Finally Got My Car and Impressions compared to s2k.

Joined
1 May 2010
Messages
73
Location
Boston, Ma
Hello All,

Fist of all I would like to thank Mr. Erickson and Mark from Colorado for being kind and taking time out of their schedule to check out the car for me. True gentlemen and they make me feel proud to be a part of this community. After 15 years of waiting the "Journey has ended", which for some odd reason I now miss. You reach the destination and now you miss the journey. ???? . It was kind of sad. Well anyways, I purchased the 2003 Formula Red w/41k miles from Mike Ward Infiniti in Colorado. They asked 53k and I ended up paying 45k. The BEST car 45k can buy you in my opinion. Now lets talk about my first impressions.

Visibility: Holy crap the view is phenomenal. From the side door windows to the windshield it's all level like the horizon. The hood tapers down so you see the road RIGHT in front of you. I feel like I'm sitting on the car and not in the car.

Ergonomics: The seat bolster is FANTASTIC. It fixes my lower back. I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. 10++++. s2k no comparison. I never knew sport cars could be this comfortable. The seating position in this car makes me feel like a professional racer.

Clutch/Gearbox: The gearbox is another plus. The shiftgate is perfect and shifts are precise, better than the s2k. There is NO VIBRATION at the shifter. This is awesome. Every manual car that I have driven in the past, the shifter vibrates. It's like the shifter is not connected to anything. It's weird but I like it a lot. The second gear was kind of notchy if not warmed up. I pushed the shifter down and then over to reverse thinking it was like the s2k, but you just push it all the way to the right after a mini-lock and then put in 6th, another plus. Now the clutch engagement I will have to give it to the s2k. It seems the engagement in the NSX is HIGHER while the s2k engages rather quickly. Nothing major, I just prefer lower engagement.

Power: I received the car on January 1st (nice way to start the new year) so I didn't get a chance to "PUSH IT" but the power was decent. I expected it to be much quicker than the s2k but it wasn't. It's noticeably faster but not by much off the line. Maybe when mid spring comes this might change.

Engine: The v6 sounds nice roaring behind you. Mine gets very warm after I drive it. When I open the targa cover it's a little warm in there. I don't know if this is normal.

Handling: The car handles nice but my s2k always felt "tight". The NSX only feels tight when cornering. The s2k felt more communicative even when just changing lanes. In my opinion the s2k is more rigid/fun to drive and this was the biggest let down for me. I knew power wise it was better than the s2k but I also thought the NSX would be more nimble.

Suspension: The car was not as stiff as I though it would be so that's a plus. It's smoother than my s2k. But you gotta pay attention to road imperfections because the tires are low profile. I bottomed out one time already stupidly thinking it had as much meat as the s2k tires.

Attention: Everybody at work thinks it's a Ferrari. I knew it would attract attention but I didn't expect it to be all the time. I was dining at Chili's with the wife and a total of maybe 25 people flocked to it. I didn't get mad or anything but it made me NERVOUS. One guy said he never saw a ferrari outside a showroom. I had to tell him it was an Acura. Another guy stop traffic just to take a pic, while people are honking, I was a little embarrassed.

Well, that's my impression after one month. I hope I shed some light for the guys thinking of getting into the X from an s2k. I'm definitely keeping this car as long as I can. She's my classic. DREAM CAR COME TRUE.
 
just toodling around the nsx is rather docile.I had a first edition s2000 back in 99. The nsx gets better the faster you go and the higher you rev it. As an everyday car in good weather I ended up driving the s2000 more, but the nsx by its very nature is more special and comfy,we have often praised the seats.Good luck with the car.
 
Congrats on the purchase after a long wait! Nice write-up on initial impressions - I agree. After driving and owning a lot of automobiles, this one is by far the best, in almost every area. And to think it is 20 years old is unbelievable.

I'm on my 2nd S2000 - they are fun and nimble; yet really different from the NSX (despite the Honda heritage). I kept the S2000 even when I got the NSX - just couldn't part with it. They both have the Vtec, but are really different automobiles. Each has their high points. But for total engineering sophistication, balance, looks ---- there is nothing like the NSX (imho).

Enjoy the ride and adventure - once the snow leaves the streets you can enjoy the car with reckless abandon :rolleyes: Cheers, Jay
 
Congrats on the purchase, I am glad you like it. Do you have any pics? I havent seen any good pics of the 02+ formula red yet. I am debating if I should do the conversion or not.
Thanks
 
Thanks for that post. I've always wanted an S2000. I test drove one and thoroughly enjoyed the steering and responsiveness. When I test drove an NSX, I loved it for the same reasons you said. It was just so perfectly balanced. That's the only reason why I haven't purchased an S2000 yet, because I know the second I see an NSX I'll wish I had one.
 
I had a AP1 S2K (silver/black) a couple of years ago and I must say, it was an excellent car; well made, comfortable, 9k redline, bright HIDs, and it's a convertible Honda. Eventually, I will get another one as a daily driver, but for now my G35 coupe will do.
 
I had a AP1 S2K (silver/black) a couple of years ago and I must say, it was an excellent car; well made, comfortable, 9k redline, bright HIDs, and it's a convertible Honda. Eventually, I will get another one as a daily driver, but for now my G35 coupe will do.

Yeah I still think about S2ks as a possible daily. I had a G35 coupe as a daily. It did well for 4 years but stuff just kept breaking. It was ridiculously annoying for me. I'm glad to be out of that market because of all the ricers buying up G35s now. You're ok because you have an NSX in the garage so you can put up with them knowing that you have the beast to go home to.
 
I reverse park my cars into my 3-car garage all the time, and I always have a smile on my face when I stand outside and look at the both of them. Now, I just need a black S2K on the third side of the garage and I will be set :cool:
 
Congrats on the purchase - you got a very good deal on an NA2 - good miles too. Nothing about that deal is bad - no history of any accidents? Just curious - we all catagorize purchases and for the last evolution of the car - 45k seems awfully good, imho.

They are great performing autos and you'll surely enjoy the experience and hopefully Prime. Lots of great folks on here with answers to a variety of questions. Enjoy!
 
Sounds exactly like everything I experienced during my test drive compared to the S2000.
Except the part about the clutch, I'm sure after driving any car you get used to wherever it engages.

Nice write up!
 
Do get the car aligned and verify that the tires on it are upto snuff. Simply base lining it this way will probably make it feel better.

When I bought mine, the alignment was way off, a rear shock was dying etc and I was like "this drives worse than my prelude". Once things were fixed, I was a happy camper.
 
Congrats on the purchase! I also thought about getting an S2K before my NSX (Albeit an S2000CR, but still) It just didn't compare in my opinion. I am likely to pick up another NSX one day... I have the bug! :eek:
 
Congrats on your purchase. Very exciting day to actually have her home.

I have a similar 2003 red. Got it this last summer after about 4 years of looking and have truly enjoyed the drive and power from a 6 cyclinder. Mine is somewhat of a garage queen - I do take it out on really nice days for short drives, but I just can't see running up the miles when she only has about 2500 miles total.

Post some pics - love to see another red 2003.
 
Hello All,


Now the clutch engagement I will have to give it to the s2k. It seems the engagement in the NSX is HIGHER while the s2k engages rather quickly. Nothing major, I just prefer lower engagement.

Today i work i was thinking....

do you think Honda did it that way so that it would shift quicker? Think of it, 'high' engagement, means less you have to push down the clutch when shifting from 2-3, 3-4 ect.
 
Hello All,

Clutch/Gearbox: The gearbox is another plus. The shiftgate is perfect and shifts are precise, better than the s2k. There is NO VIBRATION at the shifter. This is awesome. Every manual car that I have driven in the past, the shifter vibrates. It's like the shifter is not connected to anything. It's weird but I like it a lot. The second gear was kind of notchy if not warmed up. I pushed the shifter down and then over to reverse thinking it was like the s2k, but you just push it all the way to the right after a mini-lock and then put in 6th, another plus. Now the clutch engagement I will have to give it to the s2k. It seems the engagement in the NSX is HIGHER while the s2k engages rather quickly. Nothing major, I just prefer lower engagement.

The two car clutches are polar opposites. I also prefer the S2000 clutch engages very low on the pedal travel. I first thought my NSX had a clutch problem when I first drove it, but no, that's the way it is... The shifting is also very different on the cars I really like the S2000 shifter, no cables, no slack, you have a hold of the transmission in your hand and shifts are shorter than the NSX. Not much Honda could do different with the shifter on the NSX other than a shorter shift kit. The gearbox is behind you on the NSX. On the S2000 the gear box is right under the shifter.

Both cars have their qualities, both are well built cars with a lot of attention to detail from design to build. Both are a lot of fun to drive.
 
The S2K has a shorter wheelbase, quicker steering, and greater turning radius. It will always feel more nimble than an NSX. However, the S2K is twitchy and does not feel better as speeds get over 100 (back end feels way too light). The NSX feels more stable and tighter as speeds increase and in sweeper style (higher speed) turns. The build quality and the NHV is much worst for the S2k (not as noticeable if the top is down).

Also the S2K imho can't handle a lot of horsepower. The gears are really short esp in the 2.2 cars and it will swap end quicker than you can blink. But for everyday slower traffic driving ---- the S2K is great. A NSX needs space so you can open it up..... esp if you have 415rwhp like mine ..... yeah the S2K will never sound as good as a NSX at 8K or like as good as any rpm.

One more thing the S2k stock springs in all versions are much stiffer than the regular NSX offered in the US.
 
Congrats on your new purchase - its nice to see another NSX in the area. If you want to have the car checked by an NSX specialist, I highly recommend Mitch @ Mechanics Direct in Lowell.
 
Congrats! I spent a lot of time in an S2k before buying my NA2 and had a similar impression, especially about the steering.

If you're using the OEM steering wheel though, swap it out for a 350mm and the difference will be night and day. I also swapped the shift knob to the NSX-R one and that also made a night and day difference in the shifting feel.
 
Congrats on your purchase... welcome to the club!

A few things I would like to mention:

1. It does get very hot in the engine bay - 100 percent normal
2. Springs - for 400 dollars you can make it nice and stiff like s2k
3. Not as nimble? What tires are you using. (quick story)

I got my car from a dealership. They insist on putting new tires on every car they sell, so they put the DZ101's on my car. It wasn't until I got new wheels just a couple of weeks ago that I realized that the tires were crappy.

I put some Yokohama Advan 08's on and OMG what a difference in how nimble the car is. I didn't know any better, and truthfully I didn't really budget for new tires right off the bat anyway. The car is a completely different animal. NIGHT AND DAY. I drove my friends S2k and can I just thought thats how it is with the NSX. Not true at all.

The new tires were much more responsive. The old ones make the car feel... ?lazy? maybe... I cant really describe it well, it just felt like a disappointment. Now, i turn the wheel one nanometer and the car instantly moves in that direction. My feel of the road is much much better too. I can feel the cracks in the pavement but not in a bad way.

My suggestion is to check out your tires, maybe get some star spec's or advan 08's from tire rack (they were the cheapest a couple of weeks ago) and I bet the non-nible feel you are talking about will be gone.

Jason
 
haha, congrats on the purchase! I feel like I'm the only one with the NSX as the daily and the S2000 as the garage queen.
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Hello All,
After 15 years of waiting the "Journey has ended"
You mean... the Journey has just begun!
Hows about some pics of that GNX? :biggrin:
+1 :)


I also enjoyed reading everyone's comment about the S2k on here. I was starting to miss that car but now remember all the nuances that made it fun but also not enough to make me want to keep it.
 
Thanks for all the replies everybody. Thank you captainj(Jason) for the info on the engine bay. The car rides on the 02+ stock wheels(the chrome) ones. And the rubbers are bridgestone potenza re760 sport. Maybe I will try the Advans come spring. Oh I've been busy at work so I haven't had the chance to take some pics. Its been snowing like crazy here in New England but I promise pics will come soon.
 
Congratulations on your purchase! If the handling is not as you like it, I would suggest two things:

1.) Confirm the alignment is spec. I had a fairly terrifying experience driving my NSX in the rain back from Chicago after I bought it. Turned out the alignment was completely out of whack and once that was fixed, the issues were COMPLETELY gone. Totally different car.

2.) The car in its targa form benefits greatly from stiffer chassis and anti-sway bars. I went with the Type-Rs but I think there are even stronger bars available from certain aftermarket vendors. Hit up Dave (TURBO2GO) who is local and has researched available modifications extensively (and bought most of them at one point or another :P ).

Also, once it warms up, let us know if you're interested in having a little track crack. :)
 
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