2006 Honda S2000 — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $22,000–$45,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.
Kestrel Take
A 9,000-rpm naturally aspirated roadster that's become a modern classic — and one of the most reliable performance cars ever, so long as the owner respected it. The engine has a strong durability record; the risks are abuse, crash history from its snap-oversteer reputation, and clutch/differential wear. Buy the clean one.
What we checked
Checked against public records, 2026-09-25
NHTSA holds 10 owner complaints for the 2006 Honda S2000, and 2 recall campaigns.
That is too small a record to read a pattern from, so we are not going to pretend otherwise — with numbers this low one owner moves the percentage by a lot. What has been filed is grouped under airbags (3), the body and structure (3), the fuel system (1). Treat those as things to look at, not as the vehicle's known weaknesses. A thin file usually means few of these were sold or few owners filed. It is not evidence the vehicle is trouble-free, and the issues below are our own research rather than a reading of this record.
2 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2006 Honda S2000
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
The early cars especially had snappy handling limits and many were crashed. Inspect for accident repair, frame damage, and mismatched panels.
Repair cost: Not a repair — an ownership-cost warning, not a mechanical fault
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (3).
Hard driving and clutch drops wear the clutch and can damage the differential and its mounts; verify condition.
Repair cost (estimate): $800-$2,500
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Many were tracked; verify maintenance and inspect for hard use, and that the high-revving engine had its valve service.
Repair cost: Not yet priced
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (1).
Aging soft tops tear and rear wheel arches rust; inspect both.
Repair cost (estimate): $500-$2,500
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (3).
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Accident or frame damage
- ✗A hard-tracked car with no maintenance records
- ✗Worn clutch and differential
- ✗Rust in the arches
Good Signs
- ✓Documented maintenance including valve service
- ✓Healthy clutch and differential
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Found a specific Honda S2000?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2006 Honda S2000 in general. A free read looks at the one you're considering— it checks that seller's asking price against the market and names the issues that matter most for this exact year.
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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