JLUDE

Since you live in FL...I would think having a convertible top would be great as I'd have mine down in FL most of the year when it wasn't rainy or over 95 degrees. If that isn't your cup of tea then that's a mark against the S2000 for YOU. The S2000 is a car that is most fun to drive on curvy mountain and backroads, not flat, staright Florida highways. If that's the kind of driving you are going to do the Z is probably the best car for it. If you actually want to carry passengers than the EVO is the only choice. I'd be happy with any of those 3 cars but the S2000 is the most fun of the 3 to drive on curvy roads with the top down...by FAR.

LMB2000

[QUOTE=adrs2k,Sep 8 2009, 02:56 PM] Next was the 370Z.

Benihana

These are good cars to compare too, but they don't fit my criteria as cars I would like to buy. Not saying these are bad cars, but I normally prefer a car that don't dominate in a straight line only. I like a car that has a "jack of all trades, master of none" trait. This is trivial in a lot of Japanese imports (I'm Korean too BUT DONT MENTION THE GENESIS COUPE).

The C6 is probably one of the only domestics I would love to have, but it's not within my budget for a new car. I've probably estimated my budget at around 38k, this would include the car and some "fun" mods like KW Variant 3's, set of TE37 w/ rubbers, engine mods, and etc.

[QUOTE=andrs2k]

the-moss

If the cost of tires and brakes are an issue, the S2000 will be a lot cheaper on those than the evo or the 370Z.

Unfortunately though if you are aspiring to do track events, you are going to need to hack up your interior to install a roll bar. Not many clubs will accept an S2000 without a roll bar.

Benihana

Cusco roll cage looks real nice.

the-moss

From what I understand, the cusco bar will not always pass tech due to the bends in the pipes. You need something like the harddog bar to be sure to get in to events. The installation of the harddog bar is very intrusive.

If you are talking autocrosses though you can enter those with no problem. It's just probably 75% of HPDE/Lapping day events that you will struggle with.

JLUDE

Having talked to a buddy who runs a shop it sounds like the 350Z would be the most expensive of the 3 to maintain as labor costs more for it due to the difficulty in accessing stuff under the hood v. the 2 inline-4s.

Having owned an MR2, 300ZX and having worked on friend's other Japanese sport cars (WRX, Supra, Etc) I can honestly say that the S2000 is the easiest car to work on of any Japanese sport car I've wrenched on.

adrs2k

A couple other things to consider...what are your intentions for the car? Drive it stock, or mod it? I do a lot of those little subtle mods, as well as some big mods. Clear corners, shave emblems, painted headlights etc. After 8 Years of owning a Subaru, and considering another Subaru, I realized my biggest complaint about those cars. Evo's share some of those complaints, and so far 370z owners are looking to change the same things. With the Subaru, I spent a great deal of money/time doing what in my mind, the car should have done right out of the box. Shifter feel (short shifter and bushings) steering feel(steering rack bushings, steering rack swap, control arm swap, anti roll kit), gearing (rear end & new gear set), Suspension(coilovers top hats, bars, hardened mounts). All that stuff just is not necessary on the S2000. I had a lot of time/money invested in some basic fundamentals of a car to make it feel "right". A big draw towards the S2000 was that I would not have to waste time/money on those things again. In the life of a modded car, yea sure it was fun experimenting and researching all those parts and swaps and I dont regret it, but I NEVER want to do that again. The S2000 has a perfect shifter, great steering feel/speed. I looked at the strengths and weaknesses of all the cars I wanted, then looked at what it would take to make the car what I "wanted" and what felt "right" to me. Hands down the S2000 won! Also I love go karting, to me it is the purest form of driving/racing. Well suprise again, the S2000 wins hands down, it is the purest practical car on the road today imo.

I think owning a Z would be great, but I think I would have to do a lot of mods to make it what I really want. Sure there are lots of things I want to do to the S2000, but I think they are just enhancments and improvements to an already awesome platform. I am not trying to drastically change the cars characteristics like I had to do with my Subaru. I think the 370Z would take more work than the S2000 to make it what I ultimately want.

I look forward to the day I can own both though!!

LMB2000

I know a 370 will out perform an S2000, but that doesn't really play into it for me.

I might just have simple tastes, but the clean lines of a even a bone stock 1st year s2000 looks better to me than any year model of Z car ever will - from 1970 to present....

Plus it's a convertible.

GregFarz78

Don't count out the soft top, I was never a fan of convertibles either my wife has a mini cooper vert and I hate driving it just feels like a chic car but she always said everyone should have a convertible once in their life. I didn't buy the s b/c it was a vert I actually wanted a hard top but putting the top down is pretty cool on a nice day/night nothing beats it and its definitely growing on me. So you might end up liking it.

If 38k is your budget get a ap2 + turbo kit nothing in the price range will be hard to beat that in terms of handling and performance VQs aren't really designed for serious boost w/o upgrading internals.