i just got a new '08 CR [black] and still have my '00 ap1 silverstone/red with a later factory hardtop[car purchased new at a nearby dealership on nov. 17, 1999 with 2.4 miles on it]...as i recently bought a new full set of s02's for the original 16" factory rims and the car has 26k easy miles on it it would be a good time to do a side-by-side.....the '00 is as new and the '08 has 175 miles on it so i will have to be nice to it till it's broken in....if you have any questions -fire away...

[an interesting first realization is that all the stuff we did ourselves in the early days..alloy dead pedal, short shifter knob, headrest speakers, CLOCK,console cover,etc are all now standard....my only mod way back was a spoon strut bar which,[ interestingly enough] is not on the latest s2k. first impression; the old car is much more raw and requires a lot of attention to drive fast; oh yeah..see below..

1999 out the door with red interior and deck spoiler, tax ,lic and dealer rape=$48865.41

2008 out the door black CR with top/spare delete. tax lic etc..$39562.79

supply and demand kids!!

oh..need to find a good home for the silverstone/red. pm me

 

This is a rhetorical question, but ... Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

I think the reason the AP1/AP2 debates go on and on is because people disagree on that very point. It's funny now, because back in '04 I got exactly the same impression when I drove AP1's and AP2's back to back, and I decided I wanted the raw feel and edgy handling, because I felt that it gave the car character. But then I made the mistake of discussing my decision here on S2kI, and some of the AP2 owners were on me like stink on poop. For a very long time anyone who dare say that the AP1's were more raw was seen as starting an AP1/AP2 debate, but today, four years later, everyone seems to realize that the early cars really were more raw. Most AP2 owners were real jerks back then, because for some strange reason they wanted their cars to be as raw as the AP1. I never understood it, and still don't, but the debates continue. And frankly, they're as misguided today as they were back in '04.

Thankfully, over time we've had more and more people, like you, who have upgraded from an AP1 to an AP2, so now at least I can state my affection for the rawness of the early cars without every AP2 owner here going off on me.
Thanks.

I know some of the guys who love to argue that their AP1 is a better car won't like this, but frankly, if the S2000 was my only car, I'd be driving an AP2. The AP1 is too raw and demanding to put up with every day, and if I'd been looking for a real car rather than a toy to play with, I'd have bought an AP2 back in '04.

 

I have always known that the AP2's were softer than the AP1's... I have owned both. I guess it just depends on what you want out of your car. I like the torque and extra room of the AP2, as well as the more richly appointed interior, i.e., clock, silver accents, extra speakers, etc. I also like the styling of the AP2 better and the 17 inch rims are a real plus. The back end of the AP2's were also much more twitchy. The AP1 was more like a go cart IMHO. It was raw... too raw for me.

I never missed the 9000 RPM because the AP2 has more torque. RPM's don't mean anything without the power, so to me, it was worth losing the 1000 RPM's to gain the extra torque. It makes it more drivable around town.

If I was to track my car, I'd pick my old AP1. But for everyday use, I believe that the AP2 wins hands down... especially the 2006+ with TC... I guess I'm a softie.

If I wanted to have the ultimate S2000 track car, I think that I'd take a MY00 and spend $15,000 on it. Make it lighter and stiffer and quicker.

 

Wow- what was the price of the 1999 BEFORE tax etc? ~50K is absolutely crazy. That is the reason I didn't even look at one back in 2000 when I bought my Miata...

 

Read the title, which says 09CR and thought the yearly debate on whether this is the last year for the S2000 had ended. Oh well. So the CR is actually less raw than an AP1. Doesn't the firmer ride add a bit of rawness? Or is it the understeer bias that makes the car much less raw?

 

What i want to know is how could you only put 26k on your car in 9 years? I put that on my car in a year. I notice with these car people dont drive them at all or they are like me and wont get out of them. I could never own a car like this and not drive it. I have 81k on my 04

 

I would just like to add the fact that that is a hell of a lot cheaper than what I paid

 

Hows the throttle in the CR compared to the MY00? One thing I really like about the S2000 is the very direct throttle feel.

 

Agreed. How can you be considered an enthusiast, have such a fun car sitting in the garage and not want to take it out - assuming of course you don't collect cars and the S2000 sits next to a bunch of other cool cars.

I go a week at a time without driving my car - but when I do I rack up just as many in that short span as if I had DDed to work. I love to drive my Honda S2000.

 

ok labrats...i normally have a "driver" and a "fun"car....when i bought the s2000 i had a prelude and a 1965 lotus super seven [a real one].so i sold the prelude and kept the s2k..thru the years as i kept the s2000 i had; lotus europa, 356 porsche coupe, abarth 1300 scorpione, beck spyder, ferrari 308 gt4, jaguar-kougar plus other projects...all were driven daily and the s2k used as the "good" car.....so please don't say i'm not a car nut...[guess what car survived and what i replaced it with]

also in nov. 1999 the s2000 ap1 was the best car i'd ever driven.