considering all the lemons folks are picking up these days and all the horror stories a thorough inspection should be performed before you take delivery of your s2k. But, I've not heard or read to many stories on s2ki.com about trashed transmission, but you do hear a lot of stories about blown engines, especially those that have boosted s2ks.

 

As far as checking to see what recalls have been done on the car, can you simply give the vin # to any Honda dealership to have them check?

 

Recalls yes, TSB's no. They like to keep the TSB's hidden from the public (hell, even some techs/service departments). But recalls are usually due to a safety issue, and an extreme hardware/software issue, or emissions so they have to release this info.

 

I can answer that! The first time I drove a Prelude I realized that the Vtec kick was a lot of fun but thinking vtec was in such a narrow range in the power band . Then the S came out with Vtec that hit at 6000 and just kept going!
Then they took it all away in 04 and I thought they were backtracking on what made the S special in the first place which was being like an f1 car with the high revving engine.
If I wanted an 8000 rpm redline I would have bought a Prelude and saved some money!
We all know they are both great cars but the AP1 seems to be the one to have as the wilder weekend screamer or the AP2 as the tamer daily driver .

 

Nothing, its just plain and simple economics - AP1's are cheaper to buy.

 

That sums it up for me.
Funny enough a lot of the 2000 and 2001 MY cars pulled a premium at the dealerships when new and hardly ever sold for under MSRP.

As far as 'clutch buzz' - only the original owner should have to worry about that. The dealership fixed mine nine years ago and I have never had an issue since.
Also, the car magazines raved about the transmission of the AP1's as being the best in the business. I wouldn't worry about it being an issue unless the previously owner beat on the car.

 

That's because S2000s were originally to be a limited production, 1-2 year model. Then Honda decided to not only keep making S2000s, but to improve them, which it did in 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008. People paid almost $50k in some cases for an S2000 with dealer markup, but prices fell pretty quickly as production was extended.

 

I feel the same way man. Ive owned a 2003 civic si since i got my drivers license back in 2003 and once I got into modding cars and the whole car scence I realized that my motor (k20a3 with ivtec) was not as fun as the K20a2 motor that came in the rsx type s. My friends always joked around about my vtec kicking in, and it was simply dissapointing. I drove several ap1s before on test drives and every time I redlined,I would fall on love with the car time after time again. When I drove a 2004 s for the first time I was shocked at how different it felt from an ap1. Which motor is better is subjective, and for me, I absolutely love the feel of the f20c, and am quite bored with the f22c. I am coming from a 160hp motor with like 130 something torque I think, so when people say the f22c is better due to its usable torque, that is just irrelavent to me because I have been used to driving a turd forever. Once again, this is subjective.

I love the feel of a turbocharged motor, with the pull coming on so hard, but my dislike is the lack of throttle response due to the lag. The early s2ks, offer the na throttle response that I love, with the pull that is somewhat comparable to a turbocharged 4 cylinder motor. To me the ap1s are the best of both worlds. I have researched so many cars and test drove all of them a few times each, and I can confidently say that the ap1 s2000 has a unique feel to it, which the ap2's do not have. So is the f20c a better motor? I guess on a dyno sheet it does not have as much usable torque and horsepower when compared to the f22c. But I dont make my decisions on which car I want to purchase based on a dyno sheet, I base it off what feels more fun and what I enjoy more. If you are deciding on whether to get an ap1 or ap2, just go drive them both a few times and make up you mind based on you own experiences, and not from others opinions, cuz they are both great cars. I dont know why people argue so much on here about what year s2k is better. Everyone has different styles of driving and different needs from each car. There is no clear cut answer, so just accept it and move on.

 

You cant go wrong with buying any of these cars. As long as you take care of it, do all the required maintenance it will be very durable and long lasting

 

I'm the same as this guy. I come from having an 04' Civic Si with my raped k20a3.