I know this topic has been absolutely beaten to death...

But, today I drove the following S2000s:

1. 2005 with 25k on the clock. Mint condition...No complaints at all. This is the first s2k I have driven and I was really impressed.

2. 2002 with 45k on the clock. Near mint exterior, powertrain just fine except it could use a clutch free-play adjustment (or fluid)...I did not like the engagement point but that is fixable easily enough as the clutch did not slip at all.

Both cars were factory Honda certified used cars.

Maybe I am thinking of the 2005 in a better light because it was newer and tighter, and maybe the 2002 was a little weeded out as it did not feel as impressive as the 2005.

I need to drive another sample of the 2000-2003 models to see for sure, but it felt like the 2005 was quite a bit quicker in the seat of the pants dyno area.

These are just my opinions and I will follow up with them when I test drive another 2000-2003 sample.

After reading the sagas regarding F22 vs. F20, I almost feel bad saying I prefer the 2005. The F20 seems to lose the power around 8400 or so, whereas the F22 has a little over-rev.

Am I on par with others thoughts here? I always wanted 9k as a redline but may have to settle for 8k with the newer model year...

Thanks for your time,

Brett

 

its a personal thing. no concrete answers. i'd save some dough if i were you and either get a 02 or 04.

 

I feel like my 03 has plenty of power to 9k. maybe I am just comparing it to my Audi which has a very pronounced tq drop off in the last 1000 RPM. I had the the compression checked before I bought it. I suggest you do the same just to be sure. My 03 compression numbers were 225,223, 223, 218 for reference.

 

it all depends on your preference. When I was looking at s2000 I thought I would have liked the 9k redline more as well, but I ended up getting a brand new 2005 instead because i liked the extra tourquiness of the ap2. Just go out and when you test drive, do so with an open mind and make your decision from that. Good luck finding out what you want.

-Ian

 

I just bought a 2003 with 15k miles. The thing i don't understand is all the hype about the lack of torque for daily driving. I think it gives plenty of usable power, the driver just has to understand the engine and use it's power accordingly. I stop and go with traffic and most of the time i'm picking up speed faster then the majority (driving normally).

 

Never settle.... but seriously- who cares if the car revs to 9 thousand? Yes it is impressive, but why would you choose a car that you noted to be quicker just for a car that has a higher redline? Do you plan on having a party every time you reach 9k RPMS? You should make an informed decision, considering all of the factors at play. If I were in the market right now, I would get the newer model, because it has more of the original warranty intact. I will tell you from experience that the "Certified Warranty" means nothing.
Lol, I just noticed- my first S2000 was a 2002 with 45k miles on it. Turned out to be the previously modified car from Hell. The longer a car has been around, the more people have dogged it out, and even more unknown modifications have been performed to it. It seems like the AP2 has a lesser chance of modification and/ or accidents.

 

One of the big differences is in the transmission ratios. The AP2 is about 4% shorter gearing in the first 2 gears, so it's going to feel quicker off the line, especially with the added torque. The AP1's benefit a lot from changing to 4.44 or 4.57 gears, which makes them about 8 to 10% shorter than stock.

Both are great cars though, hard to go wrong either way.

 

9k redline = 3k rpm powerband, but I guess it depends what you want out of the car.

If you want daily driveability and a car thats a little more docile, well, thats exactly what Honda did with the AP2.

I would save a little and go with an AP1, but test drive some others first. Either way you will be happy.

 

I'll throw in my two cents as well before AP1/AP2 fanboys disrupt this nice civil ongoing thread.

When i bought my MY07 exactly two months ago, I was in the biggest dilema for i have been looking at this MY03 with 15k miles that was in absoloutely perfect condition. I was pretty much set on getting it until I drove my friend's 05. Since i am very keen to noticing minor differences, i found the two cars to be very different. AP1 was much easier to break the rear end loose with much more evident snap oversteer, was more fun to drive with a bigger powerband, and no cdv in the AP1 made it awesome. However, the AP2 was a bit more appealing especially to me because everything seemed more "tight" as you mentioned and it just felt like a more expensive car. Steering assist has been reduced to feel stiffer, ofcourse the shorter gear ratios and added torque played a big role in low rpm acceleration, tons of extra gadgets like oil % remainder gauge, temp gauge, rollbar speakers, VSA (which has saved my ass about 5 times in two months), much nicer looking exterior (atleast in my opinion), nicer console and radio/radio speakers, cleaner looking gauge cluster (my opinion), nicer 17" wheels, and the list goes on. Overall, the AP2 felt a lot more classy and luxurious while still retaining all of what the s2k is about.

People purchase the s2k for different reasons and mine was as my only car and daily driver; therefore i could take advantage of and appreciate all the changes that have been made to the AP2. As for someone that is going to solely track the car and use it for weekend purposes, AP1 might serve them better. After all, many people say that AP1 might be a tad quicker going around a track than the AP2. Good luck and keep testdriving before you make the purchase. You never know.....

 

Thank you everyone for revisiting these things for the millionth time!

I am going to find a 2003 to test drive and keep doing some research, I think that I will be patient and find a nice sample, be it ap1 or ap2, that feels right.

I have heard that the 2003 have an ECU change that leans it out and makes a bit more power too, have to keep reading.

Thanks again and Happy New Year,

Brett