Honda S2000

[Sukh]

Anyone own one of these and is around 22-23?

I would like one but have heard the insurance is the limiting factor?


Anyone else have any thoughts about these? I have been eyeing up Mk1 TT 225s and now these have popped up on my radar as a more manly alternative.

Any help or thoughts appreciated about the two.

 

[Sukh]

Why don't you do some insurance quotes and see for yourself?

Because I didn't ask for just insurance details, I wanted to here some useful posts like the ones below yours about the car



Thanks for the above, I liked the idea of having a hard top for winter and then drop top for summer. I think I like the idea of vtec, not sure so when the weather clears up I am planning to take one on a test drive.

In terms of well known issues, are there any?

e.g. on the TT the HT leads are made of chocolate and the ARB cracks/bushing perish.

I've done some quotes and have 4.5 years ncb at the moment and its not looking too bad, the TT is cheaper to insure.



What sort of mods are the usual route? I know for the TT 225, everyone maps it and pushes it to about 260. In my brief reading there isn't any easy option for the s2000 and mostly its about handling?

 

[Sukh]

Why do you want one? The reason I ask is that someone who wants an Audi TT doesn't usually want an S2000, they are quite different cars.

Something a bit faster/more power.
Don't need 4 seats as such, but I know that one is pretty numb and has turbo and the other is involved and vtec.

Really quick post,

I did loads of posts about the car including a first year summary of ownership.

Thanks, just read the year summary, am heading over to the forums to read the FAQ and have a good read.

I currently own a Mk1 TT 225


The TT doesn't give as much feedback to the driver as some cars. It can often feel a bit like playing GT4, just point and shoot.

If you are ever in Nottingham and want a better look then let me know? I may also consider letting it go for the right price as I am thinking of changing in the next 6-12 months anyway (gf wants an mx5)

Thanks for the offer, I have done extensive reading about the TT as it was my first choice for easy bhp at a reasonable price.


I considered an mx-5 as well, but don't know if I can overcome the hairdresser image if I'm honest. PH raves about them as being awesome, but at the end of the day I would have to live with it. Have you upgraded the ARB at the front to reduce understeer?

 

[Sukh]

Yes the insurance is higher than most cars, according to forums they get wrapped around houses/trees and put in ditches a lot.

My cheapest main stream quote was £1500 for the 2000 and £800 for the TT 225.

The thing is I would like the TT as it is solid and quite fast in a straight line, but I've driven my Father's A6 and the steering wheel doesn't seem connected to the wheels in any way and I don't really like the idea.

Are the likes of Flux and other specialists much better any more?

 

[Sukh]

Yeh thanks for the heads up, I will have to get round to planning some test drives in the new year. Waiting to see what happens to train tickets, as it could have an impact on the car choices.

 

[Sukh]

I want this

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2335224.htm

That car is stunning!

Please. Please. Please do not buy a car for 4k. or even 5k, or probably, even 6k. You desperately need one that someone paid 10-12-14-16k+ for, and has treated it with loads of respect. These cars get very expensive when things go wrong.

The biggest thing with S2000's is suspension. EVERYTHING is about the handling. You can spend cash on engine mods (see further below) but handling is where its at. I spent thousands on mine sorting the suspension out (Seized adjustors, getting new springs, uprated anti roll bars, brace bars, poly bushes etc) and it was absolutely incredible after.

With all the suspension work, how did it work with insurance declarations? Are they just replacements for OEM parts or are they upgraded mods that load the premium?

Obviously the premium is already quite high, so loading it with modding tax will hurt.

Also a daft question, but on the motorway sitting dead on 70 what sort of mpg does one return?

 

[Sukh]

With Chris Knott insurance (available after my first year of ownership) I had every mod declared for free.

MPG will be about 25-28 at a push, it's pulling close to 4000 RPM at those speeds iirc

Did you have the car mod free for the first year?

4000 at 70mph? What ridiculous short gearing is this?

 

[Sukh]

I could be wrong, but I get the feeling this will be the OP's daily drive. On motorway runs it is by no means quiet. Assuming you have a decent seal on the soft top or hard top, and thus no wind noise, you do get quite a bit of tyre noise, and then there's then engine. As above, car does circa 4k rpm at 70 in 6th, so engine noise is a factor. You shouldn't have to shout to speak to someone in the passenger seat, but its far from silent, and I imagine, a far cry from the cabin of a TT if my gf's Golf is anything to go by.

I would use it on a mix of B roads / NSL to get to the station and then park up if I commute the same way I do now, but if train prices go up the rumoured extortionate amounts I may reconsider driving in.

My insurance at 23 was £1400. On renewal was £900.

It has now done 110k (2004), just had its big 108k service and it's been flawless.

It's probably worth £6500 now but the condition is a lot better that the low mile older ones that i've seen on various meets etc.

I would be grateful if you could share who you are insured with, as that sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Sukh]

No offence, but I don't really want to pay the porsche tax with running a boxster, and I would have to change the headlights over as they bug me.

Its an amazing car, mum had an 07 plate for last winter, if you don't me asking, what made you pick the boxster over the S, maybe I'm missing something.

 

[Sukh]

Sorry, I meant the conversion to round lights, the egg yolk ones just don't look Porsche to me. What are the running costs like?

 

[Sukh]

Yeh that would be why I wouldn't get the car, its easier to just buy a 987


I've been doing some reading about the revisions of the car and the consensus seems to be that 2004/5 cars offer the best value for money in terms of revisions or
Buy a 03 car and do get the geo done yourself.

 

[Sukh]

I'm not overly worried about the expense, just weighing up the cost V enjoyment I would get from the car.

I do a short (15/20 min) trip to the station everyday and the car will hardly warm up enough to have any fun in that time.

I'm not one to go hooning for the sake of it, so I am just considering whether a drivers car is right for me.

 

[Sukh]

I saw this:

Cheap S2000

This and say £1k to sort out any problems like geo/tyres/suspension problems?


Or as Mark says, something like a CLK with a v6

 

[Sukh]

I don't know what made you think that, I get what its about, just that I won't have time to enjoy it.
I'm pretty handy on the track and enjoy watching motorsport so I get how its a drivers' car.

 

[Sukh]

Reason for the comment is simple.

You started a thread about a car which is ... i would say a rev happy daily driver elise, and then said you were considering an audi tt.

the two are quite honestly worlds apart.

It certainly isn't a dig at you, and id be saying the same if you said 525tds se 5 series or mk1 golf gti

I'm guessing you didn't read the part where I said one was an AWD turbo car with numb steering and the other a RWD drivers car?

I don't understand why people aren't allowed to consider wildly different cars.

As an aside, when I was in the hunt for an S, there was a reason cheaper cars were priced as such. I saw examples with broken roll hoops, how and why god only knows. Worn hoods, dry and cracked window seals, dirty engine bays, scatched, stained leather etc. You get an impression how well a car has been looked after when you see it. Theres arent cars to run on a shoe string, so if I saw a rough looking car, Id question what corners have been cut. That said, if you find a desperate seller who has had a genuine enthusiasm for the car, then you could bag yourself a bargain. Go see a good few examples, get a few test drives and youll get to know what is normal and what isnt. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice I will certainty be looking at a few examples and driving both the TT and S and then considering what I want from a car before I make a decision what to do.

 

[Sukh]

Yes sorry, I wasn't berating you, just saying that I do have the little amount of knowledge to appreciate the differences between the cars.

I haven't done a large amount of reading into the S but I have made clear that I appreciate it is a completely different kettle of fish to the TT.


I appreciate the replies you have given, just need to decide whether my trips warrant a drivers car or just an A-B car.