In my search for my first S2K I found a 2003 that I can buy with or without the factory hardtop. The hardtop adds $3,600 to the price.

This car will be a weekend toy for me, no track. I have a Golf R DD.

So for you folks with a hardtop, how often do you use it? Will I regret not buying it later? Would really prefer to save the money, but I do not want to kick myself down the road (no pun intended).

Thank you in advance for the guidance.

 

I used mine all the time. I would suggest buying it with the hardtop, if you find you don't use it enough, you could sell it probably for as much, if not more than, $3200.

 

3x the price of a hardtop in the UK !!

 

Ofccc, the value has nowhere to go but up! (unless you drop it)

 

Hardtop color will also determine the selling price in the future. Good luck with your purchase.

 

Meh
I bought this car for top down enjoyment. In the fall I do drive with the top up quite a bit but my soft top doesn't leak and the wind noise I find is minimal (compared to past convertibles I've owned).
I'd look for the right car first, if it came with a hard top that is a plus - if the hard top was a premium I'd pay if the car was the one I wanted over another.
I also prefer the look of the soft top over the hard top. Some may disagree but I feel the car was designed around the soft top and the lines and shape work well. The hard top to me (even OEM) looks like an afterthought.

 

I have no use whatsoever for a hardtop on a S2000. This is a summer, occasional use car. If I wanted a coupe I'd buy one.

OE hardtops demand and get premium prices well exceeding $3000 so if it's really a genuine Honda you can easily sell the roof. All assuming there's an excellent convertible roof on the car too. And the car itself if worth the money. 2003 cars are in the unfortunate position of being the last year of the old model with the small engine, little wheels, and lacking other refinements and genuine improvements.

-- Chuck

 

While I agree with some of what Chuck S has mentioned above, I tend to take a much less "abrasive" approach...

I bought a S2000 strictly with the intention of enjoying the car for top down motoring on days with nice weather. Occasionally I've found myself caught out in the rain, in which case the soft top does just fine — I've been caught out in some pretty heavy rain over on the coast with no leaks at all. When the weather gets to a point where I would consider installing a hard top, then I'm typically putting the car away in the garage instead. This would absolutely be the case if I lived in a location where the roads are salted during the winter season. If I did still live in such a location, then I'd be more suspicious of a car being sold with a hardtop from the perspective of potential rust issues. I would want to inspect that car even more thoroughly as a result. That's largely because I'm of the opinion that hard tops are only to be used in the wintertime. To me, any car that's been designed as a roadster always looks worse with the hard top installed. While Honda did a nice job with the hard top for this car, the S2000 is no exception in my opinion. However, there are some who disagree with me and prefer the looks of the hard top, to the point that they choose to run the car with the hard top over enjoying the car with the top down. It makes no sense to me to run a hard top on a roadster year round, but everyone's different.

Generally speaking, much like aftermarket accessories, OEM hard tops will bring far more money when they are sold separately from the car. Typically when the hard top is sold with a car it might raise the asking price by maybe $2K tops but usually less based on my observations. That's assuming the hard top is in excellent condition. Then it is up to the new owner to figure out what to do with the hard top at that point. If you're one who plans to use the hard top then great, if you aren't then it's just one more thing taking up space in the garage that you'll need to be careful with. The seller of the car you're considering is obviously familiar with what genuine OEM hard tops are selling for on the used market. So in this particular case, I'd guess that they are likely asking too much for the car with the top included. If would be more helpful if you could tell us a bit more about the overall condition of the car (also is it all original or has it been modified), along the mileage, the color and the asking price(s).

Chuck likes to make it sound like the earlier AP1 cars are inferior. But every generation of this car has it's fans. I tend to think of 2003 and earlier cars as just being a bit different than the 2004 and later cars. This is primarily because of the engines used, the changes made to the front and rear lights and bumpers and a number of changes made to the chassis and the wheel/tire sizes. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that you've already checked out the "Which batch of the S2000" thread that is also currently being discussed elsewhere around here. So there's no need to rehash those differences in more detail. It sounds like you've figured out that you want an AP1 car. That's cool, if I were looking for an AP1 I'd likely focus on the 2003 models as well for a variety of reasons. Maybe post up some more details about this car you're looking at if you get the chance. Good luck!

 

I've owned an S2000 since November of 1999. I have had three OEM hardtops. I sold my last hardtop ten years ago and have no intent to own another.

On the other hand, if it's black and in good condition, it will be a worthy investment. For sure, you will not lose money on a black OEM hardtop.

 

Another reason some want a hardtop is for track use. I've never had one, or had much reason to need one, but if I had a chance to pick up a good example for reasonable money, I would. If I ended up not using it, selling it probably would not be a big problem.