TunedS2000

I keeping hearing stories on the boards about how the 03 is the "pure" S2000. The 03 is not americanized. The 03 is faster a feels quicker. THe steering is better on the 03, The suspenstion is more race inspired. I made me feel like the 04 is a down grade rather then an upgrade.

PMantis24

Don't listen to other people's opinions. Drive both and make that decision for yourself

BBY2KS2K

RotoRooter

don't believe everything you read. Experience it yourself. Go take a test drive!

aris

Since you started this thread I would't consider 03 as the ''pure'' S2000.
Changes that were made from (99-2002) to (2002-2003) , sway bars, suspension, etc were actually the first step followed by more changes made to 04 for the S to become more civilized.
On the other hand, I think that the S appearance as the years are passing its becoming better & better.(exterior+interior)

hpark

there's a difference between "feels faster" and "is faster"...i think the MY04 is faster, both on the track and in a drag race...and it seems to be a more flexible car, but that's just me

Xplosiv

04 is faster, and it has more torque.

the pre03 are described as the "pure" S2000 cuz in Japan they are still running the same 9k redline F20C engine on all the new 04's.

Its really hard to say which car is better, but I do believe the difference is very marginal.

44Runner

The main reason I think of them as "more pure" is that no one tried to make the suspension more comfortable or make the steering easier to use. Its not user friendly. You have to know the car. Not something that the average lazy American wants, but definately something I love about the car...

Now do we have confirmation that the 04 is actually faster? Up until this point I have only heard people speculate that it was, but you seem to state it as fact. Am I just the last one to know?

Xplosiv

my neighbour recently bought an 04, after he fully broke in the car, he raced another S2000 buddy who has an 02, the 04 was very slightly faster.

natedoggs2k

I've also heard of people who raced stock pre-04's with a stock 04' back-to-back and switched drivers...and the pre-04's were quicker. So it goes both ways.

Look, what it comes down to is what you like more. They made some nice changes to the 04' that make it look good and also help with handling. Of course, they took away the 9K redline, but it still performs as well.

I think the difference between which one is faster is so marginal that it really doesn't matter or shouldn't be the issue when deciding which one to buy. A good driver can make either year faster than another.

So just get the one you like. Drive them both. I had an 01' and now have an 03'. I would have gotten an 04', but I saved a lot getting the 03' and decided to stick with it. I still like the 04' and wouldn't mind having one.