Old racer

I've had my Triumph TR7 & TR8 for 12 & 14 years. Both are fully restored, & were my daily drivers for years. Still even in great condition, they are older cars, & required a fair bit of maintenance.

I live 25 Kilometres from town, so every trip is a drive in the country. I might as well enjoy these drives with a fun car. I went looking for a daily driver that was really realiable, but offered enjoyable driving. I tried the Porsches, Jags, BMWs, Mazdas & all the rest, even a couple of 4 seat convertibles, & bought a couple including a Peugeot 306 my youngest daughter still drives.

I had decided to simply wear out & re-restore my Triumphs as required when a friend suggested the S2000. I had never even seen one, you don't get many Hondas out here in the Oz bush. I knew it was the answer after the first drive, but it took 5 months to find my 27,500 kilometres, [17,000 miles] 2001 in mint condition. I probably paid far too much for the thing because of the mileage & condition, but the 250 kilometres drive home on some highway & some back roads convinced me I'd done the right thing.

So at 72 I became the proud owner of my S2000, & tend to go the long way to my destination, every time I get in it. 3 years later it is not such a low mileage car, but I've enjoyed putting every one of those extra miles on it, & expect to continue that for many more years.

Anyone who likes driving should not muck around. They should get into one yesterday, if not sooner, & rediscover some of the joy in life, destroyed by most modern shopping trolleys people drive.

rob-2

Buy a GT4.

The S2000 is a great car, truly loved mine for the 100k I drove it but it's so limited inside and the cabin is small. There are many other cars to buy that are more thrilling and more comfortable.

I don't miss my S2000 for a moment.

romeo2

I am 68 and I wouldn't have anything else (except perhaps a Cayman GTS if money were no object). In my view the s2000 is exceeded in looks and driving fun only by my other "Honda", it's big brother, my MY2000 NSX. There is a common thead here - both are Hondas (reliability), both were (and I would argue even still are) technologically way ahead of their time and the competition of the day (and even some current stuff), have impeccable ergonomics and engineering, and the fun factor in driving them each is ASTRONOMIC (in fact the S2000 is even a little more nimble than the NSX in my view). I would point you in the direction of a MY2006 or later in your hunting. And I would recommend putting a set of rear fender liners on it because when you get it you will want to hang on to it for a long time and they will help keep the rust at bay on the rear wheel arches and keep all the crud out of your rear end. Go for it - you won't regret it!

pwrinxs

I'm curious to hear on what other cars you find more thrilling that is a driver's car like the s2000. Money is not really an issue but I have failed to find anything that gives me the kind of feeling this car does. And I think the design and looks are timeless for this car which is now 15 years old.

So I've already got the car I wanted when I'm 70 and retired. Now I'm just waiting the few decades until I reach that age. If you're thinking of buying one, stop wasting time and just do it. Worst case scenario, if you're patient when you buy it you can sell it for a bit more than what you spent in the rare instance you don't like it ;-)

RMurphy

Excellent topic for discussion. The question comes up frequently. There are dozens of threads on that exact topic in Car Talk. I definitely recommend you check those out. Very interesting comparisons of cars which are not S2000s.

pwrinxs

Thanks but I've followed most of those threads already. In the end, nothing stacks up for me. I was just curious how Rob got over his s2000 and doesn't miss it. I want to keep mine until my end but I always worry I will lose it if it's ever wrecked or stolen.

lencap

Had my heart broken yesterday. Found a 2004 white/tan 12K mile two owner car in my neighborhood!! Contact the seller within hours of his craigslist post. Tried to arrange to see the car immediately, but he asked me to wait until Saturday. I told him I'm ready to go and could see it immediately. He said Saturday.

Saturday arrived, I called at 9AM, no answer, left message. At 1PM I got a call telling me he sold the car to someone from out of town. I wasn't very happy, called him back and he told me that he could sell his car to whoever he wanted and that I shouldn't bother him anymore. Yes, he can sell it to whoever he wants, but I still am frustrated. It wasn't a matter of money, I never balked at his 25K asking price, I just couldn't get him to arrange for me to see it.

Sometimes things are meant to be, and sometimes they're not. Maybe my S2000 quest is over. Hard to believe I'll find another in the condition of this car.

S2K Al

Thanks but I've followed most of those threads already. In the end, nothing stacks up for me. I was just curious how Rob got over his s2000 and doesn't miss it. I want to keep mine until my end but I always worry I will lose it if it's ever wrecked or stolen.
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If money is really not an object, then you simply have not driven enough cars. The S2000 driving experience is definitely thrilling and for the money, most are hard-pressed to find a comparable car. But I'd be willing to bet that if you gave any member on here a blank check and let them take their pick on Dupont Registry's car section, they'd find a 100% satisfying replacement very easily and quickly.

OP: Sucks to hear, but it is important that you don't let frustration color your buying decision on future S2000's and cause you to jump into an example that you really shouldn't. My S2000 purchase happened pretty fast, in part due to the fact that it was a single-owner with 2400miles on the clock, but mostly due to the fact that I had missed out on several great examples years and years previously. I won't lie, I sometimes regret the purchase and I know that it was largely driven by my "don't-want-to-miss-out-again" mentality. But in hindsight, the only somewhat realistic car that might have been equally satisfying was the Boss 302, but that would have put me a bit further out of my monthly-payment comfort zone than I was willing to be. And that car had compromises too, of course.

Adrenalize

That sucks man Those do not come up for sale very often.

But don't worry, be patient and check the online listings frequently. I'm sure another gem will pop up

pwrinxs

Thanks but I've followed most of those threads already. In the end, nothing stacks up for me. I was just curious how Rob got over his s2000 and doesn't miss it. I want to keep mine until my end but I always worry I will lose it if it's ever wrecked or stolen.
[/quote]

If money is really not an object, then you simply have not driven enough cars. The S2000 driving experience is definitely thrilling and for the money, most are hard-pressed to find a comparable car. But I'd be willing to bet that if you gave any member on here a blank check and let them take their pick on Dupont Registry's car section, they'd find a 100% satisfying replacement very easily and quickly.

OP: Sucks to hear, but it is important that you don't let frustration color your buying decision on future S2000's and cause you to jump into an example that you really shouldn't. My S2000 purchase happened pretty fast, in part due to the fact that it was a single-owner with 2400miles on the clock, but mostly due to the fact that I had missed out on several great examples years and years previously. I won't lie, I sometimes regret the purchase and I know that it was largely driven by my "don't-want-to-miss-out-again" mentality. But in hindsight, the only somewhat realistic car that might have been equally satisfying was the Boss 302, but that would have put me a bit further out of my monthly-payment comfort zone than I was willing to be. And that car had compromises too, of course.
[/quote]

I've driven most of the cars on discussion threads here from the Porches and BMWs and Lotus to several other vehicles. Satisfaction in a car can come from other aspects besides just driving and that's where a lot of cars don't make the mark in my book. Just one example...the ease with which I or anyone else can work on this car and what it costs to do maintenance. So its not about a blank check because honestly I don't buy cars on monthly payments and I have much better things to do with money such as charity and philanthropy than to drop it on a 6 figure car. Maybe something in that range can give any other member on here a 100% satisfying replacement but not me.