I'd just worry about having a nice car in college that it'd be stolen or dinged to hell by other students. When I was in college both of my cars (one was on its last leg so I sold it and bought something a little newer) were 8-10 years old, and I didn't really car so much if they got damaged ... I didn't buy a brand new car until I had a garage where the car could stay looking nice.

Just my opinion ... but I wouldn't want to have any of the cars you mentioned just because I'd constantly be worried it'd get stolen or damaged. I guess the stolen thing depends on how often cars are vandalized/stolen from the school ... my school's biggest problem was with auto theft though. Going to school somewhat close to Newark, NJ sure didn't help.

 

Everyone is giving pretty good advice. Here are my thoughts:

I am 23, soon to be 24 in 5 days. I am also in college. My insurance a month is 298 dollars, which absolutely sucks. Still, I LOVE my car. I would do anything to have it. Your son may be very responsible, but believe me, when you're young and have a car like this, you are going to take it beyond your driving limits. I did a couple times, and lost control. Once I spun my car around 180 degrees, luckily I was in a parking lot (trying to show off) and had bald rear tires, and my back end slid around. Thankfully, nothing was damaged.

Later on, an ugly riced out eclipse was driving aggressively, so I thought I would put him in his place. It had been raining, so when I punched it after a light and shifted into 2nd, my back end lost traction and I slid into another lane. I was again, very lucky I did not hit anything.

Since these 2 instances, I now drive my car (still aggressively) but much more safe. I know the limits of the car, and unfortunately it took me almost damaging my car and possibly someone elses before I found that out. If you're going to be getting him this car, you need to STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF DRIVING IT SAFELY. This car is not a FWD Civic or Ford Focus. The back end can slide around very easily if you're not used to driving RWD cars.

Good luck, and be safe.
Justin

 

Just a quick and dirty analysis of this thread shows:

1. The majority of people saying, "YES" have less than 5 months on this board AND are 18 years old AND in college.

2. The majority of people saying, "NO" have 1+ years on the board AND have already been through college.

Based on these results, one can surmise that many 18 year olds are saying, "I can do it, so can you" but have no real, long-term experience. There's nothing wrong with that, but these guys and girls have very little experience with 1. college, 2. an S2000, 3. living in college with an S2000. Take their advice with a grain of salt.

My personal opinion is that there are much better cars for a college kid to drive. For one, this car is incredibly impractical - 2 seats, small trunk, not easy to drive in the cold and wet. Second, college kids are sloppy, drunk, and don't often think straight. Third, college kids get jealous.

My suggestion is to get him an Audi A4 or BMW 3 series (if he's into having a "nice" car at 18). Both cars have 4-5 seats - beleive it or not, he'll be hauling his friends around all day long if he has a car. He'll want the extra seats. "Cool" guys can bring lots of girls to a party. . . not just one.

North Carolina still gets cold and wet in the winter. Inexperienced drivers tend to have problems with this kind of weather, regardless of the car. Might as well mitigate the risk of a crash by getting an inexperienced driver a car that will help him keep it on the road.

Moving crap back and forth from school to home, to wherever he'll be in the summer requires a lot of space. An S2000 has NO space for moving. Consider a hatchback.

Finally, no matter how responsible you think your kid is, he's not 1/2 that. An 18 year old with a nice, powerful car is going to do something stupid. Bottom line. Why tempt fate?

Good cars for "cool" kids:

BMW 3 series
Audi A4
Acura Integra
Acura TSX
Saab 9-3
Mazda 3
Honda Civic
Toyota Corrola
Toyota Celica
Lexus ES300
Infinity IS300
Ford LTD Wagon

 

College is about an education, not a "hey look at me" car. The S2000
is a car that causes you to worry about parking lot dents, theft, vandalism,
etc. If your son needs a car, why not something used and economical.
My son didn't have a car in college and got my WRX when he graduated.
The carrot for him is the car of his choice when he get his MBA.
He graduated magna from a top 50 university with a dual degree,
was elected Phi Beta Kappa, and was a 4 year varsity athlete.
I seriously doubt if all that would have happened if I would have sent
him off to college with my S2000.
Your choice. Good luck.

 

Im sick of "adults" who think they are so superior and think all kids are just stupid and irresponsible. Im 18 and I drive better than many adults I know and I keep my S in immaculate condition. I may not have all this experience that you think you have, but I dont appreciate being stereotyped like that. Im in college and am a contracted ROTC cadet which means Im in the army and a college student at the same time. I dont want to hear about how responsible you think many college kids are, because you really dont know. My S has not once gone out of control due to my lack of experince. The bottom line is you dont know this person's son and they may be responsible enough to handle an S. Many adults cant handle an S but they have one anyway, why not let the kid have a chance.

 

You've just proven my hypothesis. See point #1 in the analysis.

Also, I made clear that this was my opinion, albeit based on fact. Have recently gone through 4 year of college myself, I think I can make statements based on observation and real-life experience. . . unlike you. You are speaking based on the events in your personal life, which is hardly an indicative sample of people in your situation.

I'm sick of "stupid kids" claiming they know what the hell they're talking about.

The bottom line is YOU don't know this woman's son, so why would you suggest that he is, in fact, responsible enough to drive this car?

I think my post was reasonable and well thought. Never did I suggest that the kind drive a Camry, I just said that something more practical would be beneficial to anyone in college.

Congrats on your ROTC scholarship. This country needs more young men and women who are responsible enough to balance academics and service to country. Good luck.

 

'cause he ain't paying for it. It's not his money, and his parents deserve to know what they're getting into before they foot the bill. Adults get to be irresponsible buffoons precisely because we're the ones paying for it.

Seriously. The guy's asking if this would be a good college car for his kid. The answer is pretty clearly no.

1. It's expensive to insure unless your over 25 and married.
2. It's more prone to vandalism (convertible).
3. It's small, so no space for road-trips, friends, or moving.

Let me put it another way: If this is a good car for college... then what would be a bad car? Short of something that's just plain unreliable, this is as impractable as it gets.

-b

 

I'm a college student... and think it MAY not be a good idea. I just think if I'd have a heart attack if anyone dinged or scratched my s2k. My car now has paint missing and was hit on the front from idiots in the parking garage. I used to see at least one person a month hit a car in the garage... usually a sorority girl in an SUV smaking into somthing else. Maybe FL drivers just suck though, who knows.

 

No matter how many replies you get in this thread, all of them will be subjective. So keep that in mind when making your decision. As you said, your son has had experience in different cars and it seems like you trust his driving skills. If you're concerned about the practicality in price, it's not unless he's financially supported by you or supported very well by himself. I do agree, though, that a financial burden shouldn't be taken upon without planning. Make sure he has enough money to live comfortably.

About the attention: yes, you do get a lot of attention in this car. That's a fact. But none of the S2000 owners I know who are college students have run in into any type of vandalism. If you're really worried, take safety precautions. I personally don't live on campus. My car is garaged at night so maybe do some looking around on what kind of cars students on his campus have or would have.

Oh, and my car has been dinged a few times by doors already. So with whatever car you decide to get, that's something that needs to be accepted.

About the room: no, the car isn't very roomy. I honestly don't need all the room. Maybe your son does, maybe he doesn't. Yes, it gets tough if you need to bring people around. I actually like that it doesn't have room for that reason. No one can ask me for rides.

I'm glad that you want to reward your son for his accomplishments. If you're really willing to, give him what wants (whether it's the S2000 or other cars) and just know the precautions.

A lot of the comments posted all boils down to whether or not you trust your son and his driving skills.

 

with everything dimples said.

Practically wise, yes its not the most practical car, and can only 2 fit too. But I'm glad that I can only fit 2 so I don't need to be driving people around. Its easier to concentrate on driving with only 1 other person in the car. I see kids with 5 people in the car getting into fender benders because people are screaming and yelling inside the car all the time.

Like your son, I also have received a lot of scholarship, and by living at home(although not really my choice, had bad dorming options), I was able to take the financial burden of college off my parents. Also, by having the S in my parent's name, it was cheaper to insure.. I am able to drive it because my name is on the policy. I am assuming that you are financially well off since you are looking to buy a car for your son. But if you are not, take it into consideration.

The car does get a lot of attention, but I have yet to have a car ding in my car. Check to see if the campus parking has secruity, and what other cars are parked in. The garage I park in has 4 people monitering it at all times, with more than half the cars there more expensive than mine. I am not worried about vandalism as I initially was. Anyways its a car, you can be scared and worried about it all the time, its meant to be driven around.

You know your son best, so it is hard for people on this board to know how he will handle the car.