Ekona Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Must be some ex-owners on here, anyone fancy giving me a quick guide before I go and buy the first one I see? More after the general owning experience rather than the differences between years: What stuff needs replacing reasonably often (like the banana arm on the 350), any issues with higher-mileage ones to particularly be aware of that could give a big bill, how's the aftermarket support in terms of costs/variety etc. I've driven a few so I know they're ace, just want to go in eyes open before committing. Boxster I know, Elise I know, Stook not so much. Come mortals, spoon feed me your tasty Honda-flavoured goodness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irn Bru Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 (edited) Not any personal experience of them but according to TG's JC, Honda have produced 15 million of the engines, and not one has had warranty replacement done, so if he's right they are fantastic on the engine front. Edited February 13, 2017 by Irn Bru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillisRR Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 (edited) Other than all the normal stuff like arch rust etc... I know the compliance bushes seize and they are a mofo to replace. We had them seize on an 18 month old s2000 years back! Rear callipers often need replacing on these too. Awesome cars though, we built a Supercharged S2000 few years back for someone and it was mega! Never let him down and he dialyed it and did Euro trips every year! Edited February 13, 2017 by WillisRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac@TarmacSportz Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Great car, my bro had one and I have to say I've been tempted, I just don't particularly like soft tops Best place for info is S2Ki , I used to trade on there a few years back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Other than all the normal stuff like arch rust etc... Oh man, really?! Well that's just a bit sh*t, I thought modern Jap cars didn't suffer from that any more What's a compliance bush? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TT350 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Make sure VTEC kicks in. Yo. But seriously do make sure it engages. I test drove a B18 Civic that was for sale at a private garage and initially he wouldn't let me rev it fully. I got to drive it 400m then back again in heavy traffic. I told him to let the car warm up first because VTEC works off oil pressure and he was grumbling about that too. I left it and went back another time and he wasn't there. So I gave it a bit of a poke and VTEC did not kick in. Yo. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snjur Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Didn't first series had problems with heads? Something concerning valves, retainers and so and was a recall on that. Sent from my SM-G850F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hensh65 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I'm sure you have already seen it, but if not, Wheeler dealers do one up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Personally I think there are better cars for the money they are at ......... but its the usual stuff, hoods, alignment (car, not just wheels), oil use. engines do go bang but not very often, never heard of gearbox problems but we shifted my brothers on after it started making a noise from the clutch. If youre serious I may have a mate selling a beauty of an example, he has just bought a Cayman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillisRR Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 (edited) Other than all the normal stuff like arch rust etc... Oh man, really?! Well that's just a bit sh*t, I thought modern Jap cars didn't suffer from that any more What's a compliance bush? Yup, afraid so! From the inside out like most Worth a good look! Compliance bush >> http://www.gotuning....FCompliance.jpg Only failures we have seen have always been down to an over rev or ran low on oil. Unfortunately as you know, you can over rev or oil starve an engine and the motor can appear fine for thousands of miles before letting go due to the initial starve/over rev. This isn't S2000 specific though obviously. Snjur Not sure about the head, I know the retainers are the weaker link though. Brilliant, strong cars though. Seem to be a car i cant escape from, they are everywhere around me. Have a friend with an F20 in a kit car, one with a HKS Supercharged F20 in a mk1 mx5, then a good group of mates who meet at a local garage in Congleton every Saturday who all do a sprint series in s2000s together. Here's my light weight S2000 >> Edited February 13, 2017 by WillisRR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 (edited) I had one for 3 years. Absolutely amazing car, the best I ever owned (from a driving perspective), I would have bought another but wanted something with a bigger engine this time, I'm sure I will get another S down the line though, at some point, no other car was so intoxicating to drive fast. Most common issue is the timing chain tensioner, makes a ticky noise, needs replacing often. As far as the engine goes, that's really about it, it really is one of the most reliable engines of all time. They do have valve seal issues if abused (light smoke can indicate this), but if kept nicely oiled (they burn a fair bit, it's normal, but means constant attention is needed) they're almost bulletproof. One of the most reliable cars I ever had, nothing in particular to look out for on the chassis, make sure its never been crashed, fit some good coilovers and sticky rubber and wonder why you didn't own one before. Top down in summer blasting 9k rpm down country lanes, is about as good as it gets in a car with your underwear on, make sure you fit a decent exhaust. Edited February 13, 2017 by Aashenfox 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glrnet Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Didn't Biscuit Boy have one Dan? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 What's a compliance bush? That's one I can answer Dan ... It's a bush that complies ... on second thoughts, I'll ask the wife 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob350 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I had a 2003 AP1(1st gen, 9k rpm) I bought it with 105k miles on and owned it for a year, put 12k miles on it and part exed it for £500 less than I bought it for and came home in a zed the 2000 - 2004 have stiffer stock suspension and the 9k rpm, they revised some stuff from the first model after 2002, I.e glass rear window in soft top and tweaked the suspension. After 2004 (facelift) they made it more dailyable, softer suspension and dropped the red line to 8250 which increased the torque by like 5pounds per foot, and installed an annoying clutch delay valve (But this can easily be removed) aswell as slightly changing the bumpers and interior Pre 04 models were known to have slightly weaker valve retainers and would crack if an incorrect downshift was made (5th to 2nd instead of 5th to 4th) so they strengthened them after 04. you wouldnt know know you had a cracked retainer untill months or years later when one would suddenly drop into the valve . You can roughly check them when the rocker cover is off by slightly tapping them with a screwdriver and listen for one that has a different tone, but will never really know unless you remove the valve retainers and springs as they crack from underneath. Oil consumption wasn't to bad, mine didnt burn any if i stayed out of vtec, and would only burn roughly less than a quarter after a good 30 min vtec sesh lol The rears were known to feather abit like the zed, if you had a tricky noise on start up that would be the timing chain tensioner, its an easy fix and good haggling tool as they are £250ish new from honda, but you can just unbolt off the side of the engine (2 bolts) slightly dismantle the tensioner and get the worm drive out and sandblast it to make it rough again and hey presto no rattle and £250 better off , there's a vid on YouTube of how to do it. The s2000 didn't get ANY rust protection at all underneath out the shop unless done by the owner (think honda were trying to save weight), so make sure you have a good check, as the geo setup bolts are known to seize up good and proper on even only slightly rusty ones and have to be cut out and replaced at about £100 each All models were plagued with an eml code for random missfire, not every s2000 would get this but a he'll of a lot of them got it, set off mainly because of cold weather, but could be caused by about 20 different things, from engines fubard to needing new plugs, I had it and it turned out to be dirty injectors, got them professionally cleaned and never saw it again. The soft tops would tend to rip in the rear corners above your head from the bar's rubbing ever time it goes up and down, this can be resolved by putting some material between then bar corner and roof fabric, again video on YouTube. All in all though brilliant cars, never any massive problems (its a honda.. come on) 00 - 04 are near track ready out the box and the 9k rpm is the beans these cars are masivly going up in value now, especially the 1st gen ones below 50 k miles, in fact all this talking about them is making me regret swapping mine for the zed I wonder if i could part ex my z back for s2000 lol That's my ownership of the car anyway, as you can probably tell I REALLY liked it and did a lot of research and will 100% be definatly owning another one after the z probably. looking forward to seeing yours 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I was talking about maybe trying one next with my tech (Honda specialist) at my last service, he was very direct about how rust prone they are underneath if not kept away from the salty rubbish. Make sure you get a garage queen if you're searching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudzy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I had a 2003 AP1(1st gen, 9k rpm) I bought it with 105k miles on and owned it for a year, put 12k miles on it and part exed it for £500 less than I bought it for and came home in a zed the 2000 - 2004 have stiffer stock suspension and the 9k rpm, they revised some stuff from the first model after 2002, I.e glass rear window in soft top and tweaked the suspension. After 2004 (facelift) they made it more dailyable, softer suspension and dropped the red line to 8250 which increased the torque by like 5pounds per foot, and installed an annoying clutch delay valve (But this can easily be removed) aswell as slightly changing the bumpers and interior The lower redline is just in America, they had a 2.2l engine with the facelift in 2004 that had the lower redline but more torque. My 2006 revved to 9k as they all have the AP1 engine in the UK. The most sort after ones tend to be the 2004-2006 as they pay less tax but are the facelift models which look a bit nicer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Okay, so definitely looks like rust is the big killer, which is a massive shame. Budget isn't huge if I'm honest so I was looking at high milers/early cars, mechanical stuff going wrong doesn't concern me as long as it's not complete engine time. Anything else I consider fair wear and tear, unless they're particularly awkward to sort or rare bits. Personally I think there are better cars for the money they are at.... Go on, anything in particular? Wanting a 2 seater, convertible, able to take a pounding on track without costing a fortune in expendables, lighter the better, needs a fair bit of oomph. The plan is next year to do the Bookatrack Iberia trip, which is 3 trackdays in 6 days: Portimao, Jerez and Estoril. Need something comfy for the trip down, able to be ragged silly, then driven home again. Like I say, Elise and Boxster are the other options, although Elise is likely out of price range unless an S1 and I'm not sure I trust the K-series that much...! Boxster could simply be a bit dull, I've tracked a Cayman R and it wasn't as fun as my old MX5. Also considered a Z4 E85 3L Si, as I reckon that could actually be a pretty good option. The car also has to be usable for wifey, and won't be a stripped out track special. Didn't Biscuit Boy have one Dan? He did, but not for very long IIRC as he wanted the Jaaaaaaaag. Well reminded though, I'll tap him up A load of stuff Thank you mate, that's excellent I've driven a couple of S2Ks, one on road and one on track, and loved them both but it just wasn't the right time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob350 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I had a 2003 AP1(1st gen, 9k rpm) I bought it with 105k miles on and owned it for a year, put 12k miles on it and part exed it for £500 less than I bought it for and came home in a zed the 2000 - 2004 have stiffer stock suspension and the 9k rpm, they revised some stuff from the first model after 2002, I.e glass rear window in soft top and tweaked the suspension. After 2004 (facelift) they made it more dailyable, softer suspension and dropped the red line to 8250 which increased the torque by like 5pounds per foot, and installed an annoying clutch delay valve (But this can easily be removed) aswell as slightly changing the bumpers and interior The lower redline is just in America, they had a 2.2l engine with the facelift in 2004 that had the lower redline but more torque. My 2006 revved to 9k as they all have the AP1 engine in the UK. The most sort after ones tend to be the 2004-2006 as they pay less tax but are the facelift models which look a bit nicer. After 04 uk models may rev to 9k, but the start of red line was 8250 wasn't it?? Where as pre 04 models the red line started at 9k. Id say if you wanted a daily car that you were going to track you want 02 - 04 for the stiffer stock suspension and the fact it doesn't have the clutch delay valve, but if your after one as an investment and just to enjoy the car without tracking then 04 to 06 as they do look abit nicer and the suspension is softer. Although you can put facelift bumpers on prefacelift cars and have the best of both but don't get pre 02 they have the niggles that got revised in september 02 I think and a crapy plastic sheet rear window, Also try to get one with a hard top, they look a lot better with it on, warmer, quieter, and they don't really add anymore value to the car so you may as well, when i was buying and selling mine there were cars the same age and mileage with and without hardtops for a very similar price, i had one and it was well worth waiting for one with the hardtop for the same price and mileage. When I came to selling mine I could have sold it for the same price with or without the hardtop, I should have sold them both seperatly for more monies, the h ardtops were selling on ebay for around £600 or £700 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudzy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 After 04 uk models may rev to 9k, but the start of red line was 8250 wasn't it?? No, they all rev up to 9k in the UK because they all have the AP1 engine. Have a look on auto trader and look at the clocks, they changed the design in the facelift slightly but the redline is still at 9k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Suspension I accept will need replacing regardless for track stuff, so that side of things I'm less fussed about. Good to know about the plastic window, that's a definite no-no for me. Hardtop is an interesting one, personally I don't really like them as they always make the cars look a little awkward (not just S2Ks, anything: MR2s, 911s, E46 etc) and then you end up in the situation where you get a day like today which is glorious sunshine but cold, and you then have more of a faff to pop the roof off (or can't if you're already out and about). Does make a difference to NVH and warmth though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudzy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I couldnt wait to get my hard top off, there were loads of little rattles when it was on so I found it noisier with it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strudul Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I couldnt wait to get my hard top off, there were loads of little rattles when it was on so I found it noisier with it on. OEM, Mugen, or Spoon? Spoon / Mooncraft look awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gudzy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Just OEM: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Biccie had one as Graham said Dan. You know what he's like with cars.....nearly as much of a nerd as you so im sure he'll have a wealth of info Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Oh god that yellow one looks soooooooo good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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