I am eyeing some very low mileage '04 and '05 S2000 vs. the '06. Does the '06 with its drive by wire throttle, VSC, clutch delay valve deter the driving experience of the S2000? I live in TX, lots of rain with big truck and SUV and "crazy Texan driver". The VSC would help in the rain. Does all the new electronic make the car less DIY in the future? Should I hold out for the '06 and let it depreciate a bit?

Opinions welcome.

John

 

I test drove 202 and 2004 mdls before deciding on the 06. While I did enjoy the 9k redline, I enjoy the VSC and DBW features more.

Imo, the 06 is the best car for me, $ for $ on the road!

 

clutch delay is 04 and up. I like the more rugged interior of the 06 plus the traction and stab control

 

Buy the newest one you can afford. They just get better.

 

VSA is a big help on the road when its wet. on the other hand its a drag when you wanna lose traction. i test drove the 05 when it came out and i bought an 06. the drive by wire seems to be a lil laggy to me, but the lag is negligible. buy the newest one you can get your hands on. its better.

 

How do you "enjoy" DBW ?

Anyway, to me there are really 4 classes of S2000s. Cliffs notes version:

00-01 No glass window on top, infamous bump steer issue

02 - 03 Glass top, reportedly slightly more power (dfferent ECU) , still has bump steer

04-05 2.2L engine, more power, more torque, different bumpers, bump steer issue fixed along with other chassis tweaks, significant update

06+ Same as 04-05 but with VSC and DBW, not as much aftermarket parts availabe as of now


So which one is best? Can't really tell you. If I were to buy again I'd probably go with an 03 or 04-05.

 

How much do you save getting a pre-06 versus an 06? That's how I determined which to get. When I purchased my new 05, I had to pay an extra $3k more for the 06 and that wasn't worth it to me.

 

Same here.

It also depends on whether the following things matter to do:

- S/C right away
- different seat materials and design
- different wheels and steering wheel

etc.

 

06 also has/is...

- passenger airbag disable button (maybe important if you have kids?)
- rear speakers (if you like to hear your stereo)
- noticably louder on startup/warmup (I don't know if this matters)

I'd get an 04-05 because (mostly my opinion)...
- 06 wheels are ugly
- 06 seats are ugly
- rear speakers add weight
- airbag button looks ugly and cheap, like it was an afterthought

I'd get an 06 because
- you can use a hondata s200!

 

Someone really doesn't like the 06s