s2000 or 350z?
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s2000 or 350z?
I wanted an unbiased opinion on which of these two cars to get so I came over here. Its either between a brand new Enthusiast 350z or a pre-owned 2002 s2000. This will be my daily driver. I don't care about storage space because I have a Sequoia whenever I need to carry something big. But I don't like to use the Sequoia a lot of because of gas. So this will be my everyday car in summer and winter. And I live in Cali. Any opinions? I'll need this car to last a very long time cuz I plan on keeping on for a while and it will also need to be very reliable. I'd like to know what you guys would choose given these two cars to choose from. Thanks!
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From: Corpus Christi, Texas
Car Info: 2002 Honda S2000
If you're looking for reliability I would go for the S2000. It has been recomended by consumer reports for every year it has been out. Honda has a better reliability rating than Nissan. You will just have to test drive them and pick what you like best. Both are awesome cars, and great cars too. You can't go wrong with either choice.
Raymond
Raymond
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From: Fremont, CA
Car Info: was 05 WRX Wagon
I'd go w/ the 350Z. The key thing here is daily driver (summer and winter). The Z has an engine that is more flexible as far as daily driving (more low end power so you don't have to be revving up in the 7K range). The hard top will last longer and easier to maintain than the softtop of the S2K. The 3.5L V6 has proven to be fairly reliable. They are pretty close when it comes to performance numbers.
However, if this was a car just for fun and NOT A DAILY DRIVER, the S2K would get more vote. You should see these cars at Auto-X events
. Just my $.02 in.
-Soren
However, if this was a car just for fun and NOT A DAILY DRIVER, the S2K would get more vote. You should see these cars at Auto-X events
. Just my $.02 in.-Soren
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NEITHER! Get an STi.
sorry had to do it. I drove the 350z and it was noticebly slower than the regular wrx off the line, I have never driven a honda s2000 so i dont know anything about it. the 350z also has alignment problems or something that makes the tires get real loud and wear prematurly, the 2003 does anyway, the infinity would be a better choice than the 350z IMO. Look into the STi though, it is about the same as the enthusiast, if not cheaper, and it is a kick azz car. I chose it, I can't be wrong, right (j/k). drive them both hard and make a decision after that. I am glad I didn't buy the 350z, it looks nice but the STi makes me much more happier.
sorry had to do it. I drove the 350z and it was noticebly slower than the regular wrx off the line, I have never driven a honda s2000 so i dont know anything about it. the 350z also has alignment problems or something that makes the tires get real loud and wear prematurly, the 2003 does anyway, the infinity would be a better choice than the 350z IMO. Look into the STi though, it is about the same as the enthusiast, if not cheaper, and it is a kick azz car. I chose it, I can't be wrong, right (j/k). drive them both hard and make a decision after that. I am glad I didn't buy the 350z, it looks nice but the STi makes me much more happier.
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Car Info: 02 WRX wagon=dead; rollin' in a Craptastic Camry!
Get the Honda, hands down. Yeah, it may not have tons of low end grunt, but there's plenty of folks commuting in vehicles with less. The S2000 is a dead sexy car and the top goes down when the weather is nice. There were quite a few days in February when my house mate was rolling with the top down in his MR2 here in San Jose! No doubt the Z would be a fun car, but it is not the timeless beauty that the Honda is, imho. I'd bet the gas mileage will likely be much better in the Honda than the Nissan, to boot.
Edit: I'm laughing at myself so hard right now! I was confusing the "Enthusiast" Z with the "Track" Z. Der dee derp...there both convertibles, knucklehead!lol
I still think the Honda is better looking and would get better mileage.
Edit: I'm laughing at myself so hard right now! I was confusing the "Enthusiast" Z with the "Track" Z. Der dee derp...there both convertibles, knucklehead!lol
I still think the Honda is better looking and would get better mileage.
Last edited by BlingBlingBlue; Mar 5, 2004 at 04:41 PM.
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From: Encinitas CA
Car Info: Black 03 WRX
I agree with slick...but if you don't like subbies, thats cool too. Then get a 350 Z. I personally like my dad's G35 coupe with the 18s and brembos. damn sexy and just as fast as a 350z.
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The 350z that I want is the hardtop one not convertible. The easy and obvious choice should be the 350z. Its brand new, more power stock than the S2000, and a hardtop that won't wear out like the softtop of the s2000. But little things in the S2000 make it a really hard choice. That really cool tach and speedometer, the engine start button, its true sportscar characteristics, and most of all, not a lot of people have them. Ohh and you can't forget how damn good it looks, but I think the 350z looks good as well. Most owners of S2000s are true car enthusiasts while a lot of owners of 350z's just think they look cool so they buy them. I see older ladies driving 350z's all the time. This is a really hard choice, any more input would be appreciated.
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From: CT
Car Info: 2002 WRB WRX
I'd go with the S2k, it's gonna be tough to beat that feeling with the top down on a nice day out there in Socal. I think the s2k is more of a true driver's car too and personally I like the looks of it better than the 350z too. Lately, it seems like I keep seeing more and more 350z's while the s2000 is still a bit more rare. I considered a s2000, and if I didn't live in new england where we get plenty of snow, I'd probably have gone with it. That shifter is perfect, handles great, perfect steering, nice seats and interior, they're pretty quick and that 9000 rpm redline is tough to beat. The cockpit of the s2k fits almost like a glove, everything just seems to be in the perfect spot, the center tunnel is the perfect height for an armrest and your hand falls perfectly on the shifter, nice small steering wheel, great seats, neat digital gauges. They're both great cars, the Z is more of a torquey muscle car, while the s2k is almost like a street bike on 4 wheels, depends what your looking for. Some people don't like the lack of toque on the s2k for a daily driver. Drive them both and go whatever feels best to you.
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How serious of a enthusiast are you? If you love to wind it out, shift with the best gearbox on earth, awesome brakes, steering. Then you need the S2000. Now it is no the most comfortable daily driver in the world but you forget all about it when you get to drive the car a little "spirited".
Also, the 350Z's are going to take a huge dive in resale values as the used car market builds up. There are a ton of used ones at the local dealer, like 50 on Carmax etc. If you buy a new one you will lose your *** in a year. With the '02 S2000 you get all the updates that the early models didn't have, and you can get an awesome deal I have seen low mileage '02's for $22-24k.
So I have an S2000 if you can't tell and it is the most fun car I have ever driven. Here are a few raves.....
Also, the 350Z's are going to take a huge dive in resale values as the used car market builds up. There are a ton of used ones at the local dealer, like 50 on Carmax etc. If you buy a new one you will lose your *** in a year. With the '02 S2000 you get all the updates that the early models didn't have, and you can get an awesome deal I have seen low mileage '02's for $22-24k.
So I have an S2000 if you can't tell and it is the most fun car I have ever driven. Here are a few raves.....
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Interesting read....
S2000 RAVES
Car and Driver “...what cars could compete with Honda’s new hot rod? ... Mazada MX-5 creeps close to S2000 price territory, but the Honda would eat it for lunch and not even bother to spit out the bones. Similarly, .. BMW Z3.. and more potent 2.8..– don’t have the snort to tangle with this new tiger from Tochig.” The S2000 goes on to beat the Mercedes-Benz SLK, BMW M Roadster, and Porsche Boxster in this comparison article of much higher priced sports cars.
“Its fabulous engine aside, the element that really puts the S2000 on a higher handling plane is its chassis. The Honda’s structure provides a textbook example of how to achieve exemplary rigidity in a roofless unit body, and it may very well be the stiffest roadster chassis on earth.” “A purist’s sports car, and an extraordinary performance buy.”
European Car “In the end I can tell how much fun a car is by how it makes me drive. In the S2000, I’m a raging *******. I want to hit 9000 rpm at shift, every stop sign requires threshold braking and every corner is a power slide. Owning an S2000 would wreak havoc on my driving record, but that extra $20,000 will pay a lot of legal bills - advantage Honda” (Face-to-Face comparison with a Porsche Boxster S).
Hot Compacts & Imports “Honda’s Little Miracle” “..that’s 2 hp per cubic inch, or the same output found in a NHRA Pro Stock car.” “...because the S2000 is a Honda, you can expect it to perform with race car intensity every day for years. Heck, with proper maintenance it might live longer than you.”
Los Angeles Times “Go figure your chances of walking into your nearest dealer and beating the elbow-shoving to get dibs on an S2000, probably the spunkiest, most satisfying mainstream sports car since the 1962 Porsche 356B.” “Many manufacturers brag of race-inspired engineering. Most of it is race-inspired hype and hyperbole involving old mechanicals barely brushed by racing. Not Honda. When its engineers, even its advertising department, talk of the race-bred technology of the S2000, the reference is to a direct borrowing from Honda-powered cars and victories..”
Newsday “In all, the S2000 is exactly what Honda intended it to be: A true sportscar in the traditional vein for a special few drivers..”
Porsche (via R&T) “. . . I dialed up Porsche for a test Boxster (99 percent of the time a successful shake-down). Only to be told, Sorry, but no. No? I couldn’t believe my ears. Apparently, Porsche was suddenly being hit up by every car magazine in the courntry asking for Boxsters, which could be due to only one thing: the Honda S2000's becoming available to the press. Porsche decided it was not in its interest to facilitate comparisons . . .”
Ward’s Auto World “You’re convinced you are a hideously overpaid Formula One pilot/god.”
Washington Post “The S2000 is everything a sports car ought to be – fun, powerful, nimble, and magical in its ability to transport both soul and body to a better place.”
Automotive-Review.com, tester - LaFave “This is it! If you’ve ever dreamed of a race car for the street this is it. Perhaps not in terms of outright acceleration or equipment details but in every other respect it is; brakes, suspension, transmission and 9000 rpm redline.” “The brakes and the transmission shifter are unequivocally the best I have ever used.” “Did I mention this is the most fun car I’ve ever driven!”
The Car Connection.com “For starters, if you’re driving this car with the top up, the storm outside better have a name.”
Edmund’s Review.com “It’s all about the little red button...labeled engine start, the button reflects the racing heritage found in the S2000 roadster.” “..an excellent alternative to the BMW Z3, the Mercedes-Benz SLK, and the Porsche Boxster. Out of that group, the S2000 is the most performance-oriented.”
Car & Driver Best List “the S2000 is wasted on summer evening jaunts to the local A&W. The S2000 is a unique and seductive tool for speed.” “...to produce tenacious and tolerant handling that makes even ham-handed and -footed drivers fell like F1 ace Michael Schumacher.”
Detroit Free Press “You could observe that the Mazda Miata still offers satisfying performance for a lot less money -- about $10,000 less. Which is true, as far as it goes. But from a performance point of view, it's the equivalent of comparing an Olympic sprinter with the hero of the high school track team.”
Cars and Bikes (Tokyo) “I've tested the Nissan GTR racing type car and though it's in the same class of performance as the S-2000, it lacked the "fits-like-a-glove" interior, open top and just wasn't the fun this Honda was - at two million yen more in price. The only Japanese car that comes close is another Honda, the NSX racing type, but with its price tag of around ten million yen it's out of reach for most of us.”
S2000 RAVES
Car and Driver “...what cars could compete with Honda’s new hot rod? ... Mazada MX-5 creeps close to S2000 price territory, but the Honda would eat it for lunch and not even bother to spit out the bones. Similarly, .. BMW Z3.. and more potent 2.8..– don’t have the snort to tangle with this new tiger from Tochig.” The S2000 goes on to beat the Mercedes-Benz SLK, BMW M Roadster, and Porsche Boxster in this comparison article of much higher priced sports cars.
“Its fabulous engine aside, the element that really puts the S2000 on a higher handling plane is its chassis. The Honda’s structure provides a textbook example of how to achieve exemplary rigidity in a roofless unit body, and it may very well be the stiffest roadster chassis on earth.” “A purist’s sports car, and an extraordinary performance buy.”
European Car “In the end I can tell how much fun a car is by how it makes me drive. In the S2000, I’m a raging *******. I want to hit 9000 rpm at shift, every stop sign requires threshold braking and every corner is a power slide. Owning an S2000 would wreak havoc on my driving record, but that extra $20,000 will pay a lot of legal bills - advantage Honda” (Face-to-Face comparison with a Porsche Boxster S).
Hot Compacts & Imports “Honda’s Little Miracle” “..that’s 2 hp per cubic inch, or the same output found in a NHRA Pro Stock car.” “...because the S2000 is a Honda, you can expect it to perform with race car intensity every day for years. Heck, with proper maintenance it might live longer than you.”
Los Angeles Times “Go figure your chances of walking into your nearest dealer and beating the elbow-shoving to get dibs on an S2000, probably the spunkiest, most satisfying mainstream sports car since the 1962 Porsche 356B.” “Many manufacturers brag of race-inspired engineering. Most of it is race-inspired hype and hyperbole involving old mechanicals barely brushed by racing. Not Honda. When its engineers, even its advertising department, talk of the race-bred technology of the S2000, the reference is to a direct borrowing from Honda-powered cars and victories..”
Newsday “In all, the S2000 is exactly what Honda intended it to be: A true sportscar in the traditional vein for a special few drivers..”
Porsche (via R&T) “. . . I dialed up Porsche for a test Boxster (99 percent of the time a successful shake-down). Only to be told, Sorry, but no. No? I couldn’t believe my ears. Apparently, Porsche was suddenly being hit up by every car magazine in the courntry asking for Boxsters, which could be due to only one thing: the Honda S2000's becoming available to the press. Porsche decided it was not in its interest to facilitate comparisons . . .”
Ward’s Auto World “You’re convinced you are a hideously overpaid Formula One pilot/god.”
Washington Post “The S2000 is everything a sports car ought to be – fun, powerful, nimble, and magical in its ability to transport both soul and body to a better place.”
Automotive-Review.com, tester - LaFave “This is it! If you’ve ever dreamed of a race car for the street this is it. Perhaps not in terms of outright acceleration or equipment details but in every other respect it is; brakes, suspension, transmission and 9000 rpm redline.” “The brakes and the transmission shifter are unequivocally the best I have ever used.” “Did I mention this is the most fun car I’ve ever driven!”
The Car Connection.com “For starters, if you’re driving this car with the top up, the storm outside better have a name.”
Edmund’s Review.com “It’s all about the little red button...labeled engine start, the button reflects the racing heritage found in the S2000 roadster.” “..an excellent alternative to the BMW Z3, the Mercedes-Benz SLK, and the Porsche Boxster. Out of that group, the S2000 is the most performance-oriented.”
Car & Driver Best List “the S2000 is wasted on summer evening jaunts to the local A&W. The S2000 is a unique and seductive tool for speed.” “...to produce tenacious and tolerant handling that makes even ham-handed and -footed drivers fell like F1 ace Michael Schumacher.”
Detroit Free Press “You could observe that the Mazda Miata still offers satisfying performance for a lot less money -- about $10,000 less. Which is true, as far as it goes. But from a performance point of view, it's the equivalent of comparing an Olympic sprinter with the hero of the high school track team.”
Cars and Bikes (Tokyo) “I've tested the Nissan GTR racing type car and though it's in the same class of performance as the S-2000, it lacked the "fits-like-a-glove" interior, open top and just wasn't the fun this Honda was - at two million yen more in price. The only Japanese car that comes close is another Honda, the NSX racing type, but with its price tag of around ten million yen it's out of reach for most of us.”
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: SF Bay Area
Car Info: '11 WRX Hatch | '04 WRX Wagon - Aspen White -SOLD
S2000.
Don't believe what you hear about lack of low end grunt. That's just lazy people complaining 'cuz they don't want to shift down.
I'm curious though, why buy a used S2000 when a new one doesn't cost much more than the Z?
I'd get a G35 over a 350Z anyway. Same specs and better looking. In any case, drive each of your choices and decide from there.
Don't believe what you hear about lack of low end grunt. That's just lazy people complaining 'cuz they don't want to shift down.
I'm curious though, why buy a used S2000 when a new one doesn't cost much more than the Z?
I'd get a G35 over a 350Z anyway. Same specs and better looking. In any case, drive each of your choices and decide from there.
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I would say the S2000. I have respect for a car that has done so well in the Solo class. Then again the 350Z has not yet had its chance to get some track seasons under it's belt. Stiil for the time being the Honda, reliable, quick, aftermarket support, proven casis......
