S2000 reliability...

[ZainRacer]

I know that the S2000 is one of the most reliable sport cars in the market right now, but how reliable are these cars when they are regularly autocrossed and tracked?
I am thinking about getting a used S2000 some where in the 12-14K range with less than 80K miles. This car will have to be my Daily driver (about 30miles daily) as well as my autocross car (14-18 events per year) and maybe 1-2 track days a year.
thanks in advance for the help!

[AP2FTW]

it will be fine go buy one now

[Java Junky]

Reliable izz reliable.
Iff'yuh painn'itt pink'n drive'itt from Boise'da Duluth, itt'z reliable.
Iff'yuh dress really stoopid'n take'itt down'a main drag, itt'z reliable.
Iff'yuh decide'da use'itt'z'a lawn ornament'n pudd'a planter in'a open trunk, itt'z reliable.
Read'da postz.
Yuh dink we're all here makin'iss $hit up?

[s2000isu]

I break mine all the time and I only drive it about 3k a year anymore.

[jagg]

There's always an exception to the rule.

We're not gonna start calling what you do to your S "driving" now, are we ISU ?

jagg

[Java Junky]

Thanks brer Jagg.
If you hadn't'a said'itt'ta brer isu, I'd'a hadda.

[s2000isu]

Hahaha well since this question has been answered many times I thought he was looking for a different answer. Plus it is true in 3k miles I broke 2 axles 1 diff and 1 trans.

[Java Junky]

Isu . . back when you were layin' waste'ta yer Tonka Truckz, we hadd'n inklin'at'choo weren't the feller'da be throwin' our keyz to.

[bbcricketta]

Originally Posted by ZainRacer

I know that the S2000 is one of the most reliable (this is most def true.) sport cars in the market right now, but how reliable are these cars when they are regularly autocrossed and tracked?
I am thinking about getting a used S2000 some where in the 12-14K range with less than 80K miles. This car will have to be my Daily driver (about 30miles daily) as well as my autocross car (14-18 events per year) and maybe 1-2 track days a year. (now, it will break, so expects some problems. ain't nuttin' free, especially racin' cars.)
thanks in advance for the help!

there are a lot of trackstars at http://s2katlanta.com and i am sure they would be willing to give you some pointers. check with -Q- or Welery. -Q- can tell you about the brakes.


bb

[s2000isu]

To be honest java I didnt have many tonka trucks mostly remote control cars and motorized stuff. I remember asking my dad to make my bigfoot faster when I was little so he wired up a lawn tractor batter to it to give it some speed haha. When I was old enough to tinker with stuff I used to get lead from mechanical pencils wire it up to the motor on the car and wrap it in tissues and stuff so when youd give it enough gas it would catch fire. Ya I was never easy on any of my toys.

[Java Junky]

They got meddz'n therapy fer that kind'a stuff isu.

[philiam]

isue breaks his car often so that we don't have to.

[ZainRacer]

I test drove a 2002 AP1 S2K yesturday and it was fun!
That being said it wasnt as quick as I expected it to be...
Regard less the handling was GREAT! even with the crappy riken raptor tires.
Based on the condition this S2K was over priced IMO..
02 black on black
83K miles
the exterior and the interior were not in great condition
the top had a rip in it
Had an aftermarket intake
price: 12K

[Vezna31]

The cost to maintain my car as 20k+ miles per year daily driver and 3-4 track events rose significantly once I hit 100k miles and continues to be costly.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by ZainRacer

I test drove a 2002 AP1 S2K yesturday and it was fun!
That being said it wasnt as quick as I expected it to be...
Regard less the handling was GREAT! even with the crappy riken raptor tires.
Based on the condition this S2K was over priced IMO..
02 black on black
83K miles
the exterior and the interior were not in great condition
the top had a rip in it
Had an aftermarket intake
price: 12K

Yeah, too much money.

[desmo4]

If you add a couple more thousand you can get a much better specimen.

Jonathan

[Neil]

Originally Posted by philiam

isue breaks his car often so that we don't have to.

Lets just say he keeps the " Repair Threads " updated on a regular basis...........lol

[wgrandmont]

The AP2 is quicker. Lower gearing, long stroke, better torque. You can get some good prices right now.

[gomarlins3]

Originally Posted by ZainRacer

I test drove a 2002 AP1 S2K yesturday and it was fun!
That being said it wasnt as quick as I expected it to be...
Regard less the handling was GREAT! even with the crappy riken raptor tires.
Based on the condition this S2K was over priced IMO..
02 black on black
83K miles
the exterior and the interior were not in great condition
the top had a rip in it
Had an aftermarket intake
price: 12K

Agreed with what was said above: this is WAY to high priced.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by wgrandmont

The AP2 is quicker. Lower gearing, long stroke, better torque. You can get some good prices right now.

Gearing is the same from 1st - 4th gears.

[AeroS2000]

the reason the older Hondas last so long is because they weren't driven hard and they are not made to do so. S2000 is the same. If you drive hard, things will start fail slowly and risk miss shifting and blowing up the engine.

[Vezna31]

Originally Posted by AeroS2000

the reason the older Hondas last so long is because they weren't driven hard and they are not made to do so. S2000 is the same. If you drive hard, things will start fail slowly and risk miss shifting and blowing up the engine.

Wow...I don't think you could be any further from being right with this statement.

Mis-shifting and blowing an engine can happen in any car when driving hard. And I'd like to know exactly what cars would last longer than Hondas when driven hard because I am sure there are probably no American cars on that list.

If you are going to make outlandish claims like that, it would be best to have all kinds of data and facts to back it up. Otherwise, it just makes you look foolish.

[philiam]

I've had Hondas from the first Civic and the first Accord. I drive the hell out of them and not one has fallen apart. Currently in addition to my 2002 S, I'm still driving an 89 Civic, my wife an 99 Accord and my son has an 89 Prelude with around 250,000 miles and still going strong.

Hondas have a much better reliability record than Mercedes, Cadillac, Corvette, Porsche etc. In fact Consumer Reports lists them as the only company, other than Subaru, whose entire line is recommended.

Amazing, the things that get repeated repeatedly!

[S2KCRick]

I think the point that Aero was trying to make is that most Honda owners (S owners being an exception) dont beat the hell out their cars. Having owned an Integra and a CRX, it was pointless driving it hard to try to go fast, because they just weren't fast, and it wasn't fun. Having owned a Mustang GT, its a different story, i beat the hell outta that car, cause it was just so fun.

Mustangs, Vettes, Camaros etc, (for the most part) are driven differently than Accords and Civics. A big factor in reliability is how the cars are driven.

[Neil]

Honda = reliability, end of story

In my company if Honda makes it that's what we buy. It aint cheap, but its the best.

[Jim21680]

The S2000 is as reliable as a wood-burning stove. It's when "tuners" start tinkering with them that they start to loose their longevity. It's best to stay stock or near-stock. It's okay to drive it hard, but don't abuse it. Stay away from nitrous no matter what, and if you're going to boost, keep it at a moderate pressure. Follow this recipe and just about any well-taken care of car will give you 200,000 miles. Well, except for Kias, Daewoos, and maybe Hyundais. They'll fall apart no matter what. We'll see....

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by philiam

I've had Hondas from the first Civic and the first Accord. I drive the hell out of them and not one has fallen apart.

Wait a minute. Weren't you the guy who was recently spotted running after his Civic in the middle of an intersection because it had rolled off the flatbed wrecker that was towing it off?

Not judgin'... just sayin'.

[philiam]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Wait a minute. Weren't you the guy who was recently spotted running after his Civic in the middle of an intersection because it had rolled off the flatbed wrecker that was towing it off?

Not judgin'... just sayin'.

It's an 89 and that's the first repair money I've spent It had a broken CV joint. New axle, about $170 installed. Still starts and runs like new. My wife's Accord is 10 years younger and I had to put an 02 sensor on it to pass smog. My son has an 89 Prelude with close to 250,000 mi on it. Still going strong.

[4406pack]

Originally Posted by ZainRacer

I know that the S2000 is one of the most reliable sport cars in the market right now, but how reliable are these cars when they are regularly autocrossed and tracked?
I am thinking about getting a used S2000 some where in the 12-14K range with less than 80K miles. This car will have to be my Daily driver (about 30miles daily) as well as my autocross car (14-18 events per year) and maybe 1-2 track days a year.
thanks in advance for the help!

My baby is my DD during the spring,summer,and fall, and auto-x at least 10-15 times during that time, and i run her hard, and she keeps asking for more.

[philiam]

Originally Posted by Jim21680

The S2000 is as reliable as a wood-burning stove. It's when "tuners" start tinkering with them that they start to loose their longevity. It's best to stay stock or near-stock. It's okay to drive it hard, but don't abuse it. Stay away from nitrous no matter what, and if you're going to boost, keep it at a moderate pressure. Follow this recipe and just about any well-taken care of car will give you 200,000 miles. Well, except for Kias, Daewoos, and maybe Hyundais. They'll fall apart no matter what. We'll see....

Shifting from 5th to 2nd at 8 grand tends to shorten the life considerably!

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by philiam

Still going strong.

Oh phil! I was just pokin' fun at you. Personally, I just wanted an excuse to conjure up the image of the car rolling off the flatbed and produce a small chuckle. Not that it was funny at the time, I'm sure.

I've had similar reliability out of the Miatas I've owned and the 1989 Toyota truck I had. Honest to God, the day I sold that truck (in April 2007) I nearly cried. It had been with me through thick and thin and frankly, it had been more reliable and had outlasted any of the relationships in my life.

[Jim21680]

I'm a bit surprised (and ashamed) about how many missed-shift problems I've read about. What the hell people??? You've gotta be shifting DAMNED fast and hard to mess something up with this gearbox. If you slowed it down just a few milliseconds, you'd probably give the clutch enough time tell you somethings wayyy wrong before you release it all the way. I think I read something about someone shifting from 2nd back into 1st at like 8 grand. Really?? Are you kicking the shifter with your foot or something? Take it easy fella's...Stewie'll love ya more for it.

End rant. sorry.

[philiam]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Oh phil! I was just pokin' fun at you. Personally, I just wanted an excuse to conjure up the image of the car rolling off the flatbed and produce a small chuckle. Not that it was funny at the time, I'm sure.

I've had similar reliability out of the Miatas I've owned and the 1989 Toyota truck I had. Honest to God, the day I sold that truck (in April 2007) I nearly cried. It had been with me through thick and thin and frankly, it had been more reliable and had outlasted any of the relationships in my life.

Either you did you homework or got lucky. Those are some of the most reliable rides out there. I considered Miata, until I drove an S2000. I was hooked when I heard the engine start and idle.

AS for my adventure, in retrospect it ended well and made for a good story. Got away much cheaper than I envisioned at the time.

I cry when I think of all the cars I let get away. Especially a Mercedes 300S coupe. There were only 35 made in 1954. In good shape it might approach 1M at auction today.

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by philiam

Either you did you homework or got lucky.

I take it any way I can get it. I'll say it was a bit of both. I was getting good advice from a lot of people and we shopped around. It also didn't hurt that at the time of acquiring a couple of the vehicles mentioned, I was married to the then race team manager at Dan Gurney's All American Racers.

Originally Posted by philiam

...In good shape it might approach 1M at auction today.

Ah! The one that got away. But then it's possible you would be living a totally different life now and we wouldn't know you here on the forum.

[philiam]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

I take it any way I can get it. I'll say it was a bit of both. I was getting good advice from a lot of people and we shopped around. It also didn't hurt that at the time of acquiring a couple of the vehicles mentioned, I was married to the then race team manager at Dan Gurney's All American Racers.

Small world, I used to shoot for various publications. I remember Dan starting out in a Porsche Speedster and was at the unveiling of the Eagle.

Ah! The one that got away. But then it's possible you would be living a totally different life now and we wouldn't know you here on the forum.

It wasn't the only one. Porsche Speedster and Convertible D, MGTD, Alfa Spyder and BMW2002. Although the last was not a good car.

[RMurphy]

phil: I'm figuring you are referring to the F1 Eagle. I'm afraid I was not around for that unveiling as I myself had not yet made my debut into this world. But I did get to see a lot of the IMSA cars and the ill-fated return to Indy racing.

Those were some fun days, to say the least. But we're way off topic here.

[philiam]

I keep forgetting I've been around longer than anyone here. Actually, it was the Indy Eagle and the F1 car.

[wgrandmont]

AP1 Ap2 gearing 1st to 4th may be the same but the secondary Gear reduction is different.