Sure, and the difference between the AP1 and the AP2 have nothing to do with the sales numbers. If anything, making it a more driveable car would make it more appealing to the general public. Why do you think cars like the GTR and Porsches have so many driver assists? The general public aren't track experts and don't react to oversteer and 9,000 RPM redlines like an enthusiast might. Priced where the car is, most buyers are rich dudes who want a well built sporty roadster. Most of the improvements between the AP1 and AP2 reflect that. As another poster mentioned, the car is generally priced out of the tuner market that would appreciate the AP1 more.

 

Who ever said that the S2000 would be a permanent offering in thier line-up? I doubt Honda had any such plans for this car beyond a relatively short run. The fact that it remained in production for ten years is still pretty amazing.

 

ap1:37451 5 years of selling
ap2:29091 7 years of selling

according to wiki...
and you said sale numbers were on a steady decline from 03(7,888). from 04 it declined even more (7,320) and at 05 (7,780) it didnt even reach the sale number of the 03's. from 06 it declined even more, to (6,271), 07 (4,302) and it just gets worse.

 

The killed the s was the fact that by 2009 you could buy a car with more power, more tech, and more modern looks for 32k. 27 highway MPGs wouldn't cut in anymore for a four cylinder car.

 

Don't give a shit why the car died. It doesn't change the fact that it's one of the best cars ever made and though it never got much update besides the minor exterior changes, I still have a lot of troubles finding a car that offers as good of a driving experience as the s2k does. Honestly I'm too spoiled by this car (especially how smooth it shifts) that many other cars I've test driven just don't even compare to it. Sick of people judging how good a car is solely based on the numbers.

 

well that was my point, sometimes its about the driving experience, surely not how fast a car is on paper. The s2000 was not designed for the North American car market to appreciate.

 

Yes, 8k did kill the S2000... Now that AP1 prices are dropping to $8k, lots of idiots are buying them.

 

I doubt it. I have yet to see anything that indicates that 8K was the only reason for the dropoff in sales. The S needed a lot of overhauling to keep it competitive and there were not many changes in its 10 year run. Blaming it all on redline is oversimplifying the matter.

 

I didn't mean to start a war amongst brothers !!! My statement comes from a comment made to me a few weeks back , staying that the S2k was always meant to rev to 9k. I agreed and still fell the same way , its just ihmo . I think the S is a grt car no matter what yr , just wish Honda stuck to its guns and never lowered the rpm or tired to soften the car ..that was a massive mistake for the history of our cars . Its how i feel ...my friend in the uk said ...what an 8k red line in an S ..that's no S2000 ..that's a poser ..lol,...his words NOT MINE . I don't feel like 9k is so much better than eight ...that's was not my point at all !!! I'll restate ...wish they never did this to the us cars ..we all should have had the option of the uk version here ...I think if we did the S would still be here ..hitting 9k a day ...long live the S2000

 

For the sake of argument, let's also now compare S2000 sales with that of the Miata:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_M...rs_and_details

If we look at these numbers, and apply the "cumulative analysis" to it, then the first gen. miata's were the best miata ever.

In reality, cumulative sales figures don't amount to jack, you have to look at what is trending in the industry as well as the economic health of the market.