You wanna cruise "route 66 style"? Get a Lexus or a Mercedes. The comfort is first class, and every cop along the way will ignore you completely.

Unless you plan to REALLY cruise route 66 and stop at every cool litte road side display and burg along the way. In that case, the S will be a blast.

Explanation: the cabin is small and cramped, little room for snacks, sodas, etc. and the trunk is only designed to support a bare minimalist form of travel. If your wife travels like most, you need a bigger trunk for any distance traveling. You will have to spend $$ on UPS shipping home all those trinkets for the grandkids. But then, that will save you a visit upon return.

Hmmm. Your call

 

i think it depends a lot on the route... forget freeway driving for our car- it is meant for windy country roads.
imo, better for shorter distances. its a sportscar (and a great one at that!) not a luxury cruiser.

 

The S2000 is really a sports car and it sounds like you would be more comfortable with a GT. Perhaps a G35 coupe would be a better fit for your planned use.

 

Many people always ask me about my car and how does it drive. The easiest way I explain the S2000 to them is to tell them that it is a no frills, bare bones, all out sports car. You can feel, hear, and smell everything that is going on with the engine and the tires.

This is what I love about it though. It really puts you in the drivers seat in every sense of the phrase.

 

If you want a two-seater convertible I think the 350Z might be better suited for x-country touring. You might want to read the Aug '03 Road and Track that does a head-to-head on these two cars. (I think the difference between the "old" s2k and '04 is minimal for your kind of use.) If you're considering the s2k I'm sure you're well aware of the lack of interior space for spreading out road snacks and maps in these types of cars.

However, if the x-country thing is a rare occassion and you'll spend most your time on weekend or day drives on twisty roads, the s2k is the way to go.

 

try a cadillac escalade. I guarantee you'll like the ride across the country.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jaygeo
as I near retirement, for the purpose of driving excitement AND tour across the country with my wife.

 

It really depends on you and your point of view. If you think that touring should be done in air conditioned comfort, isolated from the noise, bumps and fuss of the road, the S2000 is not the car to do it in.

If on the other hand, you don't want to drive through the environment but instead be a part of it, get the S. I'm not sure what you mean by touring. If you mean long stretches on the interstate at high speed, there are other choices. If you mean getting off of the interstates and spending most of your time on the "blue highways" nothing comes close to the S. I suspect that long drives on the interstate are not what you have in mind, but rather shorter jumps from town to town just to see what there is to see. If that is the the case, the S is perfect.

It is as comfortable as any, and as far as luggage capacity, well, we always carry too much clothes anyway. The old adage about traveling in a sportscar is, "Bring half as much clothes and twice as much money as you think you'll need." (credit to dlq04) still is true. The difference is that the S will reliably get you there and back, unlike the MGs of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Underneath it all, it is still a Honda, and that is a very good thing.

There are a few participants on this board who are retired and tour, with their wives, in the S and in one case, in an old MGA. I know that they love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

As far as driving excitement, you need look no further. Get the S.

 

Keep in mind that the S2k is a great car in all aspects, except maybe long distance travel and trunk space. I understand that Honda has given the '04 a little more elbow room and an extra cup holder...perhaps that will help if you go cross country.

 

There's a lot of naysayers in here, but it seems to be very do-able. Here are 2 documented west coast trips:

5782 miles in 13 days: http://www.geocities.com/srnelson_s2000/Overview.html

4852 miles in 13 days: http://www.s2000.com/users/vicbrasil/pch/pchindex.html