S2000 vs. Miata
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From: Timonium
The Miata is a fine car, for what it is, but conceptually, these are totally different machines and they make an apples and oranges comparison. If you want high performance with few sacrifices, this is a clear-cut choice, and worth every penny.
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From: Ottawa
I owned three Miatas ('95, '97 and '99) before buying my 2001 S2000. And I put 5,000 miles on a 2001 Miata in northern Europe this summer during a two-week rental out of Frankfurt. And I've taken both the Miatas and the S2000 on long-distance two-week trips. So I know whereof I speak.
Advantages to the S2000:
-- See above; everything noted in the replies above seems accurate to me, including the argument that the S2000 attracts much more attention -- and the giddy, slobbering kind of attention, from both males and females -- than any Miata I have ever driven. (And I make this observation as someone who actually prefers the design lines of the current Miata to those of the S2000. If only those lines were about 10% bigger!)
-- Something I came to appreciate after renting the Miata in Europe and returning home to immediately take my S2000 on a four-day trip through New England: the hood slope of the S2000 is so much more pronounced that it puts the pavement "in your face" compared to the Miata. In other words, a greater sense of being "out there", a bit close to the experience of riding a sportbike.
Disadvantages to the S2000 compared to the Miata (beyond those mentoined above):
- Price, obviously
- Maintenance costs (those tires, for example, are way more expensive and need replacing much more often!)
- The tonneau or boot cover, while less likely to come loose and flap annoyingly than the early Miata's vinyl job (in 2001 Mazda seems to have cured this problem), is awkward and impossible to take on a long, two-person trip with a trunk full of luggage
-- Though the trunk of the S2000 is bigger (most magazine articles mistakenly quote its cubic footage to be the same as the Miata's at 5.0; it is actually 6.2), the car lacks the Miata's very convenient luggage space behind the seats, which can be used in the Miata whether the top is up or down. Theoretically that space in the S2000, though smaller and less accessible, can be used, but.... fuhgetabowdit. As well, my wife and I continue to miss the glovebox in the S2000; the center console doesn't compensate for its absence.
-- Though I need the extra interior space of the S2000 for my 6'1' height (and especially my 33" inseam), I can't rest my elbow on the higher windowsill as easily as I could in the Miatas. (Minor point, but... it does make it to my list of minor gripes.)
-- Absence of local club chapters and the great depth of international camaraderie that exists among the Miata faithful. (That 5,000 mile trip to the Arctic Circle this summer was done in the company of 40 other Miatas from all over Europe.)
If you're like me, you'll agonize over the decision for days (or months) on end and probably create your own "pro" and "con" list. The pros and cons are, of course, like comparing apples and oranges, the biggest apple being cost (aka "damage to your bank account" and how much that damage is worth to you).
The good news is that they're both great cars. Just depends on how important driving a roadster in an agreesive way, over demandingly squidly roads, is to you. For me, someone who sees "roadsurfing" as his essential raison d'etre, the extra cost of the S2000 was worth it. I have not regretted it yet, even though I'm an unwealthy middle class guy who needs to take the financial security of his eventual retirement days much more seriously.
Good luck, guy.
-- Dave Allen
Advantages to the S2000:
-- See above; everything noted in the replies above seems accurate to me, including the argument that the S2000 attracts much more attention -- and the giddy, slobbering kind of attention, from both males and females -- than any Miata I have ever driven. (And I make this observation as someone who actually prefers the design lines of the current Miata to those of the S2000. If only those lines were about 10% bigger!)
-- Something I came to appreciate after renting the Miata in Europe and returning home to immediately take my S2000 on a four-day trip through New England: the hood slope of the S2000 is so much more pronounced that it puts the pavement "in your face" compared to the Miata. In other words, a greater sense of being "out there", a bit close to the experience of riding a sportbike.
Disadvantages to the S2000 compared to the Miata (beyond those mentoined above):
- Price, obviously
- Maintenance costs (those tires, for example, are way more expensive and need replacing much more often!)
- The tonneau or boot cover, while less likely to come loose and flap annoyingly than the early Miata's vinyl job (in 2001 Mazda seems to have cured this problem), is awkward and impossible to take on a long, two-person trip with a trunk full of luggage
-- Though the trunk of the S2000 is bigger (most magazine articles mistakenly quote its cubic footage to be the same as the Miata's at 5.0; it is actually 6.2), the car lacks the Miata's very convenient luggage space behind the seats, which can be used in the Miata whether the top is up or down. Theoretically that space in the S2000, though smaller and less accessible, can be used, but.... fuhgetabowdit. As well, my wife and I continue to miss the glovebox in the S2000; the center console doesn't compensate for its absence.
-- Though I need the extra interior space of the S2000 for my 6'1' height (and especially my 33" inseam), I can't rest my elbow on the higher windowsill as easily as I could in the Miatas. (Minor point, but... it does make it to my list of minor gripes.)
-- Absence of local club chapters and the great depth of international camaraderie that exists among the Miata faithful. (That 5,000 mile trip to the Arctic Circle this summer was done in the company of 40 other Miatas from all over Europe.)
If you're like me, you'll agonize over the decision for days (or months) on end and probably create your own "pro" and "con" list. The pros and cons are, of course, like comparing apples and oranges, the biggest apple being cost (aka "damage to your bank account" and how much that damage is worth to you).
The good news is that they're both great cars. Just depends on how important driving a roadster in an agreesive way, over demandingly squidly roads, is to you. For me, someone who sees "roadsurfing" as his essential raison d'etre, the extra cost of the S2000 was worth it. I have not regretted it yet, even though I'm an unwealthy middle class guy who needs to take the financial security of his eventual retirement days much more seriously.
Good luck, guy.
-- Dave Allen
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Joined: Oct 2000
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From: Dillsburg, PA
Well, I think the folks here have summed it up better than I could... 
Personally, I love Miatas, and always have. (Probably always will, unless the new bodystyle is really ugly.) It would seem to me that if you're just going to use it to be a little quick, and not get in to revving a lot (or at least, as hard), then the Mazda may suit you better....
Me, I'd buy the S2000. Of course. I'm a non-owner-but-still-a-Moderator-on-the-best-S2000-Internet-site-out-there for a reason, y'see.
Personally, I love Miatas, and always have. (Probably always will, unless the new bodystyle is really ugly.) It would seem to me that if you're just going to use it to be a little quick, and not get in to revving a lot (or at least, as hard), then the Mazda may suit you better....
Me, I'd buy the S2000. Of course. I'm a non-owner-but-still-a-Moderator-on-the-best-S2000-Internet-site-out-there for a reason, y'see.
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Joined: Jul 2001
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From: Salt Lake City
I have driven both cars and it comes down to this: do you want a fun, zippy convertable or a sports car? The S2000 holds its own against pretty much any sports car in the 50 K range. The miata is about as fast as everything else out there. You decide.
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From: Janesville
Mike:
I owned a 2001 Miata, and now I own a 2001 S2000. Even at 50% more $$, the S2000 is a much, much better value. The power, the looks, the build quality, the comfort, etc. are so far beyond the Miata I could not believe it. If you can't afford the S2000 now, don't buy the Miata; you will be very disappointed within 6 months of ownership.
(Mazda bought my Miata back from me due to the "155 hp" (Not!) fiasco).
I owned a 2001 Miata, and now I own a 2001 S2000. Even at 50% more $$, the S2000 is a much, much better value. The power, the looks, the build quality, the comfort, etc. are so far beyond the Miata I could not believe it. If you can't afford the S2000 now, don't buy the Miata; you will be very disappointed within 6 months of ownership.
(Mazda bought my Miata back from me due to the "155 hp" (Not!) fiasco).