Life after the S2000

[pilotb777_300]

Well guys after a year and a half of owning one of my fav cars in the world the S2k I've finally sold up. I have owned the car for about 1.5 years and I feel the time has flown by. I feel sick at the thought that I have to hand the keys over to someone next week and never drive her again :( I'm almost certain no car will ever live up to the driving experience of the S2000. I hope none of you have to sell you pride and joy as I can honestly tell u its hard letting go. Unfortunately life circumstances require I have a 4 door car as a 2 seater is no long acceptable.

I have been and always will be a die hard honda fan. my first car was the accord euro followed by a short period of time with a honda CRV then the S2000. I'm trying to work out what to get next. I would like to stick with the honda brand, however I feel honda is trying its best to put me off with their latest models ! Nothing has the heart of the S2000 or the old DC2R's. Anyways my choices now are fairly limited. go back and buy a luxury CL9 euro or a base model CU2 or a civic sport. I welcome any other suggestions as well for around 25-30K second hand.

I'm asking this in the S2000 section as I would like some advice from the perspective of S2000 drivers who may have driven some of these others cars and can maybe direct me towards a good step down from the S2k that wont get me bored driving to and from work every day. Something I can have fun with while also being practicle and can hold onto for the next 10 years or so.

Cheers

[seihoa]

I know your a die hard honda fan but ever thought going to the dark side? wrx? sti? evo?

4 door with lots of fun.

[euromandeluxe]

When you say practical, 'how' practical?

Many consider the RX-8 as a thirsty four-door S2000 coupe. :D

[l__i__l]

I went from a dc5r to S2k than back to dc5r

i was in the same situation needed a 4 seater

[9large]

There's life after an S2000? ;)

It's tough to find something even mildly exciting in Honda's current lineup compared to the S2000, but for what they've been designed for, a CU2, FD2 or FN2R are good for four seats.

To get four doors in that price range in a half decent package, I'd look elsewhere unfortunately (i.e. WRX/STI, GSR EVO, Golf GTI, or older E46 325 and S3s).

[pilotb777_300]

Thanks for the reply guys. The problem with the wrx/sti evo and even the golf GTI is a realibility and maintenance issue for me. I'm after something that will last me at least 250K on the clock and another 10 years. I just purchased a property and am about to get engaged so its downhill financially for me from now on unfortunately ! :) I need something that will cost me minimal $$$ to run which would definetely mean older european cars are out of the question.
I've had friends with forced induction cars before and they;ve had all sorts off issues with turbo seals leaking, bearings need replacing over time, drive train failing (WRX) due to big torque numbers etc... the list just goes on. The only subaru I may consider is the STI but I'd be looking at list 35K for a good low KM example.

My old accord euro CL9 was a great car. Lasted me 5 years with only regular oil changes and nothing else in terms of maintenance. It was semi decent to drive felt nice around the turns (after market suspension) engine pulled great from low down and it felt much torquier than the S2000. I dont wana be owning the same car twice though which is why I'm considering a CU2 however I heard they dont drive as nice as the CL9 :(

The type R or Type S integra is an option which I think would be a great drive but is it really a 4 seater ? can you get 2 adults comfortably in the back ?

Eastern honda have a 2005 Type S for sale with 70K on the clock selling for 23990 which isnt a bad buy I dont think. I might have to go test drive one and see what they feel like on the rd

[seihoa]

You only run into problems with turbo cars mainly when u start playing around with boost and taking short cuts and doing hectic hard launchers on the wrx/evo.

[LEWD]

If you want to risk get a E36 M3, otherwise, you can get a 330Ci E46 manual for that kind of money, both of these cars are much better prosepcts as practical cars that are fun to drive. Personally, Id rather take a taxi than drive a Euro Accord.

[euromandeluxe]

Haha Pete
(it's shivesh btw)

anyway, those E46s are starting to age and it's not uncommon for things to go wrong. A couple of people I know with them have run into heaps of problems (radiator, starter, VANOS seals, rear subframe tear). Thankfully BMW agreed to fix the subframe issue as they had previously acknowledged it was a design fault and offered out of warranty repair (it was going to cost around 10k!). My friend was lucky as he was the third owner and the car was 10 years old LOL

I had a CL9 Euro Lux, the manual box was great (with a Comptech short shifter throws were as short as in the S2000) and it felt planted with just a rear swaybar and some lowering springs. At the end of the day though it's big, heavy FWD that won't do if you're really after a driver's car.

Would definitely drive the (slightly modded manual) CL9 over taking a cab though!

[TypeS]

The type R or Type S integra is an option which I think would be a great drive but is it really a 4 seater ? can you get 2 adults comfortably in the back ?

Depends on how tall and obese they are really

I’ve had no problems fitting average 165cm tall adults in mine; we’ve gone on 2-3 hour straight road trips comfortably.

Boot space is the best part though fold down the rear seats and you can fit two mountain bikes in!

If that’s your thing.

[tay113]

What I am doing now is have a much cheaper 5th hatch to run about.hope that fits your lifestyle with best of both world.prolonging the life of the s2000,striking a balance of harmony.home and boys toys tay

[pilotb777_300]

hmmm just a thought that has occured to me.... maybe a mazda 6 MPS ? I didnt mention before that I actually had a 3MPS for a very short amount of time but had horrible torque steer so I got rid of it pretty quick. Maybe the 6 MPS might be an improvemement (although not a honda :( )

as for the CL9 I actually found it to be a fairly nice drive... pulled nicely in all gears, I had the short shifter as well as the rear sway bar and lowe pedders springs... car drive great. The gear ratio's were a bit of a mess specially going from 1st to second but other than that it wasnt too bad. It had nothing on the S2000 though. Different worlds apart. if you guys had a choice would u go lux CL9 man or std CU2 man

[LEWD]

Hey mate, my family has been running a 6cyl E46 since new ('02) model, it has 380,000km on it and it has never had a thing go wrong with it....I guess its all about maintenance. I think inherently they are a solid car, but there are a lot of cars out there that people have bought of the original owners and havent taken care of them. I looked at buying a E46 M3 before my S2k and 60,000km cars were in worse condition than our family E46.

I take your comments about the euro, ultimately though the bimmer is going to be a lot more enjoyable to drive due to its chassis than a euro.

As for the cab comment, I stand by it, I cant stand boring cars, if there is no driver involvement, I may as well be the passenger.


slightly off topic, I started looking at E36 M3's, pretty cheap.....mmmmmm........

[seihoa]

old euro car = expensive repair bills and parts.

[LEWD]

old euro car = expensive repair bills and parts.

That's a pretty broad statement.....any old car is expensive to repair....as are many new cars....its how likely they are to go wrong which is key.

[pilotb777_300]

That's a pretty broad statement.....any old car is expensive to repair....as are many new cars....its how likely they are to go wrong which is key.

I agree. I will be the first to say I love bemmer's. I even considered a 330ci at one stage quite seriously. There was a few things that put me off them though. The manual transmission was crap with very long throws and the automatic had problems with some of the early model E46's up untill the 2004 update. I agree if they are well maintained you are less likely to get problems, however buying a second hand E46 in this price range will have high km and theres no way of telling how well the car has been looked after by the previous owner. I think I will stay away from german cars in general unless I'm buying new and I know its been looked after well. Great cars to drive though !

cars these days are just not what they used to be ! the 90's was I belive one of the most exciting times to buy a car. So many fun cars to choose from. now theres nothing !

[brendan1990]

mps isnt a bad option, just throwing this one out there, a subaru liberty spec b, u could go for either the h4 gt turbo version, or the h6 n/a, both have very similar power outputs, both have a 6 spd manuel or you can go with the 5 spd auto with flappy paddles if your into that stuff, both have si drive, awd, and plenty torque, and the wagons are sleek as, but either the sedan or wagon has tons of space, very comfortable. also i just had q quick glance and you could easily get a sti spec liberty with brembo's, strut bars, more power etc for under 35k. anyway ill stop talking up subaru now heres a link to a nice sti tuned liberty wagon.

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=11&R=10019453&keywords=&trecs=37&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|0||pCar_RankSort_Int32 |1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__sid=12E025327005&__Nne=15&__Qpb=true&seot=1&__N=1216%201247%201252%201282%204294963605%2042949 63801%204294788225&silo=1011

[SlobberGoat]

Why not go back to your "roots" and get a 88/89 Honda CR-X?

[alvin_R]

i will say Golf GTI or Audi A4 will more close ur current status...

[brendan1990]

i will say Golf GTI or Audi A4 will more close ur current status...

didnt he say he doesnt want to go german?

[pilotb777_300]

yeah no german cars please and specially no VW ! lol my parents , cousins and my mrs parents all had either the golf or the jetta turbo DSG and are all cursing at VW reliability. everything from sunroof opening on its own, to oxy sensors dying every fwe month all the way to gear box replacements. They are great cars and heaps of fun to drive up untill 100K at which point all the problems start.

I think if I had to drive a german car, audi seem to be the most reliable from what I hear. Well the new ones anyway which is very odd cause I was always under the impression most of the VW parts are audi parts.

Anyways like I said before unless I can buy a german car new, I'm sticking with the japs !

I test drove an MPS 6 only an hour ago... not a bad car (very fast) but felt cheap compared to the euro and only high KM one available within my budget.

I think I'm either gonna get a 2006 CL9 Man LUX or a 2008 FD2 manual or my prefered option a DC5S (although the mrs will have something to say about the DC5S and the cramped rear seat space)

[9large]

^ You can't go wrong with a CL9 or FD2 :thumbsup: but if I were to stick with Honda, I'd get the CU2. Also, I'm not sure about your previous statements about staying away from turbos due to reliability. From my experience, yes, European cars are generally more expensive to maintain (they tend to use the "oh it's European" brand image to justify the higher charges), but any car - no matter what brand, Honda or otherwise - will suffer reliability problems if they've been mistreated (poor mainteance, abusive/bad drivers, etc.). So unless you're the original owner, it can be hard to determine exactly how the car has been looked after. Based on this, I can't see any logical reason why you'd stay away from a stock turbo-charged car. My WRX - my daily driver - has been fine.

[brendan1990]

just buy an nsx =D

[tay113]

i just got out from a golf gti dsg like what you all have negatively stated but its a fairly new one with extreme low km.The positive side,its a hell of a great drivable car in a different fashion.Having said so,i still drive an old 16 years seat ibiza 1.4 manual from new and apart from having the clutch changed in 2001,no problemo.Just had the air-con gas top up and its cold and nice,cheap new pair of rotor $70,brake pads $35, air filter $25.This car had not much pampering till now.Changed the engine oil to semi synthetic plus oil filter this morning after jacking up and its running great. $300 a year for full comprehensive insurance.Unfortunately ,the rego in SA is fairly expensive.I suppose its always great to know the history of any car you want to buy.For one,i would recommend an alternative cheap 5door car as back up and in another sense preserving the s2000.So this is having best of both worlds and that is my opinion.cheers tay

[rokkuchan]

my life after s2k have been miserable. haha. Considered a lot of cars but can't due to mortgage and u know shit like that. Money is hard to find.

I came from a Jazz and really considered going back as I had good times with the Jazz and never let me down while i was in Uni... So now I have found one which is best of both worlds (TO ME) in some ways, drives like a Jazz but more fun. I just purchased a Ralliart Colt Turbo today, picking up tomorrow. (I Know some of u guys might bag the crap out of me) but it's different until you driven one. They are fun and different fun in its own way compared to S2k ofcourse. So now im happy. Picking up otmorrow!! Sorry guys, I let Honda down and went to Mitsubishit. :( If only the Jazz was avail as a turbo version like the HKS Jazz.

Tay113: lets catch up, show u my car sometime. We can go for cruises with my friend and my brother - he has RX8.

[tay113]

my life after s2k have been miserable. haha. Considered a lot of cars but can't due to mortgage and u know shit like that. Money is hard to find.

I came from a Jazz and really considered going back as I had good times with the Jazz and never let me down while i was in Uni... So now I have found one which is best of both worlds (TO ME) in some ways, drives like a Jazz but more fun. I just purchased a Ralliart Colt Turbo today, picking up tomorrow. (I Know some of u guys might bag the crap out of me) but it's different until you driven one. They are fun and different fun in its own way compared to S2k ofcourse. So now im happy. Picking up otmorrow!! Sorry guys, I let Honda down and went to Mitsubishit. :( If only the Jazz was avail as a turbo version like the HKS Jazz.

Tay113: lets catch up, show u my car sometime. We can go for cruises with my friend and my brother - he has RX8.

no worries,will do .Good luck to yr ralliart colt as its another fun car like what jackie chan does with all the mitsubishi cars in his movies.I still can not solve my brake problem as i dont get the initial grip when i press the pedals .Got the bleeding done conventional way twice,the booster valve check is good,the pads just changed this afternoon as the original honda pads had hairline crack across though it has 50% pads.What could it be guys?Thanks tay..

[pilotb777_300]

Well guys.... The car is gone ! I just handed the keys to the new owner ! its been one of those days that I really just want to end and forget ever happened ! was hard seeing her drive off with someone else. The new owner is is getting his P's soon so his brother drove it home. I worry about this car getting into the hands of new drivers. Its definetely a handfull in the wet if you've never driven a rear wheel drive car before ! Anyways I gave them as much warning as I could on the snappy tendencies of the car so hoepfully the car wont be written off anytime soon ! its one of the very few on the rd that still has all original panels and paint.

Anyways Thanks again for all the help guys and even though theres no S2000 in the garage now, I'm almost positive in a year or 2 or even 10 I'll end up with another one and hopefully next time it will be an AP2 !

[connorling]

Just to bring this post up, what car did u end up getting? I didn't read page 2, but what about Honda ep3r? Within that price range and Honda and not too slow, keeping up with s2k I believe.