Sit back, hold tight and prepare for the ride of your life...! (Honda S 2000)

Member Name: jesika_jay

Product:	Honda S 2000
Date:	19/08/02 (1813 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: everthing

Disadvantages: nothing

I had been meaning to test this car out for ages as I have been seriously thinking about buying one (it may be a while before I actually get round to affording one, but that is besides the point). It has always been an ambition since these cars were released into the big wide world that I would one day own one. However, it was not until yesterday that I got a chance to drive one. Now get comfortable, strap in and hold tight as I take you on a little journey...

The first thing that struck me about this car was it's gorgeous looks; although this is a small looking car- it only has two seats- it looked like a right beast! It has a very long bonnet and huge wheels which can hold up to 18 inch alloys. It's sharp and appealing edges are what makes this car look so classy and so different compared to a lot of other cars on the road. That was what first made me want one!

But then I didn't know anything about this motor, only that it looked a treat, so I would have to find out if it's personality really lived up to it's looks. I decided to look it up on the internet to see if this was really the car for me, but I am sad to say that some of what I found wasn't to my liking; someone like me did not have much of a chance getting a test drive in one of these, let alone the credit- and the insurance (but we'll come to that later).
So, for months- years- I dreamed of just having a go in one, but admitted that I would have to wait until I was at least 25 before I could be let loose behind the wheel!

But that's where I was wrong! While talking to a friend who works in a garage, I noticed an S2000 just casually sitting pretty outside the showroom. I told my friend of my story, saying that I'd never be able to test drive the thing. To cut a long story short, the garage- you guessed it- were going to let me drive the car after seeing my license and insurance details!

Anyway, onto the point, the car. The first t
hing I noticed when I exitedly got into the drivers seat was the colour-coded leather interior. Being a sleek black beauty on the outside, it was a cool and attractive rich red on the inside; the two colours contrasted with each other perfectly making this look like a real stunner!

The dash board was simple but sassy; there wasn't much going on there, but I felt that this added to the major style statement that this car seems to make. Anyway, it still had enough features (the revometer goes upto 9000 revs) and it had a digital display.

The car doesn't start on the key. Instead, it has an 'engine start' button which was something differrent in itself. So, with one press of a button, the engine came to life with a roar. Giving the car a little rev, I notice just how very respondent this car is; with a little press of the accelerator the revometer needle shoots from the left side and over to the right quicker than you can say "Honda"! The salesman gives me a nervous glance and I can tell that he is regretting letting me take this for a spin! Oh well- too late now...

...driving the S2000 is every adenaline junkie's dream; it goes like a bullet from a gun and it's handling is superb. Although the ride can feel a little scary at times, that is the whole point! This is a fun car- it wasn't built with practicality in mind; it was meant to be thrashed around demanding s-bends and raced along an open road (and doesn't have much boot space either) But for the sake of the faint-hearted, this is not actually a dangerous car; it has plenty of grip so you will have to be a pretty wild but stupid driver if you manage to turn this on it's side or plough into a hedge! It also has two airbags just in case you get too carried away and forget to stop at the traffic lights...

...but back to the drive. As I was saying, the handling is great which makes this an exhilerating car to take around those winding co
untry lanes; you'll be able to take these corners at a high speed and still feel safe enough to do it again and again. The car is also ideal to take to the wide open roads with; going from 0-60 mph in just 6.2 seconds, you can see why! This is also a very powerful car which can produce a massive 237 bhp at 9000 rpm! So with it's combined power and feather-like weight, it's not surprising that this little beast can top 150 miles per hour on a good day!

Another thing to say about this car is that it only runs on a 2.0 litre engine (1997 cc to be precise) so it can also be reasonably economical when you drive it in a normal manner! I was told that this car did one mile for every 50 pence (actually, that is rather expensive) but I found on an internet site that it does 28 miles per gallon, so it really is about average in that department, but quite good for it's class.

Another thing I liked about his car was the fact that it has six gears. The pulling power of each of these gears is fantastic, with it going along at 70 mph in fourth gear and still pulling hungrily.

Around the town driving is not what the S2000 was built for; this car does not WANT to go slow and is forever sneaking above 30 mph so have to make a real effort- sometimes even fight to keep it slow! But it is something that gets easy with practise!

The suspension is good- it is relatively soft and a smooth ride; some may say that this spoils the excitement of sports driving and that they would prefer their cars a bit more rough n' ready, but to me this just added to the car's appeal. It is a smooth looker and is a smooth driver to match.

After the drive was over, I did not want o let the car go! I felt like it was already mine and I could really see myself cruising around in this- it was just my cup of tea!

I couldn't be dragged away that easily so I went inside to talk business. The salesman told me what I had been dreading-
this car would probably cost someone like me more to insure than to buy (under 25, driving for just 2 years, no no claims as I've been under my dad's name al this time etc. etc.) This car would cost anyone a considerable amount to insure as it is right up there in the clouds with the Ferraris and Lambos in group 20. It seems crazy though, I mean, you can pay well over £100k for a beast of a car that can do 0-60 in 3 seconds with a six litre engine and over 500 bhp and it will be in the same insurance group as something like this- a REAL world car at an affordable £25,995 standard or £26,995 for GT version. C'est fou, non?

Oh well, one can dream...

FACT BREAKDOWN

Engine sizes: 1997cc, 16v
Power: 237bhp
Performance: 0-60mph in 6.2 secs
Max speed- 150mph
Cost new- £25,995 or £26,995 for GT version
Cost second hand- between £16,000 and £25,000
Insurance group- 20
Miles per gallon- 28.5
Pence per mile- 51
Rear wheel drive
Extras-Electric windows
Alarm
Immobiliser
Airbags and
Remote locking

BUYING INFORMATION

3 year warranty with all new Hondas
Brochure hotline- 0800 2008000
Website- www.honda.co.uk
200 dealers in UK

SITES OF INTEREST

www.s2000honda.co.uk

www.honda-s2000.co.uk

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