Hey folks, I got a 09 Champ white FN2 type R few months back but just don't enjoy it. Then it clicked, the thing that got me into Hondas were a family members prelude and S2000 in the mid 2000s. I made a mistake getting a type R, totally wrong car for me both driving wise and aesthetically. I've wanted an S2K before I even applied for my provisional so I have no idea why I didn't consider it before the Type R.
I defo want a Moonrock S2000. (I love this colour like champ white on the type r). I'm getting a fuzzy feeling about owning one.

Year wise, I read on various forums to go for the 04-05 years as they get the facelift + don't have the tax rise. But the 06+ have braking safety features amongst other benefits. I don't like driving my type R much aggressively but sometimes I like the straight line VTEC as opposed to round B roads and that's how I think I will drive an S2K. I want one more for how they look, feel and sound instead of just performance. Thus how big a difference do you find in the 04-05 over the 06 on wards?

Lastly my budget probably doesn't stretch to a low miles/remarkable one from a dealer so I will be looking for private enthusiast owned ones bearing in mind the various issues like rust. I'm accustomed to trusting 100K+ K20 engines so i imagine the f20s arent much different with regular servicing? About £9-10k should buy a 2004-2005 moon rock privately at maybe a bit over 100k? Scouring the market but the moon rocks seem far n few.

cheers

 

the facelift cars look better with 17s, updated bumpers and lights etc and a few bits underneath, lots of tweaks over the years to suspension, it doesnt sound like with your planned use you'd notice

moonrock is only available on later cars too

they also have VSA, think it was an option then std, stability control, you dont need it imo, maybe if used in bad weather?

well looked after the f20c will last yes, really late cars had issues

rust is your enemy assuming good service history, find a nice one, clean the soft top drains, waxoyl the arches and sills and enjoy it.. they sound better with an exhaust and an intake imho

 

Yes i don't see myself driving it hard at all. I'll restrict my search to 04-05 then. Silverstone silver looks gr8 aswell. Is it subfranme rust you are referring to and generally is it just a weld job or more sinister?

 

the rear arches are an issue, basically how the soft top drains can get blocked in which case rain will overflow onto rear arches and sills

the boot can also leak and rust from the inside though thats much more fixable

they van rust underneath but less commonly terminal

 

looks like a lot to consider, will keep this in mind. I might just wait for the right one here on the forums as opposed to gumtree/autotrader as the rust might not have been attended to.

In fact there is a 2004 or 2005 moon rock grey someone has posted, but it seems too modded for my liking. I like my cars stock

 

Couple of things - VSA is only on 06 onwards.

And don't discount modified cars. If they've got a select few mods which include 'fixes' for common problems, it probably indicates a well cared-for car. And a few bolt-on mods can easily be returned to stock.

The one for sale seems to be a good car, at first glance. A few 'fixes', a couple of aesthetic mods including replacement of the dire head unit and sound deadening, and a couple of bolt-ons. No power mods, no handling mods, no bad body kit.

 

It does look like a looked after example and decent mileage (not really what im fixated on). But I don't think I could live with the red interior otherwise I would be strongly considering it. (maybe its an acquired taste). Search is now restricted to 04-05 moonrock + black interior. Only a few days into looking for one and there are many to choose from. But from questionable sources like facebook marketplace.

 

Fully understand your Moonrock color fascination! The closest match we got in the US was Chicane Silver. All black interiors, like my '06 Silverstone, are boring.

"Facelift" is a misnomer but a convenient term. Honda made significant changes to the car every two years starting in 2002. 2004 was a major upgrade that included many things in addition to "facelifting" the styling with bigger wheels/tires and front and rear fascia.

The US (and later Japanese) cars got the better (or at least bigger) AP2 (2.2) engine but all cars got the suspension and other changes. Two years later, in 2006, the cars got more suspension changes and DBW throttles that added traction control and stability assist (Honda avoided the term stability control). 2006+ cars have all Honda's engineering and experience in the cars including the ability to be tuned for more mid-range power without resorting to aftermarket ECUs.

Five years ago I limited my search to 2006 and later cars and see no reason to change my priority, especially since I'm not tuned for a 3600rpm VTEC engagement and significantly more mid range power (and acceleration).

-- Chuck

 

I've been looking at the ones prior to 2004 and those after. The differences dont look huge but i think i'm more accustomed to seeing 2004+ models so those are the ones I will go for.

The red i just dont see being viable as a background driving colour. Brown/leather I could do but red pops out a lot. The vast majority of 04-05 moon rocks are combined with red interiors, so I dunno if thats a factory combination?

Regardless in terms of modding/tuning I'm really not much into it, even my stock k20 type r is more than enough power for me. I would most likely drive with a hardtop on and like a 1.4L civic majority of the time. (I appreciate the car for its design more than performance, and away from the other Honda offerings like the civic). The main thing is the lack of VSA, which my type r has and I've never taken it off so unsure how I will manage without it. Especially in a RWD (whch ive never driven before, always had FWD).

 

The '06 and later VSA can be switched Off (big button on the instrument panel) when you want to play boy racer in the roundabouts or a large parking lot. I leave it On in my car. Only major activation was a curve outside a local car wash where there was a lot of soapy water dripped on the road. Happened (and cured) so fast I didn't have time to soil my underwear.

-- Chuck