Hi,

I've been a Consumer Reports reader for many years now and when the S2000 came out I noticed the excellent reliability. It's a Honda right! So I was shocked when the 2005 car addition came out and the reliability had gone from excellent to average with no explanation. Consumers then did an October issue of roadsters and they said the S2000 reliability was just average, once again. I've been lurking around the site and have seen a bunch of links to Consumer online articles that say reliability is excellent and 2006 predicted is excellent. What gives? Is someone from the magazine editorial staff on crack? Any ideas?

One of the reasons for my rant is a local dealer has some great deals on 2005's, but I'm wondering if I should get a 2006.

Thanks!

 

I'm a CR reader as well. I think there are a few factors: S2000 owners have higher expectations than most, low number of samples, younger abusive drivers

 

Most of their info is BS anyway. They take data from # of service issues per XX # of units, and use that as their sample. And then the rating is the "Brand X" car vs. all cars. So in this case the S2000's reliability is vs. all cars reliability. And I think Reliability also incompasses maintainence as well - which the S need more attention than your avg. family beater.

 

Now, now, don't get offended. What, do you think you bought a Porsche or something? Get real. It's a HONDA, nothing more.

 

All I wanted to know was why for 4 years the car rated great in reliability by Consumers, 2005 it's average and in on-line reports 2006 is supposedly great reliability once more. Just thought it was odd.

 

I would agree with Aggie, I think it has more to do with low number of samples. They only sell about 600 of these things a year,so it would only take a few problems to skew the stats pretty far.

 

Gotcha, that makes a lot of sense. Outliers tend to really effect averages. Thanks, I appreciate answers.

 

thats odd


the online CR 2005 report rates reliablity as excellent and new car prediction as much better than average...

both the highest ratings

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/mo...earchTerm=s2000

 

I got my '06 CR Buying guide about 2 weeks ago. the '00 through '03 AP1s were rated overall much more reliable than average. Insufficient data on the '04 AP2, and no report at all on the '05.

After years of my reliance on CR for car reliability, I'm beginning to get serious doubts. If you look at their Auto Issue or yearly Buying Guide, you'll see that the overall "reliability verdict" is made from a number of "problem area" data shown by those circled areas on a chart. There are a number of inconsistencies between the "problem area reports" and the "reliability verdicts". For example, the problem area data for the Saturn Vue SUV shows much more reliable than average except in some minor category where it scored better than average. But CR's reliability verdict was "much worse than average." Now where did that come from? I could give many more examples, time and space permitting, of CR's inconsistencies.

Then, CR's data from owners they use to make up these reports is way too small in scope ---- consisting of only CR subscribers who will take the time to fill out a six page report on their cars, mowers, and appliances. I certainly don't give CR the respect for its reliability reports as I did in the past. Too much does not make sense.

Thanks,
Richard

 

I love my S2000 but it's by far the most troublesome Honda I've owned. Still good overall, but:

* clutch TSB
* power top controller TSB
* top striker TSB (and they're looking sad again)
* numerous broken top latches
* holes in convertible top
* interior trim peeling off
* rattles like crazy when cold
* annoying noise in the OEM intake no one can diagnose, allegedly a dirty throttle body

Look, I know this is a low production car (for Honda) and it's going to have quirks, I knew that when I bought it. But there's a lot of weird crap with this car, none of it fatal (at least for me, ask some of those who have had oil starvation with the #4 cylinder) but it ain't as reliable as some of my other various Hondas.