Hey folks,

I am not currently an owner of an S2000. I had one for a weekend in Vegas and had a pretty favorible impression of the car after I got used to it and was looking to pick one up. I test drove one today, a '00 model with 15K on the odometer and it was not like I seemed to remember the one I had for a weekend 2 years ago.

First, I know all clutches are different but this one I had to give it much more gas than I was used too to keep it from stalling. Normal? I have always had manuals so I am not new to them and I got used to it quickly but did not know if that might hint at the second problem,

For a car with only 15k, I thought I felt a vibration in the drivetrain somewhere. The engine sounded rough rather than the silky smooth engine I remember and there was a vibration in the cluth pedal and the shifter. It did not seem all that quick either but I do remember that it took me a day or so to get used to high revs and I am driving a car with more power right now.

The car was a "certified Honda" with a 7yr/100k warranty and was in great shape except for my concerns.

Questions, does this sound like a common problem that others have had with a relatively well known fix? Does anyone have experience with warranty claims under the certified Honda program? I am worried that if I bought the car and brought it back to fix the problem that they would say I caused it after driving it off the lot. Lastly, what are any common things to look for specific to a '00 model that could be a problem area.

Thanks,
JCW

 

The simple answer is to look around and test drive a different car. Maybe your Las Vegas experience has been embellished in your mind so much that the test drive couldn't live up to it. Or, maybe there really was something wrong with the car you test drove. Either way, driving another car will go a long way towards helping you decide which of the two is the problem.

 

I plan to drive another before I make an offer, but one thing I am particularly concerned about is the "Certified Honda" warranty. I will step on the gas in this car but I am beyond my teenage and college "beat the snot out of the car" phase. My intent is to get maybe ten years out of it and take good care of it. I am just worried that I might get the "the car has been abused" response if I ever have a repair claim or if Honda is pretty good about that stuff. I know some people have problems with individual dealers but I live near several so I could always try another dealer.

PS....Anybody know what was the original equipment tire on a 2000 model? The tires looked real good but if wondering if they have been replaced. Might tell me how the PO drove the car.

 

the OEM tires are Bridgestone Potenza S0-2 Honda spec. It's not unusual at all for an S2000 to use up tires at a rate of rears every 10-11K or fewer, and fronts at 15-20K. The OEM alignment specs are relatively aggressive and will tend to scrub the rears right off due to the toe settings. I hope that the tires have been replaced on this car, but you might looks for signs of abuse (ie, have it leak-down tested and run a compression check, and try to find out the service history via the VIN, etc.) 15 K on a 3 year old car doesn't sound like a car that's seen a lot of hard abuse, (someone who bought it to abuse it isn't likely to just baby it with 5K a year). Good luck with the purchase!

Quick2K

 

Good point. Regardless, I need to go put 20 miles on it.

My first test drive the older gentleman in the car with me did not say anything but started to wheeze LOUDLY at anything over 5000 rpm. I thought he was going to have a heart attack so my first test was a 2 mile loop and very little VTEC.

I still am concerned about the vibration and they would have a mechanic take it for a spin to give an opinion. I was wondering if there maybe was some problem common to some early 2000 models that had a TSB or something and had an easy fix.

Were there any 2000 recalls for minor defects?

 

Don't count on the "Certified Honda" part of that deal to mean much. Honda has become notorious for warranty repair hassles.

Explore this site and you cannot help but find disgruntled owners, I being one of them.

Your best bet is to keep looking until you find one that is as mechanically sound as possible so that you will not have to rely on Honda.

....and trust your instincts. You already have bad vibes on this one - right?
Feel the force young Jedi.

The car will not dissapoint, although Honda may.

 

Hi,
a couple of things. You didn't say what the asking price was. Since these cars have had hi resale values you might consider a new one since with a loan the price may not amount to too much more for a new one and most owners do drive them like race cars so as they say buyer beware. Warranty work hey any work at all is such a hassle nowadays thats its nice to have a factory fresh car so u at least don't have to worry about what the previous driver did.
As far as stalling the car, this is encountered more often with the s2k as a result of the lite flywheel, low torque and some people say "a hard to feel clutch". I know that I stall this car from a standing start much more than any other car that I have owned before and its embarrARSEing
Also starting with the 02 my there were some nice upgrades the nicest being the glass rear window, so u might look for one of them used.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rossmon1
Hi,
a couple of things. You didn't say what the asking price was. Since these cars have had hi resale values you might consider a new one since with a loan the price may not amount to too much more for a new one and most owners do drive them like race cars so as they say buyer beware. Warranty work hey any work at all is such a hassle nowadays thats its nice to have a factory fresh car so u at least don't have to worry about what the previous driver did.

 

[QUOTE][B]First, I know all clutches are different but this one I had to give it much more gas than I was used too to keep it from stalling.

 

Asking price is $22,800 but I think it will go much lower. Maybe $21k. There are a couple locally that have been advertised by dealers for over 10 weeks and it is getting cold in Minni soon. I have been laying in the weeds waiting to pounce because there has been such a glut of them and I knew the weather would turn. The salesman gave me the impression I could get the one I drove yesterday for probably less than $20k and it had less than 16000 miles. It also has scratches EVERYWHERE, and lots of sloppily applied touchup paint.

I drove one yesterday that had pretty much the same characteristics so I guess I would just have to get used to it a little more. I have a slightly modified MR2 turbo that I am used to it making power and torque quite effortlessly and not used to having to work for it, but it has 121,000 miles and I am getting tired of every weekend having to do brakes, or shocks, or coolant hose, or a sensor blah blah blah. It is built pretty solid but when a car gets to be 13 yrs old its the little things that drive you crazy. The S2000 does make power as easy but I think the handling is even quicker than what I have now and low miles and a convertible sound nice too.

I just remember the rental I had would zip around and do little easily controlled drifts around slow corners if you wanted it to and I thought those were lots of fun. You cant get a car with the engine in the back to do drifts very easily, and in the 91 MR2, they are notorious for not being that easily controlled either. I also remember the rental being quieter but we always had the top down, my test drives have been top up and perhaps you notice the engine racket if it is bottled up and not the cool exhaust scream when the top is down.