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I've owned two Miatas. I currently own both an NA Miata ('95 M Edition) and an AP2 S2000. The S2000 is better in every way except lightness.
The chassis is much stiffer and everything is more solid and premium in the S2k (as it should be for being worth 3X on the used market).
That being said, I think the newest generation (ND) Miata appears to give the S a run for its money (I have yet to test drive one). That said, I still think the S is more of a premium and special car which prioritizes sportiness over playfulness in comparison with the Miata.
If I crash my S2k or if it gets stolen... I will most likely get an ND.
Clean-title, un-crashed and un-riced S2k will be very hard to find for a decent and fair price. And they're aging a bit.
A hardly-used ND for around $20k used seems like the win, imo (vs. an $18-20k S2k with 120-180k miles, 4-6 previous owners, many old/broken parts that need attention, countless dings, bad paint, unsure engine condition and history, stinky interior, previous fender-benders or worse, etc., etc.)
So, I just took Miata RF for a test drive last Saturday, to check how it compares to my 2004 S2000. It was a equipped with Bilstein shocks and BBS wheels.
Maybe it's just me, but brand new Miata just does not feel as solid as 15 years old S2000 (with fairly low miles-55k). What I liked:
- low end torque – definitely more noticeable than S2000
- exhaust note was pretty nice,
- Targa roof – after it’s closed, car feels like a proper coupe, quiet and calm inside.
And well, that’s it…
I didn’t like the "low" 6,5krpm redline, longer throws of stick shift (but very precise), higher seating position (you don't feel as "cocooned" as inside S), lightness and lack of steering feel (is there any setting to improve it?), and I hated, HATED the body roll.
Oh, the body roll, it felt like I was driving a regular sedan, not a small roadster.
I’m sure that Miata is easier to live with day-to-day than S2000 (if you daily driving it), it’s more responsive in lower rpm range, it’s easier to kick the rear sideways, but it just lacks that rock solid feel I get from S2000.
If I crash my S2k or if it gets stolen... I will most likely get an ND.
Clean-title, un-crashed and un-riced S2k will be very hard to find for a decent and fair price. And they're aging a bit.
A hardly-used ND for around $20k used seems like the win, imo (vs. an $18-20k S2k with 120-180k miles, 4-6 previous owners, many old/broken parts that need attention, countless dings, bad paint, unsure engine condition and history, stinky interior, previous fender-benders or worse, etc., etc.)
If that's what your finding for a used s2k in that lousy a condition at that price point, I think your looking in the wrong places. Sound like you are talking about a $8-9k S2000 to me.
I hated, HATED the body roll.
Oh, the body roll, it felt like I was driving a regular sedan, not a small roadster.
Yeah... a lot of old FR cars feel that way to me. My old S13 felt like a Cadillac compared to my EG.
The #1 first mod one should do for a Miata/ND is stiffer sway-bars (and spring rates). I think it would fix the excessive body-roll issue Mazda purposely engineered into it. Might be close to that "on rails" feeling of the S2k, after upgrading the sway-bars (and stiffer spring rates if needed).
"If you're only going to do ONE thing to your ND, this is what it should be (sway bar upgrade)" ~Flyin' Miata
06-26-2018, 10:21 AM
Is the S2000 Better than the Miata?
