Im not sure i posted right the first time! (new user)...sorry!
03-22-2001, 12:42 PM
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Hi Guys,
Only recently discovered this site after searching for info on the S2000. Congratulations on an excellent, enjoyable and informative site.
Im actually British, but moved out to Paris for work reasons 1 year ago. Since the move, I have been without a car, for the first time in my eligable life, and have spent a few months researching what I wanted to buy. Ive dried dozens of different cars; SLKs, Boxters, TTs, M3s, Elises, even XK8s. However, having been a previous very happy Prelude VTEC owner, I couldnt have made my choice without giving the S2000 a try.
Now, my grasp of the french language (let alone their driving laws) isnt exactly 100%, nevertheless, a friendly dealer was prepared to let me take a test-drive. This was exactly one week ago today, and suffice is to say, my search has come to an end! Even better than that, I take delivery of my 2001 Silver/Black Stook tomorrow afternoon!
As im sure a lot of you can relate to, reading the posts in this forum has got me way too excited about getting hold of my new baby, and I have to tell you that waiting for delivery of this car takes me back to that feeling you have on X-mas eve as a kid, when you just are way too excited to sleep! (im 28 by the way )
Contrary to popular belief, the french price of the stook doesnt seem too bad to me...i dont know the conversion rate, but i can tell you that i payed 233000 FFr for mine...that is an on-the-road price, including new vehicle registration, a tank of petrol, security marking on the windows, not to mention a hardtop and cd-changer thrown in for free! (this seemed like a pretty good deal to me, but then I would have payed full price for all of these extras if necessary...just give me the damn car!)
Its true, there are very few stooks in Paris...ive only seen one on the road, and out of interest, it was a blue one (looks rather feminine, i agree)
By contrast, there are a lot of American cars out here, especially Chevrolets, but it does depend on your area...the further west you go in Paris, the more you see, as thats where lots of the American-based businesses are located.
Anyway, enough waffle...if have some questions, and would be most grateful if someone could answer me;
1) The "secret compartment" that i see mentioned so often...what is it, and where is it?
2) Im sure its gonna tell me in my manual when I pick it up tomorrow, but at what stage does the VTEC become operational in a new vehicle?
3) After how many KMs is the engine considered broken-in, and what special precautions do i need to take until that time?
4) Are there any other French/Paris-based Stook owners out there?
5) I bought the car first and foremost for performance, and was fully aware of the limited luggage space. Having said that, I was very interested to read about the trunk "saddle-bags"...is there such a thing as an external luggage carrier that could sit somewhere on the trunk for fixing bags etc to, that you see for so many other 2 seater cars? (or am I just being ridiculous?)
Thanks in advance for your help, and keep up the good work!
And wish me luck as I pick up my stook in Paris rush hour tomorrow evening!!!
Now, where did I put those sleeping pills.....
Only recently discovered this site after searching for info on the S2000. Congratulations on an excellent, enjoyable and informative site.
Im actually British, but moved out to Paris for work reasons 1 year ago. Since the move, I have been without a car, for the first time in my eligable life, and have spent a few months researching what I wanted to buy. Ive dried dozens of different cars; SLKs, Boxters, TTs, M3s, Elises, even XK8s. However, having been a previous very happy Prelude VTEC owner, I couldnt have made my choice without giving the S2000 a try.
Now, my grasp of the french language (let alone their driving laws) isnt exactly 100%, nevertheless, a friendly dealer was prepared to let me take a test-drive. This was exactly one week ago today, and suffice is to say, my search has come to an end! Even better than that, I take delivery of my 2001 Silver/Black Stook tomorrow afternoon!
As im sure a lot of you can relate to, reading the posts in this forum has got me way too excited about getting hold of my new baby, and I have to tell you that waiting for delivery of this car takes me back to that feeling you have on X-mas eve as a kid, when you just are way too excited to sleep! (im 28 by the way )
Contrary to popular belief, the french price of the stook doesnt seem too bad to me...i dont know the conversion rate, but i can tell you that i payed 233000 FFr for mine...that is an on-the-road price, including new vehicle registration, a tank of petrol, security marking on the windows, not to mention a hardtop and cd-changer thrown in for free! (this seemed like a pretty good deal to me, but then I would have payed full price for all of these extras if necessary...just give me the damn car!)
Its true, there are very few stooks in Paris...ive only seen one on the road, and out of interest, it was a blue one (looks rather feminine, i agree)
By contrast, there are a lot of American cars out here, especially Chevrolets, but it does depend on your area...the further west you go in Paris, the more you see, as thats where lots of the American-based businesses are located.
Anyway, enough waffle...if have some questions, and would be most grateful if someone could answer me;
1) The "secret compartment" that i see mentioned so often...what is it, and where is it?
2) Im sure its gonna tell me in my manual when I pick it up tomorrow, but at what stage does the VTEC become operational in a new vehicle?
3) After how many KMs is the engine considered broken-in, and what special precautions do i need to take until that time?
4) Are there any other French/Paris-based Stook owners out there?
5) I bought the car first and foremost for performance, and was fully aware of the limited luggage space. Having said that, I was very interested to read about the trunk "saddle-bags"...is there such a thing as an external luggage carrier that could sit somewhere on the trunk for fixing bags etc to, that you see for so many other 2 seater cars? (or am I just being ridiculous?)
Thanks in advance for your help, and keep up the good work!
And wish me luck as I pick up my stook in Paris rush hour tomorrow evening!!!
Now, where did I put those sleeping pills.....
03-22-2001, 01:04 PM
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Bienvenue PariS2k! Glad you found this site. Most of the questions you ask can be answered at one of the S2000 club site FAQs. The secret compartment is above to box between the seats. There is a latch under the upper lip of the box which, when you release it, allows you to flip the top of the box up. This is where the windscreen is mounted. As for the rest you will find those answers in the sources above or in your manual. Good luck and good driving.
03-22-2001, 01:46 PM
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Pari-
Very cool story! According to the converter that Muz has on his site you paid under $32,000 on the road including a $3,000 hardtop and CD changer for free!!! Wow, that's unbelievable! I should have ordered mine from Paris and had it shipped, just kidding
Well, congratulations on a great purchase and enjoy being one of the few owners in a great city like Paris! You're owner's manual will answer all of your questions but to help you out a little you should not rev above 5500 RPM for the first 600 miles. Sorry, I don't know what that conversion is, however, you can change your dash board to read in MPH or KPH. Other than that check your oil often and use standard 10w 30 if it gets low before your first oil change. Which by the way shouldn't be scheduled before 3,750 miles. For a lot more answers and help on your new purchase visit, https://www.s2ki.com/faqs/faq_delivery_p1.php, or do a search on this site for new owners. Well, good luck and welcome to our family!!!
Very cool story! According to the converter that Muz has on his site you paid under $32,000 on the road including a $3,000 hardtop and CD changer for free!!! Wow, that's unbelievable! I should have ordered mine from Paris and had it shipped, just kidding
Well, congratulations on a great purchase and enjoy being one of the few owners in a great city like Paris! You're owner's manual will answer all of your questions but to help you out a little you should not rev above 5500 RPM for the first 600 miles. Sorry, I don't know what that conversion is, however, you can change your dash board to read in MPH or KPH. Other than that check your oil often and use standard 10w 30 if it gets low before your first oil change. Which by the way shouldn't be scheduled before 3,750 miles. For a lot more answers and help on your new purchase visit, https://www.s2ki.com/faqs/faq_delivery_p1.php, or do a search on this site for new owners. Well, good luck and welcome to our family!!!
03-22-2001, 01:49 PM
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Wow, Ronald you must have been so excited and so upset all at once that it had been there all that time and you didn't even know it. I hung around this site for 3 or 4 months before I bought my car and that's how I found out. My salesman said it took him a year before he knew about it. Then again, all of this stuff is in the Owner's Manual, which I know you read 3 times, right?
03-22-2001, 01:51 PM
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Man the secrets out. SHHH.
Welcome and congrats.
VTEC is operational above 6K RPMs, but resist the urge until she's properly broken in. Most here agree at least 600 miles of varying rpms below 5500. Some have gone so far as to gradually move up 1K per 100 miles. 600=6K,700=7K,800=8K,900=9K,1000=rev limiter.
Just make sure you watch the oil level closely.
And don't tell anyone where that secret compartment is located. Kidding!
Welcome and congrats.
VTEC is operational above 6K RPMs, but resist the urge until she's properly broken in. Most here agree at least 600 miles of varying rpms below 5500. Some have gone so far as to gradually move up 1K per 100 miles. 600=6K,700=7K,800=8K,900=9K,1000=rev limiter.
Just make sure you watch the oil level closely.
And don't tell anyone where that secret compartment is located. Kidding!
03-22-2001, 01:56 PM
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Distance to break-in/Vtec: 600 miles = approx. 967 kilometers. Don't exceed about 5K rpm, vary your speed(no constant rpm cruising). Good luck, welcome and enjoy the S2K experience!
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03-22-2001, 02:18 PM
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Excellent help guys...and amazingly quick response..thanks!
So its a least 600miles of good behaviour then..damn! But then again, having paid the money, you want to treat her right.
What about my external lugguage rack suggestion? I take it from the lack of answers that its unlikely such a thing exists...I know it would interfere with the remote trunk lock, and the trunk surface for positioning it onto isnt exactly enormous, but its been achieved before with smaller cars (eg MGF).
One other thing I forgot to mention...I was unfortunate enough to have had to deal with a rather unknowledgable dealer (maybe explaining the apparent good deal i got) and he seemed to have rather a lot of trouble opening and closing the hood...the interior foward roof latches didnt appear to want to release enough to allow the roof to open. Is this a common problem, and is it easy to remedy? Or was this just a case of dealer ignorance.
(this was on the car I test-drove not the one I bought, which is coming to me with a nice fat 0km on the clock)
Incidentally, its gone midnight here, and sleep is nowhere to be seen! Excitement is reaching fever-pitch...this time tomorrow I will have diven (or most likely still me driving) my very own S2000...there IS a god!
So its a least 600miles of good behaviour then..damn! But then again, having paid the money, you want to treat her right.
What about my external lugguage rack suggestion? I take it from the lack of answers that its unlikely such a thing exists...I know it would interfere with the remote trunk lock, and the trunk surface for positioning it onto isnt exactly enormous, but its been achieved before with smaller cars (eg MGF).
One other thing I forgot to mention...I was unfortunate enough to have had to deal with a rather unknowledgable dealer (maybe explaining the apparent good deal i got) and he seemed to have rather a lot of trouble opening and closing the hood...the interior foward roof latches didnt appear to want to release enough to allow the roof to open. Is this a common problem, and is it easy to remedy? Or was this just a case of dealer ignorance.
(this was on the car I test-drove not the one I bought, which is coming to me with a nice fat 0km on the clock)
Incidentally, its gone midnight here, and sleep is nowhere to be seen! Excitement is reaching fever-pitch...this time tomorrow I will have diven (or most likely still me driving) my very own S2000...there IS a god!
03-22-2001, 02:32 PM
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Push the roof forward with the central handle on the front edge of the roof for easier operation of the latches.
There is probably more than one source for luggage racks, one is the German company Auto-Comfort:
[grey]--------------------------o0o---------------------------[/grey]
[grey]2000 S2000 - 1998 VFR800 - 2000 Atos[/grey]
[Edited by BassMan on 03-22-2001 at 03:34 PM]
There is probably more than one source for luggage racks, one is the German company Auto-Comfort:
[grey]--------------------------o0o---------------------------[/grey]
[grey]2000 S2000 - 1998 VFR800 - 2000 Atos[/grey]
[Edited by BassMan on 03-22-2001 at 03:34 PM]
03-22-2001, 02:41 PM
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PariS2K,
One more thing about the RPM band of the S. After break-in, do not try to take the RPMs above 6,000 before you have achieved 3 bars onthe temp guage. The S has a 'moving' rev limiter. Before 3 bars the limiter kicks in at about 6,000. After 3 bars you are free to climb to 9,000. Although I generally wait until the car warms-up a bit more before engaging VTEC. Something in the order of 6-10 miles. I don't really believe that all of the fluids necessary to make an engine go are warmed-up enough after only 1.5 miles, which is what it usually takes for my S to go to 3 bars. Your mileage may vary.
James
One more thing about the RPM band of the S. After break-in, do not try to take the RPMs above 6,000 before you have achieved 3 bars onthe temp guage. The S has a 'moving' rev limiter. Before 3 bars the limiter kicks in at about 6,000. After 3 bars you are free to climb to 9,000. Although I generally wait until the car warms-up a bit more before engaging VTEC. Something in the order of 6-10 miles. I don't really believe that all of the fluids necessary to make an engine go are warmed-up enough after only 1.5 miles, which is what it usually takes for my S to go to 3 bars. Your mileage may vary.
James
