Guys in the next 6-8 months I am going to buy a used S2000. I want either a 2003 model under 20,000 miles or a 2004 under 20,000 miles. I like both but I'm attacted to the 9,000 rpm redline of the 03's but I also like the driveablility of the 04 with the 2.2L engine. Please give me some input on the pros and cons of the two.

 

9k redline is great and all, but its WAYYY overrated. My brother had an AP1, i currently have an AP2, and the AP2 is way more refined. The 2.2L is GREAT for city driving...many other "little" upgrades on the AP2 make a BIG difference...

my choice...AP2

 

Ok I am going to show my ignorance here: what is AP1 and AP2? My guess is you are talking about 2.0L vs 2.2L but what does the AP1 and AP2 stand for?

 

Another thing, I drove a '02 (it was my friend's and it had about 23,000 miles on it) and when the VTEC kicked in it was quite a rush; but when I drove a '05 (it was at the dealer it only had 11 miles on it) and the VTEC kicked in it did not seem to kick in as hard. Honestly I really liked the hard kick of the VTEC at 6,000 rpm. Is it because the '05 was new and the VTEC does not fully kick in after a certain amount of miles or is that a bunch of bull?

 

I haven't driven one of the 2.0 liter cars, but my impression is that the VTEC kick in the AP2 is less pronouced because the engine is pulling harder before the cam change.

 

I notice the same thing when i test drove a '05 demo.

 

Its a hard decision. I think the 03 will be more sought after down the road, but I went w/ the 04 for the bigger displacement.

 

AP1 is the old body style (00-03) with the old 2.0L F20c engine (9K redline).
AP2 is the new style (04+) with the 2.2L F22c engine (8300 redline).

The easy answer is that if you need a daily driver or do a lot of city driving, you want the AP2. The AP2 has slightly more elbow room, if that's important to you.

On the AP1, 9K redline is frickin' awesome. And you'll also pay a bit less for a MY03 vs. a MY04 with the same mileage.

 

Is AP an acroynm for anything?

I understand that:

AP1 00-03
AP2 04-up

I just want to know what does AP stand for?

 

The S2000's Vin number is JHMAP1xxxxxxxxxx

J means it is made in Japan, HM is the code for Honda, AP1 is the chassis designation.