Hello everyone, first post here.

I currently have 2 cars. 94 RX7 with single turbo (track/weekend car) and then a B5 S4 with K04 turbos as my daily driver. I was looking to possibly buy a old Miata to just use it to replace my S4 as my daily driver. I wouldn't mind if it got scratches/dents/put miles on it. My commute to work is 40 miles round trip so I think a Miata would serve best as a fun little 2 seater and possibly track time while the RX7/S4 sit in the garage/projects. I was looking at the prices of the S2000 and it looks like for some extra money, I'll be able to pickup a clean S2000 but wanted to know who uses it as a daily driver. I would have to make the decision if I purchased an S2000, I'd be worried about the dents/dings/scratches/things breaking and I don't know if I want that since I already do that with my RX7 and S4.

What kind of power (stockish), what kind of maintenance, what kind of MPG do you get and any other facts you believe I should know if I pickup a S2000. Price range would probably be $10,000. Is it possible to find a S2000 around there?

 

2 years ago I bought my 01 with 67k miles for 11k... It now has 107k miles of DD and Autox. I get in the 23-25MPG range mixed with I/H/HFC/E and 17x9 wheels with 255 Hankook RS3 at all 4 corners. I find it very comfortable (6' 1" 220lbs) definitely more roomy than Miata's but not as fuel efficient. Other than standard fluid changes, I had the clutch go at 70k, and a motor mount go at about 90k, I blew up the diff but that is because I abuse it and is not the car's fault. I did a valve adjustment at 104k and it definitely helped with MPG, power and smoothness.

Stock you are looking at about 200ish RWHP. Some people seem to be terrified of this car in the rain, but I have found that with good tires the car is great in the rain. I have driven it through a northeastern winter with snow tires and the car did awesome in the snow with the snow tires.

 

Thank you for your post. As far as power wise, I don't need anything over the top (yet). I have my two other cars for the fun power. I like smaller/nimble cars. I'm not a big guy (5'10 160lbs) so Miata or S2000 I believe I'll have enough room. Obviously there is a quality difference between the Miata and the S2000 and that is reflected in the price. The Miatas are going for around $4000-$5000 for a high 100K+ motor. Just doing a rough search through the forums here, the range of mileage seems to be 40,000-60,000 with a high mileage every now and then. The range for these cars seem to be in the $10,000-$15,000 range. With that said, is the extra say $5,000 worth the jump from Miata to S2000?

Cosmetic wise: I like the S2000 a lot more. Exterior is more appealing to me and the interior is a tight feel in the S2000 from what I remember sitting in one when I went to a car show.

Power wise: like I said above, I could care less. As long as if I floor the car, it can accelerate at a decent speed. I can always S/C or Turbo the car later on during ownership if I want to go that path.

Cost of ownership: This is where I'd like to concentrate on most. If I just daily drive this car and don't rag on it too much, what is the typical cost in replacing things? For example, my friend who owns a Miata said he replaced all brake rotors for only $500. Parts are cheap for the car. I would guess with the S2000, parts are higher. I'm guessing the S2000 requires 91, (CA sucks) or can I use just regular unleaded gas? What is the typical amount of miles on a tank of gas with just normal driving?

Reliability: Last would be the question of engine. At what time does the engine need to be opened up? My RX7 has 70K on the chassis but I just finished with a motor build, but my S4 has around 105K on the motor. The S4 motors are supposedly pretty strong but how is the S2000. Low mileage vs high mileage.

Thank!

 

Cost of maint. will be a bit higher than a Miata, but not crazy. You do need at least 91 Octane. I get in the high 200 miles range per tank and that does fluctuate in direct proportion to the wieght of my right foot.

Engine mileage wise... not even a concern. My 107k mile car feels the same engine wise as 25k mile cars I have driven. When I did the valve adjustment at 104k, everything was spotless with 0 sign of wear, I could even see my reflection in the camshaft lobes. THere are a lot of people with real high mileage motors. I know of 1 guy who competes very well at a national level in SCCA autox with over 200k miles (yes 200 not 100). The engine internals are forged, its a well designed motor and at the end of the day, it is still a honda.

 

Which generation Miata are you considering? 99+ is a little close to the S in terms of interior and creature comforts. I really like the early Miatas (94-97) in particular. They are really fun cars with only a little suspension work. The S is a more comfortable car and it's out of the box performance is great. If comfort is a goal or much of your commute is at freeway speeds I would lean towards the S. If it's mostly city driving the low weight and "tossable" nature of the miata is great on city streets. The miata will get better mileage in the city as well (the difference is less pronounced on the highway). Both are well built and are very reliable. Parts for the miata are probably more available and cheaper (lighter and more common car), but I would not sweat the difference. Neither are so rare that parts will cost a fortune or be too hard to come by and both are reliable enough that repairs will not be too frequent. Compared to either of your current cars both the Miata and S2000 will be cheap to own.

 

I actually had a Miata before I got my S2000.

I'm not sure which year you're considering, but I would highly recommend getting a 6 speed if you're thinking about getting the Miata as a DD. When I had my miata, even with a hard top it was SO loud driving on the freeway. The S2000 also revs pretty high on the freeway, but the engine is significantly smoother so it's not even that bad. I doubt it'll compare to the luxury in an S4 though. The S2000 is a pretty nice daily driver, especially if you live in an area with nice weather. The Miata is convertible too though, but somehow it just isn't as nice.

The engine on the two, no matter which miata you're thinking about, is miles apart though. Considering you track your cars, I assume you are an enthusiast, and as such you'd really appreciate the F20/F22. Also, when I was in my Miata and it was really hot, I would turn the AC on and you would actually be able to tell that it was sucking away from the engine. It was really that bad. I don't think it's as much of a problem on the new 2.0L though. I also like how the S2000's interior is so spartan. My car is already 10 years old, but it really doesn't feel like it. I mean I had to replace the top + top latches, but besides that it's running strong. My Miata on the other hand felt ancient.

 

I've been daily driving my AP1 since I bought it in 07 and with 29k miles. It now has 99k and there have been no major out of pocket expenses just tires and oil. Im 6' 195 lbs and the cabin is snug but never uncomfortable. Gas mileage is good on the highway and pretty decent around. I think it makes a pretty decent daily as long as you dont care about carrying more than 1 passenger and cargo space. In fact when I drive other plush and cushy Luxo cars I almost fall asleep. The s2000 is fun even for the daily commute.

 

Thank you all of the help. I don't typically don't have more than 1 passenger in my car unless needed. And if I do need a 3rd/4th passenger, that is what I will use my Audi for. I guess main question is going to be what are the major maintenance that should be done/look for prior to purchase. For example, on the Audi's, timing belt is a highly looked after maintenance job with the higher mileage cars. Also, seems the top gets the tears/rips. What's the typical price for getting a new top and/or hardtop?

 

This is why I'm selling my M35 to get an S2000 as a daily haha.