All very true, but really, almost all "sports cars" or "roadsters" are designed primarily for fun, and most of them can be pressed into use as a DD without too much difficulty, depending of course on one's situation. Clearly a traditional 2-seat roadster isn't going to work out as an only car for a family of 9. In general thought, sports cars are toys that can usually be pressed into service as both DD's and track or autocross cars. A big part of what attracted me to the S2000 was it has drivability comparable to other sports cars of similar displacement, while at the same time being able to deliver the same kind of performance you get when you hop up the engine of a typical 2 liter sports car to within an inch of it's life. To me it seems to be everything anyone could ask for in an under 2 liter roadster, and more.

All S2000's are a pleasure to drive, even in traffic (but no straight shift car is ever fun in gridlock), and when you apply a liberal amount of throttle and let the revs climb beyond 6k, the little cars get pretty darn exciting. LOL, well, for those of us who aren't jaded. Driving FI for a while makes the stock cars seem pretty slow, but it's just an illusion one gets when they drive too hard, too often. An AP2 is no less of a pleasure to drive than an AP1, and most people seem to get more pleasure from the AP2. I don't, and there are others that have actually driven or owned both AP1 and AP2 who feel the same way, but we're in a minority. I am also crazy about my KAAZ LSD, but I am absolutely sure that most S2000 owners would hate the thing. The KAAZ serves my purposes quite well (thank you very much ), so for me and my goals it makes my S2000 a better car, but that would not be the case with most owners. One car or another might be better for a given person, for any number of reasons, but in absolute terms it's hard to compare any two cars, as long as they're quality vehicles. Is my wife's E320 a better car than my S2000? Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't, depending entirely on how the car is being used. When I have visit property that is being strip mined, I have to drive on roads that would leave my S2000 covered in mud, and stuck in the stuff, all the way up to the floorpan. For those roads, our lowly AWD RX-300 is a vastly superior vehicle to anybody's S2000.

I'm also looking at this from the perspective of the father of a 19 year old. If my daughter wanted an S2000 and for whatever reason was actually going to end up owning one, or even just driving one, I'd MUCH rather see her in a late model AP2 with stability control and all the other changes, including the F22C, which she's less likely to blow with a money shift, and which delivers a little extra grunt that she'd enjoy. Hahahah, and frankly, I'd be pissed if anyone talked her into getting an AP1 instead.

As much as I love my first year S2000, they're not for everyone, and frankly, I can't understand why that bothers some of my fellow AP1 owners. I don't like it when others bash my car because they don't like the very things that make it so special to me (mostly because it's just so damn ignorant), but I like it even less when AP1 owners bash the AP2, because that's no less ignorant, and it stirs up crap and brings out the worst in far too many of the people who get involved (myself included). The way I see it, it would be sad if every S2000 owner didn't like most or all of the "features" specific to the car he owns. My wife has a nice way of responding when people ask her how she likes her Benz. She says, "What's not to like?" There are quite a few cars that merit the same kind of thinking, and the S2000 happens to be one of them (IMHO). Regardless of the MY, it's really hard not to like the cars.

If I were the OP's dad, I'd be cheering for a late model AP2.

 

[QUOTE=hellspare,Apr 8 2008, 10:58 PM]Also, some of you seem to be taking some of the things I've been saying the wrong way.

 

The S2000 is indeed a toy, but it's not a toy in the context in which the expression "not a toy" was originally used in this thread. It's not a toy for those who can't deal with power tools and other dangerous toys in a reasonably safe manner.

 

[QUOTE=RED MX5,Apr 8 2008, 08:54 PM] I actually quoted your exact words in an earlier post.

 

[QUOTE=hellspare,Apr 9 2008, 12:03 AM]No problem, perhaps I was a little rude in my replies.

 

I drove an S with a plastic window and I was not impressed though. I sat in an S with a cloudy rear window and I thought it was a nightmare. A hardtop is the best of all worlds.

 

Then say it like that. Don't say it's a "fine daily driver." Also, when did I say that it was unbearable?

And I know you don't own an S2000, but have you ever owned a small 2-seater car before? (Miata, Del Sol, etc.) Just curious.

 

[QUOTE=Paul S,Apr 8 2008, 10:03 PM] Then say it like that.

 

s2k is a fine daily driver. decent milage and fun to drive