Hey folks, I am a new user, not quite yet an owner, i have some pre purchase questions and thoughts.

I will buy new, the price seems to have softened even here in the bay area and i want a properly broken in car and choice of colors(that's the hard part). My only minor, and i mean minor thing to get used to is the lack of guages other than digital and a speedo tv screen, but that will grow on me.

I have driven a 2001r once, an extended drive with the owner and i have vtech'd.
I love this car.

Questions:

1.A/C works or is it a joke(i come from the miata corner)

2.fit and finish, typical honda or ?

3.Quality of workmanship vs. problem areas(again my 2001 Ls has had many problems and it is not very old) Have they worked out the problems that showed in the earlier cars?

4. Tires hard to find? Two different sizes...what has tire life been, like 15k average?

5. interior and seats wearing well, seat leather ok after a couple of years?

6. How is ride comfort on long trips, say over 200 miles? I like a firm ride but a well designed car will leave you refreshed after a couple of hours. I am looking for comments on how you feel after a long trip(tired or the suspension or ready for more?)

7. Local Northern Calif, penninsula dealers, any feedback on sales and service, I live mid penninsula and want someplace between burlingame and palo alto.


8. I am not looking for the answer to the question of ":should I buy this car?" Just tell me what life with s2ook is like on a daily basis.

9. I have seen here a cool air intake scoop, maybe from another country, goes from teh intake over the radiator, and intakes in front of it, probably some sort of high impact plastic, anyone know anything about this?

10. There is no #10, but I am sure one will come to me depending on your reply.

The disclaimer: Since I am coming from a 2001 Ls 6 speed miata with sport suspension and some mods I can relate this is one quick car, I am not comparring this car to anything else, it is unique. I have owned honda/acura products and think they are some of the best built cars in the world.

 

Answers (according to me anyway)

1. A/C works very well. It gets cold faster than any other car I have had and the same goes for the heater

2. Fit and finish is very good. The materials inside aren't Audi level but it's put together very well in a spartan sort of way.

3. Except for the spark plug replacement that affected all years I don't think there are any TSBs for the 02s. My 00 had the window regulator fail in the first 5000 miles, so far my 02 has no problems. Not sure if that part is actually fixed or I am just lucky.

4. On average the OEMs probably get about 10k for the back and 20k on the front. There are people who have worn them out in less than half that time. Selection is pretty good- in addition to the S-02s there are probably at least two dozen other high-performance and max performance tires that will fit ranging from $90-$150 a tire.

5. Not from what I've heard because Honda doesn't seem to use the best leather. Quality leather care products will help, but if the leather is cheap you can only do so much. I don't think the seats are wearing out- just prone to get a lot of wrinkles and creases. Someone with a 00 can probably chime in here with a better answer.

6. I've done 12 hours no problem and don't think twice about driving 120 miles through the mountains to pick up lunch in NC on a Saturday. Some people prefer a seat with more lower back support and either put a towel in the seat or buy an adjustable air cushion made especially for seat back inserts.

7. NA

8. You have to like driving a car that is very involving. Be prepared to shift - a lot. If this is your only car the trunk isn't the biggest in the word. Most things are no problem (groceries, luggage) but you wont have the utility of a hatchback. Oh yeah- driving it is addictive.

9. Yep I've got one. I've seen three models that fit right into the stock airbox. Basically it keeps the air intake from sucking in hot air from over the radiator. There really isn't any gains on a dyno but there it probably a slight ram effect at speed. It does help keep the car from bogging down in hot weather. They are made by Import Development, AUS, and Spoon. You can read more about them here: https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...?threadid=65677

 

You can also read a lot of answers to this set of questions here:

Some prepurchase questions or comments, owners opinions please

In fact, the questions all seemed quite similar.
Maybe you didn't like the answers we posted to your original post and want a different set of answers?

 

I just want all the information I can get from those who will contribute, no matter what the forum title. I appreciate what I have been told already, but more opinions are alwasy a good thing. I have made up my mind to get the car, but I want to hear about life with S2k after purchase and the satisfaction factor.

Whether or not I "like" what I hear is not my interest, I just want information and opinions about life with the car.