Should I Buy An S2000?
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 276
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Well, I've driven mostly FWD cars, the exception being a '97 Z-28 (auto) which was great fun in a straight line.
I have never driven an AWD car. Mostly I see AWD and aside from the traction benefits I just see a car that weighs more, has more parts that can break, and more parts that sap power from being put to the ground.
So really drivetrain preference is negligable. I don't mind what type of drivetrain the car uses.
My only goal for my next car is a manual trans and some decent level of performance/sport to it while maintaining a decent daily-driver experience. The RSX-S just makes the cut stock performance-wise (I would mod it) and is very easy to drive. The biggest hold back is the exterior styling. The S2000 is right on target stock in every way. The WRX is something I'd need to test drive before I can comment on it.
I have a lot up in the air right now. Within six months I could be moving to Phoenix, in which case snow isn't exactly an issue anymore. I might also be changing career paths to something, that for the next couple years, won't earn me anywhere near as much as this new car sales position at Acura has the potential to but eventually should level out in the long run. What that means though, is if I don't take the opportunity to own something around $30k now, I might not have that chance again for several years.
So budget varies as well. I could sell my current car and with that money and a couple grand more I would be in an RSX-S the same day with no payments. I could also save up a few grand over the next few months or so while I'm still selling cars and do the same for an S2000, but the 03s will be gone by then, so time is a constraint.
I'd be looking at taking a loan for that amount and having to make payments which would be nice to avoid having to do right now (see "possibly moving within six months / job insecurity / changing careers").
And I don't want an 04 with a softer suspension and first-year engine that might need kinks worked out.
The one thing I do know is I'd like to sell my car while the value is still high. I am putting around 600 miles a week on my car commuting to work and back. Since I might be changing my job or moving w/in six months I won't be putting as much mileage on a new car after a few months from now, but having 51k on my current car, I'd like to sell it before it gets much higher and while the items I've recently replaced are still new and adding value (suspension, front rotors, trans, tires).
So aside from all those issues which really aren't important since they don't swing the vote to one car over any other, I was just focusing on the actual cars themselves and how reliable/durable they are since that is important to me.
The RSX-S is 4yr/50k mile warranty, has no serious issues I know of, and I work at an Acura dealer (and may continue to) so I can get one affordably and also maintain it easily enough (even if I mod it, I have techs that can perform any needed services on it cheaper than regular off-warranty labor $$).
The S2000 has a shorter warranty, a few apparently not widespread but still scary issues, and some dealers are being assholes regarding warranty coverage of those issues. Maybe JCHonda is a decent dealership regarding warranty coverage, I don't know, but if I move I certainly won't have you and Andy at JCH to pull for me if I need it.
The WRX apparently has a lot of gearbox issues (been browsing NASIOC tonight) and an ABS issue, so it's not exactly the epitome of perfection either. So let's just forget that heap for now.
As for other cars in the same performance and price range I can't really think of any since I don't really want to spend high 20s on a Nissan (the 350Z is played out anyway) and I won't buy domestic.
I'm pretty picky but it's mostly due to past ownership experiences. If I'd never had a problem with my CL I'd probably not even think twice about the supposedly minor issues with the S2000 but knowing how it was supposedly only 2% of CL original transmissions that were faulty, I have to say that being one of the ones that got replaced (and knowing other people in the area who did as well), I don't feel sure I can trust percentages anymore, or Honda/Acura quality in general.
To sum it all up, I'm uncertain what car I'm leaning towards but the S2000 was my goal until I heard about the issues. They turned me off because of my experience with Acura drivetrain reliability.
The RSX-S is the right car in everything but looks (and perhaps FWD vs RWD if you consider modding).
The S2000 is the right car in everything except the issues debated in this thread which involve its very driveability.
Remember, it's gonna be my only car.
As for the ladies, I don't know if I'd have a problem either way. High school girls or MILFs, it's all good.
I just know I'd have to spend some serious loot on an RSX-S to make it look acceptable to me. The S2000 comes sexy out of the box.
I have never driven an AWD car. Mostly I see AWD and aside from the traction benefits I just see a car that weighs more, has more parts that can break, and more parts that sap power from being put to the ground.
So really drivetrain preference is negligable. I don't mind what type of drivetrain the car uses.
My only goal for my next car is a manual trans and some decent level of performance/sport to it while maintaining a decent daily-driver experience. The RSX-S just makes the cut stock performance-wise (I would mod it) and is very easy to drive. The biggest hold back is the exterior styling. The S2000 is right on target stock in every way. The WRX is something I'd need to test drive before I can comment on it.
I have a lot up in the air right now. Within six months I could be moving to Phoenix, in which case snow isn't exactly an issue anymore. I might also be changing career paths to something, that for the next couple years, won't earn me anywhere near as much as this new car sales position at Acura has the potential to but eventually should level out in the long run. What that means though, is if I don't take the opportunity to own something around $30k now, I might not have that chance again for several years.
So budget varies as well. I could sell my current car and with that money and a couple grand more I would be in an RSX-S the same day with no payments. I could also save up a few grand over the next few months or so while I'm still selling cars and do the same for an S2000, but the 03s will be gone by then, so time is a constraint.
I'd be looking at taking a loan for that amount and having to make payments which would be nice to avoid having to do right now (see "possibly moving within six months / job insecurity / changing careers").
And I don't want an 04 with a softer suspension and first-year engine that might need kinks worked out.
The one thing I do know is I'd like to sell my car while the value is still high. I am putting around 600 miles a week on my car commuting to work and back. Since I might be changing my job or moving w/in six months I won't be putting as much mileage on a new car after a few months from now, but having 51k on my current car, I'd like to sell it before it gets much higher and while the items I've recently replaced are still new and adding value (suspension, front rotors, trans, tires).
So aside from all those issues which really aren't important since they don't swing the vote to one car over any other, I was just focusing on the actual cars themselves and how reliable/durable they are since that is important to me.
The RSX-S is 4yr/50k mile warranty, has no serious issues I know of, and I work at an Acura dealer (and may continue to) so I can get one affordably and also maintain it easily enough (even if I mod it, I have techs that can perform any needed services on it cheaper than regular off-warranty labor $$).
The S2000 has a shorter warranty, a few apparently not widespread but still scary issues, and some dealers are being assholes regarding warranty coverage of those issues. Maybe JCHonda is a decent dealership regarding warranty coverage, I don't know, but if I move I certainly won't have you and Andy at JCH to pull for me if I need it.
The WRX apparently has a lot of gearbox issues (been browsing NASIOC tonight) and an ABS issue, so it's not exactly the epitome of perfection either. So let's just forget that heap for now.
As for other cars in the same performance and price range I can't really think of any since I don't really want to spend high 20s on a Nissan (the 350Z is played out anyway) and I won't buy domestic.
I'm pretty picky but it's mostly due to past ownership experiences. If I'd never had a problem with my CL I'd probably not even think twice about the supposedly minor issues with the S2000 but knowing how it was supposedly only 2% of CL original transmissions that were faulty, I have to say that being one of the ones that got replaced (and knowing other people in the area who did as well), I don't feel sure I can trust percentages anymore, or Honda/Acura quality in general.
To sum it all up, I'm uncertain what car I'm leaning towards but the S2000 was my goal until I heard about the issues. They turned me off because of my experience with Acura drivetrain reliability.
The RSX-S is the right car in everything but looks (and perhaps FWD vs RWD if you consider modding).
The S2000 is the right car in everything except the issues debated in this thread which involve its very driveability.
Remember, it's gonna be my only car.
As for the ladies, I don't know if I'd have a problem either way. High school girls or MILFs, it's all good.
I just know I'd have to spend some serious loot on an RSX-S to make it look acceptable to me. The S2000 comes sexy out of the box.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis
Hi everyone.
I just reserved a 2004 Silverstone - yay!!
Dealer has no idea yet of the interior color yet, but I hope its red accent.
They will sell it for MSRP.
Me and my wife went to this dealer (St. Louis, MO), they had an '03 white/tan with a black top and it was awesome looking. I'd of bought it on the spot, but then we noticed the big red 'sold' sign on the side LOL.
Anyway, dealer said, "no more '03s" for them, and the 04s are being allocated in the first go round. In fact, 3 of the 6 area dealers near me are done receiving '03s and they've all been selling at MSRP. My dealer is getting 1 black and 1 silverstone in either late Oct or early Nov (I was told). My $500 deposit ensured the silverstone was mine.
After much debate and thought, I decided I'd rather have the bigger displacement. Can't beat having the cubes. So the RPMs will be backed off a little, I prefer this actually. Theoretically, it will reduce engine stress, increase useful life, and create a more dependable power plant. As for mods, it will have greater upside potential.
Either way, 2.0, or 2.2, this is one fine automobile for any price, let alone its relatively low price.
This will be our Sunday driving car so I hope to be an S2000er for a long time.
On a side note, I sat in the new RX-8 the other day. Listed loaded for $31k, was red with red/black leather. It was a sweet looking ride...unfortunately, it has 4 seats and a hardtop LOL.
Let's ride
I just reserved a 2004 Silverstone - yay!!
Dealer has no idea yet of the interior color yet, but I hope its red accent.
They will sell it for MSRP.
Me and my wife went to this dealer (St. Louis, MO), they had an '03 white/tan with a black top and it was awesome looking. I'd of bought it on the spot, but then we noticed the big red 'sold' sign on the side LOL.
Anyway, dealer said, "no more '03s" for them, and the 04s are being allocated in the first go round. In fact, 3 of the 6 area dealers near me are done receiving '03s and they've all been selling at MSRP. My dealer is getting 1 black and 1 silverstone in either late Oct or early Nov (I was told). My $500 deposit ensured the silverstone was mine.
After much debate and thought, I decided I'd rather have the bigger displacement. Can't beat having the cubes. So the RPMs will be backed off a little, I prefer this actually. Theoretically, it will reduce engine stress, increase useful life, and create a more dependable power plant. As for mods, it will have greater upside potential.
Either way, 2.0, or 2.2, this is one fine automobile for any price, let alone its relatively low price.
This will be our Sunday driving car so I hope to be an S2000er for a long time.
On a side note, I sat in the new RX-8 the other day. Listed loaded for $31k, was red with red/black leather. It was a sweet looking ride...unfortunately, it has 4 seats and a hardtop LOL.
Let's ride
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
Got a ride in Jackie's car today. That thing is awesome. Gotta love a turbo'd 9k rpm machine. =)
I think I want that Suzuka 03 you have coming in, Jackie, I just gotta see if the funding works out. I might have to drop a deposit on it soon.
I might be back soon for a test drive.
I think I want that Suzuka 03 you have coming in, Jackie, I just gotta see if the funding works out. I might have to drop a deposit on it soon.
I might be back soon for a test drive.
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 2,177
Likes: 9
From: Ellicott City
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JRock
[B]Got a ride in Jackie's car today. That thing is awesome. Gotta love a turbo'd 9k rpm machine. =)
I think I want that Suzuka 03 you have coming in, Jackie, I just gotta see if the funding works out. I might have to drop a deposit on it soon.
[B]Got a ride in Jackie's car today. That thing is awesome. Gotta love a turbo'd 9k rpm machine. =)
I think I want that Suzuka 03 you have coming in, Jackie, I just gotta see if the funding works out. I might have to drop a deposit on it soon.
Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 37,305
Likes: 18
Here is your first post in this thread:
Here is your latest post in this thread:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JRock
[B]Got a ride in Jackie's car today. That thing is awesome. Gotta love a turbo'd 9k rpm machine. =)
I think I want that Suzuka 03 you have coming in, Jackie, I just gotta see if the funding works out. I might have to drop a deposit on it soon.
Originally posted by JRock
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.
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.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JRock
[B]Got a ride in Jackie's car today. That thing is awesome. Gotta love a turbo'd 9k rpm machine. =)
I think I want that Suzuka 03 you have coming in, Jackie, I just gotta see if the funding works out. I might have to drop a deposit on it soon.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 276
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I love the car, I am just scared by mechanical issues from a supposedly reliable brand.
As for making a U-turn, I think it was more like this:
http://www.roadwaysafety.org/RSF%20Reporte...y_road_sign.jpg
Dunno if I can afford one yet though. Should be around $31,500 with tax and then add tags. My car, if I sell it at what I'm asking, would be around $21500 which would leave me $10k short. I've been working on that. We'll see.
As for making a U-turn, I think it was more like this:
http://www.roadwaysafety.org/RSF%20Reporte...y_road_sign.jpg
Dunno if I can afford one yet though. Should be around $31,500 with tax and then add tags. My car, if I sell it at what I'm asking, would be around $21500 which would leave me $10k short. I've been working on that. We'll see.