Have you driven a C6 or Z06? It's just not the same experience as a S2000. They are faster, but the chassis feels about half as solid.

And, the Z06 is a $70,000 car.

 

Based on your comments for the solistice and sky your lumping anything from GM as bad. Z06 is also from GM and they are one of the best bang for buck you can get.........Sounds like your saying the s2k is the holy grail of cars.....wrong! the neon srt-4 is

 

"The main downside to the 2007 Saturn Sky is a lack of refinement that permeates just about every aspect of the car."

www.edmunds.com

 

people have the nerve of calling me a fan boi, but i prize an objective conclusion. i have gone out there and driven everything i can.

the s2k is one of the greatest cars of all time in terms of total driving experience, imo. the only reason most people dont give it that credit is cuz it looks pathetic on paper, priced so low, is not from an exotic euro maker and just doesn't hold status.

imagine this car, costing over 100k, better looking body, made by porsche, better numbers on paper, but exactly the same driving experience as it is now. packaging/marketing makes a HUGE difference. honda sucks at it.

 

8 years into the S2000s production, some folks start to get the feeling that the S2000 "has" to be "old" and that its newer competitors must be better. But the fact is, there really is nothing out there that is this capable, this raw, or delivers this much driver satisfaction at any price under $100000.

If you a magazine reader/racer and swear by the numbers then look at them - 0-60 in the low 5's, and the 1/4 in high 13s. The Z4 3.0si can hang with that and maybe a 987 Boxster. The Solstice GXP/Sky Redline are a tad slower, posting low 14s in the 1/4. A Boxster S would beat all with a mid 13 run. The C6 would blow all these vehicles into the weeds with a 1/4 in the high 12s. As far as the S2000s handling goes - 0.92G on the skidpad, and 70mph through the slalom - only the 987 Boxster could beat that. However, if all you care about is raw numbers then I urge you to go buy a EVO IX, or Corvette.

Now if your a true car enthusiast and driver, who looks beyond objective numbers and towards subjective feel, you'll fully appreciate the magic of the S2000. The only vehicle that comes close to matching the experience of the S2000 is the 987 Boxster S (not the standard Boxster and definetely not the 986 Boxster with its floppy chassis). The Z4's electric steering is goofy and its runcraps are awful. The Z4M has a nice british roadster feel to it but isn't as delicate or as dextrous, not to mention its porky. The SLK & TT are biased towards luxury. The Corvette posts great objective numbers, but doesn't deliver any kind of rawness, dexterity or poise - just raw power and lots if it.

Weirdly enough, I've never really had much seat time in a Boxster S, but I did get a chance to talk to a 987 Boxster S owner the other day, who had previously owned an S2000. Was the Boxster easier to live with? Yes. Was the Boxster more forgiving at the limit? Yes. But for pure driving excitement and thrills which car took the top spot? The S2000. Of course this is only one person's view and to be fair the Boxster S gives the owner a lot more practicallity with almost the same experience - 2 trunks, broader powerband, bells and whistles, and the "porshce" owner experience. And it costs $30k more.

People often mention the Elise as a great, fun-to-drive car, and it is .. to an extent. But the Elise is strictly a track day car, unless your a hardcore, extremist. And if its a track day car your after, then why not get an Ariel Atom or CS7 for about the same price and live the life of an amateur F1 driver.

The only car that I would bet money on as being as fun and exciting to drive whilst being "realistic" (read: daily driveable) would be a 997 GT3. IMO, anything above $110k, and your dealing with exotic territory, which equals a world of high insurance payments, high maintenance, and high costs in general.

So yes, in conclusion, I think the S2000 is worth the money. Just for the excitement and experience alone. Thats not including the fact that its a Honda and will outlast you, me and the sun, and that it costs peanuts compared to some of the cars mentioned above.

 

yep, nothing like the steering wheel bucking and writhing like a bronco when your on the gas, impressing your ricer friends with mad front wheel drive burnouts.

The SRT-4 is a hoot, but its not sports car.

 

believe it or not dyhappy, i like the fact that this car is marketed the way it is. Only true enthusiasts by it and appreciate it, and you have very few owners who by it for the "name" or "image". This car could have easily sold for 50 to 100% more under the Acura nameplate and garnered the same if not more sales, but then you'd have folks buying it so that they can boast to their friends about how they just bought a $60000 sports car.

I do agree with much of what you said though regarding the driving experience. And if I remember correctly, you said you driven an F430?!

 

i think its worth it, but if i did buy a brand new car it would be an EVO

 

I know you addressed it, but I still think the Elise outdoes the S2000 in this niche.

The trunk is bigger than the Sky/Solstice and bigger than a 1st gen SLK with the top down....

It's pretty much a track car, but no less daily drivable than an 80s Civic... hey, it has windows and a stereo, right?

 

Haha. I forgot the say "daily driveable" there

I've drive the Elise, ridden in one, and my uncle had one on preorder at one point. I'm glad that an automotive company has the guts to build something as raw and barebones as the Elise that remains true to the pure sports car formula of light weight, rigid chassis, and high revving motor. But its just too hardcore to be considered as a realistic everyday vehicle, and this is coming from a guy who daily drives his S2000 four seasons with the top down all the time, even in temps as low as 20F! Ingress, and egree require human origami, and the noise will guarantee a deaf driver and passenger upon your arrival. I see the Elise as a limited weekend driver, and a great track day vehicle. But I also see the CS7 or the Atom as the ultimate track toy, especially the later.