blip

Just wondered how running costs compare? Am very tempted by the S2000 - must be all this hot weather but would prefer to cut my running costs rather than increase them.

Dracoro

An s2000 will be cheaper to run.

Services (9000 miles) is about £130 all in. Big service every 3 years or 27000 miles is £200 to £250.

4 tyres are about £350 (micheldever, bracknell etc.) fitted - for pre 04 models. Not sure the cost on the my04 onwards as they changed the wheels tyre sizes.

Pretty reliable so erroneous expenses are rare.

Low depreciation.

27/30mpg I averaged per tank. Depends on how much time you spend in the vtec zone. taking it easy on long journeys will see nearly 40mpg. A good blast will be low 20's and track work will be late teens.

Insurance isn't cheap but prolly less than a scoob.

Total cost of ownership, the s2000 I had was the cheapest car I've ever owned.

RichB

http://www.s2ki.com is a good place to start.

Insurance, I went with Bell direct (elephant.co.uk gives you a good price indication - same company) paid £650ish fully comp, 31, no points, no claims, garaged, My STi4 was £800ish with A-Plan,

Get good '02 cars (glass rear screen) from (guessing 18k-21k) with some nice 03 GTs starting to appear around the 20-22k mark.
Personally I would not bother with a hard top, it's not that noisey with the roof up and what are you going to do with the hard top the second the sun comes out anyway?

Make sure your immobiliser has been check to see if the wiring is wrong, mine failed leaving me stranded, not impressed by any of the local Honda dealers, even wrote a letter of complaint which fell on very deaf ears.

Lovely cars though, just don't get boring grey...

hybwrx2002

Really want to get an s2000 in place of my bugeye. Let me know how you get on, can't afford one yet but im saving!

blip

Thanks guys, the S2000 is getting more attractive by the day Cheaper running costs are just what I needed to hear!

Goochie

yep - get the S2000, you know you want to

Goochie

........ I'm loosing count of the numebr of times I've said S2000 on here LOL!

davyboy

Nurburgring + S2000 = crash

RichB

are you talking the colour or the track

davyboy

Track.

Think I have seen 4 crashed on 5 trips.

john banks

Good bit of sport with an S2000 tonight - all safe and polite, I was impressed how much of the estimated +200 BHP I had over him (although with lag and AWD losses) I had to use to easily outpace him. Much more impressive than just about anything else I've come across for months. WRXs, Clios et al are far easier meat. Nice car

Dark Blue Mark

Tut tut

I would wait a few months when all the rich boys start selling them, and watch for a bit of a price drop. I think they are class and just sitting in one feels special.

There was a great feature in Banzai on one with an HKS turbo, with 700 bhp at the flyweel

Rich's red one is a very nice colour.

MB

SiDHEaD

Including a friend's this w/e

davyboy

Sorry about that.

That must have been the one at Wipperman then?

bloke

Well not from a blobeye but still from a scooby.

In all honesty if you want to make substantial savings I think you will be disappointed.

Bit cheaper servicing, maybe bit cheaper insurance.

Fuel-wise, 22mpg for both, which for me is nailing it 50%, town 20%, mway/dual carriageway rest. Both SUL.

Prob a bit less scope for wasting money molesting it (sorry modding it) on the S2000.

If you wanna save money get a cheapo diesel runaround and keep the scooby for weekends.

Anyway, they are great cars so get one

Dark Blue Mark

The thing you will miss very badly is the low down pull and the ability to overtake at will. Its something im struggling with in the ITR, which drives very similar to the S2000. Dont get me wrong, it is a quick car, but lacks torque when you need to pull away. Not had mine on track, but thats where it would reign supreme.

Im thinking of a scoob again

MB

Pie_n_Chips

Thats because you need to learn how to drive a high revving n/a car, no offense but it's all well and good saying it lacks torque, of course it bloody does when comparing it with just about any turbo'd motor. Planting your foot in fourth and expecting it to go is just not going to happen, drop it a cog or two and it's a different matter. Just drive it how it's ment to be driven ie a "race car" for the road and you'll be surprised at what you'll be seeing in your mirror.

Granted your not going to be driving at 10/10ths all day every day, but when you do it's quite rewarding

Dark Blue Mark

I think you will find I do know how to drive it Big assumption.

I have owned it a couple of months now, and the only problem I have with it is its the overtaking. As you know, the pulling power is between 6 and 8.5k rpm. if you are plodding along, and need to overtake I find the band is a bit narrow. f you drop down too low a gear, (ie 5th to 3th) you end up near the red line and have to change up again quickly. If you change too high a gear (ie from 5th to 4th) you can come in a fair bit under the 6k rpm VTEC point, and there is little torque to pull you into the VTEC.

Granted this can be sorted with a unichip with VTEC controller.

Do you own a VTEC Pie?

MB

Dracoro

The serious powerband (6k to 9k rpm which is 3000rpm) is certainly not narrow. Compare to a scoob which is 3.5k to 6.5k rpm thus the same powerband range (3000rpm). However, an s2000 has more revs lower down to 'get through' to the powerband. With the low end not being super powerful means goo fuel economy if you keep it out of the vtec. If you did a tank of fuel with no vtec, you'll be doing 35/40mpg (esp on motorways). Basically, you loose performance if you don't keep the revs high but you gain economy.

For overtaking, it's just a matter of keeping the revs right. Would you go to overtake in a scoob 2000 rpm below the powerband, course you wouldn't so you adjust the revs accordingly. Same as an S2000, you keep the revs up. It is however, easier to be in the powerband of a scoob as most people would naturally be happy revving about 3/4k rpm all the time but in an S, the revs should be 5/6 k rpm all the time which takes a little more 'commitment' or not changing up so often.

Pie_n_Chips

A former ATR owner and now an S2000, so it's safe to say i've dabbled in the black art of VTEC LOL
and never once have i had a problem with lack of torque, the only issue i had was the ATR power band was about 200rpm to narrow, you 'd have to be spot on with the upshift each and every time or you'd drop out of of VTEC momentarily.

Suppose we'll have to take your word for it then
As Dracoro points out it's just a case of getting the revs right and like anything it comes with practise, or just hold it in third at 6k than plant it, should get you past most things

Dark Blue Mark

Yes but a scoob has a much flatter and higher torque curve from low down, if we want to comapre the two. So overtaking is made easy.

I can appreciate what you're saying on the powerband just being in a different place, but to drive it doesn't feel that way.

I still maintain mine is a very fast car, and gets to 100 very easily but if you're halted on the way, and have to pull away again, its a bit more frustrating than being in a scoob. And the thread is about going from a scoob to an S2000 at the end of the day, and thats my observation.

Im sure Rich will find it too, as i bought his STi4 from him, than went to the ITR. And he went from scoob to S2000 (with something a bit more interesting inbetween )

MB

Pie_n_Chips

I agree overtaking in a turbo'd car is a relativly simple affair, look plant foot go, where as in most VTEC equiped car there's an extra few steps, check/adjust revs, drop cog if need be look plant foot go.

It's horses for courses at the end of it all, either you'll "get it" or hanker back for turbo'd power.

But to go from a fugly to an S2000, surely a no brainer LOL

Dark Blue Mark

Agreed, its a much classier car too.

Just been out for an open thrash and I think the VTEC pull is deceptive, in that its faster than it feels... Ive been offered a turbo conversion for mine at a good price, but I think ill hold out for an S2000. Wanted one since they came out!

I quite regularly disbelieve the speedo and think I cant have got to 80 that quick

The Jackson Charger on an S2000 would make it pretty untouchable

MB

bumcrack

The S2000 doesn't have the kick of a turbo, but it's just as quick if you're in the right gear. I've had both cars and I've also had few races against Imprezas and its even stevens until you get up to 100. It doesn't feel as fast due to the smoothness of the engine. The first time I drove an m3 I wasn’t impressed due to the smooth engine, but when I looked down at the Speedo, I was flying

ScoobySnack

I've had a couple of Scoobys and now use an 04 S2000 GT.... absolutely love it

The main points and bits already commented on.....

- The new S2000 doesn't have that turbo kick or low down torque of the Scooby, so driving style needs adjusting. Earlier S2000's reputedly had a better VTEC kick.

- The S2000 is deceptively quick when being kept in VTEC (6k rev's plus) and handles very well for a rear wheel drive. Again 04 models have beewn sorted compared to the earlier ones. The "breakaway" of older models is now more a "slide away" It handles completely differently to the Scooby...

- The S2000 has a better interior and looks damm fine...... plus wind in hair (top goes up/down very quickly). The cars have different images.

- Honda gave me a 90K miles , 3 year warranty, and the garage seem to care.

- S2000 is much more expensive if you want to tune it either with Mugen (warranty friendly) or other comapnies. Services are cheaper

J (It will do , for now)

Dark Blue Mark

Bumcrack, I agree, sometimes I dont believe the speedo

I remember a flat out race with an 02 S2000, I was in a 270 bhp UK MY99 and only managed to slowly outpace it.

I will have one

MB

Gubbins

owned prelude 2.2 vtec for 3 years and company-car early s2000 for 6 months. Incredibly tiresome for me i'm afraid, hence the move to something with proper torque in a more suitable and less tiresome part of the rev band. S2000 is mighty quick, but if you do decent amount of miles and want to just overtake without too much drama, vtec may not be for you.

The_Teg_Man

I've owned a Scoob and now an ITR. I can understand what people are getting at with the VTEC side of things if you're caught out in the 'wrong' gear, the trick is to anticipate and really use that gearbox. I've never found the ITR slow in comparison to how I remember the Scoob (both out of the box with no mods!).

Personally I prefer the ITR overall, I like the looks (I gotta black one), its more exclusive on the roads these days, people look at it more than I remember people look at my moretted WRX. All in all I think its a wicked drive

I find the optimax isn't drunk quite as fast either!

I'd have an S2000 over a Scooby anyday......

RichB

I don't find the S2K that quick, it's alright but harder work than the STi but more rewarding when you do gun it. Its such a different type of car though, I love pootling around in it... I love both cars (and the one in the middle DBM ) but would have the S2K everytime. The only problem with the Honda are the local dealers who are all ****!

Dark Blue Mark

Mine does 220 miles to £33 of Opti. UK scoob did 280 miles to a tank of £42 so not much to be saved there...

Insurance is the same too.

MB