Brace Yourselves! Another JDM Sports Car Is About To Get Hit Hard By Appreciation

Honda S2000 is the latest among the popular JDM sports cars to become eligible for import under the 25-year rule. This is a bit of a paradox since the S2000 is not exactly a rare car, at least compared to some of the other JDM classics. Between 1999 and 2009, over 113,000 Honda S2000 were made.

Of those, 66,860 were meant for the US market, so that's more than half. That said, most owners seem to be keeping their S2000 while others are already charging a hefty sum of money, especially for highly original examples. Well, guess what? Things are about to get even worse. 

The Honda S2000 paradox 

As we already pointed out, the Honda S2000 is not exactly a rare vehicle, at least when compared to the Honda NSX or Nissan Skyline GT-R. That said, Japanese enthusiasts have taken note of the JDM car demand in North America, which let's face it, was bound to happen.  

Looking at Classic.com, we see the average price for the AP1 Honda S2000, currently, sits at $28,138 while the AP2 Honda S2000's average used price is $36,486. The most expensive Honda S2000 is the CR variant, which is a more track-focused version, produced in just 699 units. The average price for one of these is $66,280, with the latest recorded sale (at the time of writing this article) being $64,000. 

The Honda S2000 also appreciates in its home market 

Given the popularity of JDM cars in the US, it was bound to happen. According to Japanese publication, Best Car Web, the current used prices for the Honda S2000 sit at 4.06 million yen ($25,134 in 2024 money), which is more than the S2000's original MSRP of 3.38 - 3.99 million yen. The "high-end" of the Honda S2000 used-car market in Japan sees prices of 7.0 to 9.6 million yen. That's for highly original, low-mileage, or limited-edition examples. 

Then, there are the taxes if you decide to import a JDM Honda S2000 to the US. Naturally, this begs the question, why would you import a car that was originally sold in the US? Well, good luck finding a well-kept or highly-original S2000 for a fair price, in the US. The cheap ones are either molested or modified while the rest are priced out of most people's financial power.  

What Honda should have done 

I am sure many remember the Evasive Motorsport Honda S2000 Type-R resto-mod. This perfectly showcased what Honda should have done. For some reason, the Japanese carmaker is still on the fence, but I think now is the perfect time to revive the icon with a modern, turbocharged engine like the Honda Civic Type-R's K20, which also happens to be a popular platform for high-horsepower builds. 

There is hope yet 

Last year, Honda brought back another iconic name, following other Japanese carmakers. At the 2023 LA Auto Show, Honda introduced the hybrid-electric Prelude Concept as a two-door coupe. While this would make a perfect competitor to the upcoming Toyota Celica (if given a proper powertrain), it also has me puzzled, will a future Honda S2000 be a hybrid? We know the Mazda MX-5's future involves a mild-hybrid setup and while Honda is behind on the electrification front, it might partner up with another manufacturer that isn't, similar to how Toyota does with its modern-day sports cars.  

Due to emissions, you have to forget the high-revving engine. All we want is the Civic Type-R engine in a compact, FR sports car. There are occasional "whispers” on the internet, regarding the return of the Honda S2000, but for now, Honda is keeping a tight lip. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. 

About the author

Dimitar Angelov's automotive interests made him an expert in a wide variety of vehicles. Japanese brands like Toyota are closest to his heart, although performance cars in general are his favorite segment, which is why he is constantly on the lookout for the best deals on the market. Dimitar Angelov's car passion and knack for the written word led him to complete a Master of Arts in Media and Communications, and classic car restoration. Dim is happy to get behind the wheel of any car and share his impressions. You can follow Dimitar on X, Linked-in, Instagram, and Facebook.

Image source: Honda S2000