miata compared to s2000
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Joined: Jun 2003
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From: www
I'm planning on getting either an S2000 or an Elise soon. Barring unforseen circumstances, I don't plan on getting rid of my M1 Miata. I have a couple solid days worth of S2000 wheel time and several years of Miata ownership under my belt. My thoughts are this...
Miatas are some of the most reliable cars on the road, even compared to economy cars. The S2000 has yet to prove its reliability over hundreds of thousands of owner miles and a decade's worth of time, although I have no doubt that it could. The driving is better in the S2000 no question. I still think the Miata with short shift and Redline MTL is better than the S2000 shifter but the acceleration, seat design, controls, excellent brakes, and general solidness of the chassis more than make up for it. Doing all of your own maintenance and tuning on the Miata is not only easy, it is dirt cheap. The advantage to having so many Miatas on the road is the gigantic aftermarket - almost like the Civic aftermarket. On Miata.net you can find guides to doing any common mechanical task for free, and there are a ton of helpful people. Also the owner community is extremely diverse. You'll meet hardcore performance nuts with 302 CID V-8 Monster Miatas and also the moms that buy the teddy bear alloy wheels for their cars and put smiley teeth in the grille. In the mid 1990s the Miata Club was the biggest auto club in the world and it may still be that way. You can be a poor graduate student and still afford to trick your Miata, which I cannot say for the S2000.
The original formula of the 116 bhp 1.6L Miata was just about perfect for its time. I think that in the years since, an escalating race to higher bhp and more gadgets has put the Miata out of its element. It was intended to be something like an Elan or MG but many orders of magnitude more reliable. In that role, the Miata helped re-create the roadster market and save it from the margins of auto history. The current Miata still has remnants of this design ethos but I don't feel the same sense of fun when driving the new ones. When I have more money to spend I'll probably expect more out of a car which is why something like the S2000 or Elise should fit the bill.
1991 Classic Red Miata, purchased used for $6500, 110k mi later - never one single mechanical or electronic failure of any kind.
Miatas are some of the most reliable cars on the road, even compared to economy cars. The S2000 has yet to prove its reliability over hundreds of thousands of owner miles and a decade's worth of time, although I have no doubt that it could. The driving is better in the S2000 no question. I still think the Miata with short shift and Redline MTL is better than the S2000 shifter but the acceleration, seat design, controls, excellent brakes, and general solidness of the chassis more than make up for it. Doing all of your own maintenance and tuning on the Miata is not only easy, it is dirt cheap. The advantage to having so many Miatas on the road is the gigantic aftermarket - almost like the Civic aftermarket. On Miata.net you can find guides to doing any common mechanical task for free, and there are a ton of helpful people. Also the owner community is extremely diverse. You'll meet hardcore performance nuts with 302 CID V-8 Monster Miatas and also the moms that buy the teddy bear alloy wheels for their cars and put smiley teeth in the grille. In the mid 1990s the Miata Club was the biggest auto club in the world and it may still be that way. You can be a poor graduate student and still afford to trick your Miata, which I cannot say for the S2000.
The original formula of the 116 bhp 1.6L Miata was just about perfect for its time. I think that in the years since, an escalating race to higher bhp and more gadgets has put the Miata out of its element. It was intended to be something like an Elan or MG but many orders of magnitude more reliable. In that role, the Miata helped re-create the roadster market and save it from the margins of auto history. The current Miata still has remnants of this design ethos but I don't feel the same sense of fun when driving the new ones. When I have more money to spend I'll probably expect more out of a car which is why something like the S2000 or Elise should fit the bill.
1991 Classic Red Miata, purchased used for $6500, 110k mi later - never one single mechanical or electronic failure of any kind.
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Boise
It seemed, when the Miata first became available in the US, that there very few real sports cars (or even sporty cars) on the US market. A fellow could buy a Corvette or one of the more exclusive European cars, but the major manufacturers did not seem to think there was a market for a car without room for a gaggle of kids.
The Miata was a huge success, and showed that a car can be both impractical and profitable. Other manufacturers followed suit.
In that sense, I think that the Miata opened the door for all of the sports car choices we have today.
The Miata was a huge success, and showed that a car can be both impractical and profitable. Other manufacturers followed suit.
In that sense, I think that the Miata opened the door for all of the sports car choices we have today.
the Miata! We owe the roadster revolution to it.
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Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Bay Area
Originally posted by tokyo_james
I drove an early Miata for a while and I would say that the steering feel in the S is head and shoulders above the feel from that Miata .... but as Chazmo said, maybe the feel got better in later models ??
I drove an early Miata for a while and I would say that the steering feel in the S is head and shoulders above the feel from that Miata .... but as Chazmo said, maybe the feel got better in later models ??
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From: Hong Kong
[QUOTE]Originally posted by REV IT
[B]i like the S because everytime you see another S on the road, you know that person is serious about cars. anyone can buy an automatic z3, z4, boxster, slk, tt, etc and drive it around town for show, but when you see an S, you know they know whats up.
[B]i like the S because everytime you see another S on the road, you know that person is serious about cars. anyone can buy an automatic z3, z4, boxster, slk, tt, etc and drive it around town for show, but when you see an S, you know they know whats up.