i had an older miata and had lots of experience with an older jeep. i can attest that the plastic window sucks bad. if it's a truly a tossup for you the '02 should be a no-brainer. The 02-03's have some nice small upgrades which make it a clear winner.
of course if you get the '01 you can say that you're a purist and that this is the way the car was meant to be...right 00 and 01 owners?

 

IMO silver is kinda boring. I drove one around for a week and by the end of the week I couldn't wait to get back into my red. 40% of all S2000s in America are silver.

The plastic window, while it sucks, it looks better than the small glass window.

 

I'd go for the MY01. Lower miles, extra accessories, plus some actually prefer the plastic window since it's much bigger.

 

As an owner of two 2001 New Formula Red's, I think you know what my completely unbaised answer would be.

After 5 years, I finally had one of my plastic windows crack. I still would buy it again. I always drive with the top down anyway, it's just there to protect the interior from rain when I park outside, so it's not a big deal. If you are the type of person that is going to end up driving the convertible with the top up, maybe you should get the 02. Or reconsider buying a convertible.

I don't know if Red is my favorite color (probably a toss up between red, white, and black), but both silvers share my vote for last place.

 

I mean, how bad can the window be in 11k miles? He barely drove it... was it garaged?

I actually do prefer the plastic window as I can see twice as much as the glass, and rarely have the top up anyway. $500 diff for 9k less miles, and a sportier color? I'll be sold on the 01.

 

On the flip side, I like silver (after initially owning yellow), b/c it's easier to travel in stealth mode w/o attracting attention from the cops. It also seems to hide dirt better than most other colors. But that's a personal decision, that's why they have so many color choices.

 

02!!!!!!

 

Get the 02 and paint it NFR

Of all colors my personal color preference on an S2000 is Red, with Silver a close second. So, in other words, you can't lose either way! However, I would lean more towards the 02 because of the glass window.

 

I would go with the 01, since it has almost half the miles of the 02. the changes between the 01 and the 02 were not that major. The glass window on the 02 is nice but if your planning on getting a hardtop, go with the 01. In the end just choose the on that you like better, you can't go wrong.


p.s. hardtop looks sexy on NFR.

 

Red is my color but I think the 02' would be the better choice.