I'm thinking about taking the S down for a family reunion in late June. The trip would be from Portland, OR to Albuquerque, NM (about 1200 miles). I've never been uncomfortable in this car but I've never driven it for more than 2-3 hours straight (just purchased in November). Has anyone here driven their S2000 on a considerable road trip? Is the engine noise, two-seater config, etc., going to drive me nuts over the long haul? I will have another person with me to help drive but am just wondering about anyone else's S2000 long haul experiences. I can always take my 4Runner instead, or perhaps easiest of all, fly. But I just can't get the "Fear and Loating"-esque thoughts of ripping through the desert South West with the top down out of my head. Thoughts?

Thanks.

 

i have only had mine out about 2 hours or so on a long boring freeway...
if it was a long trip with lots of twisties, or plenty of scenery our car would be the right one-
but if its a long straight boring freeway trip, i have to say- flying just might not be a bad idea.

 

I have taken my S on a bunch of long trips. One of them was a 12-hour drive each way. I have taken multiple 6-hour drives each way too. I don't mind it at all, but my girlfriend gets a little ansy towards the end. It does get a little frustrating with two people in the car and all the junk that a long trip involves (CDs, phone charger, water, sodas, snacks, etc.). The number one upgrade for a long trip is to get a stereo head unit that can play MP3 CDs. Or get books on tape. Anyway, long rides aren't bad.

 

Longest trip so far is just a few hours. However my job keeps me in my car for about 4+hours a day, and have never had any complaints. IMO would be fine, but like mattowens1023 said, if your with someone, it does change a little.
Steve

 

Personally, I can't imagine that a long trip in an S2000 would be that big a deal. I'm a long time motorcycle rider and average at least one 2500 to 3000 mile trip a year. I've also made five trips since 1989 that ran between 6000 and 8000 miles each on a two wheeler. After making that kind of mileage on a motorcycle, somehow a convertible doesn't sound all that bad. In fact, one of the reasons I've looked at the S2000 and other cars like it, is that I'm getting to a point in life where I can see the time coming (I'm not quite there yet! ) where I'm not going to want to make these long distance vacations on a motorcycle anymore. That's not to say that I want to quit making them and a rag top sounds like a wonderful alternative to two wheels.

To Jason152, I don't know what your schedule for this trip is, how much time you've got make it in etc. What I like to do under these circumstances is to use one side of the trip or the other to do a little sight seeing and/or enjoy some challanging roads. There's certainly plenty of great roads between Portland and Albuquerque. You might consider taking the freeways to or from the family reunion (make better time that way) and the backroads for the other side of the trip. That'll give you a good cross reference of experience with the S2000 as a long distance travel vehicle. Either way you decide, I'd definitely make the trip in the S2000 at least this one time. If you decide you don't like it, then at least you'll know and there won't be a question next time. OTOH, you just might find that you really like it. Open air touring is a great way to see the country. That's one reason I've stuck with long distance motorcycle touring for as along as I have. People that have never done any traveling in anything other than a hard topped car or truck simply don't have a clue as to what they've missed. Go for it!

Good luck & have a Safe Trip!
Steve R.

 

I've done 12.5 hours straight with my wife from Rochester, NY to Duck, NC. It's not unbearable and it's not really the wind/engine noise that got annoying first. It was the lack of cabin space that really was the issue. It's tough when there is not much room to stretch out even a little. I'd do it again though. In fact, we took my wife's Dakota on the same trip this year thinking it would be more comfortable but that had it's own set of annoyances. Six of one half, a dozen of the other. The difference is of course when you're at your destination you get to cruise around in an S2000 instead of a Dakota! (or 4Runner in your case) Take the S, it's worth it.

 

Pack light and take the car. If it doesn't fit in the trunk or in your pockets leave it behind. I've made the Seattle to Sacramento trip in the S a few times.

Sunglasses, sunscreen, VISA Card. Enjoy!

 

I drove from Vancouver, Canada down to Southern California last summer. I loved it! Of course, we were driving down the coast the whole way, so there were lots of twisties. We went back along the I-5 and the only problem there was keeping the speed down (COPS everywhere).

One thing that did bother me was (due to my analness) not being able to find places where I could hand wash the car. After 10 hours of driving, it needed to be de-bugged.

My wife doesn't drive manuals, so she got a little bored, but that would have happened anyway.

My advice... Learn to pack light, wear sunscreen, and take the S!

 

Thanks for everyone's great comments so far. At this point I'm inclined to go ahead and do it. We only have a couple of days to get down there but can meander back home leisurely. Intrepid, your comments regarding open air touring are very well put--it must be quite different. I too thought about the long-trip motorcycle riders when considering the possibility of this trip. Surely it would be at least as comfortable as that. And Dave, that's a good point about each car having its own annoyances AND the fact that we'll have something fun to drive around in once we're there.

Everyone's comments have been well said and I appreciate your time. To combat the limited stock stereo, single-disc player the car has now, I recently purchased an IPOD 20 GIG player and a low frequency FM transmitter to limit the need for hauling a load of CDs and/or books on CD. Since its summer, we won't need much in the way of luggage. So what the hell, why not.

Cheers,
Jason.

 

I have to move to the LA area in a few weeks for a 9 month project. I am considering driving to save on air fair and car freight but I have no room to take anything in my baby No complaints though, I new what I was getting into when I bought the car. On a happier note I'll get to drive the great roads the Cal people are always raving about