HELP!!!

I kinda talked myself into a new S2000; an '04 to replace my '00.

Now my '00 is one of the first, delivered 9/26/1999. I was on the list for 9 months. It has served 4 1/2 years without any problems.

But it is 4 1/2 years old. The new one seemed a bit smoother in ride; the springs are different but I think the change is in the shocks. A bit quieter; the exhaust has a burble instead of a raw.

The specs say more power...I really couldn't tell. The gear shift was a little slicker, like someone had just greased it. But that lower redline!#$%^^&. It is not so much that it is lower, but it is abrupt. In the 2000, you see the red section of the tach flash, and you have an instant to change gears before the cutoff. No more. Now if you hit the redline it feels as if you it a wall!

Also, I have a black interior. The only non-black, no-matte trim is the gearshift. No their is metal all over the place: console, radio cover, door trim. And the panel behind the switches is now gloss. Yech!!!

The '04 does have a glass rear window...a major plus. Other nice to have stuff--seat heaters, bi-xenon lights, heater mirrors--are nowhere to be seen.

So this is not an easy decision. My head says '04; my heart says '00.

HELP!!!

P.S.
We also have an '04 Acura TL on order, an '01 530 about to leave, a '94 Supra TT 6-speed, a '38 Buick Special, an '00 Yukon XL 2500, and a '97 Port City super late model stock car. In addition to the '00 S2000.

 

Keep the 00.... It's a classic

 

From your description of the s2004, and if you don't feel that much difference in power. I say you need a s2003. Rear glass and 9k rev.

 

 

The '04 is much more relaxed. The suspension is more compliant (digressive shocks?). The engine has burble (like a v8) rather than a raspy howl (like a sport bike).

It isn't the 9000 rpms I miss (although I do a little), but the abrupt cutoff. In the old car, when the red lights flash...shift. In the new one, that results in an abrupt shutoff that throws you forward in the belts.

Then there is that obnoxious fake aluminum trim on the console.

But the '00 isn't nirvana. The ride is rough (although $1000 in Bilstein shocks may fix that), the tires are hard to replace (that rear is S-02 unique; other 205/225 or 225/245 pairs don't have the right balance. The raspiness can be wearing.

And of course the glass window. I almost bought an

 

It may be obnoxious in your opinion, but it's not fake. That there is real aluminum. Oooooh aaaaaah.

Kris

 

I ordered my '04 on 24 jan. 2004 and gonna get it on in the week of the 15 march.
I could take an '03 model right away. Then it was a second hand with 14000km on it. But we don't have de 2.2 with 8k, we still have the 2.0 with 9k. I spoke to another guy who already has an '04 (gyrofx) and he was amazed about the more torque it had.

Anyway let your hart make the choice... Good luck.

 

Basically, when driving aggressively, you want to be into the Vtec. Pre-04 that gave you a range of 6K to 9K= 3K. With the 04 we have 6K to 8K= 2K. Hence you are bumping into that rev. limiter much more quickly.

 

The more and more I hear...
... the more I'm glad that I bought my '03 back in Feb.

I was torn as to whether to wait a year to get my S.
Thinking that the next model year might have heated seats,
heated mirrors, clamshell hardtop or a Navigation System.

With Vtec, I've gotten to +8K easily and been fine, where I'd be in trouble in an '04.

Maybe Honda thinks the '04 brought improvements, but
I'm content with what all that my '03 has.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PilotKD