There are plenty of 16-18 year old driver who have had their S2000 as their first car on this forum.

 

My father taught me how to drive in a 1987 Cutlass. First thing he did was take me to an empty, snow-covered parking lot and told me to get it loose, do donuts, etc. Just learn how to control the car. Rear wheel drive is nothing to be afraid of. Ohhh Nooo.

 

Life is too short. Get what you want. Hopefully it doesn't make it shorter.

 

I agree. I think the "OMG the tail is gonna kick out and he'll die" statement is over reacting. For example, I had an '03 Cobra with 450whp and that thing really was dangerous. If you wanted traction on dry ground you had to use drag radials otherwise it would spin through 3rd on street tires. However, on drag radials the car would EASILY kick out in the rain at 50 mph in 5th/6th gear (and that's driving straight down the road). As long as the guy doesn't go straight out acting crazy then he will be fine. You can always go out with him too and give him some pointers

 

Its really not that hard of a car to control.

...but if you are concerned, suggest a miata, probably the most manageable rwd car. Hanging the rear end loose in a miata is as drama free as could be.

 

The S2000 is underpowered? I suppose it is compared to a Corvette Z06 or a Nissan GTR, but in my experience the S2000 has plenty of power to make the back end brake loose. I've done this several times on trackdays and autocrosses, once at Little Tally in spectacular fashion.

However, I do agree that folks sometimes paint the S2000 as a psychopathic monster capable of switching ends while cruising on the interstate. Obviously, there is some cause for concern when a new driver takes an S2000 as his or her first car due to the number of threads starting with: "So I just got this new badass car, but I was driving just like I normally do in the rain and it spun for no reason."
If it's the car you want and you have the means get it, but any short wheel base rear wheel drive sports car with a decent amount of power deserves a little respect from its driver. This goes for 911s, 944s(well the turbo at any rate), RX-7s, etc.

 

Share the love.

 

its fine, got mine at age 23. wait, the difference is maturity. Well got your point as well. If he is a reckless driver, wear and tear will get his $$$ quickly. Not so cheap to maintain a s2 compare to civic. Still, if he mature enough, and with your teachings, I am sure he is fine.

 

well when i got my s as my first rwd car coming from awd didn't help me one bit. i would have rather first learned on rwd. As long as he takes it safe he'll be fine.

Thats what i did in the beginning. i use to turn off vsa and learn my car in parking lots and empty roads. Now i can turn off vsa and drive within my ability and push my car. All it takes is time and practice

 

I got the S2000 as my 2nd car at age 22 and taught myself how to drive manual on it. It's a common sense car to drive, don't do stupid ish, and you won't crash it.