We're already here.

-- Chuck

 

Wrong again. Three's a crowd.

 

If the cost is higher then OEM hardtop then I wouldn't be interested. OEM is gold standard and if your hardtop is more expensive then OEM, it be DOA for me.

 

That's the perfect price for a sub-oem-quality aftermarket HT. Too bad the S2k is relatively super rare compared to the mass-produced Miata.

 

There is already this aftermarket OEM-like hardtop for about $3k. I want to say someone else was coming out with an even lower priced OEM aluminum knock off but of course now I can't find the post. Might've been a facebook group. I love the look of a hard top on these cars, especially the OEM. Still, I don't know if I really want to go that route as I'm not sure I really need it since I'm top down most of the time - even in 30 degree days.

EDIT - realize now it was the Vaikhari as mentioned in a previous post here.

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/s2000-mo...rdtop-1212759/

 

OEM hardtops are absolutely getting out of control....When I first bought my car roughly 5 years ago they were around 3-4k....It seems like recently in the past cfew years, $500 arbitrarily gets added to the price every 6 months or so....so now an OEM hardtop is around 6-7k....There's a Laguna blue one in the FS section right now asking $7500...and that's picked up. Complete lunacy if you ask me.

 

There is a certain cachet to oem top. It'll always have inherent value, especially as these cars go up in collector value.

I don't see a market for more expensive than used oem, regardless of quality.

As already mentioned, those that would find value in lighter than stock don't care so much about perfect fitment or nvh.

Those that want oem fit and nvh will also gravitate to oem authenticity. To capture some of this market will require near oem fit and nvh, and a compelling price that undercuts oem by enough they don't mind losing out on authenticity.

Others have tried to reach the near oem refinement and failed. Its apparently not an easy goal to achieve.

 

OEM Purity demands perfect original paint. No fair changing colors. There's an OEM hardtop currently for sale (here) at a (delusional?) asking of $9,000 (nine thousand). Defects and all. Be interesting what this sells for. Shipping?

-- Chuck

 

Mugen, Spoon, and Amuse hardtops all have oem fitment and quality and were all more expensive than the oem top until the last couple years. I’m referring to genuine/authentic tops, not the knockoff/replicas.

I definitely don’t agree with your sentiment about not caring about fitment and nvh, that’s a fairly stupid generalization to make. I had a Mugen (authentic) hardtop for 15 years with zero issues, and I have an oem HT.

To answer the OP’s question, yes there’s still a market, your quality has to be on par with oem, Mugen, and Amuse along with a pedigree as to why yours is expensive or else it’s just another replica top. I think we’ve got replicas covered.

 

Not really. I think my opinion is based on a fairly broad experience. I've owned my S2000 for nearly 19 years now and I know scores of owners and they know me. A few have hardtops and use them (of course the CR owners have to), a few more have hardtop but rarely if ever use them, but it's been my personal experience that many more owners do not want one. Sure, driving with the hardtop is nicer than driving with the soft top up but the S2000 makes for a less than desirable daily driver and travelling with a hardtop can be a pain in the ass.