I'm considering purchasing a S2000 and would greatly appreciate some insight into living with an S2000 on a daily basis. This would be my daily driver and I commute through heavy traffic 26miles round trip over some pretty bad roads. I currently own an e46 328i and have an order for a 330 convertible placed but am now waking up to the possibilites of other cars. Once you take that drop-top step, you might as well go all the way right? Plus they screwed up the steering, but that's a long story.

I've been stopping by local Honda dealers trying to ge a test drive in, but most don't have any or they're sitting on the showroom floor and won't budge. The one dealer that did agree to move the car would only let me ride in it around the block, so obviously that's not a great impression.

I have no doubt that the car is an excellent performer, what I'm looking for are some subjective opinions on how stiff the suspension is compared to other cars and how loud the ride is at 60-70mph? My current 328 has the sport suspension option, but it's not what I'd consider stiff. I know that obviously this is a pure sports car, and that is what I'm looking for. What I'm not looking for is a race car that they've thrown some carpet and leather in. The review mags can't seem to get their story straight, so I'm looking for real life testimonials. This will be my daily driver, my vacation car, my going to the grocery store car, taking the wife out to dinner car, etc. Is the S2000 suitable for that kind of use, or should it be reserved more as just the fun car?

Thanks for taking the time.

 

It may not be suitable for all the everyday things like a shopping cart full of groceries, or stop and go traffic all that much, but it really depends on your preferences. The S is pretty much a sports car built for speed, speed and more speed. Theres not much of creature comforts you would find in a beamer and the suspension is pretty stiff, but it really grips the road. When compared to the 00' 328 I tested, the beamer was more of a everyday car for everyday things with decent power and pretty good handling, kind of like a mix of all things. The S is pretty much built to drive fast, and to corner fast. If you don't like loud engine noise, stiff suspensions, and a crappy stereo then the S may not be a better choice for you than the 330. But, if you want an adrenaline rush, 9k rpm, taking corners at 50mph, and a pure sports car, then the S is for you.

 

I have 2 cars - a '98 Integra TypeR, and the new '01 S2000. From your description, I'm not sure you'll like the S2K as a daily driver, especially with "bad roads" that you'll be travelling on daily. I use my TypeR as a daily driver, which is great fun, and the S2000 as my "fun car" for the weekends, and that works fine. The S2000 is definitely stiffer, no question about that!

I think the stiff suspension might be just too stiff for bad roads on a daily basis.

Just one person's opinion, of course.

As far as the loudness at 60-70MPH, I don't think that's a big problem - it's actually pretty quiet as far as I'm concerned (of course my TypeR is REALLY loud with intake and headers, so I might not be the best to judge!)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by bimmerScott
[B]What I'm not looking for is a race car that they've thrown some carpet and leather in.

This will be my daily driver, my vacation car, my going to the grocery store car, taking the wife out to dinner car, etc. Is the S2000 suitable for that kind of use, or should it be reserved more as just the fun car?

Thanks for taking the time.

 

Honestly the s2000 is small, stiff, loud, bare essentials kinda car and i love it for that. it's not trying to be a people friendly comfort car. it's balls out speed and lots of it...and just when you think she's given all she's got...VTEC land. i love this car and would be hard pressed to trade it in for anything in it's class. but you have to love sports cars...if you love the 3series this car probably won't be for you...it's not a sedan...two seats...that's it....small trunk....bare essentials...but this is what i love about it. honda put the price tag in the engine where it counts for sports car enthusiast. not great for daily driving but it's my daily driver. Than again i'm only 24 and dont' have family worries etc etc.

 

The car is my daily driver. Hmm...let's see.

-I have 18 inch wheels and even stiffer suspension than stock. I have to dodge pot holes like land mines.

-No trunk space, but then again I'm not hauling timber with this car.

-The stock tire wears out pretty fast, that's why I choose a less sticky, longer wear...but smaller sidewall setup.

-Plastic rear window requires more cleaning than the actual car.

-Engine drinks oil as if it was leaking it.

-Not much space in the car...I'm 5'6" weighing 135, people with greater volume...may feel a bit cramped.

But...none of the above really matters if you love the car.

 

i use mine as a daily driver and am quite happy with it.
but, to be honest, i would in fact describe this as more of a race car with carpet than a sports car in the BMW vein.
it's VERY stiff and quite loud, has very (VERY) limited storage and limited rear visibility when the top is up.

i don't regret my choice. but i have always loved british style roadsters, so...

-c

 

i drive 60 miles a day round trip to and from work. the drive is great if the sun is up and the top's down, but it's not for everyone, i have to agree with that.

 

My S2K is my daily driver... and I love it. It can be a little rough on some roads, but you'll get used to it. I drive on crappy roads every day, and have found that it's really hard to think about anything other than how much fun the car is.

Mileage is surprisingly good for city use, so long as you dont go WOT at every light... and on the freway, it beats all other sports cars that i know of. The seats are the most comfortable things in the world, (too bad Recaro doesn't make chairs for the house) and while it looks small from the outside, it has an abundance of cabin room (once you get through the door that is). I'm 6'2 and have plenty of head, foot, and butt room. The convertible feature is, of course, a definite plus... just make sure you get the aeroscreen.

The one thing i have to say bothers me about daily driving the S2K is the freeway, not the city. Wind/road noise is very noticable, and it cruises at about 4k rpm most of the time (being used to low rpm cars like Bimmers, its hard to think that a constant 4k really isn't hurting the car). Other than that, I honestly can't think of any other car I'd rather be driving.


As the S2K is a very high performance car (track suspension, near-track tires, etc etc...) it behaves like one. Rather than making daily driving arduous though, it only serves to make the daily commute more like a romp through a concrete forest. Alright, maybe i'm a little biased, so sue me. I've driven several vehicles on a daily basis (volvo c70, bmw 850, acura NSX, etc etc..) and I'd keep my car over the lot of them. Were someone to give me an NSX today, I'd take it, sell it, and buy two S2K's.

The S2K is a perfect daily driver... fast, fun, reliable, comfortable, and best of all... you can't beat a honda waranty.

 

I do agree with the others to a point, you have to love the car for what it is... a race car with minor ammenities. It's not a BMW, or a porsche, or a ferrari, and the way I see it... thats a good thing. Faster than a Bimmer, more reliable than a porsche, and much cheaper than a ferrari... and theres still that great honda warranty.

BTW: The S2K is faster than some new porsches *cough* boxter *cough* , and a few of the older ferraris as well)

[Edited by BnB-S2K on 02-15-2001 at 12:07 PM]