except for the blowey uppy trans and mazda starting to not warranty it. at least they're cheap at 1500$ a pop

 

Can't even be friends anymore

 

Sorry dude.

Simply stating objective fact duderino. They have weird non carpet center consoles, bad rear bumpers and ugly radio doors. AP2 basically a Nissan Juke.

 

Now he's going after my beloved Nissan Juke?!?

 

To be fair they did warranty them many times, even if you told them you damaged them doing pro solos. Sucks that they are apparently stopping that though. Mazda still supports motorsports use of their cars more than any other normal manufacturer hands down though. I wish Honda supported it as well!

 

 

The S is a classic and still a capable vehicle. It was just a matter a time that another car would best the performance per dollar appeal of an S. But, it took 20 freakin' years for Miata to barely squeak by. I owned an NA for 17 years before I got my AP2; which I have owned for 11 years. I recall the NA being more nimble than the S, but the S turns me into a teenaged hooligan (almost) every time I drive it. The ND will not dethrone the S. Just look at all the respected and sought after older sports cars that can't hold a candle to the S; MG TD, TR3 & 4, Sprite, MGB , Morgan, etc.

 

OMG, did somebody swear in the S2K forum? Miata's, they call them MX-5's here in the UK. I guess if they had a slightly bigger engine that pushes out similar BHP, then you can compare the two together. Otherwise, there is no comparison.

S2K = Pure Rawness, sorry Awesomeness!
Miata = Little Miss Daisy, very toned down! Was this why they made so many versions of them in the last 20 years and the S2K only one original and the other tweaked?

Need I go on?

 

They call them MX-5's here too. Technically they were no longer supposed to be called Miata but that is what they are and the name stuck

So many versions?

S2000
AP1
AP1 facelift ("tweak")
Ap2 - Changed suspension geometry signficantly, changed wheel size, changed looks, change motor (not even the same displacement) , etc Hardly a "tweak"
CR - More stripped down version, some suspension differences
So 4 versions in 10 years

Miata
NA
NB
NC - Biggest change since inception by far prior to the ND
ND
Clubsport - This really is only the same car with more matched/hand picked components mostly. Not much different otherwise

So 5 "versions" in nearly 30 years lol

I dont like the styling of the old ones. But anyone who thinks they are not super capable on track has simply either never driven one on track/course or is just being hard headed. Easily handle as well as an S2k and a lot easier to learn to drive at the limit, which is a nice feature for many people.

Like I said, I really cant get with the looks of the old ones (the new one is better but I still like the S2k a lot more in that area) but they are great cars performance wise. So many people wanting to compare "sports cars" that only seem to want to talk about power. In that case you should just go buy a muscle car. You can easily find more power for not much money, and go kill most things stoplight to stoplight. I mean if power is all you care about then you dont really need a sports car for that. Drop an LS into a cheap has hell used Foxbody and you will KILL an S2000 for a lot less money in a straight line. "Sports car" covers a lot of features, with handling being a very important one.

But in general these comparisons are dumb. A miata is excellent that the things it is good at. The S2k is excellent at the things it is good at. Looks? Well most prefer the S2k, but that is all 100% subjective and is a dumb thing to argue. We are comparing cars far separated in time and available technology. NA miata owners hearing people talk about how much better the S2k was could also say "well it took honda 10 years to catch up!" lol. Now S2k owners are saying the same about the ND. I find the fanboyism and brandism quite funny in automotive circles. I guess I get it to some degree, but we can like multiple cars without hurting the S2000's feelings I mean, I autocross an ND, track the S2k and it has not yet told me it was hurt and wanted a divorce because I was cheating.

 

I'm relatively new to the S2000, having purchased my 2008 at the end of January. My comparison is not track related; just street driving. And my S2000 has 48k miles, Skunk2 headers, high flow cat, Invidia Q300 cat-back, Injen CAI, and Tein coilovers. Stock Honda wheels and tire sizes and Conti Extremes on all corner.

I test drove a Fiat 124 convertible and an 2019 Miata ND2 RF Grand Touring before purchase of my S2k. The Miata was clearly head and shoulders above the Fiat 124.

Comparing my S2k setup to the Miata ND2 RF, I'll take my S2k every time. The Mazda is fun to drive but not anywhere near as much fun as my S2000. It has substantially body roll even in the GT edition. Its slightly roomier (for my shoulders, which are hemmed in in the S2k) but I don't find the driving range to be any better than my S2000). It's not as driver focused as the S2k, more of a sport-luxury instead of sport-race. The S2000's chassis is definitely stiffer. And my S2k inspires confidence that I can't overdrive it; that the S2k is more capable than what I will challenge it to do (age 64). Top down, I saw more windshield movement in the ND2 than I did in the S2000. The ND2 is a better daily driver—but I have another car for that purpose which is easier to get in an out of, quieter, carries more people and cargo, and has better sound system. I wouldn't dream of using my S2000 for a daily drive. It's a FUN car to drive that puts a grin on my face virtually every time I'm behind the wheel with the top down. And I want that feeling to stay.

I did drive a 2007 S2000 that was fully stock before I purchased my S2k. And I will say that car did not excite me to drive it like my 2008 S2k. It felt good, suspension seemed to have a better ride (before I got the Teins dialed in for good ride with uncompromised handling). I don't know that the performance was dramatically different (although it felt and sounded different). So perhaps the ND2 might be a good challenger for that car.

But what I wanted again was a sport touring motorcycle. But with age and back problems, that option was eliminated. My S2k gives me that fun and freedom feeling. The ND2 just wasn't quite there. Final nail was depreciation. Since the S2k is going up in value and the ND2 goes down, made an easy choice saving possibly $8k-$10k out the door and more in the future.