Are the rumors true?

Ok, I know this is an S2000 forum, so I do expect some bias, but please try to be honest. I have heard rumors about the first three years of the S2000 having problems (2000-2002). Some of the things I have heard are trannie problems, rear diff problems, clutch problems, and rear bushing problems. I have heard the trannies would grind gears, especially 1st to 2nd. The rear diffs were suposedly weak and would break with hard launches. I have heard to replace the rear bushings right when you get an S2000 from these years. I have heard that clutches wear quickly and aren't good enough to hold the S2000 power. I'm not bagging on Honda at all, I own one. I want to get an early S2000 because I can't afford the newer ones. I heard that by 2003 they had worked out all the bugs, unfortunetly 2003's are expensive. Please let me know what you guys know or if you have had any of these problems. Thanks a lot for your time and honesty.

I think it all depends to the owner. Some people treat cars really badly, if you are slipping the clutch at 8000 rpms every night, the most probable thing is that you are going to damage or brake something. Hondas are very reliable, and the s2000 is just another reliable car. I only know 2 people that own s2000s and both are 2001 models, they havent had any problems with the tranny or differential, bushing or clutch. Both of them service the s2000 and dont drive it hard everyday. So, I guess the answer is that the rumors are not true.

I haven't heard any specific rumors either- though it wouldn't necessarily shock me now if a progressive Honda model experienced some gear grind after the synchro crap experienced by RSX-S owners with the six speed tranny. Any incidences of this in the S2000 are most likely due to rooks who can't handle the narrow gates, though- not the transmission itself...

you shouldnt have any problems with it as long as you drive it the way it was designed. as a car!!!

^Warning: do not attempt to drive car like it's a ham sandwich.

I own a 00' S2K. Ive put about 10k on the car so far and I have experienced some problems with the clutch. Probably a result of the wear put on it by the previous owner. Everything else is perfect.

if you drive the car hard than the stock clutch will always wear out

One of my best friends got a red 2001 with 30k miles off a guy who wanted a boxster instead (fool), got it for 17 even. I was surprised, because he's an idiot most of the time. Anyways, according to him and his 20-something member s2k club, only common problem among the older children is the sparkplug issue/recall, he said (since i'm in the market for one too) that if you get an 00-01, first thing to do is replace the sparkplugs, or something relating to them. He complained about the plastic rear window, but i gotta tell you the ones i've seen have held up better than most plastic rears, and a replacement top is only about 600 bucks, which comes with glass and rear defrost (i think.) OH yeah, he's had issues with his theft system, he can't re-activate his radio now, but he doesn't really care. Small price to pay for a car that is virtually unstealable without a tow truck.
Join the cult. You will be glad you did.

One of my best friends got a red 2001 with 30k miles off a guy who wanted a boxster instead (fool), got it for 17 even. I was surprised, because he's an idiot most of the time. Anyways, according to him and his 20-something member s2k club, only common problem among the older children is the sparkplug issue/recall, he said (since i'm in the market for one too) that if you get an 00-01, first thing to do is replace the sparkplugs, or something relating to them. He complained about the plastic rear window, but i gotta tell you the ones i've seen have held up better than most plastic rears, and a replacement top is only about 600 bucks, which comes with glass and rear defrost (i think.) OH yeah, he's had issues with his theft system, he can't re-activate his radio now, but he doesn't really care. Small price to pay for a car that is virtually unstealable without a tow truck.
Join the cult. You will be glad you did.
Tell your friend if he goes to the dealership they will find out what the code for the radio is for free.

I haven't heard of any problems with earlier S2k's except for maybe the spark plug issue. The only time you will have a problem with the diff. is if you don't let the tires spin when launching. This causes alot of stress, and it's possible it might explode. This is common with any car, but since the S2k doesn't have alot of low end torque you really need to rev it (6-7K) to spin the tires at launch.

I've heard Honda makes all of their clutches not as strong as they could be, but this is to prevent more costly drivetrain parts from wearing out too soon.

As far as the grinding gears, the S2k shifter has been noted by car mags to be one of the best shifters on a production car. The only trouble I get on my '05 is when the tranny is cold. Then shifting into 2nd can be a little notchy. Shifting slower into 2nd untill it's warmed up (5-10 mins) solves this. The s2k is really a work of art, and no matter what year you get, you won't be dissapointed :iceslolan

I'm picking up my 04 s2k either today or next weekend, wish me luck. :iceslolan

i just KNOW that the week after i give in and buy a two seater, i'll meet the love of my life. A year later, We'll get married, and the talk will start about a more "practical vehicle", and around year three, she'll drop a litter of triplets or something like that. I told my theory to my ex, and she said "yeah, but at least you get 2 years and a week of owning an amazing vehicle."