GuthNW

Jeez, I'm actually in agreement with Chuck on this one. I wouldn't want to own a S2000 without a garage to store it in for multiple reasons.

If your answer to the garage question is that you don't have one and this is truly going to be your only car then the BRZ/FRS would be worth looking into.

I don't mean bag on the S2000. Like most everyone here who owns one I love mine. I'm just trying to look at this through your eyes as honestly as possible based on my experiences.

B serious

S2000's aren't rattle free and buttery smooth like a Lexus. But there are a ton of movable/removable parts in the top. It doesn't really rattle unless there's something wrong. If the interior panels are properly fastened, the car is actually really nice and solid.

The top latches might rattle, I suppose? But they shouldn't. So fix them if they do. Almost any aftermarket replica hard top will make a shitload of very unsettling noises in most cases. So...don't buy one if you're worried about that.

OP can always drive one to see if it rattles too much. I'm VERY observant of irregular rattles. I think the S2000 is solid when in good working order. Plastics aren't cheap, panels feel fairly thicc compared to stuff from Subaru/Nissan.

That being said...its loud inside. Lots of wind, tire, engine, and drivetrain noise as compared to some other more solid (and therfore more boring) convertibles like the Z4. Obviously, you cant compare it to a normal closed top car.

Just drive one.

I thought it was a great car to DD. If I lived where it didn't snow, my S2000 would likely be my only car. They work fine in snow. But salt does admittedly ruin them faster than other cars.

Are ND miatas around $15K now? Because that is an appealing motha. Better features, better interior layout, etc.

GuthNW

That's essentially what I'm getting at. I'd owned older convertibles and sports cars before the S so I don't find the various interior noises at all surprising nor excessive. I don't think that a lack of solidness has anything to do with it as these cars strike me as incredibly solid (this I actually was surprised by). But there's no real emphasis on soundproofing to speak of, that's just not what these cars are about and they don't need to be. With the top up going down the road they are definitely loud compared to most other cars out there. I don't find this to be a problem personally, but I'm only using this car for pleasure and I pretty much avoid driving with the top up all together. But it is nice to have when you get caught out in the rain (or when my wife gets too cold with the top down when we head out some mornings). In this case the OP is comparing it to a closed top car, so I was just being as straightforward as possible. In the end you're right, the only way to know for sure is to spend some time behind the wheel.

I hadn't even thought about the last gen Miata, have they really dropped that much in price already?

Beerski

Beerski

Deckoz

If I really had to pick a single car for daily driving, and it had to meet the criteria

• no garage
• room for storage to take trips
• super fun
• pretty quiet
• easy maintenance
• rwd
• comes in a convertible
• wouldn't feel bad driving it in rain or snow

It would probably be the BRZ.

VashTheStampede

I'm laughing at the Subaru talk because I agree... I was one of the first few thousand members of NASIOC, had a 2000 2.5RS that I loved to death, traded that in for a brand new 02 WRX, then traded that in for a brand new 05 STi. Right about when that horrible pig-nosed STi came out in 06, I began to notice that the guys driving Subarus weren't waving back, were all sporting neck tattoos, and posting "sweet" donut pics to local forums. In 07, my STi was targeted by thieves twice... I've never had another Subaru so much as get a second look. I had one of the original COBB AccessPorts, worked with their programming guys to get a prototype downpipe working on my WRX, etc. In other words, I was in DEEP. I dropped it like a bad habit when I realized what it had become, and never looked back. I'd avoid that crowd like the plague, now. It's sad that it was the absolute best community in the world when Subaru only made 100,000 cars per year, but now, my god.

With that said, I was a Honda fan first. I'm much happier with my AP1 than any other car, mostly because it's a time-capsule from a simpler era in car design, and in my own life. I'd tell OP to get a clean AP1... I like a car that is temperamental, and prone to killing stupid people.

/Rant

cgarrett23

Deckoz that was meant as nothing but a compliment. The amount of work you've done on your s is amazing and the attention to detail. I've enjoyed the thread.

Deckoz

Thanks Man. I meant mine as nothing but everyone can if they put their heart into it

Chuck S

I neither care nor pay any attention to Miata "generations" but when I mentioned Miata a couple of days ago I linked to a 2012 retractable hard top model for the OP's price point. Here's the link again. A much more practical daily driver especially if not garage parked. And a surprisingly attractive car.

-- Chuck