I was wondering if any one had a chance to compare the mazda speed miata turbo to the s2k? They are selling cheap in my area for end of year sales. So for 19k I can get a used s2k or new MSM turbo. Any help deciding is welcome. Real info is better....if youve actually compared them.


Thanks,
H

 

I was pitted agains a mazda speed miata for a track day. Guy went the whole nine yards with only one seat, roll cage, swapped exhaust on the track and even carted along wheels and tires for the track. It was pretty damn fast, but didn't really put up a big fight with the S. Definitely impressive for a miata though.

 

Check out Miata site and there are plenty of comparisons of the two.

Having owned a Miata LS, not a direct comparison to the MSM, but still no comparison to the S2000 for my purposes. It's my daily driver and canyon burner. The ride, power and build quality are in a different league. You get what you pay for. The Miata was a lot of fun, but not the same driving experience.

Mark

 

I love Miatas! They are great fun at the track and have amazing tuner potential. I own an S and I have drivne a couple of MSM. The MSM is a Mazda fan's dream come true! It is definetly a fun roadster, but when compared to the S it seems watered down. The S basically takes everything to a whole other level and still remains a very comfortable daily driver. Test drive both and I think you will agree.

Mazdaspeed Miata

Honda S2000

 

I was surfing the miata web site the last 2 days.. I didnt see a direct comparison on this site with the mazda speed vs the S2k in my searching. If I get one of them I will be selling/replacing a modded 81 Porsche 911 SC.
Point would be to get some modern amenities and still get the driving experience connection and feedback with it. My other 2 vehicles are hondas (91 crx si for snow and 2001 Honda cbr f4i.) So I am definitely leaning towards honda. The recent MSM sale got me thinking though. So.. Talk me into it!.. Any one a former Porsche 911 owner?

 

I test drove the MazdaSpeed Miata before I bought my S2000. I liked the MSM a lot, and it's a lot of car for the money (given that they're not selling anywhere near sticker, at least where I'm at). However, it's not in the same league as the S.

- 178 hp vs. 240 hp
- about one second slower to 60 mph (magazine racing)

Plus, the S wins in the vague "fun-to-drive" category: the thrill of the high-rev engine, the snick-snick shifter, the feel of the cockpit (it's like you're wearing the car).

Try to find a used S to test drive and see for yourself. Remember to keep the revs up.

All that said, I prefer to buy new cars, so if I were in your situation, I might get the MSM until I could afford the S new. You may not care about new vs. used though. If that's the case, test drive both and see what you think.

 

I used to have a '99 10th Anniversary Miata. They're really in two different performance catagories, even with the turbo. The MS Miata is a low 15 second 1/4 mile car (maybe high 14's at best). The S2k is a low 14 second 1/4 mile car (maybe high 13's). Big difference. With two equally experienced drivers, the S2000 will handle better also. However, the Miata has always been easier to drive at its limit than the S2000, so depending on driver skill, a Miata may have the edge in certain situations. I wouldn't under-estimate them. I autocrossed my S for the first time last summer after having taken a break autocrossing for a few years. I entered myself into the Novice class and actually wound up taking first place that day, but there were a few Miatas running in the open class who were a few seconds faster. I don't know what your plans are for either car. Are you going to autocross and/or do track events or are you just comparing each for street driving?

Honestly, I find it a hard choice between one heck of a fun, brand spanking new car with a warranty for $18k vs. a 3-4 year old S2k, out of warranty for the same price. I've seen MS Miatas for $17,995! That's one heck of a deal considering they sticker for $26k. Now if you don't mind getting a used car, you could also get a used Miata and add a BR Performance supercharger or an aftermarket turbo kit on it for $3000-4000 and it'd be faster than both the S and the MS Miata.

There are some mods for the MS Miata made by Flying Miata. Not anything major though and there's only about another 25whp to be gained from a new exhaust, intercooler and boost controller. The MS Miata is kind of a dead end because the turbo runs out of steam once you start trying to get any more boost out of it. Between a new exhaust, downpipe, midpipe/cat, intercooler and boost controller, you're looking at about $2000 for a gain that looks like this. As you can see, it's got ALOT more torque than an S2000 and weighs 300lb less. It's got more torque at 4k RPM than the S has at 6k.

 

Maybe that's a hint.

I shopped a Z4, S2000, and MSMiata in December. The Miata salesman was really nice, but he was like, "well, it's a lot less expensive ... but the important thing is that even if you don't buy a Miata, you're happy with us ... and here's some of my cards that you could pass on to your friends...." I think he knew.

The Miata and the S2000 actually felt very similar to me - tossable, fun, quick. But when I looked down at the speedometer after merging onto the expressway, the Miata would show 40 when the S2000 showed 60. They're not really in the same class performance wise.

 

My close buddy, did that supercharger with the smaller pulley, it is DEF. faster than my prior s2000's, I think it's even faster than my EVO (turbo-back exhaust, mbc, reflash).

 

There is a thread on Miata.net right now on this very subject (well new S vs. MSM). It's turned into a pissing match about how the S2000 has "no torque" and is not a dialy driver and is not worth $10,000 more than the MSM, yada yada. Being a prior Miata owner and now S2000 owner, I've been trying to get it into some of the thick skull's brains that the '04+ S's have more torque before 4k RPM than the MSM.