you look at the H and A web page that xviper points at, you'll see they list the bolt as Honda Part# 15290-PCX-000. $14.13.
Good luck.
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 276
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It's funny, I read through the first eight pages of this thread and it kept psyching me up more and more to get an 03 S2000 as my next car (to replace my current Acura 3.2CL TypeS). Then I got to 2fast4u's posts and all that drama and I realized, you know what, fawk it, the car will be my daily driver and I'll be darned if I'm going to have to take extra care of it and check the oil all the darn time, etc. I don't need extra hassle.
You may consider it "normal" for a "sports car" but I'd consider it abnormal for a "Honda product" to have to deal with such things, especially when I'm just using the car to commute and the occasional weekend drive.
When I see Honda 4cyl and Honda manual transmission, I, like most people, assume a durable, 200k+ mileage automobile. The more threads I read on this forum the less I feel like the S2000 lives up to that heritage and stereotype and the less enthused I become about owning one.
Burning through a quart or so of oil is something I would expect from the Corvette Z06's engine, as it is known to be a big, oil-sucking hunk of metal which is what most American muscle cars are expected to be. There is not such an expectation from a small, refined, Japanese 4 cylinder.
How did I ever end up here in the first place then? I've always liked the looks of the S2000 and several people I know own them. I've even ridden along in one that was autocrossing and I was utterly impressed with the stock handling of the car.
A used S2000 was recently traded in at the Acura dealership I recently started doing sales at, and I took it for a spin one day. I only learned to drive stick two months ago (on RSXes) and I was instantly sold on the car and completely enjoyed the experience of driving one. Honda manuals sure are easy to drive and the short-throws of the S2000's shifter are dreamy.
Not only do I love the exterior, I love the interior, minimalist as it is. I also like the power convertible top, even though I never thought of myself as a convertible type of guy. I also like the image of the car and how I feel it would reflect on me as well.
In comparison, the RSX-S is a high schooler's car and looks really dinky stock. Every kid has one, whereas the S2000 is more unique and more fitting for someone my age (23) who wants to look a little more refined and mature.
I was impressed with the power (much quicker than the RSX-Ses I drive often at work) and I love the feel of it on the road (combination of stiff suspension, RWD, and light weight and short wheelbase).
Then I read about a weak drivetrain (differential, clutch) and the 4th cylinder oiling issues and on top of that how utterly ridiculous Honda North America is apparently being about honoring warranties at some dealerships and how silly it is for Honda's highest performance 4 cylinder street engine to have such issues and on top of that for them to go unresolved.
After the issues with the original transmissions on the 3.2CL (I had mine replaced with the updated one at around 40k miles before mine completely broke down, saving my engine and car any undue stress or damage) Honda/Acura really lost the angelic and durable mythical stereotype they accrued over the years worldwide and in my head.
Then I found out in general Honda's manual transes are much more reliable than their auto transes. Go figure. Now these issues (uncommon or not) with the S2000's manual drivetrain and engine have me wary of continuing to drop ~$30k for Honda/Acura products.
As much as I feel it is most likely the perfect car for me, I may just have to sacrifice love for convenience and peace of mind. Whether that puts me in an RSX-S (it's soooo dinky compared to an S2000 but I've yet to hear of ANY issues with it aside from kids mis-shifting when racing... and remember I work in a dealership in addition to surfing a couple RSX forums) or I bump up a couple grand to a WRX or something else remains to be determined.
I have not driven a WRX so I'm not sure if the heavier clutch would be friendly to being a daily driver, but on the plus side the AWD and turbo are two things I've always wanted in a car and would also do well during the winter months if I stay in Maryland through another winter.
Sorry for the long post but this has all been building up in my mind lately. Just earlier today I was psyched about the S2000 and wondering how long it would take before I would be ready financially to make the purchase. Now I'm just glad I read through this thread and have taken a step back to re-evaluate the decision.
The last thing I want to do is drop another $30k for an Honda/Acura product and be let down the way I have been with my 3.2CLS (even though overall it's been an excellent car, I just feel betrayed in a sense because I specifically bought Acura for the Honda reliability and longevity).
Maybe I would buy an 03 Suzuka Blue S2000 like I've been dreaming about lately and love it and enjoy it and drive it 100k miles and never have an issue. But after my experience with my CL and the things I've read here, I sense that's a very unrealistic scenario even if it is/was/should be a proper expectation from a Honda product.
I guess it all boils down to putting absolute preference behind and coming down to, "well I could spend ~$6k less and have AWD and a turbo stock and put that extra money to mods or just not have to worry about spending that money in the first place. And I'd get a warranty that would be more likely honored at the dealer if something were to go wrong."
Maybe it's time to spend a few solid days surfing some scoobie forums to dig up what hidden issues rear their heads with the WRX, if any, to see if there's a reason to avoid that and end up with the RSX-S I started off considering as my next car last month, or continue on course for an S2000.
You may consider it "normal" for a "sports car" but I'd consider it abnormal for a "Honda product" to have to deal with such things, especially when I'm just using the car to commute and the occasional weekend drive.
When I see Honda 4cyl and Honda manual transmission, I, like most people, assume a durable, 200k+ mileage automobile. The more threads I read on this forum the less I feel like the S2000 lives up to that heritage and stereotype and the less enthused I become about owning one.
Burning through a quart or so of oil is something I would expect from the Corvette Z06's engine, as it is known to be a big, oil-sucking hunk of metal which is what most American muscle cars are expected to be. There is not such an expectation from a small, refined, Japanese 4 cylinder.
How did I ever end up here in the first place then? I've always liked the looks of the S2000 and several people I know own them. I've even ridden along in one that was autocrossing and I was utterly impressed with the stock handling of the car.
A used S2000 was recently traded in at the Acura dealership I recently started doing sales at, and I took it for a spin one day. I only learned to drive stick two months ago (on RSXes) and I was instantly sold on the car and completely enjoyed the experience of driving one. Honda manuals sure are easy to drive and the short-throws of the S2000's shifter are dreamy.
Not only do I love the exterior, I love the interior, minimalist as it is. I also like the power convertible top, even though I never thought of myself as a convertible type of guy. I also like the image of the car and how I feel it would reflect on me as well.
In comparison, the RSX-S is a high schooler's car and looks really dinky stock. Every kid has one, whereas the S2000 is more unique and more fitting for someone my age (23) who wants to look a little more refined and mature.
I was impressed with the power (much quicker than the RSX-Ses I drive often at work) and I love the feel of it on the road (combination of stiff suspension, RWD, and light weight and short wheelbase).
Then I read about a weak drivetrain (differential, clutch) and the 4th cylinder oiling issues and on top of that how utterly ridiculous Honda North America is apparently being about honoring warranties at some dealerships and how silly it is for Honda's highest performance 4 cylinder street engine to have such issues and on top of that for them to go unresolved.
After the issues with the original transmissions on the 3.2CL (I had mine replaced with the updated one at around 40k miles before mine completely broke down, saving my engine and car any undue stress or damage) Honda/Acura really lost the angelic and durable mythical stereotype they accrued over the years worldwide and in my head.
Then I found out in general Honda's manual transes are much more reliable than their auto transes. Go figure. Now these issues (uncommon or not) with the S2000's manual drivetrain and engine have me wary of continuing to drop ~$30k for Honda/Acura products.
As much as I feel it is most likely the perfect car for me, I may just have to sacrifice love for convenience and peace of mind. Whether that puts me in an RSX-S (it's soooo dinky compared to an S2000 but I've yet to hear of ANY issues with it aside from kids mis-shifting when racing... and remember I work in a dealership in addition to surfing a couple RSX forums) or I bump up a couple grand to a WRX or something else remains to be determined.
I have not driven a WRX so I'm not sure if the heavier clutch would be friendly to being a daily driver, but on the plus side the AWD and turbo are two things I've always wanted in a car and would also do well during the winter months if I stay in Maryland through another winter.
Sorry for the long post but this has all been building up in my mind lately. Just earlier today I was psyched about the S2000 and wondering how long it would take before I would be ready financially to make the purchase. Now I'm just glad I read through this thread and have taken a step back to re-evaluate the decision.
The last thing I want to do is drop another $30k for an Honda/Acura product and be let down the way I have been with my 3.2CLS (even though overall it's been an excellent car, I just feel betrayed in a sense because I specifically bought Acura for the Honda reliability and longevity).
Maybe I would buy an 03 Suzuka Blue S2000 like I've been dreaming about lately and love it and enjoy it and drive it 100k miles and never have an issue. But after my experience with my CL and the things I've read here, I sense that's a very unrealistic scenario even if it is/was/should be a proper expectation from a Honda product.
I guess it all boils down to putting absolute preference behind and coming down to, "well I could spend ~$6k less and have AWD and a turbo stock and put that extra money to mods or just not have to worry about spending that money in the first place. And I'd get a warranty that would be more likely honored at the dealer if something were to go wrong."
Maybe it's time to spend a few solid days surfing some scoobie forums to dig up what hidden issues rear their heads with the WRX, if any, to see if there's a reason to avoid that and end up with the RSX-S I started off considering as my next car last month, or continue on course for an S2000.
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,177
Likes: 9
From: Ellicott City
RSX-S FWD
WRX AWD
S2000 RWD
What kinda fun do you like?
RSX-S, WRX $23k
S2000 $32K
What kinda budget are u looking for?
WRX is turbocharged pshhhhhhhhhhhh (I love that sound)
RSX-S, S2000 is N/A scream to 9k rpm
RSX-S, WRX are everywhere on the road
S2000 are not as many out there
IMO........I will choose the S2000 because it's convertible but I like how the WRX turbo sound........but I got the best of both world because I have a turbo S2000 now
I don't know if I help you any but you got to buy the S2000 from me if you do decide to do it. 
WRX AWD
S2000 RWD
What kinda fun do you like?
RSX-S, WRX $23k
S2000 $32K
What kinda budget are u looking for?
WRX is turbocharged pshhhhhhhhhhhh (I love that sound)
RSX-S, S2000 is N/A scream to 9k rpm
RSX-S, WRX are everywhere on the road
S2000 are not as many out there
IMO........I will choose the S2000 because it's convertible but I like how the WRX turbo sound........but I got the best of both world because I have a turbo S2000 now
I don't know if I help you any but you got to buy the S2000 from me if you do decide to do it.