Ok a little history, I use to own a 97 Prelude SH a few years ago and had it for about 6 months, absolutely loved the car and the high revving motor. Over the past few months I have been contemplating buying an S2k to quench my need for a high revving honda .

I think I have just found what I was looking for, an 00 AP1 with 33k miles, one owner, minor mods (CAI and exhaust) 14K asking price. The car would not be a daily driver. Car is immaculate to look at, no rust, never driven in snow, all maintenance records, gray with red and black interior and factory body kit.

I need input from people who actually own an S2k or at some point in time have owned one, pros/cons and things to watch out for before making the purchase. I actually like the AP1 over the AP2 due to the smaller motor. Here are a few pictures I took of the car when I looked at it, the driver side fender had been removed to take care of a ding.


















Pictures were taken with camera phone

 

Holy crappy pictures batman! Is it me or is there a huge dent in the fender at the top of the wheel well??

 

I call BS.

Where did you find this S2K?

Sounds like something is wrong with the title to me. Thats uber cheap, AP1 or not.

 

I think either you or him need to invest in a better camera. Those pictures are butt awful.

 

Friend bought a AP1 for 14k with 44k miles. Price isn't that cheap, but it is somewhat cheaper than normal.

 

Car is located near Boston and is one of the two I was looking at,

this is the second one Autotrader listing

The dent shown in the picture is significant but nothing that would throw you off from buying the car plus the owner has promised to get it fixed before giving the car over.

I thought the price was reasonable thats how much most of the S2ks around here are going for here in NE. Car fax is clean and so the title.


I will have better pictures, if and when I pick the car.

 

Dude, you shake more than a nervous spaniel.

 

I hope you are under 6 feet tall...there is no room in those things.

 

^ Nah...I'm just about 6' tall, and mine fits me ok..like a fine tailored suit... Mine is an AP2, had it since new, about 6000 on the clock, still love it. I actually wish I could drive it more.

Seriously though, you should like "wearing" a car rather than riding in one if you buy an S

 

Price is just ok considering the damage IMHO... But there's not much in the mid teens for ap1's around here... You'll see alot of high mileage ones, riced out ones, ones with prior damage or a combination of the three if the price is below $15K or so...

Claire honda has a nice red one... if you don't mind NFR...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=237664594

I probably hit autotrader a couple times a week "window shopping", so I'm familiar with the pricing on local s2ks. Most of the better AP1's are in the $15-18K range, and the AP2's are usually 20-24 or so...

Body work scares me... Seeing that on any car would make me pass unless it was killer deal. And I'd use it to negotiate a killer deal if it wasn't already one.

I wonder how hard the car was driven if it's got dented fenders... But that's just me... Having a clean carfax/title is one thing, but I'd have questions about how it was treated. You've met the owner (I assume), so you'll have to go with your gut.

srika posted a good synopsis here on the pros/cons of the different years...

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-talk-5/s2000-people-369232/

I like the rear glass and lack of tranny issues on the 02,03 ap1's...

Summary: If it's in the interior/exterior combo you want and you don't mind the dent, go for it !! Now is the time to make offers on convertibles (it's damn cold out)

 

Price is just alright considering the year and the dent. After all, it's a 8 year old model/car. I owned a AP2 and sold it last summer. A few things to consider before purchasing...

At 33k miles, one major thing to look at is the tires. The tires should even have been replaced or closed to being replaced. They aren't cheap, and the AP1's S-02's aren't that great in the rain, wears out quicker tanthe RE050's on the AP2.

If you're looking at a '00-'01, you might be in need of replacing the rear plastic window soon since they tend to get fuzzy and ahrd to see, the one you showed above doesn't seem to have this problem. Most AP1 owners just replace it with a glass window, there are DIY's that shows you how to do it. You should also check the softtop for rips or creases, there are common spots that has more wear and tear than normal on certain AP1's.

One other thing is that with the top up, the car is very noisy at highway speeds, it took me some time to get used to at the beginning. You'll hear drone from the transmission and diff that's right in the center tunnel, noise from outside, etc. The outisde noise was ok since it's somewhat expected with a convertible. Engine noise was nice to hear, but cruising at 70mph at 3.5k rpm on the highway, the drone was pretty bad to the ears. I insulated the center tunnel and the passenger's side floor, which improved it significantly.

Other than that, it's one hell of a great and fun car to drive, and it's not as small as some people think it is on the inside, especially for the driver (passengers might not have much leg room due to the transmission tunnel). Transmission and clutch are extremely easy to use and frankly, I think it's one of the things that make the car so fun to drive. I shift gears just for the heck of it sometimes Hell and toe downshifting can come pretty natrually with this car. If you have another daily driver, I'll definitely say go for it, just don't drive it in the snow and take more caution in the rain esp if you are on the OEM Bridgestone's. The tail can come out pretty easily if you give it too much gas in the corners.

Oh, don't expect to get great gas mileage, you'll probably get around 23-25 mpg at most, unless you don't bring it above 3k rpm (which I highly doubt).

 

I have a S2k, haven't had it for long but so far I love it. It is my daily driver and with my lifestyle its only simplified my life. Fuel economy isn't as good as you'd expect from a 4cyl that weighs as little as this does, that said its not uncommon to get over 30 mpg on the highway which is impressive. The AP1 vs. AP2 debate is a sticky subject for some, so be careful about having that discussion in some circles. For daily driving the AP2 is the clear winner, its more drivable around town, more "luxurious," more features, more controllable at the limits. For back road blasts they both have strengths and weaknesses, I think a lot of people make a big deal about the F20 vs. the F22, 8800 vs 8000 RPM redline. Yes the AP1 revs higher but your max torque is lower and available at a higher RPM, the power delivery of the AP2 has more available lower and is smoother. There are a number of quirks with the AP1 that bother some, yet others love. I don't think anyone has ever said the AP1 headlights look good. There are no easy ways to get HP, most intakes/exhausts will give you a single horsepower or two at best, most will lose power. The factory airbox is acknowledged as being the best intake, install a K&N filter and you have the best power producing intake on the market.

If you want more speed your best bet are gears, or FI. Neither are cheap and both have short comings, IMO performance tuning on this car is an all or nothing game, there is no point wasting money with bolt ons to gain next to nothing, or you can spend $5k+ and get FI, but then you should do headers, exhaust, gears, clutch, etc.... and next thing you know your over $10k.

The car is louder then most, but I enjoy the mechanical sounds it makes and the wind noise in mine is far from bad, I've been in fixed roof cars that are louder. As a second car I don't think it should be an issue, most of your driving will probably be top down anyways. AP1s typically need more maintenance, in part because they are older in part because there are a few weaknesses that have been improved in the AP2 - tires are cheaper for AP1s because they are 16's but most feel they wear out faster. Preventative maintenance is easy and not out of the ordinary for either.

Any questions in specific? I've been spending a lot of time at S2ki.com learning as much about these cars as I can.

 

omg those are some blurry pictures.

 

well enjoy!

 

Do you have parkinsons?

 

Thanks for the pointers guys.

Greenie I have met the oner and the car seem to be well taken care off, all the scheduled maintenance records, tires were recently replaced as well. I like that Claire one that you have mentioned, but I dont think I want to go with red . My prelude was red and even driving at speed limits I use to get me pulled over in it. I know the market to buy one of these is prime right now since its winter and most of the ones I have come across have been garaged. I was told that the car was getting detailed whilst someone backed a pick up truck into it causing the damage. I am going to have my friend take a look at the car who use to work at Hyannis Honda.

Killer I am 6' and although entry an exit may be a bit tight compared to the other cars I have owned but I think I can survive.

As far as the car being noisy is considered thats another thing I can deal with since this would be only for joy rides rather than a daily driver. The debate of AP1 vs. AP2 is certainly subjective and I am biased towards the AP1. I dont plan on doing a lot to the car, may be a comptech supercharger WAY down the road.

 

I am 6' tall and my only problem in my friends S2k was that the top of the windshield was in my line of sight... I felt like had a slouch a bit, maybe if i had more seat time in it i could adjsut it more and find a better seating position...

btw... a bit random but if you are interested in a brand new CF hood for the S2k let me know... i know someone who has one lying around... it looks like the stock one, no vents... I can get you pics too...

 

Own an AP2 but I've driven both AP1 and AP2. Seems like everyone's hit the major points. Check:
- rear plastic window on 00 and 01 AP1
- TSBs have been performed
- later on down the road, consider changing the engine oil bolts. 02+ use an improved design that better withstands track use.

I LOVE the car. Can't say enough good things about it, and I personally think that its the most fun car to own under 100k, honest to god. As C&D once said, its the closest thing you can get to having fun in a car, south of Ferrari prices." Gas mileage is a bonus too - 30mpg on the hwy for me cruising at 80mph, top down! Especially since you are using it as a toy car, you'll love it.

A word to the wise though: please PLEASE take it to the autox before you attempt to push it hard. This car is like a scalpel and will bite inexperienced drivers in the ass. Numerous autox's and trackdays and heightened my driving enjoyment and skill, as well as my respect for the car's abilities.

Good luck with the search.

 

love the s2k...

i wish i can find an ap1/2 in canada at your price point. i have never seen a $14k price yet...

 

While I agree with what you've said I forgot that difference between the AP1 and AP2, the AP2 is much more forgiving to drive near the limits then the AP1. In particular the earlier AP1s are known for crazy oversteer, they did suspension tuning which made the car more neutral, even on later AP1s- I don't recall what years they made these changes.