There is a difference between a 10 seconds to 60mph El Dorado's (which, by the way, only came with 3-sp autos. At least the late 60's on up did.) and a peaky 240hp lightweight S2000. So, the older cars were mostly all RWD, but with their heft and lack of speed, who cares? My grandma drove one! And, yes, there were fast RWD/manual cars back then, too. What you forgot to mention were all of the youngsters (back in those days) that bought 69 SS's and wrecked them the day after, because they couldn't control the power, and probably from the lack of experience driving a powerful RWD manual car.

Even those old muscle cars are easier to drive than the S2000. Drove a Mustang GT and it was way easier to drive and felt more planted. Torque was always there, so those accidental "ooops, I put it into 2nd instead of 1st, so now I have to watch the guy behind me put on his brakes and watch the speedo slowly climb" moments were not there.

Everybody has their opinions about what's right. Personally, I will never put an inexperienced kid behind a wheel of a powerful, peaky, RWD car. Just like I won't suggest a 600cc SuperSport bike to someone who's ridden automatic mopeds all their life.

 

i was 23 when i started lookin at S2ks and i always went after work, so i was wearin either business casual or professional, usually with my laptop bag in the car making it very clear that i have a good job and the money for it.

if the sales guy thinks you're young and stupid, or young and have no money, your experience at a dealer will suck. if you can't pull off looking older or looking respectable, bring mom or dad along.

 

I certainly feel sorry for your child(ren)!


The S2000 is NOT powerful and, because of the peaky powerband, the driver really has to be trying to get the revs up there to get into any kind of trouble. My S never steps out of line without me trying very hard to get it to so.

All I know is when my children are old enough to drive (assuming we still have internal combustion engines and manual transmissions ) the first thing they are going to learn how to do is drive stick and do it well. I'm going to breed me some race car drivers!

 

Profiling definitely sucks. I get crappy service everywhere I go. I guess I sort of look punky, and no, I'm not young....

Kicker was I was ready to buy an S2K with cash from a local dealer (used 06), I even brought half the payment in cash and the other half with a blank check. All I wanted to do was test drive the bloody thing to make sure it was okay.

Salesman balked, gave me some BS story about a part being removed from the steering column so it was undriveable at the time. I laughed in his face, showed him the $, and then walked out.

I called him up on the way home, ridiculed him more b/c he couldn't tell me which part was out of the steering wheel.

I went back later after I imported my car from the States, went to look for him, asked him if he remembered me, and then showed him the car I now own, and thanked him wholeheartedly that he didn't sell me his car, but I bought it for $15,000 CAD cheaper.

I had a great day.

 

I'm super glad my father had the same outlook as you! Day the training wheels came off the ol' bicycle, the Yamaha Y-Zingger found its way through my mother's disapproval and into the garage.

Since then, its been "teach the kid the proper way to handle high performance" and "proper gear is the most important aftermarket accessory"

Hours of practice on ice covered parking lots, track days, and other "suitable safe locations" have, at least in my opinion, have turned out a descent driver who knows his limits.

Besides just being fun, learning how and where to properly take advantage of high performance, its safe. Beyond understanding that racing on streets is just dumb and tracks are abundant and available, when conditions deteriorate, and something goes wrong.... i have many more tools available and experience in possible recovery techniques than all of my friends whose parents though that safe meant something else....

 

You can feel sorry for my children, but at least they will have a better chance of survival than yours.

The S2000 is not powerful? A stock car capable of 13 second passes and the king of A-Stock is not fast? Can't get it to "step out"? Seems like you're the one that's in need of more experience in driving.

Driver does not need to "get the revs up there" to get into trouble. Ask those that crashed their cars going around a corner, shifting from 1st to 2nd in the low-mid rev range. Those that lifted mid-corner and wrapped their cars around a tree. Those that started braking at the apex and skidded right into the guard rail.

And I did not say I wasn't going to let them drive a manual. I think it's essential that everyone know how to, just in case of an emergency. My children will drive a stick. But it will be a low powered Civic or Corolla until they get a hang of things. They will go to organized events, like auto-x's, to properly and safely learn how to control a car. You do what you like with your children, but if you're going to teach them how to drive, I suggest you learn to respect a fast car like the S2000 and be cautious of youth/inexperience + power. Go out and do a couple of auto-x events. You will probably respect your car a lot more.

 

Thanks for all the good replies, this community is cool. I feel like the maturity level here is several grades higher than in a lot of other car forums.

thebig33tuna,

I think you're right, when I went to the dealership it was right after work and I happened to be dressed formally with a laptop bag!

Anyways, some of the prices for 04/05's look pretty attractive. If I can get one for $17k-$18k that would be one hell of a deal. I've been a Honda guy for some time and so I don't think high mileage is something to be worried about, my Accord has been bullet-proof. Maybe I should wait until fall/winter if the prices go even lower.

For all of you who bought private party, did you have the car inspected by a dealership before buying?

ZSAK,

Thats encouraging, don't worry, I'll drive like a grandma.

 

Oh and ZSAK, i'm not a Patel but I've known plenty

 

I drove my first S2000 without knowing manual, I purchased it online. Wow, what a rush when I got it rolling in first-then second.

 

bought mine on Ebay.

The dealer would not talk to me. I asked specifically if i could go for a test drive, and that i was willing to make a deal on the one they had in the parking lot.

The sales lady said that it was "company policy" to not test drive S2000. I told her that i was just about to graduate, had some money burning holes in my pockets but since i am a big boy (6'4") i wanted to make sure that i fit before i dropped $40k (CAN).

She was not having it. Would not even unlock it so i could sit in it.

You could have seen her face when i came back 2 weeks later. She thought i was there to make a deal. I played along, and this time she let me sit in it, but still no go for the ride.

When we got back inside, she asked if i wanted to sit down to talk numbers. I told her that was a very nice offer, but mine was the yellow one in the shop, getting the oil changed.

You should have seen her face. It was priceless.

The one I bought on ebay, i had checked out at the local dealer in Denver. I had them do a pre-purchase inspection and give the results directly to me (not the seller)

as it turned out, that dealership had taken care of that car since it was new (both owners brought her there for maint)

worked out very well IMO