Avionics86

New to the site. Retired after 24 years in the Air Force and am going to buy a S2000 for a weekend ride and it will sit in the garage 5 days aweek. Is there a big change from 00 thru 05. It will be stock and will mostly be driven normally.
Any advice or pricing information?
Thanks

G-M-W

i believe in 04 they switched from a 2.0 liter engine to a 2.2

other differences in models are like the rear window
the earlier ones have a plastic window and like in 02 i believe they went to a glass one

98CoupeV6

The best buy is the 2002, as that has the slightly restyled interior, door tweeters, and glass rear window among other features. They also updated the rear suspension of the vehicle so that it doesn't have the nasty snap oversteer that the 00 and (to some degree) 01 did. The 2005 is quite a bit faster due to an upgraded 2.2L engine good for about 10 more wheel horsepower (however, Honda says it has the same horsepower - don't believe it) and much more driveability due to added midrange torque. It was also restyled front and rear slightly to make it more agressive. However, the new 2.2L engine dropped the redline to 8k RPM. If you're like me and cherish the extra 1000 RPM that can be had, go with the 2.0. The changes from 2002-2004 were minimal and typical Honda.

Avionics86

Going to go with the 02 in the silver with the black interior. I like the red/black interior and can always change it later on. Let the search begin.

98CoupeV6

Good choice! I realize now that I forgot to mention that 00 and early 01 cars suffer from some mechanical troubles - just about everything was fixed for 02.

My personal pick is Spa Yellow Pearl/black (or maybe Sebring Silver/black)...she shall be mine some day

Dave-ROR

98CoupeV6: Just one wrong thing that I noticed in your post. The 2.2L and restyling arrived in 2004, not 2005.

JoshJ

I wish i was in the market for a s2000. goodluck with your search!

evolution

Yeah, go with the 02'. The rear glass window is the best feature but others, some of which were mentioned earlier include:

-side tweeters
-slightly revamped door trim that enables the door handle to stand out
-leather centre console; 00 and 01' has carpet
-gunmetal like interior accents
-reworked tranny; some people with 00' and 01 had grinding issues- not a major issue though
-fixed up clutch
-thinner front sway bar
-slightly upgraded stereo but who needs music with 9000 rpms to play with

In Canada the interiors are also full colour. Before in 00 and 01' only the seats were say, red. But now the entire interior can be baby blue (Suzuka, 02' new colour) or red (Black).

I'd recommend 245/??/16 tires on the back. It really helps the car. The new 04's have that.

GPWAP1

I currently own a Grand Prix White/Red 01', never had a single problem with it. I was thinking about buying an 05 since mine has 65k miles on it. I felt let down after driving the new one. However its up to your personal taste and what your daily driving style is like. The 2.2L is not any faster than the 2.0L, the little added torque doesn't make up for the lowered redline. I've raced a couple and it was dead even until about 100+, then i started to pull. My biggest complaint is the new suspension, handling is not nearly as sharp. Rear glass window is a big improvement, I can't see shit through the plastic. Better sound system, but I prefer to listen to the VTEC sing anyway. I advise you to go drive an 02' and a 04+, see which one is more for you. My favorite is the 02' hands down.

bluetwo

I love everything about the 03's and below except that you'd have to live with that red interior if you wanted the car in white. For me that's a deal breaker, but for others it's not I guess... I actually like the tan interior.

The 2.2 liter engine, in my opinion, is far more realistic for real world driving and still shines way up high in the rev range. The extra 1000 RPM would be nice on the track though.

I know this thread is old as fvck, but I just thought I'd put my ideas out there. All in all I think the 04 and 05's are the best S2000's to own.