I am one of those "Civic" kids who want to up grade to a s2000. But, i have some questions to ask first.

1. I drive a 92 Civic hatch with a N/A tuned B18C1 (201 whp). The question i want to ask here is, how differnt would the power delivery be from that to a F20C? My B18C1 doesn't idle worth a crap, but, soon as VTEC kicks in, holy shit. Is it the same for the s2000, or, is it a little more tame for street ablity?

2. Practicallty. I can't drive my civic in traffic due to it not being able to idle well (due to cam timing and lack of vacum cause of the cams), but on the highway its no prob. WOuld a s2000 be a good car, as both a "hobbY' car and a daily driver?

3. It was easy for me to get the civic (bought it, wasn't running good, fixed it) and sup it up ($15,000 just in the engine alone (including fines i had to pay from tickets (not speeding tickets)). How hard would it be for a 22 year old with a good paying job (in the military) to get a '00-'03 s2000 with less than 50,000 miles on it for under $20,000 (hint to anybody selling one).

Just some things i want to know before i jump into buying a S2000. OH yeah, my civic is for sale too, check the for sale section!

 

1. the s2000 idles pretty well, but it can get rough in hot weather. power delivery is probably similar. i would imagine the f20c idle is tamer.
2. yes.
3. a 2000 in good condition would probably start at about $17K.

one good thing about the S2000...you spent $15,000 on your motor to get 201HP. The S has that already, plus has fully forged internals and it is tuned by honda. the engine really does idle well for such a high strung one. IMO, my S2000 pulls harder than my GSR in low-mid rpm, too.

the big impediment may be insurance. it'll be expensive, especially with a reliable company.

 

one big warning...the s2000 is not a FWD and nor should you drive it like one. if you drive it like you (almost certainly) drive your civic, you will wreck it. respect the car!

 

Thanks for the insight. And yes, i am a responsiable driver. I only race my Civic on the track. I have drivin RWD cars before, and i know the differnts between handling a fwd and rwd car. It's those damn AWD cars that throw me off (LOL). Well, thanks again!

 

I find the S2000's VTEC is much more noticeable & agressive. Even if you're just slowly revving it pass 6K rpm. My best friend has a Prelude motor in his Civic HB and everytime I drive that thing he asks if I can feel the VTEC "kicking in". I said no, I didn't feel jack. Maybe it's just me.

If the car hasn't been dicked with, then I don't see why it wouldn't idle well. I'm a daily driver in my S, it's as tame as you want it to be. You can either drive it like a church lady or M. Schumacher.

 

HA! I wish I could drive it like Schumacher!!!

Seriously though, the car is not nearly as forgiving as a Civic, even a modded one such as yours. Little mistakes can be costly, even for somone who is responsible and "track only". I never street race (well ok, once) and drive pretty sedately on the street and I've still managed to spin it into a gaurd rail. Wasn't the car's fault, that was all me. The point being the S2000 won't cover for the driver's mistakes (even little ones) like other cars will.

 

S2000 makes great drivers only good, and good drivers below average.

On the flip side if you a good s2000 driver your probably great with most other cars

 

Something tells me you've never taken your car to a high performance driving events.

 

I was in a similar situation.

My '93 Prelude got jacked right after I had it tuned and running right. I bought a '91 300ZX to drive daily while I finished up school.

The S2000 is an awesome car. I bought mine w/90K miles and Vortech SC w/ powercooler for $16K about a month ago and absolutely love it.

My Prelude was putting out about 255hp and 230 lb/ft of torque at the wheels as measured on the dynojet at JG Engine Dynamics.

To be honest it feels like my Prelude was making more power below 6K rpm, but once you're in VTEC the S2K blows it away, and you never have to drop out of VTEC when you shift.

My Prelude felt like a car built for the dragstrip, while the S2000 feels like a mini F1 car. And yes, it is much better for daily driving than my Prelude.