I have posted this in here as even though it's S2000 related it's a fairly open topic.

I'll do my best to explain the scenario...

I appear to have reached what I have now named the "S2000 crossroads" where I have spent a certain amount of money on the car and now i'm trying to work out whether it makes more sense to spend more money on the car or sell up and buy something else maybe more suitable.

The problem i've got is (without going into major detail) that i've gone around the car upgrading things as i've gone along and the car is pretty good now but I want to make it a bit more track orientated, a sort of half road car, half track car.

The next line of modifications would involve, forged wheels, big brakes, aero parts and possibly a supercharger of some sort.

With that in mind I ended up on pistonheads to see whats available, big mistake.

Here's my short list then...

1. Keep S2000 and turn into supercharged half track / half road car.

2. Lotus Exige S with some coilovers and a remap.

3. BMW Z4M Coupe/Convertible add some coilovers and brakes.

4. BMW CSL with added coilover and brake goodies.

5. Porsche Cayman S with similar to above plus a few power modifications.

And heres my sort of logic on each option...

1. Would be awesome but perhaps a big waste of money and not actually that good?

2. More track orientated than the rest but I appreciate them and so I would consider one.

3. Appear to be complete bargains, but maybe not the best on track?

4. Seems to tick a lot of the boxes in my head but concerned over the reliability and potential costs if it breaks? gearbox scares me.

5. A mini GT3? good on the road and the track plus reliable?

The only real rules are I don't want to spend much more than 25-30k (not including mods) as it's just going to get hammered on b roads/tracks, i'm not overly fussed about road manners or practicality, it will be my daily driver and i'm not interested in big turbo barges or track day specials.

Not sure if I've missed anything out, let the discussion commence.

Thanks
Rick

P.S. I've got 2 months to sort it, spa and ring is booked.

 

4 would be my choice. Its rarity bolstering its resale value.

 

I'd go for option 6. - keep the S and go racing with the budget instead.

 

4. since hearing one flat our at castle coombe, the induction noise alone has got to be worth the top end of your budget!

agree with depreciation concerns too...that will offer the best resistance to any of the above.

Exige would be second choice.

 

I agree with Ron.

Alternatively it's the Exige S, but the Supercharged S is the cheapest option as you can always out the parts quite easily here. The car is hooligan fun, yet you can maintain practicality. In either case, in fact.

Z4Ms are cheap for a reason; the only worthwhile part is a tad expensive if you break it.

Caymans are expensive for a reason. But there are those who hate their non-linear steering racks and find them too boring to be a track car.

 

I can relate to this

You won't get a better and more exciting track car for the money than an Exige S. After adding Ohlins and Gotham ECU it was just a weapon. It couldn't stick with CSL / GT3 on the big tracks, but somewhere like the Ring GP or similar, it just mullers everything.

On the downside it's quite noisy for travelling to tracks, and it borderline dangerous for trying to enter from slip roads and generally changing lane.

I had ticked the box, and faniced a change for something a bit more practical. I considdered the 996 GT3 and discounted is as being too old. I also looked at the CSL but I also decided that 25-30k for a track car is too much really. Same with the Cayman, I looked at the Sport version and it was a great all rounder prospect. I'm sure I will change though, and you may not have the same view. But of the lot the CSL with brake and suspension work is the pick of the bunch - it just can't be beaten as an all rounder.

So anyway I bought a 10k S2000 and am going to spend a max of 7k making it track worthy. Suspension, brakes, seats, wheels, exhaust, AEM and you have a great road and track car. I will be keeping the Evo as a road car though so the S is just for fun, shopping trips and track stuff.

What I would say about the Exige and S2000, is they are probably the most rewarding. The CSL is fast and makes nice noises, but obviously some involvement is removed by the paddle shifters.

The Cayman will be good, but never as sharp and an Exige. But all things can be tweaked

 

Just to add, i'm going over the supercharger decision at the moment and i'm leaning towards the fact that 250-260 bhp NA is probably enough. SC is going to be about 4-5k and you start getting towards the cost of some fairly serious other cars then.

If you watch stuff like this, you realise how quick it can be, and how fun
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcZIvLQNOQ [/media]

 

One the one hand I'd agree with that.

OTOH, 5K (less on-sale value) gets you close to some serious performance stuff; the idea of an S2000 giant-killer has an awful lot of appeal!

 

It does I guess. The question I have is how nice it is to drive comapred to a decent NA car....

 

Option 7 would be a Europa.

95% of the Exige's handling, but more comfort for the daily commute.

You get a very tunable engine (Hoffmans are getting a reliable 400bhp on their race car and expect to be able to offer a 350nhp road car upgrade soon), leather, sound deadening, that chassis for just over £20k

If I hadn't had a second car, I'd have had the Europa instead of the Exige. I still might at some point, I think they're criminally overlooked, as do others I think as secondhand prices have started to firm up.

All this for 20 large, have a look at the PH classifieds;
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=166

Add £8-10k for a Hoffmans upgrade and you'll outrun pretty much anything you meet.