I don't really keep up with all the roadsters out there; I'm just an MG/Fiat/S2000/MX5/Lotus fan of MANY years. Bought my first roadster, an MGA, fourty years ago (1968), and have owned some kind of "sports car" ever sense (though not always roadsters).

Hahaha, I know I like your car almost as much as I like my old AP1.

 

Not quite. Base CTSC/AC only makes 290-300 WHP on the MY00-01 AP1's. I'm way off your 10 PSI boost.

 

[QUOTE=RED MX5,Feb 12 2008, 04:45 PM]

The S2000 is not well suited for "average drivers," unless they want to learn, or will be content to drive the car well below it's limits at all times.

 

In the group I hang around with, I'm an averager driver too.

One of the reasons I bought an early AP1 (I purchased the car in '04) was because I knew it would make me a better driver. I've been driving sports cars for over 40 years (and owning them for a full four decades), and the S2000 is one of the most challenging, and rewarding, street cars that I have ever experienced. Right up there with "hard core" sports cars like the Lotus Elise or Caterham in terms of driving pleasure, while being only just civilized enough to live with day in and day out. Get the S2000. You'll love it. Go to some autocrosses. You'll love that too, and if you get hooked (like so many of us do), you can attend schools like Evolution, after which you'll have to be a little humble to think of yourself as "average."

Seriously, if the difference in cost is not a driving factor, get the S2000. Everything you have said tells me that you like it more already, and once you've owned one for a while, you'll like it even more.

 

Here's something to think about - If you're not tracking the car you really shouldn't be worrying about its limit right?

 

I've seen evidance to the contrary. Back in 1971 I designed a driver training course for Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda Michigan. The request came from the base commander, who, after seeing his first autocross, felt that knowing the limits of thier cars would be a big advantage to any driver, because it increases the chance that they'll be able to avoid an accident, or at least minimize the impact(s). The course was designed specifically to teach people the limits of their daily drivers.

The base commander was so impressed with the course that he decided to make it mandatory for anyone who wanted to drive on the base, but as you might expect, this resulted in a major backlash, from people who though it was crazy to take their own cars out on a runway and experience loss of control. LOL, I still can't believe he didn't anticipate the backlash. Anyway, he had to back off, and merely required that everyone who was going to drive on the base had to attend the course, and do a ride through, even if it was in someone else's car. As it turned out, the vast majority of the people who opted to ride through the course decided to drive through it after experiencing it, because most of them could see the benefits.

And the benefits were (drum roll ), our base ended up having the lowest accident rate in all of SAC, by an order of magnitude. After only three months, the low accident rate was getting so much attention that COMSAC (Commander, SAC) had to visit to see what we were doing, giving my career a big kick start, and the course itself was actually adopted by the Michigan State Troupers for their training course.

Drivers who know the limits of their car are better drivers, and safer drivers, whether they're on the street, or the track. A better driver is a better driver, no matter where he's driving.

 

And furthermore , most people who buy a sports car are going to drive it harder than they'd drive a Tarus or Civic, and the limits of the S2000 tend to sneak up on way too many drivers.

Everyone who drives the car any more aggressively than they'd drive a Yugo needs to learn its limits, and the street is NOT the place to be learning.

 

Just a note on early ap1s - a 30mm front anti-sway bar makes the car SO much more confident while cornering.

 

The talk of the car being unpredictable and unstable comes mostly from ex FWD drivers. All us old school RWDers don't find it unpredictable at all. It is expected.

Having had Miatas for years I like them. As far as predictability goes they are the same. Of course the S has more power which will let you get into situations you won't get into with the stock Miata.

I love the way the Miata sorta undulates over the roads and. The S does too but it feels heavier mostly due to the wider wheels and tires. The S feels more planted to me at speed and the S is bigger in all the right places to be a much more comfortable car.

Notice I keep saying Miata not MX5. I absolutely HATE the MX5 styling! They took the worse aspects of the early Miatas and the RX8 and mated them to make a mostrousity.

They upgraded the engine, but they downgraded the suspension so if I were comparing or suggesting I'd say only compare the S to the slightly older Miatas.

 

i know it has the mazda name but who owns mazda now? FORD! that right there would tell me to stay away from it. i just cant stand american named cars that aren't even built in america anymore and people talk shit on jap cars when just about all of them are built here. i love my 05 GPW and i wouldnt trade it for any other car in the world, this car was really my dream car when it first came out and still is. i know everyone has two cents worth and this is mine.