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IntroductionsMake your introductions to the S2000 owner community. Discussions and comments from new and future S2000 owners. You will get a warm welcome, friendly and helpful advice. The 'Start Button' of the forums.
but the Miata's cabin is alittle bigger IMO (Correct me if i am wrong.)
No you are right. Carsdirect lists the previous gen Miata at 46 cubic feet interior volume vs 45 for the S2k. In the 2007 MX-5 all interior dimensions are bigger but volume remains the same at 46 cubic feet The only significant difference in the S2K's favor is legroom.
If (when) you do get an S2000, be sure to swap out your final gear FIRST.
That mod makes the S2000 much more fun to drive (IMHO, having owned an AP1 and AP2 S2000). It's only $1000 or so, installed, with no emissions/smog problems, cops harrassing, loud exhaust noise, bling bling shiny stuff in your engine, etc.
Ironically, the best gears to get are made by Mazda (as the factory diff is also made by Mazda).
lol how about that video with the S2000, miata, rx8, wrx, rsx type r, and the skyline (G35) raced on a Race Track Road Course.
and after 4 laps the Miata came in dead last, with the s2000 having a huge gap on the 2nd place car..with the miata having an even larger gap to the car in front of it.
Basically the miata got schooled. BAD. absolute stompage.
of course if this was tight complex AutoX then the miata probably would have come out on top. To each their own.
Seems like you're getting a majority of posts from people who haven't actually owned both, which is not suprising . I came to S2000 world from a '99 6 speed Miata (10th Anniversary Ed) that I owned for 4 years/56,000 miles. It was the first roadster I've owned and I'd have the say the only real turnoff about the car for me was that it was underpowered. I did look at the S2000, but at the time, they were marked up $10,000 by greedy car dealers (the same dealers that are probably losing money on them now - funny how things work out ). For about $26,500, it came with the sport suspension (Bilstein shocks)/LSD/Fatter sway bars, a hardtop and handled amazingly well out of the box. I introduced myself to autocrossing in that car and had loads of fun with it. Of course the best thing about Miatas is the huge assortment of mods for them. Affordable mods from manufacturers located in the US so you don't have to deal with the JDM markup you get with just about everything for the S2000. A few years after buying and about $4,000 later, I had a JRSC running 6psi, header, exhaust, Ground Control/KYB coilover setup with aftermarket swaybars and I would have to say that car was as fun if not more fun to drive than the S. It was a high 14 second car, but felt a lot faster with 6psi kicking in at about 2500 RPM. The car weighed in at about 2,350lb with a full tank of gas, so with 160whp, it didn't take much to get it going.
Comparing the two, the Miata was very reliable (it was daily driven). I didn't have any serious issues with it during my ownership except for the standard stuff (tires, fuel filter, plugs, etc...). For a mass produced roadster, Mazda does a good job with the Miata's quality. It wasn't quite up to Honda's quality, but it was close. I've been using the S as a daily driver for 3 years this January with about 26k miles on it so far and it's been problem free also (I did replace the tires already, but that's the price you pay riding on Z-rated rubber). Until I drove the S, the Miata's tranny was the best gearbox I had driven. The S takes the prize, but not by very much IMO. The S2000's gearbox is slightly more accurate with shorter throws (despite having a slightly taller shifter). I remember driving the Miata harder than the S, probably because driving the S hard requires pushing my driving limits more than the Miata did. The Miata was very tossable, very predictable and very forgiving at its limits. The S is just as tossable (if not more), but its chassis is so rigid that when it reaches its traction limit, it snaps pretty quickly and will bite you in the arse hard if you're not familiar with it (how many S2000's have been driven off the road because of this?). The Miata had a lot more chassis flex in factory form than the S. I've heard very little, if any chassis "creaking" in the S going up inclines at an angle like I did with the Miata. The Miata did get better gas mileage, if that's something you are concerned with. I would get 25/31mpg on average (that's about what the new Miata gets too). Tires were cheap on the Miata too. You won't find many $200 195/50-15's. I picked up a set of Pirelli P7000 Summers at $65 each. Gotta love that. I didn't mind the "smallness" of the Miata being 5'5" until it came time for a road trip that required carrying any luggage. The trunk in the NB Miatas was pathetic. At least the S has room for a small suitcase in the trunk well and then some. The S is a lot more comfortable for longer drives
All that said, I decided to go for the S2000 in Nov-Dec of '03 because I discovered I could get one for under MSRP and I was basically making a lot more money than I was in 1999, so I figured, "What the hell?". I wanted a step up in performance and I did like its more aggressive looks. I do miss the Miata sometimes, but I would never consider getting another one if I couldn't keep the S. If I had the money to blow on another somewhat impractical car (as my wife likes to call it), I'd buy a used Miata '99-00 Miata for $6-7k and mod the poop out of it, but I don't. I would say that once you get addicted to the sound of an F20/22c motor screaming past 7k (where the Miata hits redline), you will never want to go back (unless if the Miata's got boost... maybe).
I am going to be controversial here and suggest neither for you. You just came from a domestic muscle car and wanted something. If I were in your shoes, I would take a look at the Solstice GXP or Sky Redline. Both of them will satisfy your horsepower urges while fitting the requirement of a 2-seater vert.
I also faced the same choice as you. I definitely wanted a high performance roadster that I could use as my daily driver. It had to be used but with under 30K miles. My choices and opinions:
1. The AP2 S: Not as much V-tec performance as I expected but all around greatness. See my post "favorite S factors" to get my full list of reasons to buy.
2. The MX5: Great pricing, good performance, new, still a girls car look
3. The Z4 2.5: Great styling, decent performance, it begs for some deep dish wide staggered wheels, luxury appeal, euro reliability and price, not the 3.0
4. The Boxster: Good performance, older body style, euro reliability and price, not the S
5. The Soltice and Sky: Nice styling, new, poor performance, awful top dropping procedure, lacking build quality, huge price markups. Soon to be around every corner.
So in the end, I didn't trust the euro's reliability factor and cost of maintenance. Only the Boxster S and Z4 3.0 would do performancewise and they were in a completely different price bracket.
The Soltice and Sky are lookers, too soft, and really just shiny junk.
The Miata was the true runner up but I couldnt see myself owning one. I would be laughed at, not admired. I almost bought one a few years back and everyone who knew my near decision, laughed at the very idea. Maybe if I wore pink shirts, nut-hugging jeans, and lip gloss i'd feel more comfortable in it but that's not me.
Don't get me wrong, in terms bang for the buck performance and reliability, it wins hands down. But the appeal just isn't there. I would love to get one for my little lady (hot women look great in the Miata) but she's waiting for the big luxury car.
Originally Posted by minboost2,Nov 12 2006, 11:37 PM
If (when) you do get an S2000, be sure to swap out your final gear FIRST.
That mod makes the S2000 much more fun to drive (IMHO, having owned an AP1 and AP2 S2000). It's only $1000 or so, installed, with no emissions/smog problems, cops harrassing, loud exhaust noise, bling bling shiny stuff in your engine, etc.
Ironically, the best gears to get are made by Mazda (as the factory diff is also made by Mazda).
Go figure.
Mazda gets most of their differential gears from Kia.
The only significant difference in the S2K's favor is legroom.
. I came to S2000 world from a '99 6 speed Miata (10th Anniversary Ed) that I owned for 4 years/56,000 miles. It was the first roadster I've owned and I'd have the say the only real turnoff about the car for me was that it was underpowered. I did look at the S2000, but at the time, they were marked up $10,000 by greedy car dealers (the same dealers that are probably losing money on them now - funny how things work out 
). For about $26,500, it came with the sport suspension (Bilstein shocks)/LSD/Fatter sway bars, a hardtop and handled amazingly well out of the box. I introduced myself to autocrossing in that car and had loads of fun with it. Of course the best thing about Miatas is the huge assortment of mods for them. Affordable mods from manufacturers located in the US so you don't have to deal with the JDM markup you get with just about everything for the S2000. A few years after buying and about $4,000 later, I had a JRSC running 6psi, header, exhaust, Ground Control/KYB coilover setup with aftermarket swaybars and I would have to say that car was as fun if not more fun to drive than the S. It was a high 14 second car, but felt a lot faster with 6psi kicking in at about 2500 RPM. The car weighed in at about 2,350lb with a full tank of gas, so with 160whp, it didn't take much to get it going.
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