Having driven the S2000 for over six years and used a Acura RSX Type-S regularly I can say without a doubt the Acura is a better choice as an only car. Although the S2000 is great fun it is just not practical in many situations where the RSX can do a great job.

 

Jonathan,

You will love the car and its a great beater. What is highness's opinion of the S?

 

No reason you can't live with it as an only car in your present situation. After I bought mine, my older car had some issues and I decided to let it rest for a while. I ended up driving the S2000 as my daily driver/beater/autoxer from June through March including the worst NYC winter of the last 7 years. Put 14k miles on it and ran the rear S02s to the cord (just plane stupid as I had many a cold-sweat inducing drive in the snow). The S came through fine.

For a 120 mile trip it's decent. I now frequently drive up to NYC (240 miles) in the morning and back in the afternoon. Admittedly I prefer to do it in the other car, but it's not bad in the S2000 (the other car is just better at this sort of thing).

 

I'm just guessing, but it may depend upon how old you are. First thing I did, almost literally, when I got my first job out of law school was pick up an '02 S2000 (I went straight from a meeting with the partners where I was offered the position to the Honda dealership, checkbook in hand). I drove that car 30,000 miles in one year of ownership and loved almost every minute of it. I must have gone down to my apartment building's garage at least a half-dozen times just to look at it the first night I had it. My commute was about an hour or so through DC traffic, and we took several 4 hour + trips in it. It was our only car during that time, so we eventually decided to get rid of it due to its obvious limitations. We got an '03 EX V6 Accord instead. That car was a much more comfortable d/d, but I couldn't have cared less about it. I beat the crap out of that car...I think I washed it myself once in 2.5 years of ownership. I even had a mild run-in with a 4-Runner during one morning commute and never bothered to fix it when her insurance co. denied my claim. My point is that I really missed having a car that appealed to me as an enthusiast. I'm now looking for another car and test drove an '05 S several weeks ago. I think you could make the argument that (perhaps apart from the Elise), no car is more fun than the S. I had a blast running the S down a back road hitting redline in every gear (though I missed the 9K). But, on the trip back to the dealership, we got stuck in Tarheel football game traffic, and I suddenly got annoyed sitting in traffic in the cramped S and realized that I couldn't do it again as a d/d (I'm 6'2" 190lbs). Maybe that time has just passed for me, but I find the car too noisy and cramped to be a d/d. Maybe I got too old too fast.

That being said, I'm not sure I'd go for the TSX or RX-8. I, personally, couldn't deal with the RX-8's fuel economy. I wouldn't pay for 400-500 h.p. and only get 238 h.p. From what I understand, the RX-8's fuel economy is that bad. I just wrote another rambling post in response to someone's question re. a TSX or STi discussing some of my other preferences. But, have you thought about a used C5? Although a 2-seater, they are a MUCH more comfortable d/d, IMO. If you look around, you can get a real garage queen for around $25K. I'm thinking about a Z06.

 

Thanks again everyone. I went to the local Honda dealer and drove a 2002 S2000, silver w/ black interior. What a fun car? I only hit vtec once, but it was amazing. I talked with the sales woman for about 10 minutes afterwards with the usual pressure of "purchase it right now." I denied her and left looking back at the beauty that is the S2000. After thinking for 5 minutes down the road to the Mazda dealership, I decided the overall utility (or lack of) would be fine day to day, but the once in a while event requiring a rear seat or more trunk space would leave me with a severe handicap, one I cannot afford to have. At the Mazda dealership, I drove a 2004 G35 coupe..nice power, uncomfortable seats (IMO), and for the price unspectacular build quality. The salesman suggested trying the RX-8, which needed to be jumped off, and all I can say is it was OK. Not worth the crappy gas mileage as others have stated. My final test drive of the evening was in a 2006 Acura TL 6spd with Navi. I like this the best. Luxury is there, performance is there, handling is there (not like S2000 of course), and utility/comfort is there. I think I will strongly consider this car in about 6 months. The car that still stands out the most is the S2000 and I am hopefully one day I will have one.

Side note: I could always by a beater truck for utility and then a nice S2000...thoughts??

Thanks again guys for your comments.

Jonathan

 

I have a great way to answer this. In the bottom of the truck is this molded foam tray that holds the jack and stuff, many of us have thrown that thing away, and just wrapped those tools up and placed them inside the compartment where the spare tire is. If you do remove this silly tray, you can place right into the truck an 18-gallon rubbermade tote, and close the trunk lid. This of course does not fill the width because the tote does not go sideway across the car, but the trunk swallows up that 18-gallon tote no problem.

 

I got my first truck when I bought my '90 CRX-Si because I refused to drive that in the winter. I picked up a used Nissan Hardbody 4x4 with 80,000 miles, years later when I bought a newer truck the Nissan had 188,000 miles on it. Basically that started something good for me, as I have always had both a truck and a sportscar, the perfect blend of power and hauling ability...

 

Nice Triple-H. I think that would be the most practical way for me to go. Get an S2000 and beater truck for around $26k or wait for a used TL. Too totally different scenarios I am facing.

 

Thought I'd chime in

S2000 is great as a only car if you can give up these things:
Don't drive in horribe weather, don't need a lot of seating space, don't need a lot of cargo space. You should be fine for weather. Having only 2 seats means you are never designated driver . The S2000 trunk is fine for small luggage...I usually borrow a friends car if I need to move something big (which is rare anyway).

I went from a RSX-S to a S2K and the S2K is a far better car...a lot more fun to drive. At the time (I thought) I needed the space...turns out I don't...and what I really needed was a convertible

I've driven my friends RX8 - The RX8 is what the S2000 would be like if it sacrificed performance for practicality. A little bit softer, a bit heavier, a bit quieter, back seats and a trunk, solid roof...but still a sports car that revs to 9K.

Having driven from Chicago to Atlanta (and back), I can say that the S is okay for road trips by yourself. Get's a little loud but with the stereo on it's fine. Highways are pretty smooth anyway, so the stiff suspension isn't really an issue.

If I lived in Atlanta again, I wouldn't think twice about having 2 cars - just the S.

To hell with Georgia

 

TL is a good car too, and the best out of all those if you're looking for comfort and utility. But S2000 for the fun! Your life, your choice!