It was 20 years ago today, and 250k miles later.

It has been trouble-free from the get-go aside from wear and tear items and the big ones are below.

Some may argue why go OEM. After getting the Dan Carney development book back in 2015 and reading what Honda went through with R&D I couldn't go aftermarket.

All I can say is after 2 decades of ownership, I still get excited. There hasn't been a car that has come close to in feel to the S2000. And not just dynamically, but from the distance of the shifter from the steering wheel to the seating position where the driver door and high transmission tunnel makes you feel like you're in an open-wheel race car going for pole position in Monaco. I've driven and looked at other cars from Japan and Europe, and nothing has come close in the last 20 years.

And of course what hasn't been said about the motor, the shifter, and the handling. Add all of it up, and that's why it's been 20 yrs.

- OEM Cat Converters (2016 and 2026)
- OEM Shocks (2018)
- OEM Clutch (2022 w/224k miles)
- OEM Upper and Lower Control Arms and Bushings (2024)
- OEM Radiator (2025)

*** I know there are still a lot of original owners going strong and way past 250k miles. And for those that wonder what VTEC is like at 250k, still the same after 20yrs.

 

Love it. Gorgeous.

Honda did over engineer this car but remember everything is made to fit a price point. That's why they used solid rotors in the rear--it saved money. The parts they needed to overengineer, like the engine, transmission, and stuff, they did. The stuff they could save money on, they used something a bit cheaper. I know Brembos weren't super common back then (it really started taking off in the mid-2000s to throw Brembos on everything), but there is a reason they went with floating two pistons in the front. They also did a bunch of stuff to reduce NVH like those god forsaken engine mounts that self-destruct every few years.

That said, there is no such thing as a bad S2000. Completely stock? Great. Modified? Great. Track car? Great. Stanced? Great. Show car? Great. Every S2000 is a great S2000 because the owner will invest their heart and soul into making it great for them, and that's exactly what Shigeru wanted from the owners of these cars.

 

No doubt, the main areas they over-engineered like you said, and there are parts they didn't to save cost. In the end it wasn't a six figure sports car during its time.

A car that was around during the same time that was about $10k more was the E46 M3, and while a great car, the mechanical bits wasn't as robust as the S.

It could be how I drove my S, but my thinking though... if the OEM parts lasted as long as they did, to me it was worth staying OEM when it came to replacing.

 

The rule is every part should be kept OEM unless it's an upgrade. So if you get 4-piston calipers like AP Racing or Wilwood, that's an upgrade. Otherwise, the OEM calipers are great and will fulfill 95% of use cases. The radiator basically has two choices, Koyorad or OE. The stock Showa dampers are awesome (and I think Spoon sells them) but Öhlins respond better thanks to the modern digressive valving, though they will need to be rebuilt after like 30k miles. But things like the coil packs, rod bearings, clutch, wheel bearings, clutch master cylinders, ball joints, half shafts, and so on are just better stock because the quality is that good. The OEM engine mounts, however, suck. I understand why they made them but them failing in the way that they do isn't great.

A ton of people only use Honda OE parts on their cars and upgrade the stuff that they can upgrade without issue.

That said, I planned to keep my S2000 100% stock until I drove a friend's S2000 that was modified and that plan flew out the window. Thing drove like it was on rails and I just wanted to replicate it. A well-sorted S2000 is a wonderful thing.

 

There is something to be said for keeping it totally stock for value. For posterity. Even if it stays in family, at some point its value will be too great to just totally romp on. Fun drives, not 10/10 drives.

In that case, having the nostalgia of originality will have sentimental value, besides just monetary.

Already mentioned was koyo radiator. Stick radiator was one of those save money areas so we can spend on the more important stuff. It works fine, its just not built to last longer than typical CRV owner keeps a new car. Same basic Honda radiator design in all vehicles.

That is an area where an upgrade makes clear sense. But only when stock one fails. Which they almost always do gradually. Seepage. So plenty of warning and car doesn't have to be garaged immediately.

Its that sort of ethos, when oem paets finally wear out, is there a better option? A no compromises better option. That works as good or better than stock for your use case, and will last longer.

 

I recently started to daily mine, I upgraded tires, adjusted coils a bit and did a fresh alignment. I typically have 2+ cars but I had the s2000 sitting outside for 2 years adding maybe a few thousand miles total. It really is a phenomenal vehicle and relatively practical to daily. I had an AP2 back in 2012 and regretted selling it. These cars are special, and still at an attainable price point. I'm at 150k now, yours looks pristine at 250k!

 

Thanks!

With cheap Honda paint I always took care of the paint since day one with pre and post drive treatment, and she does have many battle scars that pictures don't show.

She was the daily up doing 16-18k a year and what changed aside from the miles getting up there was stopped traffic on the freeway in the #2 lane and a F150 that wasn't looking ahead that missed hitting the S by a foot. Thank god I gave myself room with the car in front of me so I could move up about 1/2 car.

Now I just drive her very early in the morning on the weekends which is better and more fun with less cars on the road.

 

That is a super clean car for 250,000 miles!!

Mine is a bit rougher at only 165,000 but ... autox car and track car most of its life. Has been crashed on track once and repaired and of course is modified. Still looks pretty good and gets tons of compliments, but obviously not even close to as clean as yours

 

They're wonderful dailies. I have yet to find another car I enjoy driving everyday enough to stop driving the S. I'm chasing the high of 500k miles like that other guy on here (F in the chat for his car). It's more impressive seeing the crazy high mileage cars than the low mileage cars. It just proves how durable these things are.

 

OP, such a great post. Thanks for sharing! I have driven a lot of cars at or near the limit at various price points over the last 25 years, and you put it best: There is nothing like the S2000. Nothing that I have driven feels like an S2000. The Elise, Exige and Evora are probably the closest just in terms of how raw they feel and how the controls feel, but even those are very different. And the S2000 has its big trump card, which is the reliability that you talk about.

And, as someone else said, the platform is so versatile. Mine is a supercharged AP1 that is tuned to perform at Cayman GT4 levels as the benchmark. And, I know that the Cayman GT4 chassis is not as engaging and it doesn't feel as raw as the S2K.

My wife has a rule that I can only have one fun/weekend car at a time. I have considered moving onto something else multiple times. But in 5 years, I haven't. Hearing stories like this, knowing that I have such an unique car that I can enjoy reliably for many more years to come is the reason.

I met a guy with a C8 Z06 recently and I told him about my S2k. And he told me, "oh, I am sure you have another, nicer car." I didn't say anything, but I was thinking in my head, brother, if you only knew. If you only drove the S2000, you'd know.