Hello, i am from france and the market is crazy right now (like everyone else i guess).
So i am a "fairly new driver" i have my driver license for 4 years i drove for 2 years fwd and 2 years some rwd cars : mx5, and 370Z.
Right now i want a good handling car for twisties and potential track car, but i want to drive it from time to time as a "daily".
I always loved the S2000 i wanted to buy that as my first rwd but reasonned myself to "learn a little before that" and i think i still need more learning but i really love the S2000 but want to grow as a driver.
So for the question i can buy for the same price in france 30K :
-GT86/BRZ (first gen (25/30K) because Second gen is like 50K)
-MX5 ND2 (28/30K yes)
-S2000 (30/32K clean with 80/100km)

But i keep telling in my head the S2000 is a collector now i don't want to crash it so, will i truly enjoy it and use it (not a 100% in open road of course) with the snap oversteers around the corner.

PS : Sorry i think this topic did appear like 500 times but i need to see it more oriented i think.
sorry for my english

 

Or if you have other car for this price that can handle well rwd

 

S2000's drive just fine. They're not too intimidating. Most people that crash them are doing something *really* reckless. So...just don't do that.

The ND Miata is a newer car with better features and its a ton of fun.

The 1G BRZ/FRS....not sure you'll like so much.

Test drive them and see which you want.

 

For the same price I'd take a brand new ND2 (this is with the 2l motor correct?) over a S2000. I like driving the S2000 more, but ND2s are still excellent fun cars and much better daily drivers. New car with a warranty vs car approaching 20 years old with some hard to find and/or discontinued parts.

 

My brother has a ND2 (130CH) it is a lot of fun but kinda floaty but, you got a warranty and lot of stuff, that why im hesitating.
i did test a gt86 and it was different i will say not bad, i think but the price is too damn high for a car from 2012 for me but i don't have much choice.
The S2000 is 20 years old but this car is something the engine the chassis, timeles design, and for the part i live near to the garage S2000 parts Europe is quite well know and got a lot of them.

 

While the S2000 feels more special I think the ND2 is more fun to drive on public roads due to its lighter weight.
The soft stock suspension of the ND is easily remedied with some coilovers.

 

In all honesty it is hard not to recommend a new ND2 Miata in your case. As B Serious noted, it is best to test drive the cars that you are considering if possible. This experience will inform your choice in ways that thoughts shared here cannot. You likely already know that the S2000 is not universally loved given the high strung nature of the engine in these cars where getting the most out of them requires spending plenty of time in the upper end of the RPM range. Some love this, some do not, while others go to efforts to tune this aspect out of the engine altogether. The only way to know how you might feel about this is to drive one of these cars for yourself.

There is a lot more to these cars than just the engine and when it comes to the overall package most of us here consider the S2000 pretty special as far as sports cars go. That shouldn't come as a surprise. Yet despite the fact that the S2000 still serves as the standard by which cars like the ND2 Miata and the current GR86/BRZ are judged today, the obvious reality is that the S2000 is no longer a new car. The aspects of owning a 14 - 23 year-old car are often overlooked in much of the content floating around where these cars are compared. In reality, just as with most older cars, S2K ownership becomes a bit more challenging with each passing year. Not only are the prices of these cars on the rise, but so too are the prices for S2000 parts, especially as Honda continues to discontinue more and more parts for these cars. Parts still might be relatively cheap compared to other makes, but overall they certainly aren't as cheap as they were just a few years ago and they are only going to become harder to find (even if supplies might look good at the moment).

For many owners these cars are still worth the cost and effort required. While I'll admit to being surprised by just how much some are willing to pay for S2000's these days, the same can be said for many other classic (or modern classic) cars at this point in time. With that in mind I can understand the temptation to want to get into a S2000 sooner rather than later. On the flip-side, I don't doubt that you would have plenty of fun driving a new ND2 Miata. Plus the fact that it would come with a warranty while you won't have any problem obtaining parts for the car makes the ownership aspect of the Miata very appealing. Whatever you decide, I hope that it ends up working out for you. Good luck!

 

I am pretty sure the ND2 is the way too go newer, less mileage, more parts and cheaper, litteraly easier to use to the limits and in the streets a better learning car.
But like the S2000 feels so special like it's an icon a monster but for this price like damn and with always the worries in mind what if i wreck it.
And i get this feeling it is maybe too precise of a car to develop as a driver like you need a long long time in comparaison of a mx5 or toyobaru

 

Buy what you think is right for you.

I would buy the Honda. The ND2 may be a great car, but your 30k car is going to be worth 20k or less in 5yrs, where as the Honda may be worth 40k. Even with a few cuts and bruises, as a daily driver, it will still retain value, instead of depreciating. Just don't do anything stupid as others have said. Good Luck.

 

I'd go with the ND2, if I'm giving an opinion.

S2000's are old now and parts are already getting difficult to find and expensive. We still have a few years until parts scarcity becomes a real issue, but that's coming right up. The community, in some ways, is making the issue worse than it is by panic buying and part hoarding.

You don't have to worry about an ND2. Its not rare. Its not old. Its not delicate. If it needs a repair, you go buy a readily available part and bash it into place with a hammer and an axe.

But it still returns a large portion of the driving excitement that a S2000 offers.

For a car that you actually want to drive...buy one that you don't have to think about in terms of things that are not enjoyable (like worrying about parts availability or "ruining" a collectible item).

That's always been the beauty of a Miata.

I own multiple S2000's. I just restored one of them from a sad state...and recently had to replace its engine. I also did a refresh on one (paint, body, maintenance, etc) that I've owned for 17yrs.

All of this has required maximum cunning, patience, expense, and ruthlessness in order to source parts that are in dwindling supply.

The next time one of them acts up in some major way, I'm going to go to whichever vending machine has an ND2 available and buy one.