I have been toying with the idea of buying an S2000 recently. I need a car that is going to be fairly reliable, and not boring as hell to drive, while my wife goes back to school.

I have owned quite a few high whp subaru's, evo, and a whole slew of other cars, but need something that is not going to bleed me dry, while my wife is in school.

I had never driven an S2k, so last night I went down to a local Lexus dealer that had an 07 on the lot, to take it out for a spin.

The car felt pretty nimble and tight, but once I got it out on the highway, I was surprised how gutless it felt. I wasn't expecting a tq monster, but I have to say I really expected more. It just lacked punch, and it really felt bogged down, and seemed to accelerate pretty damn slowly.

The salesman was with me, so I wasn't able to really wring it out, but still getting up to 6500-7, and shifting in a fairly quick manner, left me a bit un-impressed.

That said for the most part most stock cars give me a feeling of disappointment, and there is not a car in this world, I wouldn't mod in some way.

I guess what I am wondering is, if anyone else was disappointed with their first driving experience, and came to fall in love with the S2k the more they drove it? Did maybe the handling, or just fun factor make up for the lack of power, and change the experience for you? Maybe it took a few mods to make you happy with it?

I can see how with a SC, or turbo, it would be a fun little car.


Thanks for any constructive feedback.

 

It was fun for me the instant I sat in the driver seat.

 

Compared to my old 140hp Integra and my current 115hp Fit, my S2000 accelerates quite nicely on the highway. If you're used to 500hp cars then yes it's different...

Also, since you didn't really ring out the car in Vtec I'm sure you didn't get a full taste of the power. This is a Honda; you have to rev it to go fast.

 

I didn't like the first one I drove. The sales guy was in the car and this might have been why. The second or third one I took out alone and was sold on that test drive.

 

I wouldn't buy an S2000 if I felt that way! Doesn't matter what we think about our cars if you find them so lame, go buy something else.

 

I realize this. I have owned numerous honda's as well..lol I guess I just expected more. 6500 is pretty deep into the RPM band FWIW.

I am going to try and drive another one before I totally write it off.

I am not sure WTF is up with dealers out here. They don't let you take cars out solo anymore.

[QUOTE]

 

I am not asking you to sell me on the car.

What I am looking for is people who might have had similar experiences as me, and came to love it the more they drove it. Which clearly is not that unusual given the person above you seemed to have a very similar experience.

 

An 07 will not hit max power until at or over 7K. You need to higher up in RPM also to KEEP it in VTEC. Mine goes to 9K

 

[QUOTE=Cronic,Oct 13 2010, 05:49 PM] I am not asking you to sell me on the car.

What I am looking for is people who might have had similar experiences as me, and came to love it the more they drove it.

 

something along the lines with spets, this is my highest horsepower car.

the vtec crossover feels very subtle compared to toyota's VVTLI in the celica. so I do agree with you cronic, acceleration wise, this car feels gutless.

but the moment i sat in the car i felt magic. like it felt like a cockpit of an xwing. the positioning of everything was just right (although i would like the seating position lowered. aftermarket seats or the stock seats with BYS rails can take care of that) and when i tracked it for the first time, i really appreciated it's handling and balance. it wasn't blisteringly fast, but it was just so much fun to drive. and a plus side, you can get decent gas mileage with this as a daily driver, given that you drive conservatively and don't vtec.

the only thing i don't like about it is that it's noisy, and s2k's have issues with diff and transmission (but I guess every affordable sports car does).

in terms of affordability, i think it's pretty good. i havn't run into any major issues, and all the maintenance and repair stuff i spent is just oil changes, diff, and tranny fluids. and tires too.

overall, i think the fun per dollar on this car is pretty good. i would get a later ap2 06+ to avoid issues with the diff and tranny.