For the past few years I've been in love with the s2k...but now that I'm financially secure enough to buy one, I realized that living in Chicago would make my using the car as a DD is nearly impossible considering the weather. I'm now looking to get an STi, but I can't help but feel like I'm settling for less. The power of the STi is great, and it holds to the road well, but it doesn't feel like a road scalpel like the S. Both are great cars, so why am I stressing?

 

All cars are compromises, choose the one thats right for you.

Then, try not to look back

Willienathen

 

Plenty of folks in Chicago use their S2000's as daily drivers... check out the upper midwest forums... Just need to get the right snow tires

 

Go with the S2000 and get a winter beater.

 

Personally, I wouldn't have an S2000 if it was my only car. It's damn fun but, damn impractical too. That's just me though. I tend to want to carry things around. That's why I also have a truck.

I also don't want to be put in a position where I have to leave it out unattended for any length of time.

 

There's a good idea.

 

I'd suggest the anti-s2k for a beater, like an old toyota 4x4. This way you can go to home depot, and drive in the winter. Go to the BBC webpage to see a video on how indestructible they are!

Do not drive the S2k in the winter with the stock tyres. They're summer rated, and may not heat up enough in snow. Do a search, and you'll read stories of four wheel drifts.

I'm sure some people will challenge my claim. Why mess around with your safety?

The STi is a great car on paper. The only issue to me is you state you have a high performance car every where you go. Plus, if your heart was set on a S, you longlingly look everytime an S goes by. I'd urge you to get the S while you can. Who knows what the future holds...

 

It would be tough to have this as an only car unless you had access to some other vehicle for those times when you really need to carry lots of things and people.

Like you said, this is personally preference. It's all a matter of what a person is used to. I had a hard time leaving a Viper parked for any length of time at the mall. Even a Corvette ZR-1 was a bit of a crowd draw, but an S2000, I would park it in "most" places without too much anxiety.

Plenty of folks all over the world in the snow/ice belt drive this car with snow tires WITHOUT any issues whatsoever.

However, it can be said that "noone in their right mind would drive on the stock tires". This is pure common sense. NO car, not even AWD, can be driven in ice/snow when equipped with summer high performance tires. It's all a matter of the proper equipment for the task at hand. Some people even say you can't drive an S2000 in the rain but these are cases where specific details are left out (like bald tires or lack of driver ability and driving sense). Being a RWD is NOT the determining factor on whether or not an S2000 can be winter driven. What do you suppose the whole nation did before the introduction of mass produced FWD cars? And what do you think people are doing today, now that RWD is coming back?

 

Definitely a beater + S2k
I don't know how people can own the S2k as a primary car