Hi all!

I live in Minneapolis (just south of Lake Harriet). I'm currently S2000 hunting in winter for the best deals. Mostly I want one for cruising along the lakes and river valleys in the beautiful summers we have here, but I might need to occasionally drive it for a commute or in the winter. Because of the occasional daily drive, I think I really want a new '06 with VSA and the slightly lower RPMs.

So far, Richfield/Bloomington Honda has been the most responsive and given me the best price qutoes ($30K for a base 2006 w/o TTL). I plan to take a couple of test drives of course before pulling the trigger.

Does anyone have any advice or thoughts? Hardtop or no? Best snow tires and where to get them? Any must have accessories? What is the best dealer for service? Can anyone recommend any sales reps at dealers in the area?

Thanks! I hope it won't be too long before I join the club.

 

Welcome, I enjoy driving my S all around the lakes in the summer-time (store it during the winters). $30k is a good price for a '06, if they have a color you like I'd go for it. Be VERY careful on the test-drives though, the stock tires are not made to be used in this cold of weather. As for snow tires, go to www.tirerack.com and you'll be able to find everything you need. You can also call Jim @ Tirerack, he is a fellow S2000 owner and is very helpful. You can find his information in the "wheels & tires" section of this board. As for the accessories and hardtop, that is totally a personal choice.

 

There are plenty of people who drive their S year round, but they ALL have winter tires, and wisely so.

Good luck with your search!

 

Thanks for the tip on the tires. I set up a test drive for tonight. I don't need to go screaming around on the cold asphalt, but want to get an idea of how comfortable the cabin is in winter. I have heard that convertibles in general these days have overcome a lot of the problems associated with a soft top in cold or rain, so I am hoping that is the case.

I usually commute with my wife in our CR-V, but if I do need to drive the S in winter I want to know that it will make it there. It doesn't need to be great - just good enough. I expect to enjoy it in the summer.

Do any other Minnesota S drivers out there have thoughts on fun summer drives? I am thinking down 61 to LaCrosse is an obvious one.

 

I bought mine in Aug '04 from Hopkins' fleet rep, and haven't looked back. I choose to store it in the winter to avoid the salt - ymmv. I think owning one in MN is fun since there aren't very many around.

Only thing that I've found annoying is that folks don't see you when you're next to them (especially in light trucks and SUV's). Obviously, there are a lot of those up here. I had a spin out (without a collision thankfully) when one of these folks made an unsignaled lane change into my side. I *always* run with the lights on now. As many have remarked, if you're not skillful with a rear-wheel drive, the S can be a bit unforgiving - in my case, loss of control was clearly due to lack of skill.

I've had good luck with the driving season - can usually go from March to November.

As far as drives go, we've been discussing some hwy 61 drives in another thread -
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=345212

---
tjc

 

Thanks for the info. I took two drives tonight in the dark on an average winter day. No problem heating the cabin or with the cold asphalt and normal driving. In fact, I was really impressed and felt much more comfortable in the S in winter than in my '97 Integra. The car just felt more solid - I felt like I was wearing it. I really like how every control is only a wrist flick away.

I drove a black '05 from Bloomington, and then a Suzuka Blue '06 from Hopkins. I definitely plan to go with the '06 (but maybe in sebring silver) given the rollbar speakers, daytime running lights (for the reasons mentioned above), and VSA. I don't plan to drive it much in the winter, but it needs to be serviceable in case we get stuck in a jam with schedules and such.

Hopefully I'll be posting soon as a new member of the club!

 

I drive mine year 'round. I had a set of Blizzaks on it for the past four winters. This year I replaced them with Dunlap winter tires which are working out quite well (Winter Sport M3, I think).

As for drives, there are some great roads on the Wisconsin side of the river. We've had a few Minnesota group drives over there. We have a few good roads here in the Southeast, but you have to go a ways to find them.

Tony

 

Does anyone in the Minneapolis area have a hardtop? I am trying to make the decision, and would like to see one if possible.

I am interested in two things: 1) Does it cut down on the street noise, and 2) does it have improved visibility over the soft top?

 

Just sealed the deal on a new '06 for $30K + TTL. I couldn't be more excited! I pick it up in the next few days.

 

Congratulations.

As Tony stated, there are some great roads just into Wisconsin going along the river. We'll have to set up a drive this spring or summer.