Sigh... so my RX-8 is on its way back to the shop again tomorrow, this time to fix a leak from the new transmission that was installed two weeks ago. The car has 36k miles.

I'm getting a little tired of it. While it is a fun car to drive at the limit, the build quality is starting to remind me a lot more of my '93 RX-7 than my '99 Miata. I've owned it for 18 months and 21k miles, and I've had both headlights, both tailights, motor mounts, plugs, coils, starter, battery, slave cylinder, driver's side outside mirror assembly and the transmission all replaced under warranty. I seem to spend more time driving loaner Mazda 3s than my own car these days.

When I bought the car, I had really wanted an S2000, but I decided to buy something with a backseat since we were trying to start a family. Since then I've decided that one family-friendly vehicle per household is probably plenty (my wife drives an '05 CR-V).

I'm seriously thinking of replacing the '8 with an S2000. I'm not partial to either the AP1 or the AP2 (I like and dislike things about both generations), but I'd like to spend less than $20k. Age matters less to me than condition, although I'd probably stay away from '00s and '01s (not a fan of plastic windows).

I'll be daily driving the car, plus using it for track days and the occasional autocross. I no longer care about SCCA competitiveness, since there are plenty of people out there willing to buy the "car of the month" and offer co-drives. I just want a fun car that gets more than 17mpg, won't beat me senseless on the 6-mile commute to work, and won't have to go back to the dealer every other week.

So tell me about your S - is it your only car? If so, do you like it? How many miles do you drive a year? What kind of gas mileage do you realistically get? How has the reliability been? Are there any particular issues I should look out for? Is the AP2 worth the extra money, or will a well-maintained AP1 make me happier?

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

I can write a whole book if I want to on how much I love AP1s and all the reasons! I bought my 01 S2K with a glass window conversion and '03 taillights and a few modifications.

I would recommend an '03 with some decent mileage! You can get it under $20K for sure!

I love my S, It is the only car that I have, I can not even think of driving anything else for sometime now! I was driving almost 80 to 100miles a day but now I moved close to work so it should be better. I drove in snow, rain, thunderstorms and all kind of stupid weathers. It is difficult sometimes but still the car is able to cheer me up by bringing a grin on my face whenever I hit VTEC!
I drive like crazy a** out there and still manage to get around 20mpg!

The most I got was I think 24 or 26MPG when I went to houston, still I drove over 80mph all the way.

In your price range I would go for an AP1, probably an '03 as center console is leather, it is hard to find clean carpet center console...
'03 has glass window and defogger, you do not need defogger, or I never needed it but glass window is something I really love, I would not have bought this '01 if there was a plastic window.

I gotta get back to work now, so if you have any mroe questions or concerns, I can reply when I take my next break..lol
Hoep this helps...

 

So tell me about your S - is it your only car?
No. I have a '95 Accord EX 5MT sedan for DD duties in addition to my MY03 S2000. I DD'ed the S2000 for about 6 weeks when I first got it. It was comfortable enough to DD, but I found myself driving more aggressively in it than I do my current DD... just because I could. You know... hey, there's a tiny hole in traffic where I could squeeze into and shave 17 seconds off of my morning commute. Yeah, let's go for it! {downshift... zoom...swerve... brake... more traffic} With the Accord, I just putter along in traffic and don't really 'drive hard'. If you've been DDing your RX-8, I doubt your driving style will change.

If so, do you like it?
I guess this doesn't apply to me, since I no longer DD it. My main complaint with the S2000 was the poor visibility with the top up. So... just don't drive with the top up.

How many miles do you drive a year?
I bought it around Christmas of 02 and I think I almost have 19K miles on it now. So, that's an average of around 3600 miles per year, I think. However, it has a history of being driven in spurts. Sometimes it will sit for 3-6 months at a time, and then suddenly I'll drive it every weekend for a month.

What kind of gas mileage do you realistically get?
27-30 highway. 25ish city/mixed. 8-12 track.

How has the reliability been?
On the OEM parts, pretty good. I had some Toda cams installed, and the first set grenaded on me, so I had to replace them. Other than that, the only issue I've had is repeated timing chain tensioner failures. I'm on my 3rd one. It's a 5 minute job to replace it (at least with a CAI installed), but it's still a $120 part. I also noticed at the track this weekend that my 4th gear is getting a bit grumpy, so I may have synchro/transmission issues soon. I suspect that may be self-induced though, from sloppy shifting.

Are there any particular issues I should look out for?
I think there's a thread on here somewhere (Maybe stickied in UTH or S2000 Talk) about buying a used S2000s and what to watch out for. The common issues I can think of are the TCT failures and wear holes in the top.

Is the AP2 worth the extra money, or will a well-maintained AP1 make me happier?
No idea. I've only driven the AP1. I think there are some good reasons why you'll find more than a few people that say that "03 was the best year". Elistan has a good review on AP1 vs AP2 vs CR somewhere around here. See if you can find that.

 

I see you in a C5 Vette to be honest, lol.

Anyways, it's a great car -

Some weak points of the car from an autocrossing/track-day point of view is that the diff cannot stand up to repeated abuse. That seems to be the concensus in the Competition forum.

Also, I hear wheel-bearing failure seems to be a problem for stritcly track S2000s. YMMV.

Personally, my diff has been fine. I also know that a lot of diffs locally that are autocrossed a bunch, and hold up fine. Otherwise, mechanically, the car is a "Honda" meaning, it's as reliable as any other well-maintained Honda for its age.

As for other little things I've heard about -
-top rattles
-top tears if you're topless often
-rear brakes make noise when backing out
-early S2000s didn't have their drive-nuts torqued enough, so they need to be re-torqued

There are probably more, but these are the problems that have afflicted my 02 S2000.

My advice between the ap1/ap2, is to test drive them yourself. My ap1 feels has a very different personality compared to the ap2. Def. more "raw." But ultimately, probably slightly slower than an ap2 around the track.

 

It's crossed my mind, but I'm leery of the tire budget and the build quality. A C5 Z06 would be nice, but a good one is more than I want to spend right now.

Besides, I don't own enough gold chains.

 

My wife drives ours as a DD, much of the same reasons as mxt_77, I'm much more responsible in our truck...I still grab the S on sunny days, under 85 degrees though

But she loves it as a DD...she's not very agressive, great gas mileage, again because she's not agressive and she still gets about 1/2 of those sunny days so she can enjoy it too (oh, and she makes more than me...a lot more )

-T

 

lol Iain...

I like my S2k more than any of my Miata's. Good luck on your search if you decide to get one


My DD gas mileage was ~23-25 on my daily 32-mile trip (one way) from Lewisville to FW. I got right around 30-31 down to Austin, San Antonio, and Houston on various trips. And I don't exactly baby the car all the time I put about 8k miles on it in slightly less than 3 months, before my whole mess (and when it is running again, I have a beater DD now). It's just as comfortable a DD as my RSX was


As for the rest, everybody else has summed up everything else that I'd add.

 

Had I bought a new car like you did and it had the issues yours had, i would have been SCREAMING lemmon law a long time ago. I'd be PISSED!


To answer your questions:

1. Not my only car, I have a 2004 Tacoma as a daily driver, and boat tow vehicle.

2. No i like it? Nope... I LOVE IT. Every time I get behind the wheel of that S2000 it feels (and smells) like a new car...

3. I bought the car 3/2005 with 18K and have 53K now, so I am averaging 11,700 per year, but the rate has decreased significanty as I have put only 3K in the last 5 months (or 7500/yr). Could i drive it every day and therefore into the ground without getting tired of it? Hell yes - this is the most fun car i have ever owned.

4. I am routinely getting ~275 miles to each tank and it takes about 10.5 to 11 gallons to fill up, so 25-26 mpg without driving it hard...

5. In the last three years that i've owned it, I replaced a lower end when the oil level got too low. The car obviously had an issue I was unaware of, as i have never had any oil consumption issues since Marcucci put a new motor in it. A year later, I had my AC compressor literally blew up and spewed oil/freon/metal shavings through the lines. Marcucci to the rescue again. I have spent ~$4200.00 on unscheduled maintenance, and had i been forced to use a dealer, it owuld have been more like 7500.00. Another note: I do not drive it in rain or snow...

6. I can't speak to whether the AP2 is worth the extra money, but I would not trade my AP1 for an AP2, so you can form your own opinions after driving each.

A few last notes... One of the things I love most about the S2000 besides the convertible and quickness, I don't see them all over the place like a Vette, Rustang, RX8, etc... When you pass another S2K, you usually get a wave or a wave back... And when I see another S, I always think to myself "There's another person that appreciates a great sports car..."


TxP

PS - No offense to anyone that owns an American car, but they do suck... And they fall apart after 36K. Just my own personal experience with the only one i ever owned.

 

is it your only car? No -- my DD is an '02 RSX Type-S for the time being

What kind of gas mileage do you realistically get? ~19-20 MPG per tank so far. It's never driven to work, usually only driven on weekends, and sees either highway cruising or high RPM operation.

Is the AP2 worth the extra money, or will a well-maintained AP1 make me happier? The only real issue I have with the AP2 is the short gearing. I wish it had an AP1 rear end with the AP2's F22C. (Sure, 9K RPM is nice, but I'd rather have the meatier torque curve and more horsepower.)

Ryan

 

yea ap2 ftw!!!