X2 but seriously drive one before you make these assuptions about the handling and report back what you think off it

 

X3
Before I deployed I used to HATE S2000s with a passion. I thought they were as bad as Mustangs.
I had a friend trade in an '09 Ram for a BB CR. I used to wipe him all up and down the track with my '97 Eclipse GST that I stuffed all my paychecks into the suspension.(only made me consider them more of a waste of useful o2)
Little did I know he was a horrible driver.
Working on my Eclipse one night, I got frustrated, another friend of mine told me to take his '04 Laguna car out on my favourite road to calm me down...


....My first objective once deployed was to buy an S, end of story.

 

The S2000 was designed from the factory as a convertable. So built the subframe knowing so. It's not like for example ford mustangs, built as a hardtop, with a convertable modle as an after thought, resulting in a ton of body flex. Mazda miatas and Saturn sky are both convertables and both handle amazing.

 

This is a picture of the s2000's high x-bone frame. This is the source of this cars rigidity. Most convertibles usually have the stereo-type of being unstable because they started life as a unibody chassis and then had the top cut off. The S2000 was designed specifically for not having a top. I know most people who haven't driven one still won't believe this so all i can say is drive one for yourself. You will never understand why everyone that owns an S2000 loves it so much until you drive one.

 

Reading this thread is making me sad I am not driving my S2000 in the winter...I can't wait for spring!

 

one of the advantages of living in socal is the weather. 5 days of rain and we're complaining like crazy.

 

if i recall correctly in the 5th gear shootout Mugen Civic got better lap time than S.
but which handles better and which is more fun to drive is another matter.

and i'm not only saying this to defend S - i remember in some other 5th gear shotout Audi TT RS (os something like this) got better lap time than Cayman S - but Plato was absolutely clear that TT was dull do drive.

 

Mugen civic was faster than a stock S2000?

How about pitting a modified S2000 against a modified Civic? Don't you think that would change things?

 

yeah all the comparisons with Mugen upgraded cars isn't valid, if you Mugenized the S2000 I think it would be tough to beat.

The picture of the S2000 frame says it all, that's the reason the convertible argument doesn't apply to the S2000. With a hardtop on my S2000 it doesn't flex when I go up and down my driveway, which tells me that frame of the vehicle is strong enough to not affect the hardtop attachment points in any way.

 

tell this to 5th gear producers.....

they did a fair comparison based on vehicle price.
if you do comparison on a same mod level than better basic car (usually more expensive one) should always win.