Well after my unfortunate mishap with my 01 last weekend, I've decided to trade in for something new. I've been doing some prelim research between different models : STI, G35, GTI, and Evo. The STI is a wicked car. The dowsides are thin paint, unappealing interior and the fact that it burns oil. The G35 is nice, but I heard the 6spd trannies are garbage and many need to be replaced. The GTI....well, I did the VW thing...don't want to go down that road again.And the evo is just not visually appealing with cheap interior. So I keep coming back to the S. I'm considering an white 06 with black interior and OEM hardtop. It's by far the most impractical of all the choices being's how it's not good for the winter and has very little room, but it's a honda, and it's a solid car. There's really no other flaws that I can come up with. I'm really trying to rationalize this to myself because I know I'll miss mine when it's gone. I really want some opinions here. Also just a couple of questions. Will the coilovers (H&R) that I bought for the 01 fit the 06 model? Also how much additional is the hardtop option??

 

I understand why you keep coming back to the S2000. After 4 years with my 01 S2000 I feel my eyes wandering quite a bit. Usually STI's and Evo 8's. But I think I'll have an anxiety attack if I sell it and see an S2000 coming the other way. I know a 4 door AWD makes more sense but practicality be damned.

 

bump ttt

 

What's wrong with your 01 that you want to let it go?

 

Not sure where you heard that the STi burns oil. I have followed the threads over on NASIOC since before the STi came out, and have not seen any posts about widespread oil consumption. If it were a problem, we would have heard about it there for sure. My Outback XT has a slightly less demonic version of that same 2.5H4 turbo and I haven't had to add any oil between changes (7500 interval).

Now, if someone breaks-in an engine improperly, or doesn't break it in at all, ANY engine from ANY manufacturer can develop an oil problem.

Craig

 

Evo!!!

 

The G35 is a good option, but I don't enjoy the shifter feel. That's a personal thing, so you'd have to try one out.

The STi is a nice car, but it's not going to be nearly as fun. I wouldn't worry about thin paint and burning oil... people say the same things about the S.

The 06 S might not be so bad. A hardtop is going to make it much more comfortable. VSC will help make the car winter-friendly.

 

I was in your shoes except I didn't have a S2000 prior. I wanted a nice car to drive, that was quick and handled well. I'm a Honda guy, but really wanted to go another direction. It went kind of like this.

1. Evo - Nahh, fast, but I'm not 18, and I hated the F&F (ditto for the Sti). It's a Mitsubishi, which is no Honda, and you should know what that means.
2. Sti - Nicer than Evo to me, still fast, but can't do the wing, but would rather have N/A, RWD.
3. G35 - Came real close, but just got tired of dealing with their salesmen and Infiniti in general. Lots of nuances with that car that I don't want to deal with + a shit transmission in my opinion. I'm not going for clutch chatter/shudder in the pedal and be told it's normal on a 30k + car. + everyone has one now, everyone.

Ideally, I would love a Honda RWD coupe. V6, 5.0 sec to 60MPH, or faster. Pull S2k level skidpad numbers or higher. Less dampening interior materials are fine for the interior if it keeps the weight of the car down. $30k-40k price range. Excellent brakes. Navi as only option a la their Acura Lineup. I'd buy this fugger, and wouldn't buy another sportscar for at least a decade. Why they don't build this, I have no idea. Basically a Honda G35 with more emphasis on performance than luxury. Cheaper version of a M3, etc. They could build it quite easily, but they are quite a defensive company as you know.

S2k is as close as it gets for me and I'm happy with that.