2006 Honda S2000
Discussion
Having finally finished University and stopped moving house every 6 months, I managed to wait an entire year before doing something entirely stupid and selling a perfectly functional 2002 Ford Focus which has served me admirably for 3 years, and replacing it with something thirsty, impractical and expensive.
So welcome to my S2000. Its a 2006 in Silverstone Silver, with the black and red interior. Sadly being a 2006 it is the higher tax, although bizarrely the insurance is around £170 cheaper for a post tax increase which pretty much negates the saving of the cheaper tax, make sense of that. Bought it at 73500 miles (2 weeks in at 74100ish) with a full service history, having been looking online for a few months, and going to look at a couple of other cars. The week between putting down a deposit and actually collecting it was one of the longest of my life thus far.
I absolutely love the car, its so much fun to drive and the noise of the VTEC when it comes on it amazing. Puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. I know that people say its got no torque but coming from a Focus I have had no issues with the way it drives, it'll quite happily bumble around at 30 in 5th and be nice and quiet, then you put it in 2nd and the world starts going backwards much faster. Having a convertible is a novelty, and the heater works well so a quick pop down to Goodwood for the breakfast club a couple of weeks ago was done in roof down style (with a coat on admittedly).
No real plans to modify it, other than having changed the stereo so it will talk to my phone which is handy. Just plan on enjoying it and all its VTEC goodness.
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
So welcome to my S2000. Its a 2006 in Silverstone Silver, with the black and red interior. Sadly being a 2006 it is the higher tax, although bizarrely the insurance is around £170 cheaper for a post tax increase which pretty much negates the saving of the cheaper tax, make sense of that. Bought it at 73500 miles (2 weeks in at 74100ish) with a full service history, having been looking online for a few months, and going to look at a couple of other cars. The week between putting down a deposit and actually collecting it was one of the longest of my life thus far.
I absolutely love the car, its so much fun to drive and the noise of the VTEC when it comes on it amazing. Puts a smile on my face every time I get behind the wheel. I know that people say its got no torque but coming from a Focus I have had no issues with the way it drives, it'll quite happily bumble around at 30 in 5th and be nice and quiet, then you put it in 2nd and the world starts going backwards much faster. Having a convertible is a novelty, and the heater works well so a quick pop down to Goodwood for the breakfast club a couple of weeks ago was done in roof down style (with a coat on admittedly).
No real plans to modify it, other than having changed the stereo so it will talk to my phone which is handy. Just plan on enjoying it and all its VTEC goodness.
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
That's a great introduction to the world of topless motoring, something I wish I had experienced much sooner after University. Great time of year to get such a car. One of my favourite things is a roof down blast on a crisp autumn/winter day.
The S2000 has always been on my list of cars to try, think you've chosen the best colour. It looks brand new!
The S2000 has always been on my list of cars to try, think you've chosen the best colour. It looks brand new!
I think thats the net result of about 4 hours of cleaning over the weekend and I knew I had to get the photos before it A: rained, B: a bird pooped on it or C: it got covered in dust.
Top down with the heater even when its chilly is pretty awesome, and surprising how much faster everything feels with the roof down too.
Top down with the heater even when its chilly is pretty awesome, and surprising how much faster everything feels with the roof down too.
I know you don't want to modify, but I think the exhaust mod is essential on the S2000 and importantly keeps everything looking & feeling stock. OEM+ if you like.
Look it up, I added a 32mm pipe IIRC and a decat and absolutely loved the resulting exhaust note. Very raspy and not anti-social, unlike most of the aftermarket ones which emit an awful drone
Have fun and make sure you get the geo checked by a reputable specialist. They're great cars when setup right
Look it up, I added a 32mm pipe IIRC and a decat and absolutely loved the resulting exhaust note. Very raspy and not anti-social, unlike most of the aftermarket ones which emit an awful drone
Have fun and make sure you get the geo checked by a reputable specialist. They're great cars when setup right
Janosh said:
I know you don't want to modify, but I think the exhaust mod is essential on the S2000 and importantly keeps everything looking & feeling stock. OEM+ if you like.
Look it up, I added a 32mm pipe IIRC and a decat and absolutely loved the resulting exhaust note. Very raspy and not anti-social, unlike most of the aftermarket ones which emit an awful drone
Have fun and make sure you get the geo checked by a reputable specialist. They're great cars when setup right
If I do do anything modifications wise Exhaust is the only thing id change. The thing I want to be careful as you mentioned is that it stays sensible when at low RPM. I really don't want to wake up my neighbours when I'm off early somewhere, but have I wouldn't be against a slightly louder noise once you get higher in the RPMs. Thanks for the advice Look it up, I added a 32mm pipe IIRC and a decat and absolutely loved the resulting exhaust note. Very raspy and not anti-social, unlike most of the aftermarket ones which emit an awful drone
Have fun and make sure you get the geo checked by a reputable specialist. They're great cars when setup right
Geo checking is on the to do list fairly soon (aka once my finances have recovered slightly..). I have no record of it being done, and it does feel fairly 'nervous' if that description makes sense, although I dont know if thats just what a proper car should feel like. Plus getting it up in the air to look underneath would be good. I've heard good things about TGM Sport who are fairly local, and an S2000 specialist, so I might give them a call.
Janosh said:
I know you don't want to modify, but I think the exhaust mod is essential on the S2000 and importantly keeps everything looking & feeling stock. OEM+ if you like.
Look it up, I added a 32mm pipe IIRC and a decat and absolutely loved the resulting exhaust note. Very raspy and not anti-social, unlike most of the aftermarket ones which emit an awful drone
Have fun and make sure you get the geo checked by a reputable specialist. They're great cars when setup right
Yep, I've got a HKS system + a decat.Look it up, I added a 32mm pipe IIRC and a decat and absolutely loved the resulting exhaust note. Very raspy and not anti-social, unlike most of the aftermarket ones which emit an awful drone
Have fun and make sure you get the geo checked by a reputable specialist. They're great cars when setup right
It sound awesome when in Vtec
However a tad embarrassing when traveling through town, and everyone it looking at you
Booked it into TGM so we can have a look underneath and assess what needs doing in order to do the alignment and tracking. I doubt its been done before, so might well end up having to do all the burning bushes stuff which could be fun... If that is the case might have to wait for the funds to recover slightly before committing to any major work.
Hopefully all looks nice and healthy underneath, be interested to see what the underseal looks like, again not holding my breath that the previous owner ever did anything extra to it, so we shall see.
Hopefully all looks nice and healthy underneath, be interested to see what the underseal looks like, again not holding my breath that the previous owner ever did anything extra to it, so we shall see.
So 2 months and 2200 miles into ownership and I still love the thing. If i drive past a shop front and get a glance it still puts a smile on my face, and still don't entirely think its my car.
Took it up to the North Yorkshire Moors for a family thing, which was good fun. Got up before the sunrise on the Saturday for a quick blast round Whitby, Robin Hood bay and Scarborough, and home before 9.30. Fun Saturday morning that.
Most surprisingly got 33mpg on the drive up the M1. Somewhat less than that on the tank used whilst up there....
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
Got the it nice and dirty too
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
Since then I had to replace the rear tyres, annoyingly got a puncture on the drivers side rear. Made for a very interesting couple of miles as it slowly went down before I got a chance to stop. Replaced with a new pair of Bridgestone Potenza RE050, which are surprisingly hard to find, which has also made it much more stable under hard acceleration. I guess having one newish Bridgestone Potenza S001 and one worn Potenza RE050 was not conducive to stable handling.
Good news is whilst having the tyres done got to have a proper look underneath and really good and clean. Will underseal it in 2016, but will leave it for this year.
And one final job done, cleared the two drain holes for the roof. When I finally cleared the crap off the top, there was a big flush of water which was rather satisfying. And now, no more sloshing when I brake and its rained.
Took it up to the North Yorkshire Moors for a family thing, which was good fun. Got up before the sunrise on the Saturday for a quick blast round Whitby, Robin Hood bay and Scarborough, and home before 9.30. Fun Saturday morning that.
Most surprisingly got 33mpg on the drive up the M1. Somewhat less than that on the tank used whilst up there....
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on FlickrS2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on FlickrS2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on FlickrGot the it nice and dirty too
S2000 North Yorkshire Moors by Robert Stokes, on Flickr Since then I had to replace the rear tyres, annoyingly got a puncture on the drivers side rear. Made for a very interesting couple of miles as it slowly went down before I got a chance to stop. Replaced with a new pair of Bridgestone Potenza RE050, which are surprisingly hard to find, which has also made it much more stable under hard acceleration. I guess having one newish Bridgestone Potenza S001 and one worn Potenza RE050 was not conducive to stable handling.
Good news is whilst having the tyres done got to have a proper look underneath and really good and clean. Will underseal it in 2016, but will leave it for this year.
And one final job done, cleared the two drain holes for the roof. When I finally cleared the crap off the top, there was a big flush of water which was rather satisfying. And now, no more sloshing when I brake and its rained.
Lovely car.
I'm on a similar journey to you having had my 06' for a couple of weeks now.
Silverstone with the sombre all black interior, 58k miles and a hardtop. It came with a Miltek exhaust fitted and the standard exhaust in a bag. A K&N intake and AEM ecu.
TGM have given it a clean bill of health, and I'm organising some summer wheels and coilovers.
The gearbox is the best ever, and the interior whilst 'of it's time' I think is one of the better aspects, simple, stylish, low and wide, driver centric and a proper digital dash....
Going to replace the hood in March and keep the mileage limited to dry days...not necessarily warm or sunny...but definitely dry I have a Fiat Qubo for the mundane stuff, total opposite and makes the S all the more enjoyable.
Watching this thread with interest to see how your ownership goes
I'm on a similar journey to you having had my 06' for a couple of weeks now.
Silverstone with the sombre all black interior, 58k miles and a hardtop. It came with a Miltek exhaust fitted and the standard exhaust in a bag. A K&N intake and AEM ecu.
TGM have given it a clean bill of health, and I'm organising some summer wheels and coilovers.
The gearbox is the best ever, and the interior whilst 'of it's time' I think is one of the better aspects, simple, stylish, low and wide, driver centric and a proper digital dash....
Going to replace the hood in March and keep the mileage limited to dry days...not necessarily warm or sunny...but definitely dry
I have a Fiat Qubo for the mundane stuff, total opposite and makes the S all the more enjoyable.Watching this thread with interest to see how your ownership goes
7 months into ownership, and apart from a mild blip in February where I decided I hated the car after about 2000 motorway miles in 4 weeks (dont worry, I realised the error of my ways, Im back in love with it), its been relatively smooth sailing.
2 New rear tyres were the order of the day back in December after one of the old ones decided that air was very overrated. £240 lighter, but matching Bridgestone Potenza RE050s were sorted and all was right. This also solved the car slightly kicking to one side when coming off throttle, so thats a win.
Roof seems to be hellbent on tearing just over the drivers shoulder, so I've patched it for the time being, fitted Lizard Skin chainstay protectors over the frame at that point, and will leave that for the time being. Will be a new roof eventually, but certainly not in 2016.
And for the more fun stuff. Took the car to the Nurburgring a couple of weeks ago, which was pretty damn good.
And then drove up to Zolder to watch some historic racing, so a pretty good road trip weekend. Fun Fact, if you hit an empty coke can at speed on the autobahn it will get lodged under the grill. Cue some odd looks when i reached inside the front bumper at Brunchen to retrieve the can.
More recently, was down at Goodwood yesterday for breakfast club. Only in the carpark, but the drive down in the sun really made me remember why I bought it. So much fun hitting Vtec with the roof down.
Goodwood Breakfast Club by Robert Stokes, on Flickr
Apart from that, as its now done 8,000 miles in my tenure, changed the oil, and decided to flush the brake fluid, as I have no record of it being done. Might look into new front brake pads for next time I service it as there isnt a huge amount of meat on them, but that wont be for a few '000 miles,
2 New rear tyres were the order of the day back in December after one of the old ones decided that air was very overrated. £240 lighter, but matching Bridgestone Potenza RE050s were sorted and all was right. This also solved the car slightly kicking to one side when coming off throttle, so thats a win.
Roof seems to be hellbent on tearing just over the drivers shoulder, so I've patched it for the time being, fitted Lizard Skin chainstay protectors over the frame at that point, and will leave that for the time being. Will be a new roof eventually, but certainly not in 2016.
And for the more fun stuff. Took the car to the Nurburgring a couple of weeks ago, which was pretty damn good.
And then drove up to Zolder to watch some historic racing, so a pretty good road trip weekend. Fun Fact, if you hit an empty coke can at speed on the autobahn it will get lodged under the grill. Cue some odd looks when i reached inside the front bumper at Brunchen to retrieve the can.
More recently, was down at Goodwood yesterday for breakfast club. Only in the carpark, but the drive down in the sun really made me remember why I bought it. So much fun hitting Vtec with the roof down.
Goodwood Breakfast Club by Robert Stokes, on FlickrApart from that, as its now done 8,000 miles in my tenure, changed the oil, and decided to flush the brake fluid, as I have no record of it being done. Might look into new front brake pads for next time I service it as there isnt a huge amount of meat on them, but that wont be for a few '000 miles,
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