Bullwings

This really is a poor man's SLowtus Elise. The fact that they raised the rev limitter to get more HP is awesome to me (high-ish revving engine - though still not an F22c).

The main problem with the s2k for me these days is long term maintenance and replacement parts. I'm talking LONG - like another 15 years from now (i.e. out of production for 25 years, and overall chassis/component age of 35+ years). Since the S2K is was fairly limited in production numbers ~120k units world wide and had little modularization with other Honda models, parts availability will be an issue down the line (currently is for long & short blocks of the f22c). The s2k will probably be a pain to maintain like Triumph a TR-6 and will likely become less economical as a track car.

The beauty of the NA and NB mx-5 is that they had production numbers behind them so long term running as a track car isn't a problem. Spec E30 is pretty popular and long running and fairly easy to keep your car running long term with over 2.2 million units produced - in addition to modularization with other BMW series (the M20b25 was also used in the 5-series and other chassis - the getrag 260 is also common across numerous chassis). The NA / NB / NC / and ND are much easier to keep running as a long term track car. Normal E30 / E36 / and E46 (non- M units) are also easy to keep running as track vehicles - plenty of replacement parts availability - though though they still come with overall BM-trouble-U intervals of shorter mean-time-between failure.

I'm looking for a cheap replacement s2k with low maintenance and long term parts availability. I plan to grenade my motor, trans, and diff at some point in the life my s2k.

s2000Junky

Ridiculous notion.

2800lb is more stable at speed, plenty light as is. No complaints with the weight of the s2k compared to other high level performing sports cars. In other words its not a good reason to give up everything else the s2k offers the Miata doesn't. Calling yourself a sports car enthusiast because you have a miata is like calling yourself a BMX fan because you own a Huffy. But im not usually one to get into big car debates on what people personally like, its their choice. But I find the comparison between the Miata/S2k a particularly confusing one.

s2000Junky

Believe me, there will be no parts shortages for an S2k, at least anything that would keep it off the road. Its not really a good reason to give up the platform. Besides sports cars are a thing of passion, not practicality. If thinking 15 years down the road for the possible future of parts gets you out of owning a S2k today, then your heart inst in the right place to own one to begin with. The car obviously doesn't have the same impact on you if you see a new Miata as a viable replacement for that reason. Part of the other charm of the S2k is that it is more limited. There will always be a new Miata they crank out and dispose of to the crusher when it gets tired. It has no soul. Now if the sole purpose is have a track car to beat on for as cheap as possible and dont give a F if it gets stuffed into a wall, then im with you, miata is hard to beat, however your looking at using a 3-5k 15-30 year old one, not a 25-30k new one, which is what this thread is about. So which is it? You can also spend 7-10k on a excellent shape salvage title s2k and beat on that, making a track weapon out of it, which I would find to be much more exciting and rewarding to drive.

Saki GT

I think it's great that Mazda upped the power of the Miata to a more appropriate level (imo), but an S2000 is still a better package - light enough, powerful enough, great ergonomics, and the slightly larger packaging makes it more livable, but I DD my S.

The FRS/BRZ twins should have done this years ago, and one issue cars like Miatas and Boxsters alike have is that the S2000 can still be found relatively easily. With the new Nissan Z rumored to be coming back at ~400hp, the BMW Z4 looking like a GT, (which means the Supra is probably similar, but it's always been a GT), the gap the S2000 filled continues to exist, book-ended by the MX-5 and the base Boxster.

300 hp in 3,000lbs seems to be a hard target to hit, but the Miata is in a good place for what it offers. For me they've always just been "not enough", and that goes back to the first one I seriously considered - a grey 04 Mazdaspeed that was a hoot to drive but just lacked the impact the S2000 has. That Miata had similar hp and weight to this one 15 years later.

roel03

Have you even driven the new one? Just because someone is open minded to other cars, it doesn't discount them from liking the S2000 any less. There are just different aspects to consider. Yes the S2000 will hold it's value much better, but it's hard to justify spending the price of a new Miata on a 10+ year old car, for me at least. This is also coming from people that obviously like the S2000 better than the Miata, hence why we are on this forum. But fact of the matter is it doesn't exist new anymore. The motorsets we have is all we're going to get. My S2000 is now a track only car, if the motor blows the F20/F22 is gone and I'm going K swap. Mainly because of costs.

In STR the Miata and S2000 have been pretty much neck and neck already. I think with the update the Miata will probably own that class. That doesn't mean the S2000 is in a league of it's own and can't be compared against.

I can appreciate your love for the car. Trust me, I love it just as much. I have owned mine for 7 years, 90k miles, countless autox and track days. Hell, I was in the market for another one a few weeks ago, but there are other options out there at this point and this new Miata will be a damn good one.

sam_spider

Completely agree. I'm very glad I didn't pull the trigger on the 05 Mazdaspeed and went with the S instead. The S is much more performance driven and more engaging. I've had a Miata (93) and enjoyed it thoroughly, but the S is a better car in every aspect.

CMK

I think there's some misunderstanding going on here - it's not that the Miata is BETTER than the S2000. This isn't some zero-sum "winner take all" melee, it's appreciation for a niche that Mazda, to its great credit, happily continues to support, while others have abandoned it.

sam_spider

No, I get it, and I'm thankful that's there still one car maker out there that gives a damn about enthusiasts. In its current form though, it's not something I'd consider replacing my S2000 with, I think that's the sentiment of others as well.

ssbfgc

The S2000 and owners/prospective owners are in a unique spot. Where it becomes problematic (well, not really a problem, but more of a consideration) is that the S was in a league of its own. Now the Miata is really sneaking up - arguably matching the performance of the S. Really clean examples of the S are well in the 20's, and even some of those aren't in the best shape. You can get a new ND or a VERY lightly used one for the same price. The ND offers a similar experience to the S, and has just gotten better. At this point it's a value proposition, which I even went through myself. I test drove the ND, but it wasn't quite for me. I refused to spend 20 something on an S. Fortunately I found a good example for quite a bit under 20k. The question is do you want to spend $25k for a 10-19 year old car, or the same amount for a brand new (or lightly used) ND which provides a similar experience?

Really Mazda is the only manufacturer supporting the lightweight, 2 seater, RWD roadster. I personally think it's a great looking car. There is a lot to like about it. My hang-up was the engine since it didn't have much up top for me. I'd be curious to see how the changes feel. Maybe there will be a Speed version in the near future; I would immediately sell my S.

sam_spider

I don't care for the current gen's styling, pretty sure I said that previously. I'm not overly concerned with a couple tenths difference in performance, but I do care about the looks.