BABIN

Hello,

This is my first posting so here goes--------

For many years I've had my eye on the S2000. I figured some day I'd own one. I'm now recovering from a motorcycle accident 2 months ago which left me with a broken ankle, broken tibia (where the new steel rod lives), dislocated femur bone at the hip joint. Looks like it's going to be another couple months before I can drive or get back to work. So-------I've got all kinds of time to think about what my next move is going to be.

Hopefully if all goes well I should be in a position in the near future to purchase something fun. From what I've read, the S2000 looks like a good canidate. Since I've been thinking about a 2 seater sports car, a few others have become considerations. It seems in the $20,000-$30,000 range I should be able to find a nice S2000, a 350Z roadster, and I've seen some nice 1998 Corvette convertibles around that have got my attention. I did drive a 2002 S2000 about a year ago and loved every minute of it, although it was in a residential area and I didn't have the pleasure of getting the revs up to experience the V-Tek. From what I've read, that's where the fun begins.

The other 2 choices (Corvette and 350Z) I've not had any experience driving. If anyone has had the experience of driving the Vette or 350Z, would you be kind enough to share your opinions? My intention for the car does not include any winter driving. It would be stored in the winter and only be driven from spring to fall.

Thanks------TOM

8_ball

There are lots of posts floating around this site comparing S to 350Z and some others comparing it to the C6. In general, the Z is more of a tourer, more comfortable but generally less 'fun'. The C6 is a bit more of a different animal, more brute speed in a straight line, decent but not as go-cart like in the twisties, fun but in a different way. A few weeks ago, there was a guy that was a tech for Nissan, he gave a real good comparison, search around and try to find that, it would be helpful.

TMini

I've been able to rent Z's on a couple of occasions and I would agree it is more of a traditional GT car than a roadster. Nice power, nice interior and nice handling with a good smooth ride quality. I did not like the auto transmission in the Z at all but I imagine an "enthusiast" such as yourself would go with the manual.

If you will use it as a daily driver I would think the Z would be more "livable" (less high strung, less road noise, more storage etc...) but less fun.

As for the Vette I would not even put it in the same category. American Muscle is it's own thing and the C6 is certainly among the best but I personally find the interior a huge let down and consider Vettes the perfect car for someone who's priorities start with flash and dash.

T<

stocktrader240

I have test drove all the vehicles you mention as i have considered them all at one time or another. In fact i was in the same position as you a few months ago (less the motorcycle accident, sorry to hear about that BTW). I ended up going with the S, but i can't guarantee that will be the correct decision for you, so i'll try my best to give a non biased opinion of each.

First with the C5 convertible, i drove an 02 vette convertible with only 25k miles on it and was very very disappointed. It did have tons of low down torque, which i absolutely love, but the build quality by chevy just continues to disappoint me. The interior felt cheap, chassis didn't feel real solid, alot of rattles and such. Like i said i loved the power, but i realized power isn't everything. On another note I also test drove a new C6 hardtop, and that felt ALOT better in every way, but i'd like the C6's to be out a few more years before i really decide if chevy finally built a quality car. Any car can feel good when it's brand new, the real test is when the miles start getting up there.

Now with the 350z, i actually never drove the convertible, only the hardtop. Again, i was let down by the cheap feeling interior, the G35 on the other hand had a much more quality feel to it, I would have liked the 350z alot more if they used more G35 parts on the inside. My test drive for the 350z was somewhat less than satisfying. I didn't have anything against it, but it just didn't have that FUN factor i was looking for. I just felt rather boring to me. Like the post above me says, it's better suited as a 'tourer'. Not a bad car, but i wasn't really impressed.

On with the S, this car was alot more fun to drive IMO, and as soon as first got a chance to shift thru the gears, i fell in love with the way the car felt. The high revving engine took a bit of getting used to, especially compared to my GSX eclipse before, but i absolutely loved the sounds the engine made, the feel in the cockpit, the car just felt like it was made for me. Now i'm not saying the S is a perfect car, when the top is up it has it's fair share of rattles, and the interior has always felt rather plain to me. Not cheap at all, like the 350 or the C5, just a little plain. And the single greatest thing i will always crave more of with my S is torque. Of course that can be solved with a supercharger or turbo, but then you're really messing with honda's legendary reliability which just isn't worth it IMO.

Sorry this post got a bit more wordy than i intended, good luck in your automotive quest, and let us know what you decide to do.

s2khondas

just buy an s2000 and throw a turbo on it. u will love it!

BABIN

Thanks for the quick responses. "stocktrader240"----I sort of got the same feeling about the Vette interior. The leather on most of the seats I've noticed seem to look "really worn" even when the car had low miles. I could be wrong, but my thought was the leather was much thinner compared to the Honda seat leather. Another thing I heard was Vettes don't have a spare tire so you need to use "run flat" tires which are very pricey.

I had heard the S2000 had a not so desireable bottom end which got some help in 2004. IMO, the 2002 I drove didn't seem to be all that bad. Maybe because I expected much worse. Because of this I would still preferably look for a 2004 or above.

I had always heard that when buying a new S2000, that the dealers don't budge from the sticker price. Is it possible to get a better than sticker price? There are 2 dealers within 20 miles of me that have a 2007 on their lot. In theory they are leftovers and with the 2008's coming out, what kind of money could they be bought for? I'd like to go haggle with them, but since I'm not really ready right now, I don't even want to open that can of worms!

Saki GT

You can put gears in an AP1 to give it more grunt, so don't let any talk of low-end gutlessness scare you off. The S2000 is the lightest of the cars, and everything about it will remind you of that. Light cars are more fun to drive than heavy cars no matter how powerful they are.

As far as I know, NO ONE pays sticker for an S - its closer to invoice plus $1-2K ~ $31-32k.

stocktrader240

The rear end on the AP1 models is a weak spot for sure, but only if it's driven really hard. A good buddy of mine had to have his replaced around 50k miles, but to be fair he drove it like it was stolen, burnouts, alot of doughnuts and such, and he paid the price for it, $1200 to have it replaced. If it isn't driven hard you'd never notice the rear end was any different between the models.

I bought mine used but i have talked to dealers, and at least here in northern cali especially in the summertime, the dealers don't budge much at all from the sticker price due to the rare nature and limited production runs of the S2000's. You might have better luck we're you're at especially if they have left over 07 models to get rid of.

Looking at your post again, seeing that you want this as a weekend or summertime car, I really think you can't go wrong with the S. I daily drive mine, but i do agree it is better suited for the needs you're looking for.

Another reason i decided on the S, at least where i'm at i must see like 10-20 350z's for every S2000 on the road. That was something i considered as i always liked to have something a little different than everyone else on the road. The S just has so much more character and personality than the 350, IMO.

erliuic

Anderson Honda was advertising $28888 not too long ago. I can't imagine haggling doing anything so that'd probably be the price.

erliuic

Dumb question: never actually bought a used car before so I was wondering what the taxes (if any) one would have to pay in buying a used car. Sales tax in CA is around 8.25% last time I checked.