LivingVoice

I am planning to purchase one but I am not sure which one I should get. The 03 will be about 3K cheaper than the 04 model on average. I like the extra low end torque of the 04 and quiter ride at freeway speed. Also, the more predictable handling is a plus. But if the differences are not that significant, then the 03 seems to be a better value buy.

I can't really compare the two since limitation in test drive. My question is, at the limit, how big of a difference in term of oversteer do you feel between the two model? Is the 03 that much more prone to abrupt oversteer? Or is it just a bit more oversteer?

I currently drive a sedan G35 and the car rear tends to be a bit loose at high speed which really scare me a few time when I tried to do a 80mhp turn at off ramp exit. If it was a little bit faster, I wasn't sure what would have happend? Personally I would prefer a little understeer at high speed corner ... like the bmw tends to be.

Also as for the extra low end torque, is it much of a difference? Can you really tell?

Thanks in advance.

Enthralled

get the 04









peace

JSWhaler

Well I have an 03' (left over) and could have opted for the 04' back when I bought my car. I drove both back to back and I actually liked the feel of the 03' better. As for acceleration it is very hard to tell, but I do like the 9k rpm. The suspension is where I really felt the difference. I thought the 04' was a bit spungier while the 03' was a bit more responive to the road. My suggestion, get the 03' add gears and now you have a faster accelerating s.

iamhomin

You couldreally tell that the AP2 (in this case the 04) has more usable torque in the lower-end and is a lot more "softer" than the AP1. I'm not implying that the AP2s are stripped of the essential characteristics the S possess, but there are clear differences you should note before deciding on which model to purchase.

If you're concerned about comfort, the AP2 + HT would be your best option. Personally, I prefer the AP2 over the AP1 regardless of the 1k less RPM.

Chris S

daily driver, or weekend toy? I prefer the AP1 (and faced a similar decision when I bought mine a year ago), but can't fault anyone who prefers the AP2, esp. for DD use.

I think the AP1 is a little more visceral, the AP2 a little more comfy. Can't go wrong w/ either one!

I suspect I'll have an AP2 (or AP3?) sometime in the future when mine gets old and ugly.

00CivicSi

The AP2 tends to understeer a bit from the factory, but changing to UK alignment fixes that.

The rear suspension of the '04+ is a little softer while the front suspension was stiffened. Your ass will tell you the '04+ is softer, but the true intent was to improve handling.

"More responsive" = quicker steering ratio. Not necessarily a good thing (not saying it's bad).

Or add gears to an '04+ and now you have a faster accelerating S.








Look, these cars aren't night and day. I almost bought an '03 as the AP2 was hitting the showroom but ended up with an '05 over a year later........but only because I wanted a NEW car and I decided that I wanted to wait borrow way less.

The fact is that there are differences, but they aren't nearly as different as if you were comparing ANY S2000 with ANY of it's primary competitors (read: cross-shopped cars).

The main differences people talk about:
- redline
- a bit of torque
- a few suspension tweaks
- tire/wheel combo
- a few interior changes

My suggestion??? Take a look at both and determine what YOU prefer on your own. They're just not that different to start yet ANOTHER AP1 vs AP2 arguement over.

sc05

I just bought MY04 AP2 about 2 weeks ago, before purchasing i drove an 03 and 01, the AP1's have a much harsher ride, not to say the AP2 rides like a stock civic, because it doesn't, you still feel the road. As for torque, I definetely noticed the difference between the two, the AP1 felt like my 01 civic in the low end, and my AP2 seems to have alot more below 4k RPMs. As for the oversteer problem, I can't really tell your because I haven't driven either enough, but I have heard the AP1's are much more prone to snap oversteer, which is something I hope to not encounter on the streets. Hope some of this might help, as I am still learning alot, either way they are both awesome cars..

00CivicSi

While the ride of my AP2 is certainly stiffer than in my stock '98 Civic, neither it nor any stock AP1 I've driven has as harsh a ride as my g/f's stock '00 Civic Si.

Of course, these are measured by the butt and lower-back dynos...

My point is that harshness of ride really makes no real statement about handling characteristics.

Jacques79

sounds like you want a 2004.

Everything you say leads me to think you would love the 2004 and not be happy in a 2003.

Why question yourself if you know the answer already?

LivingVoice

Well, it would be nice to have more inputs since there are probably a lot more people here more familiar with the s2k than me.

Anyway, I am trying to find if there are a lot of differences between the two or if the differences are small enough to ignore.

It will be just my weekend car. I've driven the 03 but I did not find the ride harsh at all. My only concern is the oversteer problem. I just don't want to find out the hard way. I heard experience driver prefer the 03 but novices may want the 04 or later. But at the end it will probably come down to the money. If I could afford a decent 04, I'll probably go for it. If not, I guess I can live with the 03.