Hey guys and gals,

I'm a longtime autocrosser, track rat, and instructor from the Dallas/Fort Worth area who has been driving primarily Mazdas for the past decade. I'm getting tired of constantly replacing parts on my overly fragile '04 RX-8, so it's time for something else. I'd been leaning towards an AP1 S2000 as a track/autocross/weekend toy, but I'm curious if I'd just be exchanging one set of problems for another.

I'm looking to spend around $10k. The car would be a weekend toy only (I'll have another car as a daily driver). In this price range it seems like I'm mostly looking at higher mileage AP1s. I'm not overly concerned with SCCA classing (I'll be co-driving something else next season anyway), so the relative benefits of "AP1 vs AP2"for class competitiveness don't matter to me.

What are some of the things I should be looking at in a potential car, aside from good compression and leakdown numbers? What are the weak points in a high mileage S2000? I know these cars are pretty reliable already, but should I reasonably expect a 100k-mile S2k to be a reliable track rat? I expect a certain amount of ongoing maintenance in a track car, but I'm not interested in another fragile money pit like my former FD RX-7 or my current RX-8.

Thanks in advance!

 

If you're going to search for a cheapie, make sure it's a cheapie (more on this below). That said, this car doesn't seem too affected by mileage, if it's been driven by a conscious owner. I bought a 200k MY00 last november and have put 12k on it since. I've been autoxing it, and it's in surprisingly good shape. It does need a laundry list of standard maintenance, including the front lower control arms, all calipers rebuilt, all new ball joints, rear hubs/bearings etc, but the chassis, interior, and drive train are in incredible shape.

The car that placed 2nd in STR at nationals this year is a similar story, except that owner was very aggressive about checking through all the systems. He also replaced the crank bearings, and rebuilt his transmission.

Now, that's not to say that these car's aren't a good idea as high mileage toys, its to say that a car with wear needs repair. Also, In general, as long as the motor is healthy, and the car is affordable, I would rather buy a car that I can rehab with parts bin stuff, than paying more for a car that potentially will need the same work sooner than later, even if the owner says it's a good car. Some of this stuff is difficult to detect without tearing it apart.

Good Luck.

 

Iain, my car has 109k on it and its still going strong. Dave has had much more trouble with his (AP@ with 60K) than I have had with mine this year. We each did 8 track days, and about 12 auto-x's.

Just keep an eye on all the weak points and you shouldnt have any headaches.

When I got mine, I had to replace the tranny because the bearings inside went bad, but that is something that is very noticeable when you test drive it. But as long as the motor has good compression, and the trans is smoothe, everything else it little stuff.

But if you get anything but a 03 you will have to replace your oil jet bolts and all AP1s need the retainers upgraded to the AP2 retainers.



But the main point is, just get one

 

How strict is your budget? I spent a few thousand more than what you're proposing for a car with only 32k miles. I considered spending less on a higher mileage car, but it's really nice to not have to even consider bushings/bearings/ball joints etc etc etc.

As you know, the true cost of the car is the purchase price + all the crap (+time) you have to replace to get it track ready. For my car that was pads, brake fluid, and tires.

 

what's the oil jet bolts? I have 110k on my 02. I had to replace my chain tensioner, 2 diff mounts & 1 engine mount (did hit a dip in the dark), Abs senors, master cylinder (pedal went to the floor), catalytic converter, downstream 02 sensor, the filler pipe on the gas tank (they warp and there's a bulletin on it), the air pump went bad and caused major misfires at idle and I replaced all the coils and plugs trying to fix it (challenge air pump delete kit now but it drains the battery, good for smog though). I think that's about it. I have changed the final drive, added diff collars, new front sway bar, no rear bar, broke axles and replaced, new clutch n flywheel (don't use a crappy throw out bearing), steel brake & clutch lines, coil-overs, front bump steer kit.

I do lots of canyon driving and time attack as well as daily driver.

 

They hold up extremely well. I would look for the aforementioned wear items, but the chassis and drivetrain will last well over 200k miles of hard driving (with regular upkeep). If the car is lowered, check the CV boots for pitting. Engine & diff mounts, more for higher horsepower S2ks. Clutch master/slave, you will know if it's bad, but they tend to go at about 100k and they go pretty fast when they do. Air pump too, look for low voltage readings but car starts fine.

 

Located at the base of the cylinder bore. They shoot oil at the bottom of the pistons for cooling.

 

I have an AP2 (2004). How do I know if the oil jet bolt is bad?

 

Your oil jets (banjo bolts) are the updated 4 hole jets. Honda revised them in '02. The '00-'01 cars only had 2 holes in each oil jet, and those engines were more prone to oil starvation.

 

Thanks! Love the spirit of the forum on S2ki! Like no other.