this is obviously someone who hasn't driven an m roadster,

WORST M CAR EVER, and I love M cars...

 

Several people mentioned how driver error is most often the culprit of a "blown engine" -- funny thing is, even after they mechanically over-revved the engine (mis-shifted), the engine rarely (if ever) falls apart on the spot. Most owners keep running the engine hard because it shows no symptoms of an over-rev. Had they taken their cars to a mechanic to have their valve retainers checked for cracks, replaced them if necessary, we'd have even less problems.

 

Very true.

S2000's are as tough as nails. Even with boost my car has been as reliable as a stone.
It's not how hard you drive the car that matters. It's how you drive the car hard.
Given reasonable care and treatment reliability is not usually an issue with the S2000 (but there have been a few exceptions, like one out of ten cars having TCT problems).

 

quite a few people in the 100K mile club

 

Yup! I shoulda pointed that out as well.

 

I purchased my MY2001 S2000 new. I never dropped the clutch on launches and didn't modify anything. I love the car and don't plan on getting rid of it.

I had the following problems:

differential case cracked, replaced 22k
transmission howling, replaced transmission assembly 24k
convertible strikers worn, replaced, 30k
spark plug "product update" (read: recall) 30k
headlight assembly leaking, replaced 33k

All taken care of under warranty. After the transmission went, I purchased the 7 year/100k mile warranty. No problems since then. Now I have 54k miles on the car.

I don't think that the diff and trans are typical problems. I wouldn't let this make you nervous about the car.

I have heard very little about engine problems other than damage as a result of over-revving.

 

I certainly wasn't suggesting that Mazda created the concept... However, they should absolutely be credited with bringing the roadster craze back.

As safety standards became more rigorous in the US, the availability of new convertibles declined, especially little roadsters. Mazda was able to build a small roadster with handling, reliability, and affordability as primary objectives while meeting/exceeding all the applicable safety standards at the time.

It was only through the run-away success of the little Mazda that other manufacturers realized that the seemingly niche market was more of a segment that they were missing out on. And now, almost 20 years later, we're continuing to see new additions to the market (i.e. Kappas) in addition to evolutionary updates to existing models. The segment is still growing.
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My point is this... I consistently read peoples comments on how "gay" or feminine the Miata/MX-5 is compared to the S2000. I think this is just a ridiculous statement. The S2000 doesn't really have the most muscular styling and neither of the car are breaking records with horsepower.

I really have no reason to stand behind the MX-5. I've never owned one and the one and only Mazda that I did own, IMHO was not a very good car (although probably not representative of most of their cars). I just have to laugh each time I hear and S2000 owner/enthusiast call a Miata "gay" or "homo," as it only proves that they are not true sports car enthusiasts and are ignorant about the intent and capabilities of those cars.
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What I find most amuzing are those that try to get a rise out of me by either calling my car a Miata or comparing to a Miata. It annoys them that it doesn't bother me.
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My back fenders are flared.

I think the front flares are a little more exaggerated by the low hood and and the continuous lines the flow the length of the car from the front (along the hood) to the rear (along the trunk lid). In all I think it's what fascinates me the most about the look of the car.

 

the s2000 is reliable

if you plan to use the car w/o alot of mods 4sure this is the car for you as its functional stock. i saw a Mazda roadster on the track last summer and it was fierce, i think they put in like $10+K into the car tho.

take any car to its limit and expect some additioanl maintance. always a good to pick up some new skilz in life.

 

Problems with motor reliability are probably from the newbies that mechanically downshift overrev and start dropping valves.

 

from reading a lot of posts on this forum, the easiest way to damage your engine is to misshift. believe or not, it is quiet easy to shift from 5th to 2nd while you intended to downshift to 4th. i haven't done it before, but from reading, people would misshift, and come on the boards asking what they should do. our shifters are very short and precise, im sure you felt it on the showrooms... BUT coming from srt-4, well lets just say take this into considerations. my car's used and i bought it with 18k miles on it. after a year and a half and now half and 20k miles, no problems at all. goodluck dude