All I can say is
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
this guy has no clue... but quite amusing for a Friday
morning chuckle!
Annie Gill
Y2K S2K (wish is wasn't raining so I could drive
around in my "crappy" car that has no power with the
top down)
--- "Bradley H. Lamont" <lamont@mailhost.org> wrote:
> From the Chicago Tribune
>
http://chicagotribune.com/marketplaces/cars/mateja/0,2503,9911110065,00.html
>
> >S2000 PROMISES MORE THAN IT DELIVERS
> >
> >Jim Mateja
> >Auto writer
> >November 11, 1999
> >
> >The Honda S2000 bandwagon has passed.
> >
> >We opted not to hop on.
> >
> >Honda has teased the public with a
> high-performance, open-top, two-seat
> >roadster concept for a couple of years, hinting it
> would be sold through
> >Honda or its luxury Acura division.
> >
> >The market has a number of roadsters competing for
> consumer attention from
> >BMW, Porsche, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz, along with a
> targa-top Chevrolet
> >Corvette.
> >
> >In the auto industry, if you are last out with a
> new entry, you are
> >forgiven, providing you are the best--or close to
> it.
> >
> >Not the Honda S2000.
> >
> >Small and cute to be sure.
> >
> >But no pain, no gain? No way.
> >
> >The motorist who once accepted getting bumped and
> bruised for the pleasure
> >of being seen in a performance machine still
> demands spirited acceleration
> >and road-hugging handling, but in a vehicle that
> doesn't slap you silly
> >while doing so.
> >
> >Easy to see why this car carries a Honda nameplate.
> Too crude to be an Acura.
> >
> >Honda boasts that the little 2-liter, 4-cylinder
> engine that propels the
> >S2000 boasts an incredible 240 horsepower. But in
> the time we spent behind
> >the wheel, we kept asking, "Where's the beef?"
> >
> >When a 2-seater claims to have so much muscle,
> you'd expect, when taking
> >off from a standing start, that the torque would
> slam you back into the
> >leather seat with such force you'd have to pick
> cowhide out of your flesh.
> >
> >Not the S2000.
> >
> >There were other disappointments as well, such as a
> 6-speed manual (no
> >automatic) with such a short throw that when speed
> shifting from first to
> >second the lever stopped abruptly but our arm kept
> moving backward.
> >
> >On the road, the suspension is more than a little
> stiff. Firm is fine when
> >shocks and springs are adjusted properly to help
> keep the vehicle glued to
> >the road in corners and turns, but the S2000 has
> too much spring, too much
> >bounce in the straightaways.
> >
> >Lateral movement is good when changing lanes or
> traveling into or out of
> >twists in the road, thanks to the 16-inch
> performance radial tires, but
> >when the pavement is straight, expect to be
> jostled.
> >
> >There is one cute feature: Inspired by high-tech
> racing machines, the
> >S2000 features push-button start. Slip the key in
> the slot, turn to on,
> >then push the button and the engine rolls over.
> >
> >And we can't fault the power top. Unfasten the
> latches along the header,
> >push the button and the top motors down--and back
> up. Open-air cruising,
> >the best kind there is. With the top down,
> functional rollbars behind each
> >seat come into view.
> >
> >Actually, the power top helps solve one of the
> S2000's other problems:
> >limited room to slip your head easily into the
> cabin and limited vision
> >because the top wraps well along the sides to
> obstruct your view. Backing
> >out of a parking space is an adventure.
> >
> >Another problem is that the S2000 is in high demand
> yet low supply. There
> >have been reports of some dealers adding a second
> sticker to the window to
> >increase profits.
> >
> >The S2000 starts at $32,000. Our test car came with
> one option:
> >dealer-installed floormats for $62.
> >
> >A reader reported spotting an S2000 in a showroom
> with only one
> >dealer-installed option as well, floormats, but the
> dealer was demanding
> >$7,000 for them. Must have had S2000 embossed on
> those mats, in gold,
> >don't you think?
> >
> >Standard equipment includes four-wheel antilock
> brakes, remote keyless
> >entry, AM/FM/CD stereo, air conditioning with
> micron cabin filter, cruise
> >control, power windows and locks, 12-volt accessory
> socket, body-colored
> >mirrors, dual exhaust and Xenon high-intensity
> discharge headlamps.
> >
> >Only 6,000 S2000s will be shipped to Honda's 1,000
> dealers here for the
> >2000 model year. The allotment will be based on
> dealer sales volume. The
> >higher the monthly sales, the better the chance of
> getting more S2000s.
> >
> >Rather than pay $39,000 by being charged $7,000
> over sticker for an S2000,
> >we'd take the $39,000 and grab a targa top 'Vette
> with superior ride,
> >handling, performance and power, not to mention
> room and comfort.
> >
> >If you have to pick cowhide from your hide, might
> as well do it in style.
>
>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Bradley Lamont
> email: lamont@mailhost.org
>
>
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