whats so good about s2000s?

[kaiketsu]

whats up guys,

new to this forum and im planing to buy a '03 s2000. hope i got your attention with the subject of this post? i need to know more about this car before i commit to buying it. ive read a few post but nothing so far has "wow'd" me, infact the many doubts that have been said about this car discurages me to buy one... i really like the style and look but i need the power and speed to back it up, as well as the future modifications i can do down the line. i own 97 eclipse GST. got it for 2,500 put over 5 grand into it and i luv it. but need to sell it as a down for the s2000. i need to know that selling my car to buy the S will be worth it for me. i mean i can put the extra 20,000 into my eclipse and if i do get the S it will be a while befor i can modify it.. but i dont want any doubts about getting the s2000. so if you guys can help. please be honest about the car. thanks for your help...

L8T

[slimjim8201]

Wow. Don't even think about comparing the S2000 with a Shitsubishi. I could almost understand an EVO...but certainly not an Eclipse

Test drive an S2000, any S2000. AP1 (00-03) or AP2 (04-06). It doesnt matter. You will realize very quickly that that POS half-Chrysler you've been driving around is nothing more than a POS half-Chrysler. The 4G63 engine is the only strong point about that car, and even then in stock form, the S2000 makes far more power WITHOUT forced induction. Invest 4 grand in a supercharger and there you have it. A car that can whoop up on an M3 for thousands less. The S2000 is a full blown sports car. A (slightly) more civilzed Elise.

I don't mean to come down on your Eclipse too harshly, but take a test drive and you will quickly understand where I am coming from.

[silverstone05]

hey i dont think slimjim could have said it any better. i once had a friend with a 97 gst and once he got behind the wheel of my 05, he lost all self-respect because of the way he boasted about his car all the time to me. its all about the experience man. try it and you will feel the difference.

[Java Junky]

Get off the 'puta n' go test drive one. THEN come back n' see if you have any further questions.
Be well.

[Bobthearch]

Since this is primarily a forum for S2000 owners, I think you'll have a hard time getting a balanced opinion. Everyone here loves the S2000, including me. But I'll give it a try anyway:

I test drove many cars before deciding on the S2000, and each car had things that I liked and disliked. The Honda seemed like a balanced average bewteen all of them, without having any major negatives.

You haven't driven one yet? I think you'll like it. Better built than the Z3. More power and more stable at highway speeds than the Miata. No ripoff dealer markups like the Solstice. Not as rough as the 350Z.

My second choice was a used Z3 M. The M package consists of a sportier transmission and suspension, so it drove very similar to the S2000. But there was too much stuff rattling around in the interior, and the prices were quite a bit higher for same-year used vehicles.

I really liked the Nissan 350Z also, especially the power that was immediately available. But the ride was very rough. Wife pretty much put the brakes on buying the Nissan because it was so fast - scared her on the test drive.

I didn't drive an Eclipse. I just didn't like the interior enough to bother, and the new nicer-looking Eclipse doesn't have a sister convertible yet.

Happy Shopping!
-Bob

[passmans2kNY]

hit v tec and try not to get one

[wowowox]

Just to be fair, i will put something in, the screaming vtec sometimes is annoying, the torque is not big enough to give u the g-force feeling. The engine oil thing is a problem, if u don cehck it and u r low in oil u maybe screwed. but overall this is a fun car with fair price and it is definetely better than a old eclipse, don't know about the new one since now it comes with the new v6 engine. .. .

[passmans2kNY]

even if the new eclispe had a v20 its the ugliest car i have ever seen, i like the old eclispe a lot better than the new one, oh man mivec v 6, pos pussy crap on a stick, screw eclispes, expecially the new one, s2ks take dumps on eclispes

[Java Junky]

So, I think that we can safely say that Pass is not especially fond of Eclipses.
Be well.

[hatters]

ok so i sat back for a while and thought about where your coming from here, and thought, if that was me i would be looking for ownership problems and personal detail on how this car really is, under the right foot and under ur seat,

made me think a little,

i would luv to be able to give you a direct comparison with the other car in your shopping basket as one of them has to give way to the vital necessities of life such as beer and sh1t roll but cant do that as I am from the uk where the eclipse is an import.

I have been driving my s2000 for over half a year now and have mixed feelings, sorry.

When your buying a car there are many many factors to make your decision:

Heart vs Head ? This would be a pretty good start. I would challenge anyone to say that they grew up as a young boy thinking that one day they would own a Honda!!! Erm yeh ok!!! Maybe not ay. But then the same could be said about a Mitsubishi right!!!

Rules one thing out doesn?t it . . . . Honda is not a cult figure in performance cars or idolised by millions across the globe as the future in transportation or competition. Neither is the Mitsu.

So what we are talking about is a single car, not the difference between ?Elvis? and the ?Beatles? it?s a purchase.

Heart vs Head = 0 ? 0

That?s not what its about, we are talking about a performance Honda!! If you would take the time to look at other cars you will find there are massive massive fans of their cars! Regardless of reliably or performance or appearance or anything remotely relating to ownership. People become fanatical about cars as thought they were family members and that concerns me slightly.

If you are interested in cars then you will be used to this decision, and have has previous experience, there is only one way to possibly solve this:

Drive both cars, experience the driving experience, and choose . . . .


I have had my S2000 and have had many problems:

Rear Disks abnormal wearing
Rear Pads abnormal wearing
Washer motor dies
Drive side washer valve replaced
Battery died
Badges fallen off
Driver side window auto up malfunction

And all within a few months . . . .

Yet every time I drop myself into the driving seat and hit that red button none of that matters!

I have never been fanatical about anything in my life, my personality does not allow it ! I am really into my S2000 and enjoy driving it, cleaning it, showing it off, and generally looking good in it, but would never be as bold as to say it is better than any other car on the market . . . .

If everyone had the same opinion the world be a vary dull place!

Drive. . . . .

Enjoy . . . .

Done . . .

Hatters

[Halo]

The short answer: Get an Evo IX, put 4,000 into mods and you will never look back. I'm not being sarcastic.

The long answer is: what are your choices? Is it S2000 vs. keep the Eclipse, is it S2000 vs. a Yamaha R1, is it S2000 vs. a Z4 vs. Miata vs. Solstice? This site is going to be biased towards the S (duh!) in most comparisons. But, I'm not going to tell you that is the best damn car every built for any use at any price. It is the best car in its market segment given the price.

Regards to the newest Eclipse. The current generation Eclipse is not intended for the enthusiast market. It is underpowered, ridiculously heavy and based on mid-size sedan chassis. The body styling is all it has going for it. OTOH, the DSM turbo/AWD Eclipses were and still ARE great tuner cars, Chrysler notwithstanding.

[slimjim8201]

Yes, certain aspects of the DSM cars are great for tuning. Well, just the engine really. The rest of the car is really sub-par. I'll fight that to the death.

It's really not a fair comparison to line up these two cars back to back. Frankly, the S2000 really doesnt have much competition. In the convertible market:

A Boxster is better in a number of areas, but the price is outrageous.

Z4 is polarizing...and pricey.

Mustang...did I really just type that?

Solstice...drive one and you will not even look back after leaving the dealership. Two thumbs down.

350Z Conv...Heavy, wobbly, cheap materials but good torque.


Coming from your Mitsubishi background, an EVO IX may be a good choice for you. Rediculously fast, and like Halo said, dump a few grand into it and you have something seriously wicked.

The S2000 has it's own niche. No car in the same price range can offer the same visceral thrills. It's a classic roadster with Honda reliability.

[Java Junky]

Whew! Lotsa opinions Kai. Bottom line is that you're layin' out the bucks so the only opinion that really matters is yours.
You're currently in the catbird seat: you've got money to spend n' the dealers (all of 'em) have cars that they wanna sell. Get out there n' let 'em court you while you test-ride anything that suits your fancy.
NOW's the time for first-hand, (second-hand is about as useful as readin' a magazine article: paints a picture, but no comparison to first-hand research) "slide-your-ass-in-the-seat n' ignite-the-sucker" research.
Once the money's down it's too late.
Good luck, keep us posted n' be well.

[kaiketsu]

thank you guys for all your input and opinions.. i did test drive one today and it was pretty enjoyable... i must say i was more excited about the ideas of your replys than the actual test drive... i mean this car is fast i can surely agree... but i didnt really see the big difference with my car besides the looks and the feeling of being behind the wheel of the S. it didnt seem to push me back as much when i accelerated i dont know if it is because my car has 214 torqe and the s2000 has 152 but the S did have a more constent power pick up. i do thank "haters" reply to my post and absolutly agree with his post .. and i took your opinion in to concideration. i have compared my car to the S. and just to clerfy i have the 2g eclispes not the new ones... i am going to buy the S simply because i need a new car and i have researched about this car as well as test drove it and felt that it will be a good car for me in the long run...

and just defend all the eclipse owners out there lol.. i do believe that the second gens for the eclipse GST and GSX are the best eclipses out there... like i said ive put money into my car to bring it to 230 hp with a stock torque of 214. that is the reason i felt lilttle difference with the two cars... also 0-60 ratings for the gst is 6.5sec stock and 5.8sec for the stock s2000. which is only a .7 of a second difference . so theres no doubt that my gst has heat since now its 5.0 secs to 60mph with the few mods i have made and i only spent 7,000 total on everything.. but again like what haters posted my choice to buy the car is based on heart vs head. the way haters described the S2000 is the way ive been feeling about my car since i first test drove it.. so i can safely know that when i buy my S2000 i will truely be happy about it...

one more thing iM NOT FOND OF HONDA AT ALL but the S2000 is the best honda ever made...

[Halo]

The NSX is the best Honda ever made (if you exclude the CBR 1000 RR)

This car will never push you into your seat, that's a perception of torque. 0-60 times are pretty meaningless, since the times involved are so short. Quarter mile times, or better yet trap speeds are a somewhat better measure what the car will do out in the real world. The S is not a master of either. Go test drive the Evo X, it WILL push you into your seat.

[kaiketsu]

so i got a sales job at a honda dealership in the sf bay area starting this monday i will be training.. i figure ill wait to buy the S2000 when my employee discount will be available which should be a month or so which is a sweet hock up for me. plus im planing to keep my car too so all is good. since i like both and couldnt realy decide. oh and halo i got the 1/4 slips from ...

http://www.albeedigital.com/supercou...0-60times.html

they collect 1/4 mile time slips over the years to get as acurate as possile:

2000 Honda S2000 5.5 14.2
2003 Honda S2000 6.3 14.9 (Manual)
2004 Honda S2000 5.8 14.2 (MT Mar '04)


1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX 6.4 14.9
1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T (Auto) 7.4 15.5 (MT June, 94)

not too much of a big difference like i said on my last post, considering both are stock

oh and btw the NSX is the best i forgot since acura took the name of the NSX in place of honda for the states...

[slimjim8201]

0-60 and 1/4 mile times are about 1/10th of what the S2000 is all about. There are TONS of cars out there that would dust the S2000 in a straight line. A curvy stretch of nice backroad is the differentiator. A Mustang GT has a boatload more power and torque, but you will emerge with a much bigger smile on your face after the drive in the S2000.

Take one for a serious test drive and see what its all about.

[Java Junky]

Amen to Slim's post. Too much wailin' about Stewie's inabilities in a straight line when that ain't what it's about.
But, about the size of the smile after completing a curvy stretch of backroad though . . . smiles come in alotta different flavors, don't they?
(I like to think of it as a health issue: jus' think of the exercise involved in keepin' the Mustang outa the landscape while you're powerin' through the course. Yeah, lotsa different flavors)
I've always thought that the difference between a car like Stewie n' a car like the higher performance Mustangs was similar to the difference between the finesse of an epee n' the in-yer-face of a cutlass (not the Olds).
Be well.

[SuzukaBlu05]

25K into a 2.5K car????