61.. age doesn't make a difference with fun

 

ttt

 

51.7 and having a blast.

 

27.9 BUMP!

 

whta makes you 40+ year old guys buy an s2000 over a mercedes slk or bmw z4??? i would think you would like that extra bit of luxury and comfort but hey, if you want to rock an s2000 its fine by me.

 

Turned 30 yesterday....

 

Well, in my case, I have a friend that has had an 02 GPW with the really really red interior for years. He's hung in there faithfully with the Honda while I've cycled through several uber HP cars. Hmmm, wonder why?

Now, I'm commuting 35 miles a day on really really small roads. Think European roads. I mean one lane bridges and such. Anyway, gobs of power don't matter since it's utterly unusable on these roads. But small size, light weight, and excellent handling are usable all the time. Add in a drop top for a 360 view of the scenery and suddenly, I wanted to own an S2000. Then, when the rumors about production ceasing seemed to firm up last year, I grabbed an 08 so that I could own a pristine example before they were gone forever. With my aforementioned requirements, the cars I looked at when I bought the S2000 were,

Lotus Elise & Exige -
Great cars in the same way as the S2000 but the Exige is a fixed roof with horrible visibility and the Elise is more of a cheapo Targa top than a convertible and still crappy sight lines. And both Lotus cars have an interior that looks like it came straight out of a vocational school shop class. Finally, the Lotus safety is ummm questionable when compared to the Honda.

BMW Z4
I really disliked the styling change from the Z3 to the Z4. All the creases and angles just look too busy to me. But, I gave it a shot. It's a luxo crusier, not a sports car. Great drivetrains and much more gadget content but also heavier and softer and more expensive. I wasn't feeling the love.

Mercedes SLK
I didn't even consider it or test drive one. Merc reliability ain't the best and their cars are once again designed for the boulevard cruising crowd rather than racing fans. Like BMW, their strongest suit is the drivetrain. Factor in price and weight and SLK's weren't very attractive.

Porsche Boxster
This is where I faltered. It's the one car that I would have bought rather than the S2000. Porsche does it right while still offering better storage and more gadgets. But I'm not totally sold on the Boxster's looks with the top down and it doesn't have the S2000's frenetic engine character. Finally, the Boxster wasn't going out of production any time soon and the S2000 was. The next sports car will likely be a Boxster or a 370Z. There aren't many choices left.

Oh well, that's one 50+ guys rationale for buying a Honda over a BMW or Mercedes. No regrets at all. I love this car. It does exactly what I wanted better than I had hoped with complete reliability so far. Getting rid of it for something "better" or more powerful isn't even a consideration after 15 months. Nope, I'll own this car for quite a while. Just like my friend.

 

^^ very interesting input....it was between the S and the boxster for me too

 

27

 

What makes a young whippersnapper like you think that us 40+ guys want something other than the best bang for the buck sportscar on the planet? Just because we grow older doesn't mean our tastes change.

The only thing that may make me change to the Merc or Z4 is if I put on another 20lbs. Right now the S fits me like a glove and that's the way I like it.

BTW......I'm 57 and I have owned 4 S2000's.