Hey whats up? I just registered on here. I'm a Mazda MX-6 owner and a senior member on MX6.com, also the owner and designer of MX6info.com.

Right now, though, I have my eyes set on an S2000 by year's end, so I wanted to come over here and spend some time observing and learning as much as I can about my new possible purchase.

So I have a few questions I hope you will answer for me.

Overall, how satisfied are you with the car? Its power, driveability. Is it all-weather? Do you feel comfortable taking it out on a warm summers day as you would in December, or in the middle of a rain storm?

Whats the current aftermarket support? And does it respond well to a lot of modifications?

I noticed the low torque figures (especially when compared to the BMW M Roadster). Is there a way, in the aftermarket, to make up for the stock 150 ft. lbs to get a higher number?

All in all, what are some performance WHP figures some of you have achieved from the car?

And finally, anything in particular I should get cleared up about the car BEFORE purchasing it from a dealer? i.e., any specific questions I need to ask, or anything I should learn before purchasing, based on your previous experience already?

Thanks for the help. I hope I can stick around for a while and become an asset one day to help out others as well.

Peace

- Andrew

 

in reply to the torque figures: i suggest that you go test drive one and see if that means anything

 

I will defenately do that. Nothing beats actually getting behind the wheel. But I don't want to be fooled either. Physics is physics, and in such a small car that 150 ft lbs might actually feel like its pulling more than it subjectively is. But you never know.

Also, I noticed the very high revs the car can make. I hear you need to drop it at around 6000? Is this correct? I don't want to have to anticipate any moderate to major repair and maintenance issues, especially in the first 6 months to a year of owning it. If you could help clear up the issue of where and when you have shifted, and if theres been any common and consistent problems among S2000s also, I would appreciate it.

Also, one last thing

Any links to some sites where I can cain a lot of technical information about the S2000? It'll only make me book smart, but will still be valuable. Maybe theres even some threads on this board that have been archived for their valuable technical data. Thanks

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AndrewS2K
[B]Physics is physics, and in such a small car that 150 ft lbs might actually feel like its pulling more than it subjectively is. But you never know.

 

N20 perhaps. I posted a thread in the Car Talk section, though, about the fact that the high comp S2K pistons probably wouldnt allow even a 50 shot of N20 in there. Are there lower compression pistons out there that will allow for any size shot? The problem i see though is a loss of power due to lower comp pistons, regained by nitrous, so I theoretically break even in overall HP.

I have an MX-6, not Miata, which actually, while older, handles better than the Miata. I have Eibachs and new struts and a front strut tower brace. It handles very well. But with 120 HP and 125 ft lbs of torque, and with a block that will only handle up to around 400 HP at the crank, I won't get very far with it.

For the first few months at LEAST, I woudlnt want to get in and start working on the S2000 anyway. The engine woudl need to be broken in. Possibly, some more aftermarket support will be available. If not, do you find the stock setup suitable for your daily driving and occasional ass whopping?

Keepin mind I'm 21. I'm still in this young tinkering stage where I want a car thats not only reliable but fast and fun to work on.

Thanks

 

Andrew -
If you really want to learn about this car, pick up a copy of "Honda S2000," by Dan Carney. It's published by MBI Publishing and has every detail you'd ever want to know, along with plenty of great photos. You can get it through Amazon; the publisher is also on the web at www.motorbooks.com

One test drive will tell you whether this car's for you. Me? I can't get enough of it.

 

What kind of monetary value does the car hold? Right now a 2002 model is at $32,400. What do you think it will be by the end of the year for the same 2002 model, assuming they've pushed the 2003s out by then? Will it go down a lot? a little?

 

That will depend on whether or not the '03 has any changes to it from the '02
We didn't see any real price difference between '00s and '01s once the '01s came out. But there was a discount of about $4,500 on '01s once the '02s came out.

 

Any common maintenance problems or recalls done?

 

I believe most of the service issues had to do with '00 and '01 transmissions. The differential was a little weak, but they supposedly fixed it with the '02 model.

Do a search on "TSB" and you'll bring up all the service bulletins that have been discussed in this forum. Also, you may want to be aware of some of the handling characteristics of the S2k. It seems like many people have spun their car due to various reasons.

The stock setup definitely much faster than most cars out there and great for daily driving. Where it really shines is at speed when you can downshift to 7000 rpm and through the twisties, not in stoplight to stoplight acceleration.