tried the search but it was down........Ok there is one 05 s2k left in my local dealer... had the salesman give me an excellent quote. But the fact is, is that its been sitting there....for awhile. And i was wondering..shouldnt i just go with an 06? I was thinking about the VSA and DBW and had a vague understanding of what they do... can someone give me some pros and cons of each pls...

 

wow plz..

 

Depends on what you want in a car.
If I wanted a daily driver with traction control and electric throttle smoothing for "linear" acceleration... I'd buy a G35 for the money.

In my opinion, there is a continuum of raw to babysitting cars.

Raw
Motorcycles
Ariel Atom
Lotus Elise
2000-2003 S2000
2006 S2000
G35 6mt
G35 auto
Babysitting

I like to do things myself. I don't want the car shifting for me, I don't want this car to have a nanny. If it was my only car, I might have a different opinion.

So it's a personal choice.
I didn't include any comment on the 2004-5 S2000 to avoid a controversy. I think we'd agree that the 2006 is softer than the original S2000....

How many people would buy an automatic S2000 if they made one...

Not me. But I'm sure there are plenty of people that would. I wouldn't be surprised if that was on tap for the 2008 S2000... why not exploit every single market without adding cost....

 

To put it simply, VSA's function is to correct oversteer/understeer conditions, prevent wheel lock under braking, and minimize wheel slip during throttle application. Oversteer/understeer is corrected through the use of selective braking to one or more individual wheels depending on a combination of steering angle, yaw rate, wheel speeds, and lateral G forces. Preventing wheel lock under braking is your standard ABS function which is the predecessor to VSA. Minimizing wheel slip during throttle application is a traction control feature which uses wheel speed sensors to sense wheel slip. During a slip condition, the actual engine throttle is modulated as opposed to applying 100% of driver requested throttle in order to maximize power delivery to the ground.

The pro to this system is a theoretically safer vehicle not only to those who drive the car, but also to those other people on the road who may otherwise be hit by a driver who lost control of a car which was not equipped with some variation of VSA (other OEMs call it DSC, ESP, etc.) Honda's current stance right now is "Safety for Everyone", and this is one of the ways in which it hopes to realize that goal.

Many people claim this waters down the experience of a car designed to be a sportscar. They may be right, and they may be wrong. Everyone has to make their own decision of what they want from a car they are spending 30 grand on.

Oh and by the way, if you could get a great deal on an '05 then take it. You won't regret saving the money.

 

If you are new to RWD, a 06 may be a good choice. Especially if you are young.

The 00-05 cars are pretty raw. They are forgiving...to an extent. Do something completely dumb like lift the throttle in a sharp turn and they will bite you.

I prefer the car without the nanny stuff myself.

 

I don't see an issue w/ the stability control - is it that hard to push a button to turn if off? I'm sure there's no shortage of S2000 owners (not to mention other motorists) who would have benefitted from having it.

 

The good thing about the VSA is you can turn it off...and it stays off. Unlike other manufacturers who will turn it back on automatically under given situations. (Nissan VDC) Don't hate on DBW so much folks. The NSX has it, F1 has it, and every BMW that many people here covet has it too. The 2000-2003 S2000 may have been "Raw" but there's nothing wrong with wanting to refine the S2000 for the mass market who has to live with their $30K car everyday. If it were my 3rd car I only drove when it was 70 and sunny - I'd like it to be edgier. But Rain or shine I gotta take this baby to the office. No doubt Honda would've sold a lot more S2000's if it came in an automatic and had stability control sooner. If they were going to put an AT in it they would have done it already.

 

it's about time Honda brings DBW and VSA to the S2000....most sports cars have this...soon all cars will have this. These systems, while not perfect, are getting better and better. It's the equivalent to people saying they didn't want ABS because they wanted complete control of braking.

 

Personally, I'm pissed that Honda went with electronic ignition in the S instead of a crank-start. Next thing you know, they'll do away with the tiller bar and put in a steering wheel or something namby-pamby like that.