There are. But nothing newer.

 

Yeah man, the electric power steering, air conditioned, cruise controlled, power soft topped, etc., car is the most RAW car the world has ever seen.

Some of y’all need to set down the kool aid.

 

It feels raw when rain drips down my neck through the holes in the soft top

 

^LOL what? I made an open ended statement and I suppose I was wrong to assume people are going to think of "by modern standards" (recent ~25 years) such as yourself. It is raw but not the most raw, I think you added that in yourself through your interpretation of my character of time of writing

I've owned/driven plenty of cars more RAW with that said /shrug

nonetheless it is subjective per individual and depending on modifications

the koolaid is good though

 

Within 25 years of today an EK/EM1 Civic/DC integra is a much more visceral experience. Miata steering is better, even the new ones.

The S2000 is great for a number of reasons, but imo the driving experience is available elsewhere if you’re willing to make certain sacrifices.

 

I have a mostly stock AP2, and it's not that far off in subjective "rawness" compared to my 80s car. I dunno how far back or high performance oriented we'd have to go to lose creature comforts, because my ae86 had power steering, AC, cruise control, and a power sunroof too. An old TVR? First gen Viper? What is the rawest of the raw?

I have full confidence that an S2k can be horrible to drive on the street, difficult to live with, and prone to killing the driver with the proper mods and age. It's all relative.

 

Anyone paying ND2 prices for a S2000 they plan on actually driving is insane.

My car needs a head rebuild and while I was waiting to confirm the low compression was due to burnt valves and not something more serious (bottom end) I borrowed a friends brand new base ND2 this weekend. It does everything my modified AP2 does on the street while being safer, quieter (easy to fix with an exhaust), and burning less fuel. Sure it would probably be slower around a track, but it's also bone stock on normal street tires. It's an awesome little sports car that every S2000 owner really needs to spend some time with. All the performance of an AP2 but in a more playful and communicative package.

I'm keeping the AP2 because ultimately a head rebuild is cheaper and easier than selling my car but if the issue ended up being more serious I'd be in an ND2. No way in hell I'd pay the absurd costs for a new motor now, or the current prices 06+ cars are trading at.

 

How much is insurance on a new ND2? I just know if I had gone for a new Toyobaru instead of the S2k, I would be hit by pretty bad insurance costs. S2k for me is cheap-ish.

 

Honestly I don't know. I've never purchased a new car before, but my S2000 was definitely the most expensive car to insure that I've owned. My monthly cost dropped significantly when I switched from paying for coverage on 11k miles a year to 4k and bought a beater for commuting. I've always been under the impression that the S2000 was fairly expensive to insure (with full coverage at least) due to the number to the somewhat high number of thefts and accidents.

 

Hmm. It's cheaper than my 8th gen Civic LX was. Granted, I had that in my early to late 20s, and I'm 30 now with the s2k. I pay about $1200 a year for both my ae86 and s2k and that's with an accident under me. S2k is about $900 a year. My most expensive car was a 3 year old Gen Coupe 3.8 that cost $1800 a year alone to insure. I was surprised that the s2k didn't really cost me much given that it's a two door roadster. Full coverage for all too.

I remember shopping around and thinking I'd get a new Toyota 86 after my ABS failed and I smashed my Civic to death, but the quote I got was something near $3k from my insurance company, so for me the decision to go with a used older car, the s2k, was pretty simple lol.