The s2000 isn't a drifter, it wasn't engineered to be that as it has snap oversteerand minimal control at the limit, more power would make this worse. And steering feel isn't one of its strong points either.

 

Oh I wasn't saying it is, just no RWD in general makes it not a possibility. You can have a bit more fun in it if you wish, can get the ass out but short wheelbase and geometry as you say makes it a poor choice. IIRC someone made a 1khp K24 S2K for competition at the highest levels of whatever it is for drifting and it was retired after half a season, probably for reasons you mentioned. Feel could be better, but for what it is - a 17 year old EPS design, it's not bad at all and better than many which preceded it. Most 'motoring journalists' hated on EPS for years and don't realize it even has EPS, let alone the same unit as the fabled NSX.

That said, for an AWD car my pick probably would be a GTR too. Evobarus, audis and the rest don't exactly reek of reliability when you turn the wick up.

 

Love the LS swap in my S. Doesn't change it anymore than a turbo would and you're getting reliable power in a linear fashion without having to worry about boost lag/spike/yada yada. Don't even feel the extra 100lbs and the torque is just lovely.

 

I drove a students around the track and my take was that it has more power than you will ever need. Enough that the car demands respect or you could easily end up over your head. The car is heavy and you can feel it. The power and weight combined with very "video game" steering make it a very intimidating car to drive close to the limit. The closer to the limit you drive the car however the more alive it becomes and the better it drives, so you can see the dilemma. This was the struggle my student was having and I am not sure I had the fortitude to encourage him to drive it proper with me in the passenger seat . Unfortunately we discovered at some point during my session his front tires had corded so I didn't get a chance to work with him more.

All that said the shit tires could have played into my impression.

 

I just drove a '14 this weekend. Had exhaust and some other mods. I was surprised by the car. I thought it had character and personality. Powering out of tight 2nd gear corners you could feel the ass end move around under power and grip and shoot you out of the corner. I was really surprised by this because I did not expect to feel the car moving around while cornering. It really felt alive and fun. Hitting some twisties I was getting enough feedback from the front end and felt like I could feel the grip and start leaning on the car.

Car had big power obviously, and I had fun blasting away from stop signs. I think it would be a fun car to own for a few years, but I don't think I could give up my S2k for one.

My conclusion is, the car was not numb and boring like most reviews suggest. Take that with a grain of salt as I only drove it for 20min.

 

I personally could not get into a GTR because of the styling and the having never driven one, what I read about the sterile experience. If I wanted big power, and a more visceral experience, I'd be looking at used 911's.

Now I realize people will jump on me because I have not driven one, but when everybody raves about the experience driving a 911 and most of the automotive press complains the GTR is sterile, well then I can believe it or think they are all just biased liars with an agenda.

Drive both and see what you think. Actually, drive a bunch of different cars and see what you think. The only times I have been really disappointed with a purchase is when I zeroed in on a car and did not drive the competition. When you are talking about cars in that price point, being unhappy with your purchase is a big deal.

 

I'd love to try a GT-R, but feel like it's not a car I could own for a long period. I like light weight, N/A, RWD, and manual with nice styling (I actually don't mind the GT-R, but don't find it that great looking). The GT-R is just too far away from all the things I hold dear. But would love to blast around in one for a day!
Disagree here. While the hardware may not be impressive (small discs, not even vented in rear, single-piston), they hold up fine with good pads and fluid. I drove mine hard at Laguna (infamous for being tough on brakes) and at Thunderhill on a 100-degree day and they were fine. Got 5 trackdays out of a set of track pads which isn't terrible. Pair of front rotors is $100 with Amazon Prime shipping lol. I'll take it.

 

The GT-R is probably the most competent daily driver you can buy, without paying for a 911 Turbo or Acura NSX V2. It is stupidly quick, genuinely fast, grips like very few cars can and is forgiving during sane driving. Honestly, for a fast, competent car, it's tough to beat. They say you get used to the speed but I have a hard time believing it - it's like nothing else I've ever been in in recent history.

That said, big, heavy, ugly - not exactly an endearing set of traits for most people. But as a street car, there are very few machines out there that will match it as an all-around performer and most of them will require a much better driver to extract enough performance to make it a real match (unless you're racing from a roll on a straight road).

 

Not to side track but I don't need to change out pads or fluid on my brembos. The pad and fluid combo Honda put in the S couldn't handle a few laps for me. That's what I was referring too. I tracked and autoX my S a ton and got to the point where changing to a track setup became a pita. So I just left then on.

 

so looks aside, the recent NSX is large and heavy too. They are within inches of each other. I always find it interesting when people knock the GTR for it's weight. It seems to me it was just a little ahead of the curve here.

there is also a usable trunk. I agree with you, the GTR is the everyday super car. At 60k in the used market it starts to get very compelling.