these are very interesting facts, from my own personal experience, i come from driving an MY00 AP1 and have driven a few AP2's, it may just be in our heads but the AP1 is a more "raw" car, it is harder to connect with in driving experience. the clutch feels different(more resistance) and the gearbox/tranny is less forgiving, you have to take a lot more to get use to an AP1 versus an AP2. also what other people are referring to is the more notchy or less luxurious feeling of the transmission. i feel that the AP2 was redesigned by Honda for more of a daily driven vehicle(not saying its good or bad) but of course the AP2 does make more power but i dont believe that is what the OP is referring to, hes referring to the driving experience of both AP1/AP2.

 

I just re-read the thread again, and I have a question for the ap1 owners. You actually like the notchy feelings in the transmission?! It means your gears arent sliding in properly, not that its better...

 

This would be a great time for me to rant after the amount of work ive had to do in the past year.
I own an 02 ap1 and recently found out i had a dent in my driveshaft when the bearings in my transmission and differential went out at the same time. I ended up switching over to ap2 transmission, driveshaft, differential and ap2 clutch kit. I kept my ap1 flywheel(resurfaced), slave cylinder and installed omni power clutch master and diffential collars. When I say this car is amazing I mean it. I have driven many ap2's with mine being the first ap1 and feel they are so much less of a car. I've had friends with ap2's drive my car and want to trade on the spot, regardless of year and mileage. With 43,000 miles this has been the love of my life and the car always seems to amaze me. With my oem hardtop and soon to come brake setup and suspension i might as well own a 2002 sebring silver CR.

 

I have owned both an AP1 and an AP2; (20,000 miles of DD-duty in my AP1, 2500 miles in my AP2). I currently own an '08 AP2 and have had track time in this car too. I can assure you that the "raw feeling," for the lack of a better term, is not all in my head. If you're changing things out on the car such as the suspension, wheels, alignment, then the oversteer and cornering limits between the cars becomes a moot point. I do not think changing the flywheel or getting a Flashpro for my AP2 would give it the same feeling my AP1 had. The AP2 is a MUCH better DD than the AP1, but not as fun as a weekend car.

I do notice every little thing like how the "thud" from closing the door in my AP2 sounded better than my AP1. (Changing the door panels on my AP1 to the AP2 panels did have the same effect.) I'm probably a bit more nitpicky about my car than other people... I notice a big difference after switching to DBW in pedal feel. The transmission in my AP1 also seemed to shift better, but that could be because I am using OEM transmission fluid in my AP2.

I'd like to try an AP2 with a 9,000 RPM redline.

 

End debate. It's settled. That was easy!

 

That is a valid point. I guess I was more focused on lusting after what the AP2 has that the AP1 lacks.

The convertible has come a long way in 11 years. From rag-tops with plastic only windows, to glass with defrost, to folding hard tops.

And I'm aware I can change the carpet out, I just wish I didn't have to.

 

i think the difference is extremely negligible between ap1 and ap2s. for me they were the exact same car and i chose an ap2 because IMO its cosmetically nicer and more modern .

 

These threads always turn out the same way, most people are going to defend the choice they made in buying AP1 vs. AP2 and nobody is going to change their mind. We all have our reasons for choosing the generation that we chose and all s2ks are great sports cars. I prefer the AP2 for numerous reasons, so that's what I bought... but I don't fault others for buying an AP1 for whatever reason.

 

I like the AP2 looks exterior and interior more for sure. I only drove a stock AP2 which I did not find that great. Seemed dulled down but of course that does not mean it did not perform as well. Just did not feel as fun. I do love the 9k redline but replacing my motor over the winter I will definitely get an F22 but only since I can raise the rev limit to around 8500 or so which will be enough for me. get some more torque and a little broader powerband for my sc'd setup.
8k regardless if it makes the power earlier I do not find as fun as the AP1 9k. Only my opinion of course.
If I were to buy an S2000 now I would definitely buy an AP2 however. Was a little above how much I wanted to spend 4 years ago when I got my S.

 

You list nothing about if either vehicle was stock, what tires, how you drove them, where you drove them, etc. Added to that you probably did not drive either vehicle to limits so I doubt you could make an accurate observation of one being 'definitely inferior' to the other. What exactly makes an extra 1000 rpms special? You can have the F22 rev up to 8500 rpm, would that change your mind?

And as soon as you modify the suspension or wheels/tires or drivetrain the differences are moot.