i wanted an sh myself about a half dozen years ago. Its a great car. As for your question: My best sugestion would be to test drive one and see if you get enough utility from the $$$.....imo if you can pay to play i believe you will be highly satisfied

 

I love Honda. My last honda was an Accord, I bought it with 195K miles on it, then added another 100K. I literally drove it unitl the wheels fell off. When I waited a while b4 getting serious about buying a new car. I looked for a few months... When I saw the S2K in the lot, I thought "That looks like a serious car, and expensive...." the salesguy asked me if I wanted to take it for a ride, to which I replied, "Well, I'm an enemy of convertibles, and 2 seaters. That car would be totally impractical! .... OK!" I thought, there's no way I'm gonna buy this car. I took it out, and made a remark to the salesguy, "This car isn't very fast!" He laughed at me, and said, "You're not really driving it...!" OHHHH, I can DRIVE IT! After that first ride, I was HOOKED. I drove about 10 other cars, luxury and sports cars. I just kept obsessing about the S2K. I drove a few other S2K before I finally went back and bought the one I first drove. It was the only car that held my attention and got me excited. I haven't had any buyers remorse. The more I drive it and the more I learn about it, the more I love it. From a purely emotional standpoint, DO IT!!!!!!
Best,
Colleen

 

If you are looking at used, look for the 02 and up mainly for the glass rear window and defroster.

 

I have a modified 5th gen:
neuspeed strut, kyb agx's on neuspeed sports, ES bushings all around, MSD ignition and coil, aem cai, 5zigen catback, 17" rims, zex kit... u name it.
As for your questions:

How well does a modified s2000 handle compared to a modified Honda Prelude?
For a stock suspension setup, the S2k handles unbelieveably well. It very nimble, the weight is significantly noticable, and the steering response of the s2k is simply amazing. The S is track bred steering and response. My Prelude is a dedicated track car (VIR, summit pt, kershaw). Prelude does decent but a well learned driver in a S2000 is way more potent.

What are some common problems S2000 owners run into with these cars?
Well, I found out after having the prelude for years, it does not have a glove box (has center storage which is minimal), one cup holder in the older models, no intermittent wiper fade control, and plastic back window is crap (I had it replaced and it still got scratched, wrinkled, clouded visibility). Others also dislike the stiff suspension but if you had aftermarket shocks on your prelude, this is tame in comparison.

How does an s2000 fair being a daily driver?
It does get a little revvy, but no more than other vtec engines. If you drive mild mannered, it's quite a nice ride. Of course I doubt you will be able not to hit the 6k vtec engagement point nor the 9k redline. Others dislike the exhaust volume but again if you had an aftermarket exhaust, it's tame in comparison.

Are s2000's relatively expensive to insure?
I traded my 2003 Eclipse GTS for an 01 s2000 and my insurance went down $100??? That alone should tell you it's not expensive to insure.

Would buying a low milage s2000 be reliable?
Yes, I have 22k miles on an 01 and the engine bay looks new, and runs like a champ. I don't know about your prelude but my h22a ran fine until I started modding it like crazy, and got the occasional minor (but annoying at the most) repair.

Is the car a lot more fun to drive than a prelude? (s2000/X prelude owners?)
Oh hellz yes. The s2000 is everything prelude owners want the next prelude to be. Don't get me wrong, I still love driving the prelude, but the s2k is a dream to rip the roads on. The seats hug you... it just seems track ready.

my shameless plug:

 

I use to own a 2000 prelude sh. It was modded with basic bolt on's along with JDM goodies...it was a show car. Anyhow, I never really pushed my car to the limit, but I can say that my prelude handled pretty well...especially due to the active torque transferring system that came in the sh model. It was a fun car to drive and I still miss it sometimes. I personally think prelude looks really nice...very classy.

As for the S...it's an amazing machine. I love it. I test drove it and I was sold on the spot. It feels very nimble and the handling is just awesome. I love driving my S as I feel like the car was tailor made for me. I'm 5 10 so the car fits like my favorite pants. If you are 6 or taller...you might be a little cramped inside. The prelude definitely offers more interior space. It's kind of hard to compare the prelude and the s. I think they are two different cars. Finally, as for daily driving the s...I don't see a problem unless you get snow like I did today here in chicago. But luckily...I don't drive my s in winter...

By all means, I don't think you'll regret getting the s. I don't really know of any problems with the s as I'm a new owner. I think s is as reliable as any other hondas.

 

thanks for the replies....I need to think through this....cause I wouldn't mind having a nice car like an S sitting in my garage

But on the other hand...its still 4-5K more for a S.

 

I had a 2001 Type R and I thought that was better than any prelude that I had driven.. but man... S2000 I think even kills the type r, can't beat RWD

 

Whats 4-5k if your allready paying 20g?

get the S

 

I bought my 2000 Integra GS-r brand new when I was 19. That car had alot of money into it before I sold it. It was a great car, I drove it hard but never abused the car. Lets just say that the Preludes, RSX-s, and Type R's didnt get the W when they raced me. I never thought that I could have a better handling and performing Honda until I bought the S2 this past May. Im 21 now and let me tell you that this car is more then I could ask for from my Integra. Of course we dont make the same HP with boltons that I did with the GS-r but the S2 is refined in more ways then can be explained. Its a car that you have to spend some time with to learn, I didnt understand the car until just recent. I just recently lowered it with the Tein Stech spring (the pictures arent up yet) and it feels great to drive everyday. Listen Im a cop down in the city, if I can drive this car in NYC, you can blast through a nice California canyon road anytime!

 

Alright guys...Looks like I'll return the prelude back to stock and sell the car. I'll be looking into purchasing a used s2000 with about 20-30K miles on it for a price tag of 18-20K.

Which color should I buy?

I like black, white, and the lightest color silver (Which color is this). I just seem to like those colors. Hopefully I can close the deal within a couple months I have a lot of mods to take off and sell before doing the deal