[QUOTE]Originally posted by wickerbill
[B]So you really think the new NSX and potential V8 Porsche are going to diminish the history of a $32,000 roadster?

 

I'm a bit of a Bimmer guy but there's no way that initial Z3 (not the later ///M roadster or 2.8) could hold a jock to the Miata. Get any BMW exec in confidence and I'd bet he'd tell you the same thing. I'm not really sure that the 2.8L was worthy. Image was everything with that car. As for the SLK, come on, that's not even a real sports car. The first car to really make a step up on the Miata in the true roadster market was the Boxster.

We're not just talking name appeal or HP here, but driving dynamics. Sure every magazine jumped all over the Z3 and praised it. But read the Z4 reviews now and you'll see how they really felt. To be honest the car that perhaps really has toppled the Miata (if indeed it has been toppled) is the MR2 Spyder - it's the only car in it's price range.

I never really wanted a Miata in the 90's, but as I've matured as an enthusiast, I've found out that there's a lot more to a car than 0-60's, 1/4 mile times and HP.

 

That's the way I feel about it. If I had the money to own a collection of cars, I'd probably have a Miata in there somewhere. Not a 1990 model, but one from after the redesign. Every time I see one of those, I marvel at how beautiful it is. It may have some drawbacks, but that body is just about the perfect roadster shape.

I don't care if something else comes along that has 500 more horsepower than the S2000. I don't use this car for drag racing, and if it ever sees a track, it will be a rare occasion. The S does what I want it to do perfectly. To me, that makes it a classic. Just like I keep buying used copies of the same Canon camera I relied on in the 80s, I can see myself buying replacement copies of the S2000 20 or 30 years from now. When you get familiar enough with a machine, it's possible to create a bond that will have great longevity.

Of course this comes from a person who's owned his S2000 for only 5 months. I also know it's possible to get sick of a car or any other machine. Who knows what will happen? Only time will tell.

 

Nobody wants an old S500, S600 or S800? There are quite a few collectors here in the US that went to efforts to seek out and acquire the remaining examples (from a very small production run). They were brilliant little cars that outperformed the more "reknown" british MG's and Triumphs of the time.

And the 88 CRX is a classic already. Its got tremendous racing history and is a positive blast to drive. There's a reason I spent 3 months looking for a top condition 2nd gen CRX back in 1999 and why I still own it today.

The S2000 surpasses both these cars in terms of what it is, what it does and what it signifies to both Honda and the automotive world as a whole. I think it will be quite popular out in time among a select group of discriminating enthusiasts who care more about substance than brand.

Oh, and I found MT's removal of the S2K from the stats section funny too, considering they have data on what, 4 or 5 different Civics.

UL

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ultimate lurker
[B] I think it will be quite popular out in time among a select group of discriminating enthusiasts who care more about substance than brand.

 

I had to smile as well when I saw the 88 CRX referred to as 'rice'. Until I got my S2000 I'd never been a Honda guy, heck I'm still not - they've only got one model that interests me (and the NSX if we eliminate the US brand designations), but I've always thought of the CRX as an outstanding little drivers car. It's a shame that they ended that model run.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by psyco6string
[B]Not that

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ultimate lurker
[B]Nobody wants an old S500, S600 or S800?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by vroom
[B]I had to smile as well when I saw the 88 CRX referred to as 'rice'.