New here, Need some advice
 

Old guy with girlfriend buying a new S2000 - probably tomorrow.

What are your experiences (positive and negative) with this car as a daily driver? What would you do differently if you were buying one over again? Tell me about removing "spring spacers" - huh? An easy mod? What are this cars failure or problem areas. Almost EVERY car has at least one.

She is coming out of long ownership of an SUV - doesn't need the size anymore, we don't ski as much as we used to. She had an old crappy MG in college and always wanted back into a two seater with performance some day when she could afford it and didn't need the space of an ordinary car. Well...the day has come.

She WAS seriously considering a TT or M Roadster but has chosen the S2000 for overall reliability, better perf than the TT and less cost than the M. (Not to menton we both like the styling better) Your thoughts?

Remember guys, I am not the age that most of you seem to be (mid 20's to 30's?). We are mid 40's so we probably have different expectations. The car will never be tracked. No 19" rims, etc. BUT, the fact we are buying this car instead of some lame luxury cars means we are more like you than most people our ages.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Dan in Pasadena
[B]

What are your experiences (positive and negative) with this car as a daily driver? What would you do differently if you were buying one over again?

Dan in Pasadena,
I am not 20 0r 30 yrs old. In fact I have been married for 22 yrs and have 3 kids. I bought my S2K in February 02 and even though I don't have to use it as a daily driver I DO:D Never had so much FUN.
Never thought I would be doing mods to a car but guess what :p Yes doing it, spending wayyyyyy too much and loving it;)

Many of the owners on this board are in your age range, and even older. If you are buying a new 2002 model, then you probably won't run into any problems. I haven't had any problems with my '02 yet, but I have heard about other '02 owners having minor ones. The car is rather uncomfortable at times due to the stiff sport suspension, you shouldn't expect any luxury or hope that it is serene and quiet during freeway driving because it is a convertible sports car. As for daily driving, I use mine everyday and find myself having more motivation to go out. I hope everything turns out well for you.

Problem area: clutch, which is fixed in the 2002 models.
Problem area: plastic window scratching, which is fixed in 2002 models.
Problem area: inconsistent oil usage. Check the oil with every fill-up at the gas station, especially for the first few thousand miles.
Problem area: uses up tires quickly. Expect to buy new OEM tires every 10K miles because they are very sticky, quick wearing tires.

Good mods: Voodoo gear shift knob ($35), Valentine ($400) or Passport 8500 ($250) radar detector, Lucid's rear speaker system ($2-300).

Daily driver: mine has been a daily driver for over a year. It works great...it is incredible to drive to work with the top down. Make sure that she understands how to drive the car (rev it hard and let the engine sing, don't drive it like an SUV or Camry). You might even think about enrolling her in one of the local performance driving classes. Most areas have a NASA or similar organization that does a 1-day class for $1-200 which will give her experience in car control at the limit.

My 14 cents,
Tanq

Thank you for this advice guys. Good to know that there don't appear to be common problem to watch out for. Except, of course that the dealer demo car has had piss revved out of it:)

I just assumed from a quick read that most of you were younger than I. Thanks to DK for the delivery letter.

I drive an old Guards Red 944 as a daily driver. It is pretty slow compared to the S2000 but in beautiful condition and babied. It will be interesting having two, two seater cars! Yikes! Oh well, I've been wanting a truck, guess it will be a four door one. If any additional ideas occur to you, I'd appreciate a head's up. Thanks again.

the one thing i'd do different is try to buy it from one of those Chicago-area dealerships that are selling for less than $30K.

BUy it and you be #3 in Pasadena!!!



DaRKCrow

Buy it! Their awesome!

Feel free to ask any and all questions as you are from my old stomping grounds. PM, Email....whatever.

"Bob grew up in San Marino"

Utah