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I raise this because, if it is available, I would only get the "Honda Cares" official extended warranty. Aftermarket warranties are notoriously poor at covering serious problems without a fight.
Had I elected to keep my 2002 past the 2.5 years I owned it, I was prepared to pay approximately $1,050 for a 7 year, 75k total mile warranty (I only put about 7k miles a year on it, so the 7/100 wasn't worth the extra $100 +/-). My service manager said that he even had the Honda Cares warranty agree to cover things like clutch replacement, if they occurred early in the warranty period. Not required, but Honda did so under "goodwill". You would never get that from an aftermarket warranty.
P.S. My 2002 S2000 with 18k miles was perfect and never required any repair, other than a convertible roof latch which broke in the first 30 days. I miss it!
Have to admit the plastic rear window is cheesy for such a nice car.
Thanks to your advice, I did get a quote on the Honda Care Warranty. The 7yr /70K mi quote was $1400 - higher than you mentioned. Maybe it's because mine is 1 yr older and 2K more miles on the odo. Some of my friends who own Hondas are talking me out of buying it, though. The S2K is a "best buy" used car according to the consumer literature.
http://www.curryhondacare.com/
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Internet savings of $340 c/w dealer. Much more competitive. Did you ever have a claim with this warranty, or know of anyone who did?
What a fun car!!
Drove along a windy road in a river valley this afternoon. Sun drenched. Great feeling.
Had it to 80mph with tach reading 3800. What is the top speed of this car? It is a bit noisy to push it much more - probably will soon.
In addition I have never raced about 25 kids with other Honda Civics, Mitsu's Suburu's with fart pipes. I just enjoy the ride, .5 seconds isn't any big deal guys, just drive and enjoy the passage of time. Three years ago, its was pretty rare to see a S2000 on the road, but they are getting pretty popular lately.
"For 2002, Honda has added a glass rear window with a defroster, an improved transmission and a more powerful audio system. There are also a handful of minor changes that only '00-'01 S2000 owners would notice, such as chrome-bezel taillights, an upgraded center console, door panel net storage pockets, a new shifter knob, an aluminum-accented foot rest and silver trim interior accents."
I'm not sure if there was any official "fix" for the 200/2001's, but my dealer replaced 2-3 pre-2002 transmissions with the newer version after they started experiencing problems. The Honda warranty covered the replacement.
Alos, 3,800 rpm at 80 mph?? Seemed to me that my 2002 would be running at 4,000+ rpm at 80 mph.
In 2001 when I purhased mine, units went up to around 7-8K. Does anyone know how many S2000's are being produced or imported per annum currently? Still nice; NOT to see ads in every car magazine and T.V. spot, verus Nissan, Mazda, Porsche and Corvette, just think how many of these cars would sell if Honda wanted to up production at 33K. I know that S2000 and Acura NSX share the same factory and production capabilities are limited for both cars.
People still ask me,"What kind of car is that?" When I tell them, they say, I never knew Honda made such a thing, but not quite frequently as back in 2001.
You are right about the car being well below radar. Whenever I mention to someone that I am scheming to obtain an S2000, they don't know what I am talking about.
OhioCarGuy
My wife and I took it to Hoover dam, and then took a great road north of Lake Mead to the Valley of Fire state park. With fresh blacktop, plenty of twisties and very little traffic, I couldn't get the grin off my face the entire trip.
The VTEC kick at 6,000 rpm reminds me of my CBR sportbike. The car really is a sportbike on four wheels. When I went to the gas station, it took me a good 5 minutes to find the fuel door release! That little black button in the door jamb wasn't easy to find.
Even though the rental cost was more than twice what I would have paid for a convertible Mustang, it was still a bargain to me. I would really like to own one, but with two kids under the age of 5, it's just not practical at this time. Sure was a fun 24 hours though!
Unfortunately, the S2000 wasn't practical as MY only car and I could justify keeping it when it came time to replace my sedan. But, depending upon where you live, it's not completely incompatible with kids. Unfortunately, the the 4 passenger convertible that everyone can (temporarily) fit in - the 911 Turbo - costs about $100,000 more than the S2000 and it still doesn't elicit the same admiration from my 6 year old.
At least you got to try one out for a day. I think when I look back in 10 years, I might have wished I somehow kept mine. There isn't much comparable in the fun to drive department, certainly not at the price or with Honda reliability.
Sure was fun driving the S though. I agree that nothing comes close to that much fun at that price. The lack of torque that everyone talks about wasn't an issue for me. I'm used to that with my motorcycle, and I actually prefer a high redline in exchange for less torque. I guess that's just what I'm used to.
I hear you about being careful on the bike. Twelve years ago a drunk 18 year old (with no insurance, of course) pulled out in front of me. Spent 3 days on a morphine drip in the hospital with 4 broken bones. My helmet had stress cracks in it, and I'm sure it saved my life.
Now that I have kids, I'm even more careful than ever. I pretty much stick to country roads outside the city, never ride at night, and always wear my helmet, kevlar reinforced jacket, gloves and boots, even when it's 80+ degrees. I try to minimize the risk as much as possible.
BTW, I came to a near stop in my neighborhood this morning when I spotted a Suzuka blue '04 in someone's driveway. The sun was shining, the car was clean, and it looked beautiful even with the top up. I was tempted to pull into the driveway and ogle the darn thing.
OhioCarGuy
I think Honda has made the right decision on the S2000 - put the money in the engineering, forget the advertising and sell the car to those with enough interest (and intelligence) to know the difference between advertising "image" and engineering substance. That's a limited market, but works well for a limited production car.
P.S. When's the last time you saw an ad for a 360 Modena, a BMW M3/M5 or any AMG product?
The 2003 and 2002 are identical gearing, the 2004/5 are different.
OhioCarGuy
Recently purchased a '01 S2000 with 20K mi and have enjoyed the roadster. Have been experiencing the "VTECH" ! What a rush!!
What I'm interested in knowing is what is the approximate red line speed matched to each gear.
(No, I'm not driving it at red line - just toying with it.)
I understand that these numbers may be lower for the '02-'04 models.
I do not get particularly amazing fuel economy on the S - low to mid 20s in mixed driving.
OhioCarGuy
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I've managed a few top-down drives so far this fall that were awesome.
Best of luck with your decision.
Any ideas on a fix????
Sometimes cold weather will shrink a seal a bit until the car warms up.
Also check that the top rail of the windshield isn't dirty.
Otherwise, if no slack and no adjustment you'll have to investigate if the top rail seal is replacable.
Do you actually FEEL any wind with your fingertips or just "hear" it.
the reason I ask is that if you only "hear" it but feel nothing this could be a design flaw of some kind.
Is anything sticking up or out? Loose screw or moulding popping out, on the outside of the car?
Does the top look aligned properly when it latches?
Are there any Honda Service Bulletin reports that relate to design flaws or latch problems with the '01 S2000 convertible tops ???
Has anyone had to replace these "strike plates" and were they improved for later models and how much should I expect to pay at a dealer??
Is this normal?
Here is VIDEO of the RX8 on a lap around Laguna Seca track which kind of sold me. Check out the stunt at the end.
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/displayPage.action?pageParameter=- bod§ionParameter=rx8_activity&bhcp=1
A more seasonal question: does anyone out there have experience with M&S rated tires on an S2000? With the Potenzas, it's a horror with snow on the ground. Although I have a second car for bad weather, it's sometimes necessary to drive the S. I'm willing to put bad-weather rated tires on for the winter season, but the feedback from people I know is that snow tires won't help a car balanced & powered like ours. Anyone have any experience with this?
S2000 are powerful, but they aren't necessarily "torquey"... There is nothing to keep the car from realizing the benefits of winter tires..
Low ground clearance will be your biggest problem in snow.
And the post above: The S2000 is a convertible...
regards,
kyfdx
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I do not believe it is true that the S is not worth getting if it is not going to be raced. The same argument could be applied to the Miata, and in fact to any car more fun to drive than a Ford Taurus. The S2000's gearbox, high-revving engine, and stiff chassis can be enjoyed and appreciated even at legal speeds on public roads, as can its looks, features and overall value as a fairly livable roadster.
There is no law that limits how fast you can get FROM 0 mph TO the speed limit. Freeeway entrance ramps in 2nd gear up to 8000rpm will get your "heart throbbing".
Cruisng at 30mph with the top down on a sunny day in this car is great fun and still turns heads.
Beauty is in the beholder, but for my money the S is more of a true sports car than the Miata.
This always happens when shifting from first to second, and usually - though to a lesser degree - when shifting from second to third. All other shifts are smooth. The thing that bothers me is all the reviews I read praised the Honda shifting mechanism for being so smooth, and there were even changes/improvements made from the 2000 - 2003 models, apparently.
Do other owners have this problem? What should I say to the dealer?
"I can't get a smooth shift, going from 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd... It grinds.. something is wrong with my car.. I have to shift like my grandmother, to get the car to work right.. Please fix my car!!"
Or something like that...
regards,
kyfdx
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When cold my 04 still has a split second "clunk" from neutral into 1st, the transmission gets alot better when the car warms up.
The S2000 doesn't have much sound dampening insulation, coupled with a really stiff body, you'll pretty much hear and feel every last thing the car is doing. This is the most driver oriented sports car with a trunk.
It's the best purchase you could have made, the RX-8 drives like an over-powered Corrolla, the 350Z spends more time getting fixed and changing front tires then a house of cards. The S2K drives like an F1 car and it'll keep up with the best of them over 6K rpm, you'll just have to put up with the stiff and loud ride (I don't mind).
Where can I find just the window and how much should this part cost me. I called 2-3 dealers and they could not find that part in there system and sounded like they didn’t even think it was separate. I don’t belive replacing say a busted back window is going to require dumping your life savings on replacing a rag top. Can I get some much needed help???????