attila2007

So the other day I decided to spend half a day driving between different dealerships around LA to feel back to back some of the more interesting (to me) roadster below 25K

My first car in the US was a 2002 toyota MR2 spyder which i loved dearly, and with which I didn't have a single issue in 3 years.
Then I briefly tried a Jaguar XJR, and then got my beloved 2007 S2000.
Ended up moving out of the city and to NY and didn't need a car there.
Moved back here and got at first a 2015 mini cooper s, which I found very boring. Sluggish, muted, somewhat stiff not in a good way and just too plain.
In fact later on I tried a 2015 GTI with the manual and the perf package and it was way more solid and connected than the cooper s to me. Cooper was manual as well.

Anyway, I just sold the cooper S, and I'm going around looking for a fun connected small roadster and so I decided to try back to back a 2007 boxter s (manual), a 2003 toyota MR2 spyder (with the clutch-less manual), a 2007 S2000 and a 2006 miata sport.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but here are my impressions(which of course are mostly subjective):

MR2
-higher seating position than I remembered, somewhat awkward to me.
-very very little power. much less than I remembered.
-best wheel feeling of the lot. Completely connected, precise, pleasant, my ideal steering. The opposite of the electric cooper S one.
-the top is terrible. I remember even
-i know visibility with the top down is obviously good in all of these, but this was the best.
-feels inside twice as big as the miata, even if it's the same size outside.
-better seat than the miata, way worse than the S2000.
-softer less exciting engine note than I remembered as well.
It's a happy car, with no real pickup, but super connected and real. I still love it, even if by now feels very old.

MIATA
-steering wheel is the hardest to maneuver. To my taste it's actually annoying.
-hardest clutch as well.
-unbearably cramped for me, and I'm 5-10.
-most uncomfortable seat of the lot. harder and less welcome-y of the lot.
-shifter is so short and the throws are so short that in that case too, I found it somewhat claustrophobic if it makes any sense.
I wasn't expecting this, but i found it somewhat angrier and less actually fun because of that than the MR2.

BOXTER S
-the steering wheel is somewhat in the middle between the miata and the MR2. Not as hard as the miata, not as direct and alive as the MR2.
-Amazing seating position. Just perfect. Seat, wheel, gear shifter, all just where I'd want it.
-Nice engine note. More expensive, growlier.
-everybody says that, and yes, the shifter feels more at first like an old car from the 80's than a sports car.
But the gears are actually very precise, just somewhat sloppy feeling compared to the japanese ones.
-It felt substantially heavier and less stiff and solid than the S2000. Very noticeably so.
It had definitely the best pickup, but not nearly as much as I had hoped for. Still the modern 2015 cooper S felt substantially more responsive in terms of speed than a 9 year old boxter S.
-on a side note the doors felt pretty cheap. None of the german satisfying thump I was expecting.
All in all it's a sexy car, at least form the front, it's the most comfortable by far, and it feels posh, but somewhat not responsive and a bit detached, compared by the MR2 or the S2000.

S2000
-perfect. Perfect seat.
-Best engine note, and not just at 8000 RPMs.
-shifter is great. the best of the lot.
-still not a lot of power by today standards. Still the cooper S would have way more torque.
-solid construction feel.
-super rigid chassis, flat handling, but not harsh. I could feel more the bumps in a way in the cooper s. or in the miata.
-the steering is better than the porsche, but to me still not as "simply real" as the MR2.
All in all the S2000 was very easily the best car.
Better handling, better seat, better feeling, better build, probably more reliable too, or just as much as any of the other, and certainly cheaper to maintain than the porsche.
And even looking wise, it somehow hasn't aged.
I don't think it's the sexiest thing on the planet, but it's ageless. It's just unapologetically what it is.
It's got just enough power, the perfect handling and just enough interior.
I could do without the microwave digital dashboard, and the stereo as I remember it was the worse I had ever had.
Both the miata and the MR2 stereo blow it out of the water. Haven't tried the boxter, but I assume it's pretty cool.

Of course the big question still for me is "how will the Miata ND drive?".
At about a month from the first leasable ones in US, it would be a pity to buy anything without comparing it first to the new Miata.
I'm just so scared about the electric steering wheel, and the electric everything.
I'm happy about the weight, and not bothered too much by the power or torque. But the steering...

I think a 2008 red S2000 might just be what I need in the end. But I'll wait to try this one last option.

Has anyone tried a Z3 M roadster back to back with an S2000? I imagine it'll feel heavy and angry, but I'd be curious.
I'm not talking about the Elise, because it's really more like 35K and I don't want to go there at the moment.

Same story with the JCW convertible, should it come out.
Maybe the JCW roadster? anyone tried it here?

All right, that's what I got for this week. I hope it can be interesting to someone!

cheers!

Adrenalize

Good reviews, brief and to the point. As for the Boxster (and Cayman) Porsche really stepped up their game with the newest generation but it is a lot of $$

mosesbotbol

How about a Jaguar XK or XJR? I see you previously owned an XJR

Adrenalize

"Briefly tried"

Plus OP is looking for a connected small roadster, the XK might fit the bill but it's still a little big.

mosesbotbol

Yeah. XK is the largest of the GT cars on the market. At his price point, 2007-09 with 4.2 engine is in his range. 410 HP, double wishbone front-rear suspension... Not at all a roadster.

Off of his list, I like the Boxster S the most.

jeffbrig

If the 9 year old Boxster S is a 2006, it's a 986 model, which is actually TWO generations ago.

CosmosMpower

If you look at a NC Miata try and get an 09+ with the revised bodywork, forged internals etc. You can get one for well under 20k.

cdelena

Nice summary of your experience; thanks.

Although I have not spent time recently to do back to back drives I am a great believer that it is THE way to make a car decision. I have driven all the cars mentioned and a few more and briefly flirted with a Boxster buy but in the end have made minor changes to keep my S2000 for almost 16 years.

Saki GT

The S2000 has electric steering fyi..

WolfpackS2k

I really can't fathom how you'd rank the S2000's engine as sounding better than the Boxster's. It comes down to personal preference, but I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this opinion.

And the S2000's steering may be faster than the Boxster's, but no way does it have better feel.