Hello,
I've been stalking the forums for a long time, lusting for an s2k. I drive a 03 civic ex which i will be trading in this fall for somethin a bit more sporting. I want an s2k, among other things (sti, g35 coupe), but I will only be able to purchase one other car. I want to know if anyone else drives their s2k year round in the Chicago area. Weather here is as predictable as GWBush's sentence structures, so year round drivablility is important.

Thanks for any input.
~chris

 

i drive mine in chicago year round. DD w/a commute to des plaines everyday. no problems at all; just make sure you have winter tires in the winter, and summer tires when it warms up.

ps- when i first saw the title i thought chicagos2k was selling his car, and that you were wondering if it'd be okay as a daily driver, haha

 

im not from chicago but was there over the weekend and i would have to say no to a DD s2k

maybe cause i'm used to the smaller city

 

I used to live just a couple blocks from rustywave (Kevin) and there was about 4 other S2000's in the area that where also daily driven year round.

The key is to have both winter and summer tires and you will have no problems driving it all year.

 

s2k DD here. winter tires are key.

 

Well, I got my S2K not knowing how dangerous they can be in the winter. You must get an extra set of rims because you need to have winter tires thrown on for about 3-4 months and the weather is extremely unpredictible. Actually I would not recommend it. Mine is a daily driver but my fiancee has a beater that I had to take for a few days because the snow was so deep and the S2000 has really low clearance. Plus the car is light compared say to a police car (which are FR but get snow tires and still fishtail to the right when starting from a stop). I have had people tell me that snow tires work so this winter so I will try them. (Any others are just dangerous, I've been stuck driving 7-10 mph on light snow covered roads to avoid sliding ) I picked up a set of rims with tires for $400 (which was a great deal). You can pick up a set of rims for about $500 plus shipping on EBAY and throw some Wintersport M3 (Winter Tires) on them. Check out the prices on tires, also know that the S2K uses premium gasoline. It is not a cheap car to own. Good luck, hope you get an S2k, just have a plan for the winter and be safe.

 

I drive it daily albeit in WI and have never had a problem with the car in snow. Spare stock wheels can be had for as less as $150 on Ebay (if you want to pay $500 for stock wheels, I'll sell you mine in great condition ). Winter tires and a careful driver make all the difference.

I actually LOVE the car more in winter. It warms up quick, drives consistently and provides feedback when something is wrong. It's foolhardy to think you can drive 60 MPH when out in a blizzard but you CAN drive.

The most desirable aspect of driving this car in the winter time - you can drop the top and sling your arm on the sill into work and back. Can't do that in a Jeep, can you?

 

Do you frequently need to carry other people?

Do you need the extra space? Remember that the trunk is tiny in the s2000.

Do they plow pretty consistently in your neighborhood? It not so much slipperiness of the snow than how high the snow is. The s2000 is low; you don't want the front of your car becoming an ice plow.

Do you have a garage/live in a safe neighborhood? Remember it's a soft top convertible and theft rates are high on seats/shift knobs/steering wheels/radio etc.

 

chefchris,

where do you cook, and does it taste any good? we can only answer your questions after tasting your dishes.

 

I drove mine year around in Milwaukee until I got a winter car. As said above, buy a good set of snow/winter tires and be careful during the winter time. You will be just fine

BTW, I do not know why everyone keeps saying that you need to have an extra set of wheels because you don't. You do realize that OEM S2k wheels can in fact have snow tires that are the correct size/offset mounted on OEM rims? I did it for a year and a half. Just go to your local tire shop before it gets too cold and have the tires mounted on your existing rims. You can fit 4 S2k tires in the car, don't plan on driving too far but can easily be done. Although it would make things much easier, but not if you do not have the money.