Is The Honda S2000 Worth Buying, 20 Years On? I Put It To The Test

It's tough to challenge nostalgia. Deep in our hearts we want the past to live on. "Back in my day" thoughts constantly flood our brains when some new product comes out, or a new trend challenges our pre-conceived notions of how things should be. And there's almost nowhere that this commitment to the perceived quality of the past is stronger than in the car community. While muscle cars from the 1950s and 1960s dominated the nostalgia space for a long time, these days, there's a big shift to Japanese sports cars.

Models like the Nissan GT-R and Toyota Supra are fetching scarcely-believable prices on auction websites, raising the tide for all four-wheeled JDM ships. One such vessel seeing fresh buoyancy is the Honda S2000. While it's not as highly-regarded as headline grabbers like the Supra or GT-R, the S2K has a strong following. A number of S2000 CR's have sold for over $100,000 in the past few years, giving them solid standing as investment-worthy enthusiasts cars. 

Travis Langness/SlashGear

After attending a retrospective Honda Prelude event recently, I was offered the chance to drive another museum piece Honda had in its rotating display: a 2006 S2000. Naturally, on top of wanting to drive the well-maintained convertible, I wanted to put my nostalgia to the test and reacquaint myself with an icon that came out when I was in high school. I'd driven S2000's decades ago, and was curious to see whether this one stood the test of time.

The S2000's engine builds and delivers power in a way few modern vehicles do. Lots of turbocharged cars are available today, with enthusiast fare like the Toyota GR Corolla offering rowdy behavior that outpaces the naturally-aspirated engines from the early 2000s. The S2000's power however, is derived differently. 

It uses a naturally-aspirated 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 237 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. That's more power than smaller, turbocharged engines like the 1.5-liter four-cylinder in the Civic Si make today.

In its day, there were plenty of complaints about the S2000 making very little low-end torque, and it's not exactly powerful off the line like you'd expect from a modern turbocharged engine, but that's not what's entertaining about the Honda two-seater. High up in the S2000's rev range, where VTEC kicks in and the 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine makes its way towards a redline of 8,000 rpm (and a rev limiter set at 8,200 rpm), that's where the fun is.

If you're not used to the sort of high-revving fun provided by the S2000, you'll shift early and miss the peak of the experience. Patience with the gear lever is rewarded by the sound of the F22C1 engine switching cam lobes profiles at around 6,000 rpm (VTEC kicking in) and an extra thrust of power engages. From underneath the body and from the engine bay in front of you, there's a change in vibrations and sounds, shifting to a more high-pitched growl than in the low RPMs. Then, with a bit of a four-cylinder symphony and some accompanying exhaust noises bouncing off the mountain walls around you, you shift. Or at least that's how I had the most fun.

Travis Langness/SlashGear

The six-speed manual transmission in my test car was still smooth, even with over 32,000 miles on the odometer. Clutch action was light and the gear lever moved into position with ease, so shifting was a joy no matter what RPM I saved it for, though high RPMs were the best. Again and again, I'd brake for a corner, downshift with a right-foot-produced blip of the throttle (no auto rev-matching here), and bury the loud pedal towards the next chicane. The experience wasn't harsh or difficult, just fun and easy. Just like I remembered it from nearly two decades ago, the driving experience never got old.

The S2000's cabin has a proper cockpit feel. On start-up, you're greeted with digital gauges that look and feel as if they were trying to be particularly futuristic in their day, and succeeding. Naturally, the S2000 doesn't have a touchscreen so all the featurws are handled via buttons and knobs. The tactile interactions are excellent, with strong feedback regardless of the task: whether it's rotating through the various climate control settings or pushing up and down on the volume controls. The controls are all close at hand too. There's no need to abandon the task of driving just to switch the radio station.

Travis Langness/SlashGear

With just the right diameter and made with a hefty rim, the steering wheel feels fantastic in your hands. It's mounted low, so sliding into the driver's seat is a bit of a squeeze, but it pays dividends in outward visibility. Everything on the S2000's dashboard is low and out of sight which means you're spending maximum time looking through corners for the apex instead of futzing with mysteriously located controls. The S2000's seats, while a bit on the firm side, have excellent bolstering for hard canyon driving. I'll admit that the seats are a bit restrictive, and the cabin feels narrow by modern standards, but that's more of a result of my high-carb diet than anything else. Someone who eats a higher percentage of salads will probably fit just fine.

When they dropped it off at my front door, the Honda folks admitted that the sticky Bridgestone Potenza RE-71RS tires wrapped around the S2000's 17-inch wheels were probably a bit more performance-oriented than what came on the roadster when it was new. (It had Bridgestone RE 050's back in 06.) This meant a bit more noise on the highway for my test car and a slightly stiffer ride, but some significant extra grip. That wasn't wasted, though, and the tire upgrade is one I'd likely make if I were the owner.

Turn-in from the S2000 was exceptionally quick, with a feeling of direct connection between the steering wheel's action and the location of the front tires. The engine is up front and power is sent to the rear wheels, but the S2000's engine is mounted behind the front suspension components. The front-mid-engine placement makes for incredible balance, helping to carry the S2000 through corners without feeling like it's being pulled out of line by any extra heft. 

Changing direction was easy, too, darting through tight chicanes and managing the S2000's size inside its own lane was a simple and rewarding task. In its day, Honda claimed a 50/50 weight distribution for the svelte roadster, which tipped the scales at just 2,855 lbs. Light and well-balanced are a combination that will never get old. 

Without a USB or Bluetooth connection, there was no pairing my phone to the S2000 when I wanted some music on my drive. There was a CD player I desperately wanted to use, but it wasn't working during my test. Unfortunately, no matter how many attempts I made to pop in a Hootie and the Blowfish, Alanis Morisette, or Weezer CD, the S2000 wasn't having it (yes, I still maintain that physical media is going to make a comeback some day). As it turns out, an MP3-player upgrade might've been in order at some point over the last 20 years, even if old guys like me hate to make the switch. Whether it's working or not, the S2000's CD player interface can be hidden away by a small fold-up panel, classing up the interior a bit for photos.

Putting the top down (or putting it back up) was almost as easy as closing the door on the CD player, with just a few latches to buckle or unbuckle and a power-operating switch that worked without any flaws during my test. It was a bit noisy with the top up on the highway, but that's to be expected from a lightweight roadster with a relatively slim canvas top. All the more reason to put the top down, find another road with some twisties, and enjoy sunny southern California weather (with the occasional cloud-cover in the mountains of course).

Remember the mission of seeing whether or not the S2000 lived up to the nostalgic hype? Well, a lot of that comes down to how much it costs. Sure, it's got that screaming 8,200-rpm redline and tons of engagement, but how much would one set you back today? 

In 2006, the S2000's MSRP was $34,695 (including a $595 destination fee). Put that into any number of inflation calculators you can find online and it comes out to about $55,000 in today's money. That's a lot. It's more than a Civic Type R currently costs, and closer to something like an entry-level GR Supra. 

If Honda were able to somehow wipe our collective automotive memory and reintroduce the S2000 today, it would undoubtedly receive acclaim from anyone who got behind the wheel to test it. And if Honda could bring the price down ever-so-slightly from the inflation-adjusted number of $55k, it might even be a decent seller. But what we're really dealing with is the reality of used S2000 versus any number of performance cars you can currently buy new, and that's a much better proposition. 

Another performance Honda, the Civic Si, is a good reference point, with an MSRP of $32,190 and more practicality. Certainly, adjusted for inflation the BRZ and GR86 come in well below the S2000, but if you're looking on the used market, the S2000 might make more sense. Average prices for used S2000's are around $33,000, depending on year, mileage and condition. Take some of the ultra-low-mileage versions and rare S2000 CR models out of the mix, though, and prices drop to much more appealing levels. Dozens of S2000's with similarly low mileage to my test vehicle have sold on auction sites between $20,000 and $30,000, making me think that the price of nostalgia isn't quite too high just yet on these classic convertibles.

This is one of the best-driving cars of its era and the experience behind the wheel holds up, even by 2025 standards. There are a few appealing two-door options worth checking out these days with fancy touchscreens, dealership warranties, and modern creature comforts — I won't deny that they exist and are great to drive, too. With the S2000, however, you get a stronger pull on your heart strings and an experience that's hard to replicate on the new-car market. I'd happily make an S2000 my daily driver.