Cappa

Hi all,

Apologies for the bog standard 'hi I'm new here and I'm thinking about an S2000...' post, but, here goes.

I currently drive an '95 N/A MR-2 and I'm looking for a replacement for it. Essentially speaking the car is a complete dog, and really just needs to go in the bin. It's starting to rust, there's a fault with the engine and so on... The problem being that I do enjoy driving the car, on the one or two days a year that it's working properly. It's just that it is very rare for it to be at that stage.

Considering that it's also a step up, I'm considering an S2000. I enjoy cars that are powerful up high and have to be worked to get the best out of, hence why the logical upgrade to an MR-2 turbo is out, but I do have a few concerns about the S2000:

I have heard some horror stories about the build quality on these cars; my MR-2 specialist is adamant that if I buy one it will fall apart. What are you guys experiences with it in this respect. I've read the PDF document on this site and aside from the tracking bolts there's nothing too major by the looks of it. But I've heard about wheel bearings dying early, engines blowing up, ABS Sensors going and so on. Is this car likely to be in the garage more than it is out on the road, and is it a complete dog to work on? (like the MR2...)

Practicality - I get the train to work so it's not a daily driver exactly, but I do take my cars out a couple of nights a week and on the weekend. Is that common or to people strictly keep them for special occasions, or is it common to daily them? The car will have to be kept outside as well; I don't have a garage. Again, will that cause a problem?

Sense of occasion - The one thing about the MR I really liked was that (aside from the comfy seats) every time you got in it you felt like you were in a proper piece of machinery and the car felt like it had real purpose, you were sat a few inches off the deck, with a great pedal position.

Price, purchase, the likelihood of buying a dog etc. I've been doing a bit of reading, and in a perfect world I'd be looking at an AP1 with a glass rear window. How hard it is to actually find a car that's worth buying, and one that will give me years of happy motoring. In other words, how many dogs are there around; I've been stung with the MR-2, but it was only a couple of grand. With the S2 I'd be looking at more. Equally, what price should I be paying. I've been scanning pistonheads recently and there have a been a couple of low (40-50k) mileage import cars going for around the £5k mark. Is that really just asking for trouble? Or should I be going around and looking at test driving cars?

Community - In my, humblest of opinions, the MR-2 community aint up to much. I've found it reasonably unhelpful, filled with misinformation and downright rude in places. Whilst I'm not expecting anyone here to go and slate their own club, is it reasonably welcoming to outsiders or is there an established 'boys club?' What is the meet situation like around the south coast?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Edds2k

Welcome!
Lol you have just come on to an s2k forum to ask if you should buy one. Of course you should man! I love mine.
It's my daily and I don't have a garage either, but I only commute once a week because I work away.
If you look after it well, regular servicing and fixing problems before they become problems and there is no reason why it should go on for a long time.

One point though is the roofs don't last that long if they are kept outside permanently, I've been advised by a roof specialist that the PVC ones will only last around 6-10 years.

Cheers, Edd!

whaninoz

Practicality-
I used to have my car as a DD and used it for work too, the boot is a decnet size and its a comfy car to sit in.

but even with that...

Sense of occasion- when you have a windy road, the roof down and the sun is shining its the finest place to be. a real drivers car that never fails to bring a smile.


Price, purchase, the likelihood of buying a dog etc- there are some dogs out there, but if you use the F&Q buyers guide on here you should be able to avoid them by asking the right questions and knowing what to look for.

Community - there is a very good community spirit on the forum, there are regular meets and very welcoming. as is the sharing of information....unless you ask stupid questions and dont use the search function

Build quality, they are well made with only a few niggles. they are old cars now so that does show on the early models, bushes and TCT being the main problems. but if its been well looked after there should be no problems.

and they are a lot nicer to work on than a MR2

RichwiththeS2000

I had an MR2 turbo a few years ago, was great fun but the S2000 is a much better car. (Ironically I got rid of the MR2 as it blew up on a track day!)

I've had 2 now, I missed my first one so much I had to get another. Never had any issues apart from a brake pedal sensor on my old one. They are one of the most reliable sports cars you can buy. Geo bolts are a common thing to seize, but easily replaced. If well looked after (serviced reguarly, oil levels checked) they will do big mileage without blowing up.

Practicality - mines a daily driver and a weekend toy, it loves having its head kicked on a regular basis and I find the boot quite spacious. Both of mine have lived outside no worries. Its a well built car, its not going to turn to dust in the rain

Sense of occasion - very good. They are a bit of a split personality car for me. Just pottering around town/going to work you stay under 5kRPM and its just like driving a standard 2 liter coupe really, very easy to drive and live with. Then when the mood strikes you can put the boot in and enjoy the full rev range With the roof down on a nice stretch of road I'd struggle to find many cars that match that feeling - one of the main reasons I went back to one.

Purchasing - as with any car, do you research and check the buying guides, but if you buy one with good history and has recently had geo done, with good tyres, decent condition hood and no signs of rust (if you get an import, make sure its been undersealed) then you shouldn't have much of a problem. A good one for £5k is perfectly realistic these days.

Community - very good here, the amount of info is staggering and I've never seen any real rudeness or sillyness that goes on with many forums. Whatever you decide to do with the S2k there will be someone who can help.


All in all get it done - sounds like your MR-2 specialist friend is just scared of losing your business when you switch to an S2000!

sbaylis

I got mine a few months ago, it's my daily and lives outside on the road. The only other cars I've owned are an Peugeot 106, Mazda MX-5 and Audi A3 so not sure how qualified I am to comment - but I think it's an incredible car. Every time I see it I have a massive grin on my face that only gets better with actually driving it. The whole car is built around the driver - you'll notice from the dash layout when you get in. Everyone I've taken for a drive so far has instantly fallen in love with it too.

Maintenance-wise, I can't really comment yet but it looks like a fairly simple car to work on. Can't be more of a PITA than the A3 anyway...

davemr2

firstly welcome to S2ki, its a heck of alot better than imoc,

Well iv had both mr2 rev 3 n/a and rev 3 tubby. great cars i blow 3 3s-GTE engines, the 3s-gte was meant to be one of the most tunable engine and can take the bhp but am never that lucky..

The s2000 engine on the other hand is outstanding, come stock Forged internals and revs to 9k just unbeatable,
As for position its much like the mr2, the doors are slighty high on s2000 both have a great cockpit,
Handling from mr2 to s2000 is again massive, mr2 tend to snap once you reach a certain limit and with zero weight over front wheels is not to great for it. S2000 perfect 50/50 and you can feel it, so balanced and if it does step out its not going to snap you neck like the mr2 is easily controlled.
price vary, id try get facelift version comes with nicer touches, but ap1 per-facelift is what i have in Gp White and its amazing, can range between 5-7 for low miles but the one at £5k sounds about right, see if you have a local member near you to check it over where are you based mate ?
you will not regret buying the s2000.
easy accessible engine as well, Honda have made million of vtec systems and not 1 has failed,pretty big words from honda but its true there amazing. am going to be running turbo kit etc and the engine and internals with take in excess of 450whp can say that about meany cars,

davemr2

ps also my DD and kept outside Start every time not by a turn of a key but with a push of the "Starter button"

GhostWKD

Well reading this thread I feel better for my blown 3S-GTE engines! I've had 4 MR2's, 3 tubbies (Rev1 & Rev2's) and a Rev3 NA.

N/a was good fun but longed for more power, turbo's all turned out to be turds (albeit polished ones) - On the first big ends knocked just 9 days after purchase, another let go before I even got home (head gasket) and the other was a Cat B which shouldn't have been on the road but ran sweet, the Irony!

Swapped to a RX7 after those and then a S2000. That was about 3 years ago, sold my S2000 after it was keyed and recently jumped back into another as I missed it alot.

Practicality wise mines a daily driver and is a great car to drive daily leaving the R32 GTR for when I want to suffer.

Rambled a little but definately a worthwhile swap, one thing you'll realise when you try something else is just how dated the MR2's interior feels.

lovegroova

That sounds like similar use to me - train is my daily driver and the car gets used on the odd evening and at the weekend. Mine (MY02 - all UK cars are AP1 so it's best to refer to them by Model Year (MY99, MY02, MY04, MY06 & MY08 are the different variants) is garaged but has 120k miles on now. It has cost me a lot of money in recent years with quite a few bits having been replaced, and the dreaded rust monster is starting to bite. Mine has led quite a hard life with a good number of track days.

Having said that, people lots of places to get bits and work done relatively cheaply if you want to, and if you are a DIYer, then I'm told it's a pretty easy car to work on.



As long as you take note of the selling rules, avoid text speak and use the search, you'll find this generally a friendly helpful place (Read the Stickies!). There are some south coast meets from time to time - see the Meets section under "Past Meets" for what's been going on.

Fatbloke

Your MR2 specialist is talking absolute cr4p. Every car has its particular weak points, and anyone can buy a wrong 'un that's been abused, but nothing is more reliable than a Honda, and that's a statistic, not an opinion.

I've never driven an MR2, but I suspect you'll marvel at the engineering of an S2000 more. Engineering is what Honda is about, and the S2000 was an exercise in just that......