new 09/07/02
I guess I havn't told the list yet............
I finally got bored of my Lightning, so I went ahead and traded it in and ordered an 02 Honda S2000 2 weeks ago. It finally arrived and I picked it up last weekend and even got to watch it get rolled off the big transport truck. I got bored with the Lightning because it didn't have a manual transmission, and it really didn't handle too well. I finally decided that I wanted to get back into a car with a manual transmission, and handled very well. Unfortunately, a SHO was definitely out of the question as I’m avoiding v8sho's like a plague, and a lower mileage MTX 94-95 SHO would be extremely rare and hard to find. The Lightning is absolutely the most wonderful truck you can buy, and is a fabulous value for what you get, but straight line acceleration get's old after a while, and the $36-40 fillups twice a week were getting tiring. I enjoy having fun with any vehicle, but it really has to use a reasonable amount of fuel, especially with the Lightning only getting 8-9 mpg. I test drove the Honda S2000 and was immediately sold on it for 3 reasons
1. The engine is loud, but it's absolutely one of the smoothest and slickest feeling engines I’ve ever driven. There is also something very magical about that 9000rpm redline which for some reason, made me feel very nostalgic about my days with the SHO's. Low on torque, but man does this engine scream as you build up the rpms!
2. It handles like a dream with a suspension that transmits the right amount of road feedback, with very neutral handling with a slight hint of oversteer when pushed hard. The steering is dead accurate and very centered really giving this car a accurate feeling in conjunction with the suspension
3. This short throw transmission on this car has absolutely the slickest and smoothest shifts I’ve ever seen. It literally feels butter smooth when shifting gears, although I’m disappointed because my transmission has started to grind lately when shifting into 2nd gear.
4. I'm more of a hardtop fan, but the ability to lower the top was interesting.
I am honestly having 10 times the fun with this S2000, even with it's 2nd gear grind than I ever had with the Lightning. The close gear ratios really help to keep you in the meat of the powerband, combined with the 4.10 rear end. I will probably be taking it in for the grind when it get's worse since if you guys think Ford service departments are bad, they aren’t the only ones as I’m scared to let anyone touch it unless absolutely necessary. Just like in the SHO, it's the engine that really completes the package allowing it to be called a SHO, the same goes with the S2000 as the engine is what really makes this car. It's low on torque, but once you get moving, it's a magical feeling that will literally keep you smiling.
----- Original Message ----- From: Ron Porter To: June H. Han ; v8sho@v8sho.com Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2002 11:51 PM Subject: RE: Acura Safety recall vs no help from Ford
S2000? Where's the Lightning?
Ron Porter
-----Original Message-----
From: June H. Han [mailto:jhan@cinci.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 12:00 AM
To: v8sho@v8sho.com
Subject: Re: Acura Safety recall vs no help from Ford
Another reason to buy foreign? What in the hell have you been smoking?
ALL Honda S2000's ever built have a defective rear differential and driver side CV joint. This is not a question of if, but a question of when. It's a very bad design that causes the CV joint to start pitting for no reason making it appear as a bullet got shot into it. Another issue, is that as the older S2000's are building more and more miles, their rear differentials are failing due to parts of the casing that come apart and cause it to blow up. It's a bad design and is costing higher mileage S2000 owners $2700 with many dealerships trying to deny warranty coverage if the person had the extended warranty. Honda has acknowledged that this is an issue, but isn't addressing it. Many members are now considering a class action lawsuit. I didn't buy the extended warranty on my S2000, but after i'm reading about these problems, I definately will be.
June H. Han
jhan@cinci.rr.comSuzuka Blue S2000 400 miles
----- Original Message ----- From: Scott Wemstrom To: v8sho@v8sho.com Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2002 5:48 PM Subject: OT: Acura Safety recall vs no help from Ford
In light of the NON recall or any help from FOMOCO, I wanted to relay a recall notice I just received on our Acura.
The notice is sent out in accordance with requirements of the Nat'l Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
It involves the possible defect of the ignition switch on 98-99 CLs. It says the electrical contacts in the ignition switch can wear prematurely due to high electrical current passing through the switch. Worn out ignition contacts could cause the engine to stall without warning. Although the engine will restart in most cases, if your engine stalls while driving in traffic or at highway speeds, you are at risk of being involved in a crash. Now, I had a ticking noise and failure (before I was aware of this site), when my cam failed leaving me to push my 1 1/2 year old 1.5 miles down the highway in Chicago in Nov. I was so surprised that no one even stopped to say hello let alone offer help. I imagine they thought I was nuts taking a kid for a stroll on the side of the highway. I'm sure if I was a hot blonde there would have been plenty of knights to the rescue.
So, I don't know how many Acuras have actually been involved in a highway accident because of the defect, but they are saying it can happen from a stalling engine. Acura (Honda) is recognizing and taking care of a problem that exists unlike our friends at Ford. Just another reason to buy foreign.
Scott
96 toreador red