Ok, another boring 12 hour shift at work on a Saturday night. To help pass the time, I brought all my magazines that have a review of the S2000 and decided to make a collection of my favorite things various reviewers have said about our wonderful car. I tried to include the name and date of the source. Feel free to add if you wish, please include any information about your sources if you can!

IMPORT TUNER - AUGUST 2002

"Shortly after the turn of the millennium, Honda introduced its S2000, the first real sports car to sport a Honda badge, to such a frenzy of excitement that the car almost appeared to be the product of a massive automotive orgasm."

CONSUMER REPORTS - APRIL 2003

"Reliability has been excellent"

BEST OF 2002 - AMI AUTO WORLD MAGAZINE - JAN/FEB 2002

"A world-class roadster at a (relatively) bargain price"

"Add to the car's appeal Honda's well deserved reputation for reliability, and the S2000 is an awfully appealing package"

"...at about $33,000, gives you a roadster that handles like a race car and goes like stink"

ROAD AND TRACK - AUGUST 1999

"Part race car and part motorcycle, Honda's new roadster takes the sports car to a new level"

"The S2000 is a definite head turner"

"Simply put, the S2000 is the closest thing there is to an oversized go-kart. Thanks to it's incredibly responsive rack-and-pinion steering system and rigid chassis, the nimble Honda displays razor-sharp turn-in response and rock-solid stability through all types of corners."

"But the best thing about Honda's exciting new sports car is that it flawlessly incorporates the fruits of high-technology into an extraordinarily simple package. It's a car you can virtually slip on and lace up, whether you plan a casual run along the beach or a full-out sprint through the mountains."

ROAD AND TRACK - SEPTEMBER 2000 Comparison test between Audi TT roadster (4th place) BMW M Roadster (3rd place) Honda S2000 (2nd place) and Porsche Boxster S (1st place)

"When you combine the wailing engine, bar graph tachometer with a 9,000 RPM redline and an intentionally spartan interior that purposely hugs the sides of your body, it comes as no surprise that you feel like Aryton Senna in the McLaren-Honda F1 car."

ROAD AND TRACK - AUGUST 2003 Comparison test between Nissan 350Z roadster (2nd place) and Honda S2000 (1st place)

"Honda's 6-speed gear box is among the best in the industry. It has a nice solid feel..."

"Sure, the 350Z Roadster is more comfortable and easier to drive, but the Honda gets my adrenaline flowing on winding roads, something I expect from a weekend toy."

"an absolute thrill to drive on real world twisties. Its quick steering and rock-solid stability make it a predictable cornering machine and extremely tossable."

"The Honda's exterior styling is more conservative, but clean and unified. The 350Z Roadster is obviously more styled and riskier. Ten years from now, I'd bet the Honda will still look good. The Z's styling might age."

"Our evaluations are biased towards performance, and the S2000 was unmistakably the sportier car."

MOTOR TREND - JANUARY 1999

"Thanks, Honda, for giving us such a swell present on your birthday"

AUTOWEEK - JULY 12, 1999

"...revs like a superbike, drives like a race car."

"Beyond its hummingbird heartbeat, its cheetah agility, its wolverine snarl, is a feeling this car is the expression of what a "true" sports car should be."

"The S2000 is a wonderful anniversary present for Honda, and a worthy representation of its success in motorsports. More importantly, its high-revving engine sings the paean of Honda's motorcycle history. S2000 is a four-wheeled motorcycle."

AUTOMOBILE - AUGUST 1999

"The S2000's physical presence is much more dynamic than photos let on, forceful and masculine rather than soft and fuzzy. Its creased fenders, high belt-line and purposeful Bridgestone tires create a taut appearance. A low hoodline and flared-nostril headlamps give the front exceptional character; dual exhausts and a fillip above the trunk are eye-catching but more conservative."

"I pushed the button. Whoa, buddy. The exhaust note makes you want to rev in place, but that egg-shaped shift knob begs to be handled..."

"...the result is torsional rigidity that's nearly identical to the Integra Type R's, which is phenomenal for a topless car."

CAR AND DRIVER - JANUARY 1999

"...the S2000 is a sreamer. Hammer the throttle in any of the lower gears, and the 85 thin bars on the electronic tachometer light up faster than the power LED's on your stereo receiver when you suddenly crank up the volume all the way."

"The new gearbox is superb. It has extremely short, light, and precise throws. You shift it with your fingertips."

"...the S2000 seem destined to become a cult favorite among serious drivers."

CAR AND DRIVER - AUGUST 1999

"If the clothes make the man, then the engine definitely makes the car."

"Honda's small, rev-happy engine creates a wonderfully unique driving experience."

"Considering the high redline, it's no surprise that you have to rev this thing - a lot - to keep it moving. This is not a problem since there's zero engine vibration felt in the cabin, the tranny has six gears dedicated to keeping the engine spinning and the shifter feels oh-so-sports-car perfect."

"...Honda eliminated some traditional sports-car vices. There's plenty of legroom, even for six footers. There's a dead pedal for your left foot and enough room in the pedal box to allow unhampered footwork."

"...if you're a true sports car aficionado, the line forms here."

CAR AND DRIVER - OCTOBER 1999

"Highs: Raceworthy engine, raceworthy gearbox, raceworthy chassis, raceworthy suspension, raceworthy brakes."

"The Verdict: A purist's sports car, and and extraordinary performance buy."

CAR AND DRIVER - JANUARY 2000

"Formula One wannabes can easily imagine that they're streaking down the back straight at Hockenheim when they wind the S2000 through its six gears."

"Turn the car loose on a racetrack, and you quickly find an outstanding chassis with tremendous grip, excellent balance, and racy-quick steering. The brakes are progressive and reassuringly powerful, able to shrug off every mile per hour the engine can muster, lap after lap."

"At $32,415, it's a stunning achievement."

CAR AND DRIVER - JANUARY 2001

"The S2000 is a unique and seductive tool for speed."

"...this thrust is harnessed by a sophisticated suspension and unusually rigid chassis to produce tenacious and tolerant handling that makes even ham - handed and - footed drivers feel like F1 ace Michael Schumacher. Throw in powerful brakes, and you have a machine that feels absolutely at home on a racetrack."

CAR AND DRIVER - JANUARY 2002

"This is a pure sports car - extra virgin, first pressing."

"The shifter moves with the precision of the bolt in a fine rifle, the brakes define our notion of perfect linearity, and the howl of the engine when the VTEC shifts to the high-rpm cams above six grand is to die for. Just don't expect to transport more than your significant other and a couple of backpacks. And make sure he or she is prepared to be shaken and stirred."

CAR AND DRIVER - AUGUST 2003

"Highs: Sensual intensity right up there with grabbing a bare high voltage wire, clutch and shifter as perfect together as Rogers and Astaire, cockpit fits like your favorite jeans.

Lows: Freeway cruising and resisting the impulse to rip off nine-grand shifts in bursts of five.

The Verdict: A four wheeler with crotch-rocket DNA."

"Sports car fantasies always have you snugged into a form-fitting cockpit, your hands at 10 and 2, the engine on full boil thrusting the tail wide as you drift through a fast sweeper. Yeah! ...The Honda S2000 was born to star in those daydreams. It's a tightly packaged two-seater, spare and smoothly muscled, rather like an Olympic swimmer. everything about it is taut and athletic and purposeful."

"The stubby aluminum shifter travels in microflicks. Precision machinery, that's the feel."

"...so much excitement for a fraction of Porsche and BMW prices. Actually, the Honda's interior details, particularly the leather wheel, look richer than the Porsche's."

"On the dash, to the left of the wheel, you'll see a substantial red button. It starts the adventure. Ready to drive into your daydream?"

CAR AND DRIVER - JANUARY 2004

"I have a feeling few revheads would argue when I call the S2000's transmission "the best mass-produced gearbox on the plane." Sitting exactly where it ought to be - perfectly to hand - the stubby aluminum shifter on the 2.0 liter, former version delivered the most precise shifts and shortest throws of any production car. On the revised 2.2 liter model, the ante has been lifted."

Edmunds.com Editors choice for best conv. sports car over $30K 2003

"Think of it as an F1 racer with power windows."

"Three years into its production, the S2000 is still commanding a premium from its buyers."

"...a precision steering rack and wrap it up with an exterior that's as dashing as it is simple, and you've got a recipe for a sexy, desirable roadster. Wait, is it possible for a Honda to be sexy? With the S2000, it is."

Edmunds.com Editors choice for best conv. sports car over $30K 2004

"Remains an unfiltered sports car experience in an overly filtered world."

"An electrifying roadster, the S2000 tosses aside the notion that convertibles are for cruising and that Honda only builds boring sedans. Even five years into its life cycle, the S2000 is still the open car serious drivers like us would put in our own garages if we had around $30 grand to spend."


Well there you have it, I think I have carpal tunnel syndrome now.

 

There's a lot of similarities between their relationship with the S2000 and new love.
After six months wear off, you start seeing nylons hanging on the shower rod, the
granny panties in the laundry basket, etc while she sees the shit stains on the BVD's
and you plopped in front of the couch watching eight hours of football when earlier,
you'd accompany her to yard sales.
Read the most recent pre-04 reviews of the S2000 and you could clearly see the love still there but obviously with reservations. Sort of like a laugh that suddenly becomes annoying. Honda realized that and made the appropriate changes to spice things up again and voila! back on Top Ten lists.
Mind you, these changes (I will always contend) were for journalists, not consumers.
Honda knew they would come back to showrooms following positive '04 reviews. For
many, the car was just TOO extreme in its earlier incarnation.

 

Yea Thats right the S is the Bset

 

Not only is it the "Bset" CAR BUT ITS ALSO THE "best" sports car out there with a convertible top, in my opinion Great reviews !

 

Wow you were bored! Thanks for reminding us how lucky we are.

 

After reading these quotes I can't wait to get off work and feel VTEC.. 32 minutes to go...

 

Props for all that work!

Of course, I do not need a magazine to tell me when i am having a good time.

And BTW, Car and Driver did not list the S2000 this year in the 10Best - it has the...gulp......dare I say it?......RX-8.

But guess what? - that has not dimished my happiness with Khan one bit. Not an iota. Not a nano-micron.

Russ: I for one appreciated your post - it was hysterical. I had an old girlfriend who told me once that "the magic wears off when they start farting in front of you".