Some excellent points made in the posts above. I didn't mean the statement above in a bad way at all. All I meant was all AP2 owners had a choice between AP1 and AP2 in 2004 and later whereas all AP1 owners didn't have that choice since many purchased them before 2004.

I'm the opposite...I never buy the first model year because of possible issues and kinks that need to be worked out. I appreciate that the AP1 was the more groundbreaking of the two at the time, but when I made a decision to buy an s2000 in 2012, I drove both models and chose the AP2 because I wanted the tweaks and the engine that it offered as it would meet my needs better. The fact it was less groundbreaking meant very little to me. I didn't want to deal with burning oil, retainer issues, and a couple of other things when I could just get an AP2. I also had supercharging in mind so that played a role.

 

While I will agree the AP2v2 wheels are classy, the AP2v3s are far from "comically cheap" looks. They are some of the best looking factory five spokes ever created.

 

Sure the F20C won it 4x in a row, but the F22c did not exist then. Gee I wonder why it didn't win during those AP1 years.. Even when the F22C came out, the F20C still existed but did not win thereafter. By then, these engines were outdated. Even the almighty F20C didn't have enough to win it again. Most logical people would pick a magazine's opinion over those on the forum? You got to be joking. I don't bench race. I look at the fact and formulate my own opinions. You do realize when people post on this forum, they're asking for opinions from other S2000 members right?

Of course you owned one. They also ranked the BMW 320 diesel ahead of the S2000. I suppose you owned that too? The GTi is a superior car to the S2000 because C&D ranked it higher on the list (according to your logic).

I'm not an AP2 guy. Like I said, I would have bought an AP1 if most weren't so beat up. My Honda is a daily driver and either one would have been fine. No one is trying to put down the F20C as much as you're putting it on a pedestal.


Terms like 'special' are subjective. They're not opinions.

I think this is what most people have been trying to tell you. They're essentially the same figgin car (again which is why either one have been fine with me). You say the AP2 is watered down yet turn around and say they're essentially the same car with tweaks? The differences between the two cars are minor. Neither one is going to give you and edge over the other. We're not talking base Civic vs Civic Si. Base 911 vs 911 GT3, and etc.

I'm not on a mission to convert AP1 owners to AP2. Everyone knows the details of AP1 and AP2 so nothing is new. This is all fun and games to me because it's interesting watching people argue over cars that have been out of production for years. I must admit, I'm guilty of adding fuel to the fire. There is a reason why I rarely post and this thread (not OP's fault) is exactly why. I moderate on other car forums where most people seem to get along, but S2ki is a different story. There is hostility whenever AP1 and AP2 are mentioned in the same sentence.

 

You keep saying we don't get it. Please stop that. Yes, there are a few dogmatic people that think the F22 is better in every way, that it is superior. But most of us, even those that prefer the F22 for ourselves, recognize and appreciate the F20, for its importance, its history, its legacy, its fun, etc.

But the truth is by making the F22, they improved some things, at the slight compromise of other things. Depending on what you value more determines which is better suited to you.

But either way, these cars are way more alike than they are different, and both near equally different than most other cars.

Its like Valencia orange and Navel orange in a world full of apples...

Sent from my SM-G920P using IB AutoGroup

 

Wow... Still missing the point about the F20c and its awards and accolades. It won because it set new benchmarks that the F22c parameters wouldn't have.

What don't you get about that????

And the F20c is still looked back upon as unique and groundbreaking....

The AP2 is a better car but the AP1 is a better S2000.

 

 

Yep. Not surprising this thread has gone this way. Always does when AP1/AP2 comparisons pop up. And I am not sure why. It's as debatable as the Android/Apple conversation is, and is just as much of a waste of time.

Either way, AP1 or AP2, it's a great car to drive. Who cares which is better?

 

I may have one of each in the near future but will love them equally!

 

See... the thing is that my point isn't an indictment on the F22c. It is a modified version of the F20c with different parameters. It is still a bulletproof version of the original......

But EVERY TIME the 9K Rpms and HP to Liter issue is mentioned, the US AP2 guys always chime in why it is "overrated", no big deal... etc...

Well, what made this car legendary was the F20c whether you want to accept it or not.... This is undebatable.... Call me an idiot for sensationalism in journalism blah blah blah...... But fact is that your AP2 with F22c wouldn't be as highly regarded as it is if Honda didn't make the F20c. And as I said..... Most enthusiasts who aren't s2000 people remember the car for its original configuration and not the F22c.... This is simply a fact..... People who know will ask me "is that the 2.2L or the 2.0L?

The AP2 in its entirety is a better car in many ways.... but the ONE aspect of the original car that was its most important attribute was modified to appease the US market..... But for the purists among us..... It lost some of its soul.... This is obvious because this topic always seems to hit a nerve.....

So when I concede the point which I have since the beginning that the AP2 is the better car..... The AP1 is the true S2000.....

 

Well there is one solution...

If I drove it as a daily driver I may have bought an Ap2, but my other car is a Subaru Outback and I couldn't imagine living with any S2000 as my only car.... Not with a big dog and a house to do DYI projects....

I don't know how you guys do it as a DD.....