What mid life crisis??

[Rand]

I got a new used car for my birthday last week. It's a 2003 Honda S2000. 2.0 liter 4 cylinder. 240HP, 8900 RPM redline. It's a fun little go kart. No, I'm not over compensating for anything else..

[radhak]

That is one sweet ride, and a sure-fire babe magnet. I'd advise your wife not to let you drive that !

Congrats!
<maliciously hoping your insurance climbs steeply>

[jackellis]

Nice looking ride. Nothing at all wrong with buying a gently used vehicle.

[aggrex]

Nice sweet ride. Enjoy the ride for 2 just remember to remove all incriminating emotions, fantasies, and circumstantial evidence LOL

[LCHIEN]

looks like a speeding ticket collector.

so, is that what you pulled cash money out of your bank account for?

[dbhost]

Certainly no dust collector that's for sure...

[cabinetman]

Nice car, a friend of mine has one...feels like it revs forever. But, don't call it a used car. Call it "experienced", or "previously enjoyed".

.

[JimD]

I bought a new BMW 128i convertible in 2009. I enjoyed the ride to work this morning in it. Loads of fun. About the same power as your S2000 but you don't have to wind to 8000+ rpm to get some torque . It has a normally aspirated 3L 6 with a 7,000rpm redline. Have you had a convertible before? If not, the maintenance of the top is a little different. I only wash it once a year using a special soap and then I re-treat it as soon as it drives. When the car gets washed, the top gets vacumned. Seems a little odd at first but it is supposed to extend the life of the top. Congratulations!

Jim

[Rand]

Thanks for the advice Jim. My ex had a Miata for 5 years when we lived in California. Sometimes on a Saturday or Sunday we'd put the top down, pick a direction and go driving to see what we could find. Good times!

BMW's are great cars. A Z4 would be comparable to mine than your 128 but yours is way more practical. I looked at a few different cars before I settled on this one.

BMW 325i convertible. Nice, but not sporty enough for me.

BMW Z4 - Great with the top down. With the top up I tend to bang my head getting in and out of it. Also I worry about the expense of maintenance and repairs with an older Bimmer. A friend of mine had to pay 900 dollars for a special battery needed by his 7 series. I've heard they aren't so bad these days.

Volkswagen EOS convertible. Not sporty enough but surprisingly quick. It flexed noticeably over bumps in the pavement.

Mercedes SLK roadster. Really nice looking car IMHO. Convertible hard top is a nice feature. However, when I pulled the car back in to the dealership the top wouldn't go back up. I hung around for about 10 minutes while every employee on the lot tried to put the top up and it wouldn't go. I decided not to buy the car. I have the same concerns about costs with Mercedes as I do with BMW.

Nissan 350Z convertible. A true sports car. Fast, agile and fun to drive. It felt a bit heavy to me. 3400 lbs for a 2 seater. I didn't find it very comfortable to sit in. Had the highest insurance of the bunch.

So I got the S2K. Not at all practical but it's a blast to drive. Makes running errands fun. I have never had a car that drew so many admiring comments from men and women alike. That's a new experience and I kind of like it.

[Rand]

Just saw this comment on a Yahoo news story about cars:

"My wife wanted something that would go from zero to two hundred in less than two seconds. So I got her a bathroom scale."

[JimD]

I was going to buy new so the s2000 was not on my list. I took my two 20s kids with me when I went looking the first time and decided from their reaction I needed to be able to hold both of them at least for brief trips. I test drove a Miata with my daughter but the lack of space for my son and the tiny trunk just were not what I wanted. I wanted enough luggage space for a couple rolling bags with the top down. Does the S2000 have that? My kids can ride with me but my son has to sit closer to the dash than he wants, he's 6'4", so my 5'9" daughter has a place for her legs in back. You can move the front seat all the way back to the back seat in the 1 series. I have had 4 adults in the car before but it would not be comfortable for long distances (I am 6'2"). I'm a little more practical than a 2 seater but my back seat is an occasional use.

[Cochese]

S2K - one of the best sports cars ever made. You made a great choice.

[chopnhack]

Enjoy Rand, looks like a blast :-) Is it manual or does it have a CVT?

[Pappy]

Nice ride, Rand! Can't comment on it, or make comparisons, as others have done since I am not into sports cars. (That was NOT intended to knock any previous coments.) Owning a '62 Vette or an early 70's XKE wouldn't upset me, though.

biggest thing is that you got what YOU want. Enjoy!!!!!

[Rand]

Enjoy Rand, looks like a blast :-) Is it manual or does it have a CVT?

It's got a 6 speed manual. Very short precise throws. My understanding is that the shift lever is mounted directly to the transmission.