Haha I would get that in a heartbeat if they sold it in the US .

 

First of all, a quick note...
If you enjoyed driving up the RPMs and lovely exhaust note, you'll LOVE vtec. Absolutely no doubt, the noise from the engine will probably make you tune out that sweet exhaust note you're talking about. its such a rush to shit at redline.



IMO this last sentence alone rules out the s2k. S2k isn't known for its straight line acceleration

That leaves the 370z and the EVO
You said you have a daily so you don't need the EVO for the 4 seats.
370z looks way better than the EVO. ESPECIALLY to chicks!

Sounds like the 370z to me!

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I'll be heading out shortly to go and drive the three that I mentioned. I'll be sure to write a comprehensive review comparing the three just in case someone else every comes across this decision!

 

First off--you're just in college, already have a DD, and can't decide between the sports cars you listed for a "fun" car? What a bad problem to have!!

I live in south FL and got my S2K in March brand new--I also looked at the 370Z, but after leather and the sports package, that car is a freakin wrip-off IMO and I walked out the dealership. 30 minutes later (literally), I had test driven a S2000, and was purchasing my baby for $6 grand off MSRP, and about $10 grand less than the damn 370! At the time, that was my biggest motivation, but now after owning it for 6 months, I LOVE this car! It's been said in some of the other posts, but the main thing is this car just "feels" right and becomes a part of you. I had fully planned on only owning it for a few years until I could afford the Porsche I want, but now, I plan on keeping it for a LONG time and retiring it from DD use eventually if I still want a Porsche, but still keeping it in the garage for those nice sunny FL weekends!

If I were you (especially since you already have a DD), I'd only be between the S2K and 370, and the S2K would win out because of the conv. and fun to drive factor. I even use mine as a DD, and I love it (I actually couldn't imagine not doing that because otherwise I know I would be anxious to drive it all the time!)
BTW--look for any 2008's left over in dealers--you could get a SMOKIN deal now if they are any left.

 

take the 370 but wait til next year all 1st year cars have bugs

 

Alright well I finally did my test drives, consecutively over the week to get a good feel for all the cars I've driven. Out of all the cars I've driven were the 370z, Evo X MR, Hyundai Genesis Coupe, and GTR.... but lets not get into the GTR hehe. I wasn't able to drive an s2000 unfortunately since no one has one available and if I'm looking into getting a new one, then it would have to be pulled from out of state. I've found a nice stretch of dealerships that had all cars that I wanted to purchase so what's great about that is that there were a series of turns and bends off I-75 that I could get a good feel of the cars and all salesmen were happy to let me rip on some of their demo cars.

The 370z was the first car I had my opportunity to drive in. Overall it was a great car and was my initial choice from the beginning. Exterior is great, looks amazing in all colors; interior has a nicer finish due to the soft texture of the dash and center console. Seats were pretty firm and comfy for me and I had no problem getting adjusted to the blind spots and rear view. While I actually got on the car, it had very solid acceleration. While the clutch and gas felt a tad soft, it pulled through every gear and it kept a smile on my face. On a couple of bends, the car definitely gripped the hell out of the road; at one point the salesmen told me to go easy on the bends (third time going around) and as I was about to make the turn... I downshifted, got onto the accelerator, and he uttered, "oh god". I felt bad for the man since he was about 60 years old, but he said I really kicked his ass on the ride. Only gripes are the fact that I can't get the color I want and shifter/clutch/gas pedal don't feel as solid as I expected them to. Some people mentioned the engine note sounding horrid after 5k, but I thought it was lovely.

LOOK AND FEEL: 4/5 -need to do something about the front
ENGINE: 5/5 - not boosted, but amazing for N/A
HANDLING: 5/5 - amazing road holding capabilities, destroyed the turns
PRICE: 3/5 - could be a bit cheaper, but hey I'm cheap!

OVERALL: 5/5 - I love this car... I feel it's the one I want to buy.

The genesis coupe 3.8 and 2.0 were definitely not on my list for cars to drive, but I felt I should check them out. Dealership was dead, gentleman that helped me said he'd convince me to get the 3.8 over the 370z any day. He brought his 3.8 out that was fully loaded and told me to hop in the passenger seat. He surprised the hell out of me when he was taking his turns and sliding through the corners; I felt a need to show him that he wasn't going to one-up me. Turns were great, felt just as good as the 370z; shifting was great with the paddles since it has an amazing manufacturer building the AT transmissions. Acceleration was good for a V6, but the chassis felt heavier than it needed to be. I'd say this car is a step down compared to the 370z... I could imagine a blacked out gen coupe with Volks and LED tails would look great. Only difference on the 2.0 is that it felt weaker, I went WOT and it was not going fast at all... when shifting, the RPM's would hang for a second or two and then drop (I know there is a fix for this but still...)

LOOK AND FEEL: 4/5 - it would have a 5/5 if it had the 370z's ass
ENGINE: 3/5 - could feel the heaviness, RPM's hanging, not as fast as 370z
HANDLING: 4/5 - heaviness and it wasn't road holding like the 370z, felt the rear slip a lot since I was really getting on it.
PRICE: 5/5 - 2.0t is such a bargain and the 3.8 is still very good

OVERALL: 4/5 -If I wanted a cheaper 370z, this would be it.

As I drove away in dismay since 3 Honda dealers had NO s2000's whatsoever -- I drove off to two Mitsubishi dealerships. First one had an MR, but since it was dead and they praise that car like it's Allah, they would not help me at all (horrible service Bill Seidle's Mitsubishi). Second dealership had a Graphite Grey MR left on their lots and already started the car for me. First thing is first, I LOVE ME SOME BOOST! While it didn't kick in until 2.5k - 3k RPM's, the turbo definitely put a smile on my face. He showed me some back roads where I really got a chance to push myself in the seat and boy was it fun; I hate turbo lag on the other hand... Turns were definitely different as I could do turns at crazy speeds and the AYC / AWC would do everything for me, not something I necessarily like since it doesn't challenege me. Car looked good and put a nice grin on my face when I got on it. Salesman offered me the car for 34k with the 2k rebate, so I'm still deciding on that. It really has come down to the Evo X and 370z...

LOOK AND FEEL: 4/5 - interior was so-so, exterior was very aggressive
ENGINE: 5/5 - turbo and "push me back into my seat" feeling, even better with a tune
HANDLING: 4/5 - it does everything for me, but at the same token I want to be challenged
PRICE: 3/5 - 34k after rebate... meh

OVERALL: 5/5 - this is THE car I am comparing to the 370z plus it has 4 seats!

Right now I'm still debating on both cars as I like them both equally, but for different purposes. The 370z has an exotic look to it along with nicer refinements; it's also cheaper than the Evo X MR. I'm still leaning towards the 370z since it's been the car I've wanted for a while and because it has a great NA feel to it. The Evo X MR is great mainly because of it's aggressive looks, boost, and AWD nature. I'll be going back tomorrow to check them out, but as of right now I think I still like the 370z. Only reason I haven't listed the s2000 is because I haven't test driven one recently and it's going to be hard to allocate one...

If you guys have any comments to my test drives or and opinions, please feel free to share them!

 

Frack I hate dealerships and the bs they feed you.

First off, you ARE someone interested in buying the car, so you should test drive it the way you want. Second, if the car is that easily ruined by going WOT, it's a pile of garbage. Third, if they want to sell a sports car, they better let customers test their sports cars as if they are sports cars. Putzing around slowly in a residential area gives you no idea about what a sports car can do. FFS, a Toyota Camry would drive nicer in a residential area.

If you are a car salesman reading this, then #### YOU.

 

Wish I had that mentality when I go on test drives =/

 

Now, I apologize for not reading the entire thread. But then you're comparing an S2000 (roadster), 370Z (coupe), and EvoX (sedan), it sounds like you don't really know what you want. And in all honesty, maybe you shouldn't be looking at other people to help make your decision when you are comparing apples and oranges. The S2000's typical competitors are the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster, and Mazda MX-5.

 

Go test drive a used S2000 at the very least before you make your decision. Drop the top as well, you'll probably fall in love...