Having explained my interest in an S2000 here, I've moved to the next step (it indeed appears that we'll move to Florida) and taken a test drive. It included some nice sweeper curves and a couple of miles of interstate (which is 80+ out here in scofflaw-land).

This is a very nice car -- much more refined that I was expecting from comments I've been reading here. It had 42 miles on it, so I was polite about revs (but the salesman, who drove the first half mile or so, wasn't, reinforcing my belief in never buying demo cars). Consequently I didn't get into the VTEC range. However, we're at 7000' here and just about all NA engines struggle a bit, so I wasn't surprised that this one isn't a rocket ship after all. But the low-end torque is acceptable, and the closely spaced gears give you the flexibility you need to stay in whatever power band you want. I also liked the even ratioing -- my car has this unexpected big jump between 4 & 5.

Driving, I took an S-curve somewhat faster than I'd normally do in a strange car -- it was fast enough that the salesman gritted his teeth and grabbed for a hand hold. But the car didn't care in the least -- it stayed flat, didn't exhibit any strange steer characteristics (I'm used to AWD so I was watching for oversteer) and didn't do that herky-jerky side-to-side thing that some cars do in the middle of the S (when you're crossing dead center with the steering wheel).

On the highway, it was surprising to me how well mannered the car was at speed -- it felt, somehow, like a bigger car than it is. And it's much more quiet than I expected -- last weekend, we rented a Chrysler Sebring convertible on a trip to Chicago, and it was way more noisy and turbluent with the top down than the S2K, for example.

Also, the stiff frame notwithstanding, the S2K is far quieter, smoother, and less jumpy that what I'm used to. And even though it's a bit of a dog here at 7000' (in comparison to my STi), I expect at sea level it'll be surprisingly quick. And offhand, I can't think of a better car for a cross-country summertime road trip (oh, a Porsche Turbo Cab would be nice, but I'd worry about reliability and finding a dealer if I needed one -- same comment for the Jaguar convertible and most others. Hondas, after, are all over and quite reliable by comparison.).

So I'm sold. I'll be getting one in a week or two. HPH

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed the car. Good luck with the purchasing process, and welcome to the family!

Craig

 

Even at your altitude I imagine that if you had driven a well broken in S and did some full throttle runs to redline, the last thing you would call the S is a dog. If you have never felt that VTEC rush, it will surprise the hell out of you the first few times... the car truly is jekyl and hyde.

 

Which color you looking to get?

 

Noted, and I look forward to doing just that (we'll be here long enough to get me past the breakin period.) However, everything's relative, and my perspective just now is relative to a hopped-up STi, so very few cars aren't dogs, especially NA ones. We got thin air here.

And I'm probably getting the Suzuka Blue, assuming my dealer can find one reasonably close by (they've got yellow and red). I was going for Sebring Silver (I'm a silver car person), then started looking at red. My wife, though liked the blue and the more I see it the more I like it. Also, it seems to fit into the Florida thing (the ocean, the sky, blah, blah). Also again, I bet there's less demand for blue seats than black or red, so maybe they're not quite so much at risk. HPH

 

What other cars are you used to? I'm surprised you think the S is a quiet car. At least, my WRX seemed to be a lot quieter. Is there a huge difference in noise level between a WRX and an STi?

 

Subaru sidetrack: Apparently, STis are much more like pure race cars than WRXs (I've never driven the latter). I civilized my STi a lot (Dynamat, thick mats, softer tires), but there's still lots of road noise, and the suspension gives all the road feel you'd ever want and more.

The S2K felt more like the Audis I've had in the past (working backwords: an allroad; several A4s) than it felt like the STi. That's why I liked it (the S2K) so much.

We also have a Subaru Forester (XT); the S2k, of course, is much more responsive that that guy.

It's occurred to me that the A/C was on during my test drive, and this probably contributed to the engine's canine qualities.

HPH

 

You will enjoy this one. I ordered my car for the simple fact of what you stated
above. If you can find one with 10 to 12 miles on it this is probably ok. Nearly
all the cars that arrive at dealers have this amount of milage on them as they
are tested at the factory track before shipment to the U.S. Good luck with your
purchase.....and welcome to the herd

 

Santa Fe is beautiful country;please post some pics of your new S2000 in those vistas