Hello all,

My first post here. I'm looking to buy a small sports car that is reliable and fun to drive. I was looking at the new BRZ for a while, but since I live at altitude (Denver) the car really is around 170 HP up here, so I wanted something with a little more power to offset the horsepower loss. I recently looked at the comparison video on youtube about FRS vs S2000 vs RX8 which reminded me of S2000's. S2000's have been through the depreciation curve already so it would save me some coins as well, although I was pleasantly surprised (and dismayed at the same time) to find out they hold their value too well.

I read about different years of S2000's and I think I'm going with 2002-3 for AP1, or 2004-6 for AP2. I don't have a problem buying slightly higher mileage S2000 if it was maintained properly since Honda has that legendary reliability going for them, even more so than Subaru. I currently own a 06 STI and I will be buying this car to accommodate my current car. Due to that, I don't really care about practicality, hp or torque numbers but I would like slightly more comfortable ride than my 06 STi along with the driving experience you only get from RWD cars. I don't want to be slower than mommy vans either though.

First I thought I was going to get the AP1 for 9,000 rev limit but I heard AP1 is much harder to control than AP2 is. Since I'm used to stupid high AWD traction (and bad driving habits that go with it) that might be an issue. I want a car that is fun to drive and I don't care about going 0.5 second faster. What would you recommend?

 

I'm strongly suggest buying an 06+ S2000. This will give you the option down the road to tune it with a hondata kit, giving you the best HP gains possible without boost. Both cars are equally fast, as your research will show.

I'm not sure how much more comfortable you're going to find the car. The S is by far louder, lower, firmer and smaller cabin.

That said, it's a lot more fun to drive, and doesn't suffer motor problems.

 

Pre 06s can be tuned easily with a VAFC and see significant gains. Many people say the VAFC is crap but I gained 22whp peak and more power across the entire rev range from my tune .

You can't really go wrong with any year S2000.

 

That would be a awesome combination of cars to own. I currently have a 02 S2000 and one of my favorite cars has always been a 06-07 STI.
The AP1 is more tail happy but I like the 9k redline and having no drivers aids like traction control. Makes it more of a drivers car.

 

Years without glass windows aren't very good. The interiors seemed a little nicer then 00-01 in my opinion.

While you can tune I believe the Hondata is the best for the money.

 

The ap1 is a little more twitchy but it's definitely not really hard to drive compared to an ap2, it really depends on how much you drive her and if you can handle the power. I decided on an ap1 because of the 9k and it felt more fun to me personally. I drive a 12' wrx daily and I think my s2k is an awesome fun car, you'll feel great about owning both coming from a subie fan as well . Presto hit the nail on the head though saying you cant go wrong with any year s2k, they're all fun and you'll love any year of car you might purchase! As far as the traction differences just don't drive like a complete a$$ and you should be good!

 

I think I've only been in an STI once at an autocross event and I wouldn't call the S more comfortable from what I can recall. I find the S comfortable but that's all relative and subjective. BRZ (or anything that is a GT) would probably be a better choice if comfort is a priority for you.

If you don't care about HP then why do you mention it in regard to the BRZ at altitude? Are you sure you don't care about torque? A number of people don't care for the S's lack of torque (though some reconsider after selling their S's).

That's a driver issue not a problem with the S itself. Model year isn't going to matter. Probably the same for other small sporty cars as well -- even the BRZ considering altitude (minivans aren't exempt from the effects of altitude, right?).

Do some test driving in the various options you're considering. Even S owners don't all have identical preferences. Don't rely on specs alone. Find out if you want the higher redline. Find out if having less tail happiness is what you want. Find out if 170HP at altitude isn't enough. Find out if the S's torque is enough for you. Test driving is how to determine all these things. You won't find these things by reading or polling. You have to determine exactly what "fun to drive small sports car" means to you. If everyone had the same exact defintion then we'd all be driving the exact same car and you wouldn't even need to ask -- just buy what everyone else owns.

As S owners we obviously find the S to be a fun to drive small car but there are plenty of others that don't like rowing through the gears or having to rev the engine. We can't tell you where your priorities and preferences lie on these matters. Sort all that out and THEN find the car that meets your requirements versus just selecting the car first.

If you enjoy rowing the gears in a car with an excellent shifter that makes you feel one with the car, a car that is clearly designed with a focus on canyon carving/twisties, and don't have a torque fetish then the S may be for you. Again, first hand experience is the best way to confirm.

 

Thanks for the replies.

Right, I guess I've contradicted myself a bit. What I mean by hp / torque numbers is that they don't need to be that high but I also appreciate being able to accelerate swiftly. I believe BRZ at my altitude does 0-60 in high 7 to low 8 sec range which I think is too slow even if I say I don't care for HP numbers. There is a youtube video of an 6MT FRS at 5500 ft with two guys in it doing a 0-60, and it did in just over 10 seconds. (FR-S 0-60 Mile high mash up).

S2000 is probably going to be in the high 6 second to low 7 second range up here which is fine with me. As far as ride quality, being hard is fine but the ride in my STi is more jiggly and bouncy than just being hard. Our struts are over damped and even though I have stiffer springs than stock in that it still is bouncy.

 

Sure, S2000's are cheaper then they were when they came out, but with a limited market and high demand, the appreciation curve is setting.

 

We're just a few decades away from them being back to MSRP!!!