I have a choice of either a locally owned one owner MY2000 or a 4 owner MY2002. The MY2002 is $4000 more and has 15000 miles less. Am I making a mistake choosing the MY2000 given all the upgrades performed in 2002?

 

The upgrades from 00 to 02 were pretty minor.

Buy an AP2 if you want some sort of significant change from any AP1. I have a MY00 that I bought in 06. I love it (evidenced by the fact that I've owned it 11 years). If I were to upgrade or want a change...I'd buy an AP2.

FWIW, the cost of a glass window top is about $1200-1400 with install ($500-800 without install). And an 02 spec ECU is like $100-120ish on eBay. 02 spec swaybars are cheap. You'll be missing the tweeters in the doors....but...those are also easily installed.

 

1 owner 17 year old car appeals to me over a 4 owner car, because it was probably well cared for.

 

All depends on what you want to do with the car. First (and last) model years are always the most "collectible" but this was not my consideration. I wanted a reliable, driveable car. I'm not a fan of the small engine, small wheeled early models (commonly but incorrectly called AP1 in North America). Nothing inherently wrong with the early cars but I'm the least fan of the first year models with the plastic roof rear window and suspension heavily weighted to oversteer.

Honda tweaked the S2000 in two-year cycles. 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 all have changes over the previous model years. There's no doubt a wiki that describes them all. The suspensions changed at these points to make the cars more controllable and less likely to swap ends coming out of a roundabout or on-ramp at stupid speeds. 2004, for example got 17" wheels, wider tires, and the 2.2 engine. 2006 got DRLs, a tuneable ECU, and Vehicle Stability Assist (included traction control). Much wider tire selection in 17".

9,000 rpm limit in the 2.0 AP1 engine is a feature but not a benefit. The 2.2 engine has more torque and the same horsepower (remembering horsepower is essentially torque times revs). The transmission fitted to the North American "AP2" cars is better matched in my opinion. All but the North America (and later Japanese) cars retained the old AP1 (2.0) engine and maybe the old transmission.

-- Chuck

 

15,000 miles is nothing to me; I'd go with a one-owner car over a 3+ owner car.

Just some small things to be aware of regarding 00s - some had banjo bolts that were replaced, but I'd expect a one-owner car to have had this done - you can ask. Also, 00s didn't all come with floor mats and wind deflectors, so you can ask about that. Lastly, the 00s only have two speaker mounts vs four, and the plastic rear window, but that can be replaced with a new soft top. Other stuff, like tweaked ECUs and trim colors, you'd not really notice.

There's a good FAQ you may want to check out - https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=599836

 

Good luck on your purchase, come visit us in the Vancouver forum!

 

The short answer is no, its not a mistake. Just be aware of the differences and as time goes on after purchase you can make some changes, or not. It really isn't a big deal. I honestly think you have set up a bit of a false choice in your question though. There are plenty of these cars in all model years available. its just a matter of searching and waiting.

 

I think it's a good question. I'd prefer the lower price, one owner and first year aspect of car number 1, but I'd also like the lower miles and upgrades that came with the '02 MY. $4,000 is a lot of money. Other than 15,000 miles, is the car in better condition?

On the '00, has the clutch been replaced? There a TSB about the original clutches because some of them made a buzz and rattle sound. The banjo bolts were mentioned. This is a pretty important issue as the engine oiling improved with the change of the oiling bolt, BUT, there is no guarantee that a 2002 came from the factory with the improved bolts.

Do you like the smaller glass rear view window? In your neck of the woods, a defrosting glass rear window may be an important feature. I like mine, but I also like the larger plastic window in the older car.

The '02 suspension has slightly stiffer springs and a slightly softer sway bar than the '00. Do you care about that?

I'm biased towards the '02, but I'd base my decision on the condition of the two cars.

 

The big question I do not think was asked was what are your plans for the car? Collector hardly driven, daily driver, autocross car, track car?

 

Unless these cars are very low milage, then 15k miles isn't a big difference. $4k is a lot of money for few improvements from 02 vs 00.

If you are going to be driving top up a lot, the glass window with defroster could be important in the 02.

You might consider a less stiff rear sway bar especially for an '00. These early cars really do spin if you don't know what you are doing. I do agree that some 17" wheels with some wider rubber are a big improvement for safety but that's not really a question between 00 and 02. I spun my 02 on the original 16s. I found the car a lot less tail happy after I got the new wheel/tire set-up.