Honda S2000 Buyer's Guide--Watch Before Buying!

This video is intended as a Honda S2000 buyer's guide. I go point-by-point through common, but little-known, issues with the S2000. I gathered this information by owning the car for a year and dealing with these concerns firsthand.

[cryptik_official]

Literally the best S2K engine bay inspector vid on YouTube. I will forever send this to all my friends who are looking into getting an S2000. I’m picking my AP1 up in two days

[alexferris]

My man out here with a red straw from McDonald’s and using it as a pointer 😂😂😂

[tinfoilhat]

buy one, and never look back. thats all the advice you need to give people. ive owned my 2004 AP2 for almost 10 years. bought it at 27k miles, and now at 110, 00 miles. few track days later, and still puts a smile on my face. actually have a track day at the end of January and looking to upgrade suspension. great car honda has built. ill replace the engine 3 times before i sell this car. <3

[josephflores]

Im seriously thinking of buying an S2000 and this video seriously helped! Thanks!

[BradOnCars]

I love my AP1! Had it for over 12 years and 180 000km! And still going strong!

[DonBMW]

Top notch video and very thorough. No long intros, annoying music, and longwinded stories about his grandma. Thank you sir!

[mrbadsound]

Well done, sir. I've owned two s2k's in my day. I'm 31, and plan to buy one more for one last time. Gotta be a cr for real

[laytonberrios]

This man made this video with a 10 dollar microphone and a straw

[CameronsCars]

Used this video to buy my S2000! The biggest help was info about the Top!!

[Tiger-gsxm]

I have a 2000 Honda s2000 bought brand new.
It is about to be a 19 year old car.
I have had none of the issues.
But I will watch the video again.
Practically any other car that old will have similar issues.
9k exhaust roaring is intoxicating, love that twitchy rear end, great on gas, looks great, will never sell it.
Be nice to this car and you will be happy.
If you find one unmodified, babied and in your preferred colour it!

[mrc]

I have a 1999 AP1, imported from Japan to the UK. The JDM spec cars have a higher compression ratio than other AP1s, they make a little more power, and rev a little higher, but require higher octane fuel due to the higher compression.

I picked it up about a year and a hald ago (2017) with 50, 000 miles, I paid around £6, 400(GBP) or $7, 700(USD).

It gets spirited road use, and some light track use.

So far it's been pretty reliable. Issues to date are:

Brake caliper seized. Fairly typical on any car this age.

MAP/MAF sensor clip failed, sensor itself was ok but connection was poor resulting in intermittent power loss. (Took me a while to diagnose this one but easy cheap fix once I did).

Clutch failed. Original clutch lasted to well over 50k. Clutch arm was slightly bent when inspected and was replaced. Original clutch "buzzed" a lot, particularly on overrun, this was a design oversight with early cars, but doesn't affect performance. New OEM clutch is a different specification to the early ones and does not buzz.

The plastic which covers the roll bars had separated, this seems to be very common for S2000s which have seen sun.

The headlights are clouded but will come right back with a bit of elbow grease.

Remarkably, despite having no underseal (the JDM spec cars were not undersealed from the factory), there is no corrosion anywhere on the car, which given the climate in the UK is surprising.

All in all it's proven to be a very reliable sports car when compared to other sports cars I've owned. Parts are a little more expensive than other Japanese cars I've encountered, but I highly rate the build quality and reliability.

Hopefully some of this info may help prospective buyers.

[gumbyteg]

Going to look at a ap1 tmr and have done a fair amount of research but this video definitely helps make me feel more confident in what to look for and look out for. Thanks guy 💁🏻‍♂️

[SKV]

Seems like more of a normal maintenance and wear and tear than major issues that you are pointing out. I have a 2006 and only major expense was new tires.

[redheadmetalhead]

Tires aren't made of yarn. It's "tread, " not "thread." Other than that, solid video.

[lull]

Awesome tips. I'll use this video when I spot a s2000 on sell!

[JxshPresxley]

Couple things to add that are more important than anything in this video. First, the rear axle nuts on the s2000 are not torqued anywhere near what they need to be. Honda themselves admitted this after the fact. This under torquing leads to a clicking noise when the rear axles start to rotate forward or reverse which isn’t that serious, but also most people have problems with rear wheel bearings continuously failing. This is directly caused by the axle nuts not being torqued to the correct amount. Secondly, this is extremely common especially if you decide to lower your s2000 and it can happen even if you don’t, and that is CV pitting. This is a portion of the inner part of the rear axles where it will start to pit into the CV joint causing a vibration while under throttle. The faster you go the worse it will get and the longer you delay to fix it the worse it will get, so you either replace them which is expensive, or most people just switch the left side with the right. Its not a permanent fix, but this creates a new wear pattern that will take another 40, 000 miles or so for the CV pitting to occur again along with the vibration. Third, the AP1 differentials suck. Moving on.. Fourth, if you plan on putting a turbo or supercharger on your new s2000, the 2000-2005 models have a return fuel system which doesn’t single handedly limit the amount hp you can have. However, the 2006-2009 s2000s have a returnless fuel system, which does indeed limit the amount of hp you can obtain. You can pay to have an earlier model s2000 fuel system swapped into the newer years as well. Lastly, 2006+ s2000s don’t utilize a direct mechanical throttle cable. They have drive by wire instead which is electronic. The throttle cable is of course no lag, quick and responsive. The drive by wire on the s2000s are far superior to most drive by wire designs, but I’ve still talked to people who say they can feel a throttle delay from time to time and at certain rpms. So basically in my opinion, the best years to buy an s2000, are 04-05. Ok I’m done right this fucking book, your welcome.

[awong]

Good information! I would add that the radiator and coolant overflow sometimes leaks because the plastic gets old and brittle.

[gigatron]

Great video! I just sold my S550. Looking to guy a ap2 before the prices go insane. And they almost are now! Good to know most these issues are minor. (Compared to other cars of this era)

[honda_miata]

Great guide! Bought my 07' at 60k miles, now I'm at 112k 3 years later, and just went KW supercharged making 400whp. I don't baby her tho the car has been absolutely rock solid minus a few common issues. VTEC solenoid gasket leaking, soft top tears, CMC leaking, exhaust valves were tight, replaced windshield once, re torquing the rear axle nuts because both were clicking. Just keep an eye on your oil level, and replace fluids on time.

[alexkennedy]

I didn't get to watch this video before buying my s2000 because a won it in a raffle for 18 euro 😅 this video has been very helpful since getting the car