hi,
i'm currently looking to buy an s2k. i have an E36 M3 that has a blown engine.
i would like to know if there's anything that i should know of about the s2k, reliability, problems, costs, maintenance, resale value, etc.
what concerns me the most is the 3yrs/36,000ml warranty and also the resale value.
what issues do i need to address once i own the car, and what should i look into?
i browsed a few of the classifieds, and learned that it's not that easy to get rid of an s2k, 3 months?
i heard that the resale value drops drastically. but how come the s2ks in the classifieds are still fairly expensive?
if i were to get a used s2k, is there anything that i should worry about?
also, i heard that s2k will be discontinued very soon, is that right?
what's the main difference between the older 2.0 and the newer 2.2 except the bigger displacement and increase torque and lowered redline?
is this a fairly expensive car to own? hard to work on?
any of you owners ever regret having the car? especially ones who drive it daily and only has one car.
thanks for reading my post and answering my never ending list of questions.
Reef

 

Well i drive mine daily and the only thing i really dont like is the cup holder location. i got a 02-up cause of the glass rear window instead othe the plastic. tires get expensive after a while , most people tend to burn them up in 6 months or so.

 

thanks
but what does the tire has to do with the car?
unless, of course, you're having too much fun with the car?

but seriously, is there any problem with the car itself that makes it chew up tires?

 

I think its the way the tyres are cambered or something...someone correct me if I'm wrong. Also the tyres should last fairly long, unless you're a very spirited driver. And if you're getting an s2k, odds are you are
Other than that, I haven't really heard of any reliability issues, it holds its value well like all honda's, but then I'm in Australia...so might be different for you guys.
Modifying, its difficult to get significant gains with n/a, particularly with basic bolt-ons...but you can always go F.I. Its not exactly a drag car to begin with anyway...good luck dude

 

There is no problem with the tyres. The stock S-02 tyres are just very grippy and therefore have a short life.

Many owners on this forum prefer the UK spec alignment which is a more aggressive alignment and as with all aggressive alignments can cause a bit more wear.

Resale value is very good from many reports I have seen.

Issues to address - insurance , oil change, check tyres (pretty much all you need)

There is no official informatin regarding the end of the life for the s2000. Production is still in progress at this time.

Differences...there is a whole thread about this but to cut it short, different gearing on 04+, larger wheels on 04+, minor cosmetic changes, not too much else of interest. 1999/2000 models had a plastic rear window, later models had glass.

I use mine as a daily driver - I don't regret a thing.

 

I think it's actually the compound the standard tires (Potenza SO2s) are made out of that causes them to wear out more quickly. They're designed a little more towards the autocross and racing side of things than other standard street tyres on the market. Of course you don't have to get the original tyres, you can get ones made of a harder compound that will wear out less quickly, but this can have it's own problems (for example less grip on the road).

I don't do much of the maintenance myself and we don't have the 2.2L engine here in Australia, so I can't really comment on how easy the car is to work on or the differences between the 2.0L and the 2.2L. Purely from reading this forum, they also changed the suspension and gearing for the 2004 model, so the ride is a little different. Best way to get an idea of the difference though is to drive both of them and see.

In regards to resale value and time, the value seems to hold pretty well. I picked a 2nd hand 1999 model with 58K kms on the clock here for $AUD45K. New they're about $AUD75K. US market I believe are in similar proportions (think you'd get a '99 for about 18-20K but don't quote me on that). As far as time is concerned, the S2K is not as widely sought after as say a Civic or an Integra so it can take a bit of time to find the right buyer. It really comes down to the condition of the car and the price you are selling it for though.

There have been rumours ever since the car was released saying it was gonna be discontinued, truth is no-one knows when it will be, but judging by the fact they only just changed the engine in '04 and are now starting to ship '05s I figure it's got at least another year or so minimum.

Mine's a daily driver and I've had no regrets about it at all. Was a little worried about having a manual, cause most of the driving I do is in city traffic, but I've warmed up to the gears and now I find them kinda fun. The boot isn't the largest either, but I've managed to fit in everything so far (including my guitar an my set of golf clubs). Besides, it puts a smile on your face when you can leave work for the day and drive off with the top down.

Hope this helps some...
Kuraz.

 

I have had mine for just about 5 years with no mechanical problems. Had the TSB's corrected which were more of an annoyance than anything else. I do minor work on the car my self (read oil changes) and that is easy.
The resale on the car is one of the best. At 5 years old the car is still holding over 50% original value.
The car is my daily driver and I have averaged about 20K miles on a set of tires. They are expensive, but then again the tires on my TransAm were not cheap either.
No regrets in ownership. It is the first car that I still enjoy driving after 5 years.

 

thanks guys
i've gotta say, this crowd is a whole lot more mature then the beemer guys.
some of 'em are nice, but most of the time they'd just spend time bickering with each other.
and the inputs that you guys gave are all worth while also.
i'm putting the s2k on top of my list now

but if anybody else could tell me a bit more about the car, i will appreciate it even more.
i've read the FAQ's and just want to make sure about the clutch problem, is it true?
thanks.
Reef

 

I don't drive my S2000 as a daily driver so I can't comment too much on that, but like others have said, the resale value on the S2000 is one of the best. Selling the S2000 right now might be a little bit hard because its getting colder at least where I live, so many people won't be thinking about buying a convertible. Might be a good time to buy though ...

The clutch problem you're asking about is the notchiness of the shifter ? I'm not sure which problem you're talking about. The notchiness is somewhat "normal" when the car is cold, but usually goes away after the car is warmed up. Not a big deal ... If you're asking about clutch drops for drag racing, the S2000 isn't built with drag racing in mind so yes .. if you're clutch dropping at 6000rpms, you will break something ... usually its the rear differential which gives out.

Also in terms of the 00-03 versus the 04-05 S2000s there has been a pretty reproducible gain in horsepower in the 2.2L engine. It doesn't seem to translate into better acceleration but generally speaking there's about a 10-15hp gain over the 00-03s on the dyno. Extra torque of course is the other gain, and others have already mentioned the suspension changes and the cosmetic changes as well.

If you don't plan to mod the car heavily, and are worried about the warranty, you could always buy the HondaCare extended warranty from Hardtopguy.com .. The extended warranty can be purchased as long as 7 years/100k miles. The price depends on how old the car is and how many miles it already has.

I'm no mechanic, so I can't tell you if the car is harder to work on than other cars .. but I've done some simple work under the car and its been pretty easy to work with. If you install a CAI, oil changes are super easy ... you can practically reach the oil filter from the top of the engine bay once the airbox is out.

Anyways, the S2000 is definitely a great car no matter what year you buy ... Take one on a test drive and I think you'll appreciate it for what it is.

Hope this helps!