Hi guys, this is my first post here. I've been lurkin for awhile now and it seems that this community provides awesome feedback/advice and I am asking a small favor to send a little bit of that knowledge my way so I can eventually be a Honda s2000 owner.

The s2000 is my dream car. However it has been brought to my attention that it may not be the best first car to have. As of now I am looking for a good first car to help me learn how to drive stick/ a rwd car (basically a training car before the s2000). I am 18 with no experience driving manual. I will work my butt off for the s2000 and want to take the steps to not screw up when I get one! preferably under $15,000.
I will gladly consider all options! Thank you!

Thanks for reading!

edit- Also probably should have mentioned this, parents "forbid" me from the s2000 as my first car, however they keep asking information about it? mixed signals
Any help convincing would be much appreciated as well, thank you for all the replies!!

 

I'd say a Miata is a good starter car - similar handling and functionality while being easier to learn on. You may, however, lose out on picking up girls in the prime of your life if you pull up in one.

 

That's funny, I was going to add in my post, "even if that means driving a miata..."
Thanks for the input man I really appreciate it!

 

+1 for the Miata.

 

IMHO-

Once you get some hours driving a stick on any vehicle and get comfortable with the operation, you can easily adapt to a different car.

S2000 is not a difficult manual to drive once you know stick.

That being said, the learning process can be a little abusive on the clutch and synchros.

A compact anything with a stick can teach you, a small engine will also teach you to shift to stay in the powerband.

An MT is also a very effective theft prevention device since many of the idiots who steal them can't drive a stick without lurching and stalling during the getaway ( if they get that far).

(48 yrs of driving a stick,and my kids both drive'em)

 

I will never completely understand why the S2000 is considered a poor choice for a first time driver. My personal opinion is that the community(s) want to fantasize about the S2000 being so hard core and race oriented that only highly skilled drivers are able to operate it therefore they are highly skilled and feel "exclusive." Haha, sorry for the rant. Why not just go straight for the S2K? The car itself is simply a joy to drive for anybody that knows basic functional operation of a manual vehicle or remotely is competent at driving period. It is not going to magically "snap oversteer." I personally would not recommend one as a daily, I think the car is more of a luxury toy (totally my opinion). If you're like me you will worry and obsess about the dings and dents that WILL happen with time. That being said, the s2000 is a fantastic car that ANYONE can learn to drive and have fun in. Be a safe and responsible driver and check dat oil weekly. I'm sure you will enjoy the car. Welcome to the community.

 

Thank you for the reply! The main problem will be the high insurance rates, teen guy driver haha. Thanks!

 

Miata!

It’s not super hardcore and dangerous, it’s just being 18 with your first car that’s dangerous. lol
Unless you’re super responsible... I wrecked my first civic when I was 18 for being dumb. Nothing major but in an s2000 you can get yourself into more trouble.

 

Yep... A Miata is what you want. You can get the things for dirt cheap, and resell them and not lose money either.

 

Try and find any cheap RWD manual car. I wouldn't go with fwd, because you need to learn (somewhere safe) what "fishtail" and "spinout" really means

So a Miata is a good choice, you'll just have to suck it up and keep the goal of the s2000 in your mind. But there are lots of other manual/rwd cars to be found cheaply. Make sure the clutch is strong, because you don't want to learn on a clutch that is slipping.

I don't recommend the s2000 as your very first car due to the abuse of learning a manual will put on the clutch/flywheel/synchros/etc.

I tried to teach my sister how to drive stick on my old s2000, and by the end of the session the clutch was reeking, poor thing.