Things they don't like about the S2000
 

Just thought this was ironic after reading the little things thread about the 8. I use to own Hondas and they were great cars. Wonder what gives with the S2000?



no low end torque below 4000 RPMs, passenger seating space sucks, cheap top, lack luster paint, rust on the rotors, paint chips too easily (which is different from lack luster paint), "steal me" antenna, only two speakers, no clock, plastic rear window, I can't go back on my CD unless I open the stereo door. Stereo door stabs my knee when I get in if it's down, passenger side leaks in drips in really really heavy down pours. buzzing clutch at low RPMs, Honda service, windshield pits too easily (had to be replaced and since then I have had no pits so it was the shitty Honda stock windshield), you can't unlock the passenger door automatically, you have to break your back to pop the trunk... unless the car is off, the floor mats are unraveling at the seams, the side strakes fall off too easily, Honda didn't warn us that the S-02's wear out after 10,000 miles, boot cover is hard to put on, 55 tires look too fat, windshield wipers don't have enough options, rims need to be larger, digital speedometer, unstable back end, doesn't handle well in the rain, heat comes from the middle area, cup holder is in the way of the shifter, the sun visor can't be pulled from the frontal position to protect the side of your face from the sun's radiation (I usually drive north or south so I am constantly being beamed by the sun), and the stock rear wind deflector doesn't reflect wind.

I believe that that's it.

Who is "they"?

I only pulled one from the thread, didn't think everyone would want to read the whole thread. Seems Honda service is the biggest issue and the 8 seems to have all the little things that the S2000 doesn't and I never would have guessed that until I read a little of the forum...

Thanks for the info about another car in the General Discussion forum on RX-8s?

:confused:

Sorry, new and just wasn't paying attention but I will say if it truely bothered you with all thats going on in the world you would think you would have something far more important to worry about...

Glad I didn't buy the S2000.

I'm even happier now with the 8

Doesn't matter what the car is there will always be people that find all the faults.

Cool list. Every car has its own share of problems. Some of those even apply to the 8 (heat in the center console, cup holders in a bad position). I dont get the "not enough options for windshield wipers" one :confused: .. do you mean there aren't enough intermittint (sp) settings!? If so, use rainx :)

Sounds like the person who was quoted would have been much happier with an Escalade. Whoever it was, the person isn't a sportscar enthusiast. I'm sure there are plenty of valid nit-picks in the thread that came from, but that person is battling buyer's remorse over an impulse buy.

What a BS, whiny-assed list. First of all, it contains many errors - for example, Honda added a glass back window to the soft top for 2002, so the "plastic rear window" complaint was already addressed by Honda long ago. Similarly, the handling complaint - yeah, early S2Ks did have twitchy handling at the limit that could and did catch drivers out. Honda revised the suspension for the 04 to make it more stable. Tires only last 10K miles? That's far longer than NSX owners are getting! ;)

Can't unlock passenger door automatically? cup holders? the convertible top drips in heavy downpours (probably means car wash)? Good lord, it's a sports car (that is already too heavy). If someone can't live without a few of those luxury items, they should be looking elsewhere than for a razor-sharp handling convertible with a performance focus second to none.

Regards,
Gordon

I've owned an S2K. Here are my counteropinions:
That's what VTEC is for. You can only do so much with the engine.
I completely disagree. Plenty of leg room. Plenty of head room. What more do you need?
Iron rusts. That's no different from any other car with iron rotors.
Those two speakers sound better than the RX-8's "premium" bose system.
Clock is on the OEM stereo head unit.
Changed in '02 to glass. Many current convertibles still have plastic.
Go forward far enough and you'll end up back. :)
I have no idea how that happens. You must sit funky.
That's just a bad seal that needs replacing.
Fixed in '02 models. Also a warranty item in '01.
May be a function of the lightweight glass.
Yes you can. Push a second time on the unlock button. Didn't you read the manual? :p
I have no idea what you're talking about, Willis. Trunk lid is very lightweight and unlocks with the push of a button.
Maybe on yours but ours didn't have either problem after 90k+ miles.
Boo hoo, you're complaining about soft grippy rubber? We averaged 20k miles with 20+ autocross events.
They work well which is all I ask of them.
There's intermittent, slow and fast. What more do you need? Rain-sensing variable speed wipers? Get a BMW. :)
Why? So you can have looks at the cost of reduced performance? That's what aftermarket stuff is for.
I like digital speedos. Saves more room for the tach.
Stiffer front sway bar corrects both problems.
S2Ks have the best heaters I've ever experienced. I can drive w/top down at 40 degrees and it keeps me warm.
________
BustyGirl21

about larger rims and poor performance.... the Porsche GT comes with 19" up front, and 20" in the rear...

Please don't confuse me with the complaints. I was just comparing the 8 to the sS2000 by reading each forum. those are not my complaints on the S2000. Just trying to get a feel for which one has better satisfaction and if you read the thread in that fourm and read the thread on the 8 entitle the little things it would seem the 8 owners are alot more pleased. Honda service seems to be awful everywhere also. I don't know because I haven't even set in one. Just an observation from that thread and that wasn't the only one with complaints by far. I owned Accords and Civics and they were the most reliable cars I have ever had.

My father in law has both the the RX8 and the s2000.

The RX8 is his winter car.

It's all about personal perfernece. The S2000 is a 2 door sports car. Who gives a S*it about were the cup holders are.

The Acura Type R didn't even come with AC as an option.

Certain cars for certain people. It all comes down to preference.

In that case it sounds like you were confused to begin with--both the S2K and RX-8 have cupholders immediately behind the stick, digital speedos, no low-end torque, idential door unlock protocol and wiper speed options. But since you haven't even sat in an S2K why bother starting this thread? :confused:
________
Herbal vaporizer

You list only a few of the complaints so whether I have set in it or not it seems that it doesn't have some things the 8 does if I am reading the little things thread about the 8. Sorry i started a thread you didn't care to read. I will check with you before I post from now on.

hey bmc,
no worries, heck if there was a car out there that pleased everyone there would be no s2k's or rx8's on the lots. Simple yet overly used cliche "you can't please everybody all the time" so that's all you need to remember. Even the most well designed,perfectly priced, flawlessly built,awesomely sickest ride ever will have one person going "nah, but what about the....." Just look how picky everybody is on here, that should prove my point pretty easy. :)

One thing for sure, those two speakers DON'T sound better than the Bose system.
If you listen to the Bose speakers, and then listen to some reference speakers, then listen to some Polk Audio, the Bose and the reference speakers will sound similar, because you are actually hearing what has been recorded. If you listen to some Polks, or other similar higher end audio speakers, you hear artificial coloring which actually takes away from the dynamics of the music. People that ever listened to 8 track tapes, Albums, Reel to Reel should know what I'm talking about. No compressing the music to the point where everything sounds the same.
I feel sorry for you people that think bass is king, clarity is king, separation is king.
I like the fact I can mix & master in my studio and take it to the car, flatten the eq and get a close match, where treble and bass can be added according to volume.
Hint: As your volume is low, the midrange frequencies are embellished by the way your ear naturally hears things, as volume goes up, the frequency curve you hear gets more linear. It's called the Fletcher-Munson curve.
Everyone wants to put down Bose, I work in the music business, and all of the most tonally anal people request Bose speakers for the PA and monitors.

BTW- I did check out the S2000 about 2 months before the 8's were appearing on the lots, didn't like it, I'm 6'4" it was tight and it seemed to be kind of a girly/sissy car, not referring to the power, just the dainty size. If it were about 2 feet longer I'd probably like it, even though most people would think it too large, but it would give it room for a larger displaced engine, which would equal more torque.

interesting post Astor, I thought I was the only guy on here that actually liked my Bose. I can totally relate to what you're saying being a budget audiophile myself (and musician) I especially like the center channel as my last truck didn't have that despite an elaborate custom setup (that now sits in someone else's ride, f-ing thieves)

There is nothing that pisses me off more than someone stealing out of or vandalizing someone's car. It's normally the only time I feel my vigilante justice coming out.

It would be quicker and handle better if it used smaller rims due to the larger rims' greater inertia (this assumes that gearing is adjusted so that it remains essentially the same despite the smaller wheels), but since the rims would be smaller the brakes would have to be smaller as well, increasing the chances of brake fade around a track. The car would also look rather strange with small rims, which people would complain about. Everything is a trade off, even things as seemingly insignificant as rim choice. It seems that equipping a car with the smallest rims that will clear its brakes is best for performance, but is obviously not the best aesthetic choice for most people.

Since your tagline is "devil's advocate" let me say the following: I work in the software industry. That doesn't make me an expert on software. I know developers that dislike writing specs. That doesn't mean that's a desirable trait. Furthermore comparing PA and monitor systems to what's in the RX-8 is apples and oranges.

We're talking about an industry that uses vague, imprecise terms like "muddy", "flat" and "warm" to describe acoustics. We're also talking about an industry where the experts can't agree on what makes good speaker wire and what is hype. The term "snake-oil" is often heard when it comes to product descriptions.

Ultimately it all boils down to this: I don't know what good art is but I know what I like. My "credentials" are that I have an RX-8 with Bose "premium" sound. I had an S2K. I currently drive a car with custom audio install that I spent almost $15k on before I was happy. I love listening to audio in my car. I liked listening to audio in the S2K. I hate listening to audio in the RX-8. It's all personal preference and in my case the Bose system is a distant third.
________
The Cigar Boss

"you can't please everybody all the time" ring a bell? :)

Each car has it's own " little things" list, so you can complain about either car really. It does outperform the rx8 clearly that's for sure, so it must then compromise in luxury, like all sports cars do. Personally, i think the s2000 is a beautiful machine that is well worth the money as is the RX8. The one advantage the S2000 has that no one can argue is resale value. For whatever reason, it's simply a more sought after car that will keep more value after new, and if you are the type of person who trades cars in every few years, you'll simply get more out of it in the end. I don't understand it, but I guess that's Honda for you.

Finally test drove the 2005 S2000 last night. I think I wrung it out pretty good. I love the taut but supple ride quality. I'm not too impressed with the exhaust sound- it seems to drone- but I'm not very experienced in that area. Do people rate the exhaust sound as pretty good (I liked the 350Z and G35 Coupe's better)? I now understand what is meant by the VTEC kicking in but it didn't kick in THAT hard. Maybe it's because the engine wasn't broken in. Still, the engine revs pretty strongly but seems to grind harder and use more effort than the Renesis (maybe the sound and feel of mechanical parts working together is a desirable trait). The Renesis definitely revs faster and more easily; the S2000 engine never seems to be at ease or capable of doing things with ease. I loved the shifter, though. It's even shorter throw than the RX8's, with more precise gates with narrower range-of-motion that take more effort to engage. Its character is right between the 350Z's and RX8's. Several magazines have called it the best mass production gearbox in the world but I like the easier engagement in the RX8 (feels slicker).


Why is it that I love the S2000 in Silverstone Metallic with the red/black interior but I don't like the RX8's red/black interior? Hmm.


Oh yeah, one more thing. For more than one year, I had assumed the S2000 would make me regret buying the RX8. It was a thrill to drive hard but, unexpectedly, NOW I have no doubt that I made the right choice. THAT was my revelation. Our engine simply feels more electric and more dynamic if not more powerful. Do others agree?

on a similar note, can someone explain to me what makes the rx-8 rev "faster" than other cars? I was in a new nissan maxima, and it revs twice as fast as my rx-8. I could hit redline extremely fast (car not in gear), of course redline is a bit lower than in the 8, but not twice as low. Even in gear it reved up very quickly.

Are you serious? The Acura TSX seems to rev pretty fast also but with less grinding and effort than the S2000. That created a sense that the TSX was revving faster than the S2000 and as fast as the RX8. But when I immediately test drove an RX8 right after test driving a TSX (a year ago before I bought my RX8), I knew for certain the Renesis revs faster.

Andrew Wilson. He is a man in Missouri that officially changed his name to "They" :D

Lol.. I agree with the very first reply...

Ohh...and about that "no low end torque"... Guess you forgot the S2000 with spank the SNOT out of the RX-8 at all speeds... Go figure 'eh? Not too bad for "no torque".

Ohh..and For what its worth, I own an '04 RX-8 and an '02 S2000...

And the '02's and up come with 4 speakers, and (As I did) you can add 2 more (rear) speakers with a $20 hole-saw, a pair of 4" speakers, and a little wire.

Did I mention the S2000 is quicker than the RX-8 at all speeds yet? Oh yeah... my bad... musta been that lack of "torque" I forgot about /rolls eyes.

And, FWIW, the cock-pit of the S2000 is beautiful, hardly cheap like all the plastic covering my RX-8.

ohh..and I almost forgot to mention, driving the shvt out of my S2000 on the street, I get ~19-22 MPG... Driving my RX-8 like gradma I get 15.5, and if I actually drive the RX-8 agressivly I see 10.5-12.5mpg....and its still slower than my S2000.

If I hadn't gotten such a good deal on the RX-8 from my friend that works at Mazda, I'de have been pretty pissed off about how crappy this car actually performs... especially while consuming 60% more gas than my s2000.

I don't think I've seen an S2K with a red and black interior, but I've seen the Silver with the red and it's stunning whilc the silver RX-8 with the red/black just doesn't look right to me.

When driving an S2K hard it does take some getting used to. The engine seems to be in distress when you get up to the higher RPMs, it's just something S2K owners need to get over and realize the engine is just fine.

I always thought the S2000 was a beautiful piece of engineering. It has incredible power for a 4 cylinder engine and is less "heavy" compared to a 350Z. I just think that Honda should put some more luxury in the interior like aluminum accents and better plastics.

The one thing I was surprised about was that nobody mentioned the heavy hardtop that needs two people to put it on!