if you have the maturity level to stay away from the street racing scene, then you might be okay. Avoid the temptation to drive the car like a sports car for the first couple of months, heck, avoid it unless you are at the track period. Don't let you friends pressure you into racing the car or letting them race or even drive the car for that matter.

Personally, I wouldn't get a young person a car like this, but not every kid is gonna smash themselves into a brick wall. Drive like a responsible human being and you should be okay.

I like the responsible statements you're making, that's a good start.

 

I agree with most of what was recommended. Again, it's very mature of you to know and admit your limitations due to lack of experience. If you are considering a car to practice on, I also recommend a miata or 240sx - manual transmission and rwd. Or even maybe an older RX7.

I think if you take it easy for the first few months however, you should be fine in an s2000. The key really is to take it easy while you're learning. The car's handling has been described as rewarding but also unforgiving.

Also, you can learn more at 1 day of autocross than you might in a year on the street - so consider setting aside a few Saturdays to have fun legally racing it.

Oh, and where do you live? Snow can be another hurdle to get over as well.

 

Why is a miata (or 240sx, rx7, whatever) considered more safe / easy to drive than an S2000? I don't get it...

My first car was a miata (i was 18), my 2nd car a 944 turbo with 300hp (i was 20), my 3rd car is my S2000 (i was 28). I sometimes drove an RX-7 FD from my brother (aswell in my younger years).

None of these cars would have saved me from stupid ideas on the road. It was always common sense and not driving like an idiot.

What is so dangerous about the S2000 compared to other RWD cars? I drive mine since a year now (including track days), but i fail to see the difference.

 

get the s2000. don't drive like an asshat.
take it easy for awhile until you get used to it. after about 3-4 months you should be used to driving a manual transmission. go autocrossing. you will learn a ton.

 

I think the difference, is well of course the miata is less powerful. In the thread about snap oversteer, there's a video that shows a clear difference in the ease of correcting snap oversteer in a miata vs a s2k.

Also if inexperienced in the turns, the possibility of floating in and out of vtec (if you don't know what you're doing) could cause a greater problem. I don't know if it's so much the ease of adjusting to a light RWD car between the two, I think it's more that the miata is a little more forgiving for learning

 

1) The S2000, at least to me, has more razor edge handling than the miata's or 240sx's i've driven. The rear comes out more progressively. Also they are easier to reel back in if you lose the back end.
2) Less power = slower speed. So if you're pushing the miata toward it's limit and you do lose it, you lose it at 50 mph instead of 75 mph (made up numbers).

These things may not be true to someone used to rwd, but are most likely true for people new to it.

 

the s2000 is nothing special, it wont kill you if you learn on it, it will kill you if you drive like a maniac just like any other car would, get the S and drive smart

 

This post is ridiculous, buy the car and don't try impressing your friends by doing 80MPH around a turn. The car has 0 Torque so drive it conservatively and you will be fine........

 

Going to have to go ahead and suggest you go with the s2k. If you're mature enough to admit your shortcomings, I don't feel you'll have any problems with the s2k as long as you drive it like you have common sense.

Take it easy, don't throw it around. I'd suggest an AP2 as they're more forgiving, and an 06+ if it's in your parent's price range, for the VSA. Be careful, and if you get a chance, go to a few auto-x events and learn how the car behaves.

 

My suggestion...Buy the S2000 and take a evasive/emergency handling course in the dry/wet to know what the car can and can't do. Take a couple courses if you'd like and that will teach you what the car can do at the limits in the dry/wet and how to correct it. Those courses will teach you the skills to control the monster that lurks in rwd cars(not just s2000's). On top of demonstrating how mature you are to your parents(and they worry less when you're out of the house driving the S). Heck, take your dad with you to those courses...He might have fun as well.