I've owned mine for a few months now and for weeks I was trying to put my finger on the intangible quantity that made this car feel different from everything else I drove. It took me a while but I think I put my finger on it:

Responsiveness

What do I mean? Basically, NONE of the driver interation controls have any slop in them. The steering responds immediately - now I'm not saying the steering is quick (it is) but rather that there is no slop, or play in the system.

Same goes for the gas. Immediate throttle response, NO hesitation, no slop in the pedal.

Ditto for the brakes. Instantaneous response.

Other than that I think WilliamS2k hit many of the highs.

I'd like to list some that come to mind:

1. The front end of this car, makes me drool. I stare and stare at it, and it never gets old. The way those fenders curve, the long slender hood, and the best part is, this thing was styled in the windtunnel - a true case of function over form, and yet they both turned out great.

2. The digital tach. I wanna kiss the guy who came up with this. I'd buy him a couple beers for sure if I ever ran into him. I just love it. As a kid who grew up on Knight Rider, I just love the feeling and experience of the digital tach. I live for those few milliseconds when I can feel the rush, hear the roar, and catch the tail end of the tach blinking blood red.

3. The chassis. Hats off to the chaps who came up with the X-bone chassis (actually they cribbed the idea from colin chapman, but no matter!). Not only do I love the super handling it affords, as well as they nice taut ride and jiggle free structure, but I love the fact that the X-bone chassis intrudes into the cabin space. Very focused, very intense, and the actually backbone is nice and high, so that i can actually use it as an armrest, unlike almost all other vehicles out there in which the "armrest" is useless.

4. F20C. I love it. Jekyll and Hyde for sure, but very tractable around town. Motorcucle like excitement and revs like a bat outta hell.

5. Practicality. Good size trunk - I've fit a microwave and a weeks worth of grocery shopping in the trunk alone, not including the space behind the driver' seat and the passenger seat itself. Roof is amazing -short of a self forming tonneau cover there is nothing better. two clips and <6 seconds later, your in heaven. The quickness makes it so flexible.

I think RED MX5 put it best:

" The S2000 is one of those rare production cars that offers a truely unique "driving experience."

"It's not any one thing, but the entire package and the way it all functions together that I find most appealing."

I can think of cars under $50k that may outperform in S2000 in some aspect of performance or the other, but I struggle to think of a car for under $100k that can offer the same overall experience and thrill. Short of an F430, or Gallardo Spyder, I think you'd be hard pressed to find something this fun and practical. And thats what makes this car Amazing. 5 years from now, something could come out that is faster, or better handling, or better braking, but I doubt any vehicle in the forseebale future can match the sheer excitement and adrenaline rush this car gives: these qualities aren't quantifiable and tangible, but they are the very essence of the cars character.

I realize many will say the Elise is fun as hell, but I'm hardcore, and yet even I can't come to terms with that cars impracticality. I think the biggest killer for me is that lack of an easily removable roof. I drive top down 98% of the time, and the ability to raise the roof quickly and effectively is critical to me. Plus the overall experience isn't the same (to me).

 

I love the handling of the S and the body lines

 

The "fun-to-drive" factor pretty much sums everything up

 

I have never owned a sports car that I didn't love (some more than others ) the entire time I owned them, but their is always room for improvement, so I've always modified them. I modify the cars to make them more of what I personally want in a sports car, but none of them were ever exactly what I wanted. Some came very close though, missing only in a few of the details (and always, the sports cars *never* had enough torque or power). What blew me away when I first drove an S2000 was that it was closer to what I was trying to build with all my other sports cars than any of them had been. It seemed as if Honda had read my mind and built a car the way I personally wanted it built.

Since then I've discovered some things I think could have been done better, but the still suits me to a tee. Honda came very close to building exactly the sports car I've always wanted, and with a few mods it's already more than enough to keep me grinnin'.

 

The S2000, to my eye, is simply one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It is the classic looking sports roadster, low slung, with a long, sleek hood.

 

^ Exactly...I never get tired of looking at it, either. A really, really beautiful car!

 

Hey Ms Perky, I also went from an older model to a 2006. I wish someone would tell me how to change my profile. (hint hint)

 

^ On MyS2K page, see the left menu - Personal Profile/Edit Profile Info. You should be able to update the car info there. At least members can. Try it!

 

CBR22 and SMURF2K, I couldn't agree with you more. Great points made.

Mr. vishnus11, I think we share the same brain. Lol. Excellent description. I could really feel your enthusiasm and passion for the car. This is how we always hope to feel when we buy a sports car. Unfortunately, for most, it doesnt happen. Examples:

My first Nissan 240sx hatch (1991): More of an econo car at the time. Had a grinding 2nd gear. terribly slow. handled better than most japs but still tons of slop and body roll. Tons of vibrations, rattles and creaks.

My second Nissan 240sx hatch (1993): Serious project car. Much quicker and more solid than the previous one. Reliable as hell. Still slow for a sports car but torquey with its 2.4L 4-banger. Still handled well but with tons of body roll. Medorcre brakes. After upgrading brakes, suspension, chasis, engine, transmission, etc, it became much more car than it was but I was still dissapointed. Still had too much body roll, still rattled, lacked responsiveness despite making 300whp/262wtq. The car was just lacking and after having spent $18K in mods, I still felt the need to spend more to attempt to make it what I wanted it to be. MONEY PITT.

My E46 BMW 323I sport (2000): Great car. Solid, torquey, great looking, status booster/luxurious appeal/penis enlarger. Decent brakes, too much body roll and understeer. After easily spending 10K in mods (5spd swap, short shifter, Dinan CAI, Dinan exhaust, large and wide agressive wheels and tires, and a bunch of cosmetic stuff), it was still a sports SEDAN with much emphasis on SEDAN. It was also very expensive to maintain therefore making me scared to drive it hard. No sense in having to baby the car 95% of the time.

We are the lucky few to have found our dream sports car- the one that meets our every need, fuels our souls, relieves our stress, and brings us true, unadulterated happiness.
When all things aren't going the way we want them to in our hectic everyday lives (our wifes/girlfriends, our kids, our jobs, school, bills, etc), at least we have one thing we can rely on to momentarily take the pain away. For that short drive, we are free.

 

We need to make a new "feature" on the S2ki homepage called "quote of the month"

And then we need to put WilliamS2k's quote on there.