I'm in the exact situation as you. A local dealer told me he expects the price to go up no more than $500. However, If the improvements increase interest in the car deep discounts will be discontinued. Currently 03's are selling for between $29,700 - $30,000. He expects 04's to be selling for $33,000 ($500 discount). I decided to wait until 04, I'm hoping to get one for around $31,000. If I can get one I think I can always fall back on a 03, there are more then a few of them out there.

 

Congrats, Spike. Post a pic when you get it!

 

Thanks for all the replies. I am leaning toward waiting to see what the 04 looks like. I agree, I would very much like to see a passenger side airbag disable switch. I would wait solely for this option alone if I knew for sure it was coming.

 

A dealer telling you they will be discounting you on teh 04's $500 off is giving you bs. No way in hell will it be discounted. $500 over MSRP will most likely be a good price for the 04's when they are released

 

I was faced with the same dilemma two months ago, the rumors of a 2.2L were too numerous to ignore. I ended up getting a 2003 at a great price and have 3,000+ fantastic miles on it already (track day at Buttonwillow and a couple of fun runs in the mountains). The '03 is a blast to drive, another 0.2L isn't going to change it that much.

I'm more worried that Honda is taking steps to make the car more appealing to more people, which means it will get farther from the original (excellent) concept of a pure 2 liter sports car. Next thing you know there will be an automatic version with "touring" suspension. I like it the way it is, the 9,000 rpm redline is a big reason why I bought the car.

I guess the smart thing to do would be to wait until after summer to see the new version. But for me the last two months of driving my S2K has been addictive.

I doubt you will be able to get the new version for under $35k for a while.

 

you might have to buy the 03 to drive the car before winter

 

Well, I finally got a chance to actually take a test drive. The dealer got a used 00 that was available to drive. Very impressive, first thing I noticed was actually not lack of torque but rather how responsive the car seemed below 4k in gears 1-3. After reading all the complaints of lack of torque below 6k I was prepared for the thing to not get out of its own way below 4k RPM. Not rocket fast, but certainly acceptable. This only complicates things however, now I really want the car... now, not this fall. If the 2.2 engine yields +10HP and +10tq, then whats the real difference on the street? Maybe not much. I will be pissed if it has much different body, better (more) gauges, airbag switch, or lots more power. Gear changes may mean more of a difference than the power also. Hmm, 36-month lease doesn't seem too bad right now. It boils down to price and whether the 04 can be had in the fall for less than MSRP.

 

Sig,

I agree with your evaluation of the status quo, and I'm glad you enjoyed your test drive.

I"ll bet dollars to doughnuts that when the '04 arrives, you will not be able to get it for under MSRP. And, I'll also bet MSRP will be up some amount.

 

I had the same dilema as most non-owners and some owners looking to trade. The conclusion I came to is that I had no complaints about this and if it was better in '04 the be it. The other is that in '05 a potential major change is predicted so I feel that the '05 is the one to wait for because by then you will have driven and loved you '03 and if the '04 was better then trade it for that otherwise get the '05 and know that the same markup was more justified be the rumored minor mods on the '04. Just my .02. Plus this will be the last F20C motor (speculation) and they're set at great prices right now.

 

Hi, i also went through the same dilema and decided on an 03 instead. I figure i wouldn't beable to afford the mark up on the 04. The 03 prices have been great lately, also i believed( or was talked into believing) that the s2000 was designed for the f20. The car was built around the engine, if the engine was changed a bit, the mistique of the car and engine is slightly altered. Just my lowly opinion/justification of buying an 03 now...