Just wanted to say hi!!!

I've been lurking around here ever since the S2000 first came out. Anyways my girlfriend is trying to decide between the S2000, 350Z and 4runner. Rather diverse group of cars I must admit. She currently drives a 98 prelude and I drive an EVOVIII so a S2000 will make a nice addition. Any thoughts. Her main concern is the large blindspot and overall ease of maneuverability of the car. She loves to drive my Civic Hatchback which is tiny and seems to lack any blindspots. My main concern is the safety factor what with so many huge SUVs running around. My thought is if you can't beat them join them(4runner). Pros for the 350Z are gobs of torque and the huge popularity of it in Japan will surely mean lots of aftermarket parts whereas the S2000's US only 2.2 is cause for concern. I must admit the 350Z interior felt cheap compared to the S2000.

By the way any dealers in the Bay Area,CA you guys would recommend?

On a different note I will be going to TOKYO for the 2005 TAS any must see locations you guys recommend. I will probably stop by SPOON and some other tuner shops. However it seems like nowadays prices in Japan and USA are very similar with the strong yen and the strong penetration of JDM parts into the USA thru official distribution channels.

Sorry for the long post, just excited to start my research.

 

welcome. the S's blind spot is manageable and has never been a problem for me. i simply lean forward as i look in the side mirror, and it shows you the spot you can't see otherwise.

as far as SUV's, i've had one clip me before. it's not a lot of fun, and he didn't come out with more than a small dent while i had some nasty front end damage, but i wouldn't trade the small car feel for anything. of course, my S is my show car and i drive a huge diesel Ram as a daily driver, but i can't stand it ... too much vehicle for me.

aftermarket parts really aren't a concern either. and even if there were fewer, good. it'll save you some cash. you don't wanna drop cash like me ... cuz i'm dirt poor now.

 

I think she should get the 4Runner, you guy's already have a nice fast car and the Toyota would be nice to cover all the other area's that your car will not, just my 2 cents

 

I was also worried about that blind spot, but here's a solution...drive with the top down all the time lol
Nah just kidding, it is manageable, the sideview mirrors are angled so that you can pretty much see what you're missing if a normal window had been there...as wortham says, lean forward...and you can see everything.

As for the 350Z, I liked it...but I'd take an RX8, and obviously an S2K over it anyday. It had good torque down low, nice features...cheap'ish interior...but it just didn't feel like a complete sports car. And it was a disaster to park in tight places, and it also has its own blindspots that are pretty bad too. Mind you, I drove one around for a good part of half a yr, same with the RX8...so my words aren't just taken from a simple test drive

 

The blind spot can be solved with a JDM convex left hand mirror. You can buy one from our s2ki sponsor Muz Accessories. Of course blind spots are nearly nonexistent with the top down, which for me is 99% of the time.

I would go with the S2000 because you already have a Prelude or an Evo to drive when the weather is really bad. The only argument I could see for a 4Runner or any other SUV would be hauling capacity. No other reason.