My Honda S2000

[Brett]

Nice car. Now you just need to adopt the top down always philosophy.

Well, I did this today and got caught out in the elements. I was driving around an area looking at a few different gas stations to see which one has the best price. When I finally went to one of the stations, while waiting at a light to get to the station, the one cloud in the area opened up and poured on me. I am glad I had a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of short in my truck because they came in handy once I got under the cover of the gas station's canopy. It took a good five () minutes to dry everything up. Had I been on the highway at the time, I do not think it would have been too much of a problem. I knew this time would eventually come, but I did not think it would come that quickly.

Now I am trying to decide if I really need to run an Armour All (well the Advance Auto Parts equivalent) wipe over the interior of the car. I do not think it is really necessary since I just had the car detailed last week.

 

[Slicks]

Armour All is not your friend.

After prolonged use, it's known to deteriorate the dash (or whatever it's used on), drying it out severely.

I'd reccommend a dedicated leather wipe, and a dedicated rubber/plastic wipe - I'm partial to Meguiars.

 

[Brett]

I have never heard that about Armour All. Guess it is a good thing you said something about it. I may pick up some leather and rubber/plastic wipes tomorrow. I need to get a windshield sunshade also.

 

[Thirdeye]

How long would you consider prolonged use to be? I've been using the auto armor dash wipes on my car for almost 2 years now with no problems yet, still looks like new and the car's over 14 years old. I might just continue to dust it and not apply it anymore, since I rarely park outside.

 

[VA10]

Very nice motor mate.. i was thinking about getting one of these. In like a gun metal / Silver. But i am starting to lean towards a white Focus ST-3 with the blue stripe down the side.

 

[Brett]

Thanks! They are an absolute blast and you would not be disappointed in getting one.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ Trust us, the S2K is far more fun to drive than most cars. And that color you like is Silverstone Metallic, my best friend has that color on his S. On the other hand, mine is Sebring Silver Metallic.

 

[Brett]

I have been working on shifting smoother, namely during normal driving. I did not realize I was as rusty as I was until my dad said something about shifting smoother. I still need some work but it is getting better.

And well I had a wonderful drive in the S2000 today, outside of it being a bit humid. I was cruising along, rocking to some Oasis, and life was just about perfect. I also had a couple blasts up the rev range and that is always fun. It was especially nice to be able to drive with the top down after some less than stellar weather this week. It will likely be the last time for a few days because Hurricane Ike is likely to come and dump a bunch of rain here after going through Texas. Hopefully it will not dump too much on Oklahoma and I will be able to get back to top down motoring.

 

[Brett]

Well, I finally got around to taking some more pictures of my car and I am going to upload a good portion of them now. I will get around to uploading the rest of them later tonight or tomorrow. I need to leave here in just a few and ImageShack can be a bit slow to upload pictures.

All of this group of pictures were taken in a parking lot of the high school I went to. The stands in the background of some of the pictures are the football field. Enjoy! 👍 (Click for larger picture!)

 

[buickgnx88]

Hmm I don't think you took enough pictures!

 

[Kent]

Top notch Vash. 👍
Thanks for the pics.

Btw, I'm not a big fan of buttons on the steering wheel but I think that's one of the better looking wheels out there. 👍

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> Sweet NFR (New Formula Red) shots you got there! Supa-clean, supa-stock, supa-cool dudes! 👍

 

[Brett]

Hmm I don't think you took enough pictures!

I have more coming soon!

Top notch Vash. 👍
Thanks for the pics.

Btw, I'm not a big fan of buttons on the steering wheel but I think that's one of the better looking wheels out there. 👍

Well there really is not anywhere else to place the cruise control controls. That place is as good as any.

-> Sweet NFR (New Formula Red) shots you got there! Supa-clean, supa-stock, supa-cool dudes! 👍

Thanks! 👍

 

[Muzaffar]

Looks too stock IMO. Need some new rims and body kits to spices things up. But I find it weird that I liked the S2000 with the top up instead of the top down....... 👍

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ Dude He doesn't need all that, he is fine with that dude!

~> (I'm drunk dude! [9 jagerbombs!])!

 

[Brett]

Looks too stock IMO. Need some new rims and body kits to spices things up. But I find it weird that I liked the S2000 with the top up instead of the top down.......

A body kit is not going to happen any time soon. Too much work and I do not feel like taking the time to have it painted either. I have thought about getting some different wheels, but right now there are other things I want to get first, namely, a HDTV. I have also seen a set of wheels like the ones on my car painted in a gunmetal color and another in black and I thought both looked awesome.

Also, I have a cover that goes over the top when it down, but I did not have it on in any of these pictures. I did not really feel like messing with it.

Now, here are some more pictures for everyone's enjoyment.

These pictures were taken at the local little league baseball/softball fields. (Click for larger image!)



These four pictures were taken at some pond. I do not really know if it has a name or not. (Again, click for larger image!)

 

[Serge.D]

Great car VashTheStampede,looks really good in red.
They must be rare here,saw only 3 and could only take Photos of one.
The S2000 and the NSX are the best looking Honda's IMO.

Looks too stock IMO. Need some new rims and body kits to spices things up. But I find it weird that I liked the S2000 with the top up instead of the top down....... 👍

Maybe just other wheels,but no body kit.
The car is gonna lose his value with a body kit.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I have also seen a set of wheels like the ones on my car painted in a gunmetal color and another in black and I thought both looked awesome.

I think the current wheels look really good, but they would probably look even better in black, especially on a red car. 👍

 

[Brett]

Great car VashTheStampede,looks really good in red.
They must be rare here,saw only 3 and could only take Photos of one.
The S2000 and the NSX are the best looking Honda's IMO.

Thanks Serge! The S2000 is somewhat rare anywhere. Honda has not made them in large numbers.

I think the current wheels look really good, but they would probably look even better in black, especially on a red car. 👍

Thanks! 👍

The two links below are examples of the wheels on my car painted in Gunmetal and Black.

Gunmetal

Black

If I were to do something like either, I would definitely have to have the Honda emblem on the center cap like on the gunmetal colored wheels. I think not having the emblem on the black wheels looks a bit odd.

 

[buickgnx88]

I personally think white wheels contrast real well with a red car!

 

[s204speed]

I assume a supercharger isn't a top priority? Looks good!

 

[Brett]

A supercharger or turbocharger may be in the works, but it would be a few years down the line. Right now I am more worried about saving money up to put down on a house.

Update, I broke the 10,000 mile barrier on the car yesterday. Did not even get to see it turn it over because I was more worried about getting my Christmas shopping done.

 

[LoudMusic]

Hey, nice car

Have you visited http://www.s2ki.com yet? When I lived in Arkansas we did a few drives with the Oklahoma group - they seemed like nice people. Their community organizer is a really nice girl named Julie. You should check'em out.

 

[Brett]

Yes, I have indeed visited S2Ki, but I am not a member and have actually not visited the site in quite a bit of time. I probably should become a member and actually look into doing things with the Oklahoma group.

Since I am posting, might as well give an update on the car. I have put about 13,000 miles on the car and have enjoyed every single one of them. It has been a quite common occurrence for me to take off and disappear for two or three hours on the weekends just to drive the car. Owning a convertible is incredibly wonderful, especially when the machine is extremely competent. I do not know if I could recommend convertible ownership enough; I am actually slightly worried this car may have ruined car ownership for me for the rest of my life.

My only complaints of the S200 are:

• The car needs a slightly larger fuel tank, around 15 or 16 gallons, instead of 13
• Sixth gear to be a bit longer for longer trips on the highway
• A bit more power from the engine.

Last, a slight downer. One night heading to Buffalo Wild Wings in Moore from Norman, as I crossed over a railroad crossing, I managed to hit something in the road that left about a seven inch scratch and slight dent in the front driver's side fender ahead of the door. I have no clue what I hit in the road, just heard the thump it made and the saw the aftermath. The next day, I went back to see if I could find anything in the road. I found nothing. Whatever the object was, it was in the road just after the railroad crossing. It did not help that this railroad crossing is also a crest in the roadway, as the combination of the roadway crest and darkness severely limited my ability to see anything on the road in that area. I do not think my chances of avoiding anything there were very good.

In the next couple days after this, I got a couple quotes from a couple nearby body shops on what it would cost to fix the dent and repaint the scratch, and lets just say I was a bit shocked on how expensive the quotes were. One of the quotes was $700 and the other was $600. I knew it would be expensive, but that seems to be a bit on the ridiculous side. I have not decided on what I want to do about the scratch and have not done anything about it since it happened. I am starting to lean more and more towards buying some touch up paint from one of the Honda dealerships and just going with that option.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> ...

Yes, I have indeed visited S2Ki, but I am not a member and have actually not visited the site in quite a bit of time. I probably should become a member and actually look into doing things with the Oklahoma group.

^ If you decided to be a member, hit me up. I'll guide you throughout the site. My name is the same as here in GTP. I usually hang 'round at car talk & Las Vegas forum.

Since I am posting, might as well give an update on the car. I have put about 13,000 miles on the car and have enjoyed every single one of them. It has been a quite common occurrence for me to take off and disappear for two or three hours on the weekends just to drive the car. Owning a convertible is incredibly wonderful, especially when the machine is extremely competent. I do not know if I could recommend convertible ownership enough; I am actually slightly worried this car may have ruined car ownership for me for the rest of my life.

^ Ownership factor on "our" S2K is pretty not bad! Infact, a lot better than when I used to have a WRX Wagon. Sure its a tad higher than the sportiest Civic (Si), because of its rarity factor. But if you shop around thouroughly well, its not that bad.

My only complaints of the S2000 are:

• The car needs a slightly larger fuel tank, around 15 or 16 gallons, instead of 13
• Sixth gear to be a bit longer for longer trips on the highway
• A bit more power from the engine.

^ Well that is the (S2K) roadster life. Actually, the AP1 (like your's) has a longer gear ratios (@ 5th & 6th gears) compared to the AP2 (like mine). So adding the lack of torque, you have a a gutless DD mule until VTEC shows up.

Last, a slight downer. One night heading to Buffalo Wild Wings in Moore from Norman, as I crossed over a railroad crossing, I managed to hit something in the road that left about a seven inch scratch and slight dent in the front driver's side fender ahead of the door. I have no clue what I hit in the road, just heard the thump it made and the saw the aftermath. The next day, I went back to see if I could find anything in the road. I found nothing. Whatever the object was, it was in the road just after the railroad crossing. It did not help that this railroad crossing is also a crest in the roadway, as the combination of the roadway crest and darkness severely limited my ability to see anything on the road in that area. I do not think my chances of avoiding anything there were very good.

In the next couple days after this, I got a couple quotes from a couple nearby body shops on what it would cost to fix the dent and repaint the scratch, and lets just say I was a bit shocked on how expensive the quotes were. One of the quotes was $700 and the other was $600. I knew it would be expensive, but that seems to be a bit on the ridiculous side. I have not decided on what I want to do about the scratch and have not done anything about it since it happened. I am starting to lean more and more towards buying some touch up paint from one of the Honda dealerships and just going with that option.

^ Sorry to hear that bro! S2K's have a very complex rear quarter panel. I was about to take off a ding at the left side but the anti-ding guy guy told me to drill a hole in the body work and I said "hell no"!

^ Pretty hard object to fix (look at the rear quarter panel.

-> I think the object that you hit was not a object at all!

 

[Brett]

Actually, the AP1 (like your's)

Mine is an AP2.

^ Sorry to hear that bro! S2K's have a very complex rear quarter panel. I was about to take off a ding at the left side but the anti-ding guy guy told me to drill a hole in the body work and I said "hell no"!

Well mine is the front quarter panel, not rear. So that is good. I am pretty sure they would not need to do any drilling on mine. Just needs a bit of filler to smooth the area over, as the dent is very minor. The scratch is the major problem.

 

[JacZilla]

If you decide that you're in the need for a road trip in the S2, MOM09 is coming up pretty quick:

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=719918&st=0

Speaking of s2ki, we've gotten a new regional section: Southern Missouri. Most of us are owners/drivers from a Springfield car form (www.truformonline.com), but we're working on getting a larger member base, I know a lot of people that have posted in our section are from the KC/STL/OK sections; we try not to segregate it too much. I know Moore isn't too far away, and TruForm/smo.s2ki does like to drive a lot (ntenseone and I just got back from a KC trip where there were only about 30 cars, haha), so don't hesitate to join up!

The Oklahoma group is very active. JulieU keeps events coming like clockwork, so you know that there is some kind of meet or event in the works or coming up. If nothing else, just go to one of the drive-up meets. I can guarantee that you will learn more about your car in less than an hour of chit-chat than you would with weeks worth of internet research.

Anyways, glad to see you're enjoying the car. I know I love my GPW AP1, and would give up everything just to keep it around.

Oh, and by the way... 9000>8000

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> ...

Mine is an AP2.

^ Oh...

-> I almost forgot that your S is an AP2. So far I'm much more than happy the way it performs in the straights.

Well mine is the front quarter panel, not rear. So that is good. I am pretty sure they would not need to do any drilling on mine. Just needs a bit of filler to smooth the area over, as the dent is very minor. The scratch is the major problem.

^ Ah its not that of a bad of an ordeal then, thank goodness!

-> Just shop around for a better deal.

If you decide that you're in the need for a road trip in the S2, MOM09 is coming up pretty quick:

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=719918&st=0

I can guarantee that you will learn more about your car in less than an hour of chit-chat than you would with weeks worth of internet research.

^ We should have a mini-group here in GTP for S2K owners.

Anyways, glad to see you're enjoying the car. I know I love my GPW AP1, and would give up everything just to keep it around.

^ Same here, my parallel car is a '98 Odyssey LX. I can have any car as long I still have Silvie.

Oh, and by the way... 9000>8000

^ Um, that statement is an ongoing war in S2Ki, I can neither support nor condemn that debacle above.

 

[Sertsa]

Wow, sorry to hear about the scratch. I've admired these cars since they've been out, but there's a 2000 for sell near me, with a little over 21K miles on it, and it's really tempting. The only thing holding me back is wondering how comfortable I'd be in one, at 6'2" / 230. It'd feel a bit odd to call and ask if I could come by, see if I can fit in it with the top up and, if so, take it for a drive.

But if all that went well, I probably couldn't keep from buying it.

But I also keep thinking that I'm really experienced with Hondas now (as well as Nissans and several other cars), maybe I should try something German.

 

[Brett]

I do not think it would be odd for you to call to ask to see the car. Part of the car buying experience is sitting in a vehicle and deciding whether the car fits right. Although, I would recommend against going to see the car if you are in the car buying mood; mainly because if you do fit, then I think you will have a hard time turning down the S2000.

Before I bought mine, I did a bit of research on the pricing of the S2000 and other cars on Craig's List and eBay. My S2000 was listed on Craig's List. My car piqued my interest because of the very low mileage for the car year. It also did not hurt that the car was located close to where I live.

Actually at the time, I was not planning on buying a car; I was just looking into what cars cost and planning on waiting a bit longer so I could have a larger down payment. That thought did not stop me from calling the previous owner about the car. After a brief chat and getting the owner's house address, I drove to the owner's house, looked the car over, and drove it. I was pretty much instantly smitten. As I was driving away, I called the owner back, told him I was going to buy the car, and would work out the details of financing the car through my credit union the next day. The decision was made easy because of the low mileage on the car and what basically amounted to a brand new car. It was the first and only car I test drove while I was in the car buying market. Needless to say, I am extremely happy with my purchase and would not have it any other way.