I have owned both, and I am not just saying this because I have switched to an S2000, but there is no comparison between the fun to drive factor.

The s2000 does everything better, and in some cases night and day better

Better turn in, agility is WAY better in the S2K
It's RWD
Better shifter
HID's
more powerful

I won't list them all, but if you can live with some of the S2000's limitations regarding being practical this is no contest.

Oh, and 15K should get you an AP2 as well, but it will have ~70K miles on it.

However, the Si is fun and might be the best choice for your situation. I think a test drive of an S2K might change your mind.

Have you test driven, or driven an S yet?

 

I will say this as a big Honda fan that has owned a dozen Honda's, including 4 s2000's and a 2008 Civic Si, run like hell from the Civic!

My civic was purchased brand new and had more problems than I could ever imagine. That was was constantly in the shop for issues with the paint, suspension, interior panels, etc. There are a lot of known problems with these cars and I would never, ever own one again. Certainally not without a warrenty!

The s2000 on the other hand, I have never had any issue or even a warrenty claim with. My first three MY03, MY04,MY05 were purchased brand new and never had any warrenty issues. Furthermore, as you can see from this site, the cars have a long history of problem-free ownership. There are some maintence issues that needed to be addresses (such as the top to avoid holes), but that will come with mostly any used car. My current s2000 is a MY08CR and was purchased with 3000 miles used. Again the car has been problem free and continues to make me happy every time I get to drive it.

Do keep in mind however the s2000 is not a practical car. If it fits your lifestyle enjoy it while you can! If not consider other options. There are a lot of good cars out there, the Civic Si is just not one of them IMHO.

 

Im in the same area as you. It hardly ever snows here..really a non issue. I daily drive my S with all seasons rated well for snow and never have any problems.

 

For reference, I own a 2011 Civic Si (black 4 door)and I'm 17 (I paid half dont think im spoiled lol)
Why do you think im on here? I bought an Si then realized I made a mistake and ive been trying to do everything i can to get into an S2000.
I love my Si a lot. Its not fast enough to get me in a lot of trouble but its quick enough to be fun. It handles really well for a FWD you would probably be suprised, but its still not RWD and never will have the same characteristics (although if you go for FWD for some reason this is what you should get). I have no experience driving in snow but from what I've read, you should be fine if you get some good snow tires and drive very very carefully.
^^^What's written above is a little exaggerated, but the paint has orange peel and chips(i have a lot on the front bumper from only a year)/scratches very easily, and some people have problems with fade and crows feet (im getting a few). Yes, the interior rattles a pretty good amount but i dont hear anything with my music on pretty low. I cant compare to an S2000 though as i have never owned one.
The Si will be easier day to day, i mean it has 5 seats and more amenities, but honestly, I'd prefer 2 seats and no amenities aside from ac and radio because ill always rather performance and simplicity. During the winter, you wont see any difference in performance, but i think it will be worth it in the summer. The S2000 puts down i think about 210whp stock, while the si will take I/H/E/FP to get to that point, at which it will still lose, but not by much, because the S2K is lighter. Flashpro will let you rev to 8.6k and make VTEC kick at around 4K, which means you have a wider powerband and only 400 less revs than an AP1. Hondata doesnt make flashpro or any other tuning solution for the AP1, although they do for the later AP2s.
You will go through tires much faster on the S2K, and they are staggered so you cant rotate and they are wider so they cost more. The S2000 will handle better obvisouly, but with the right mods the Si will beat it on track, but it will take some work to get it there.
In my eyes, the S2000 looks better and will get you more attention as well.
I love the interior and gauge setup on both of the cars, but i wish i only had two seats so i didnt have any more third wheels or have people get the back of my car dirty,
Id say go S2K!!!!!

 

As mentioned earlier, the current Si has many problems. I bought an 07 new along with my S at the time, bad decision. I loved the concept of the Si, fun to drive, very quick even torquey feeling, great sterio, roof, etc... As soon as it started with the 3rd gear poping, everything positive about the car was eclipsed by the lack of transmition. Do some research, and stay away from the Si...

 

A little exaggerated? Take a look at the civic forums. i found a list at one point of 100's owners with crows feet problems alone. I had 3/4 of my car painted under warrenty and the dealership said they had done quite a few. I dont know what color your civic is, but the dark colors are the worst with this problem and mine was black.


Thats just problems with the paint. I had issues with my factory battery, transmission, suspension, sun visors, interior panels on the rear pillars, the list goes on and on. The car had just 24,000 miles when I got sick of dealing with it and traded it in. Wierd part is the problems did not seem to start coming out until about 15,000 miles (other than the battery) and then the car just started falling about. Almost all the problems were common and/or had service bulletions. Fun to drive, but overall the worst car I have owned.

 

AP1 and a winter beater. Ap1s are cheapish now

 

Pretty good idea. I would focus more on getting an affordable car you can use this winter, while being patient and taking the time to find a nice AP1 you can afford and get a nice deal on. If it takes a while, that's ok. Be patient, and you can have the best of both worlds for about the same amount you are willing to spend right now.

Ideally, it would be smart to save, and buy a more affordable car, and the S will be waiting for you down the road. Since that doesn't appear to be what you would ever do, the advice above is probably your best bet, especially taking into consideration the Si problems.

As for the paint, I am partial, but I have 12,500 miles on my garage queen S, and it's never seen snow, let alone a lot of rain, yet I still have a dozen or so small rock chips on it (black dots), paint chipping off underneath, as well as mysterious scratches. I can't seem to stop it, even avoiding highway and winter. My front bumper is especially weak and so easily flawed. My former AP1 had about the same amount of rock chips as my AP2, and I put about 22k more miles on it, so I don't know whether the paint got cheaper, the crap on the roads got worse over the years, or perhaps back luck. Anyway, you might want to take that into consideration when looking for an S to use year round. Buying one that's pristine might make you cry before long. Best of luck in your decision.

 

I will keep this as short as possible. If you're looking for convenience/comfort then this is definitely not your car (although some would argue otherwise). The S2000 by no means is an easy car to drive (at least in my opinion) because it's so raw. I personally would not drive it in the snow.

This car was designed purely to offer its drivers one of the most incredible driving experiences ever found in any vehicle. And who could argue that? After all, it was designed by Shigeru Uehara who was close friends with the late Ayrton Senna.

The Si tries to combine performance/comfort/convenience all in one package and what do you get? Mediocrity in all of those aspects. The Si is many times better than a regular civic but that's not saying much.

I had a similar issue because I was considering between the S2000 and GTI, then I finally realized how dumb my dilemma was and picked up an S2000. As a 23 year-old college student, all I care about right now in a car is how good of a feedback it gives me while driving. It's an absolute BLAST to drive as I've mentioned before, and not to mention it's also quite rare. I've had mine for about 5 months now, and people who have seen my car can't believe it's a Honda. Also looks sexy as hell too!

If I were you I'd just get a beater car (if you don't already have a car) for now, graduate, get good job, and get a S2000 CR or NSX. lol. Don't waste your hard earned money on a car, that after all in the end, is just a civic.

Forgot to mention that I do have a beater car as well.

 

I'm on 8thcivic a lot, im BlackFA522 over there. Yeah I posted on the thread a few days back, im at 10k and i have about 2 places on the hood with 2 feet each now, hopefully it doesnt get any worse. I havent had any real trouble with anything yet, but then again you said it all started happening around 15k. I might have an S by then idk. My thrid gear does pop out, but all i do is shove it a little harder into third on all shifts and the problem was solved. The interior rattles like crazy. Does the S rattle at all? My front right strut makes some squeaky noises when i go over bumps while braking but it happens to all of them, the top of the strut touches the window wiper housing, it came out after my first autox. One tip: from what i read, never run r-comps on a stock si, or else everything will get messed up, it needs much higher spring rates to run comps without putting a lot of stress on the car. Ive never had any problems on the interior although it does rattle. I cant say how it compares to anything because i havent had anything else and ive only had this a year, but i take really good care of it.