Zoro

Well I finally made a few phone calls in the motown area and found some dealers will to part with some new s2000s for msrp.
And today I went to a lot that had a used s2000 and took it for a test drive.

Wow was I impressed. The first thing that impressed me was the fact that I could actually fit in it. There was plenty of head and leg room and absolutely no wasted space in the interior. It is one bad little beast.

But there is one thing that really turns me off, the digital display makes you feel like your driving a motorcycle. Other than that the side profile of the car just isn't a pretty as the 350Z. The front of the car might be a little more aggressive than the Z. The rear end well thats a toss up I'm not crazy about either.

But the main thing is I WANT a car before it becomes nasty out and my dealer has no ideal in hell when my z is to arrive, and the s2000 could be sitting in my driveway tomarrow "if I'm willing to take the day off from work tomarrow and go down and pick it up.

I think I'm gonna let my dealer know I want a delivery time by wednesday afternoon and if the can't oblige I may be willing to fix someone up with dibs on a 350z enthusiast, daytona blue , 5AT, with all the mats. Unless I could persuade the wife to let me get both. Oh yeah that is the other nice thing about the honda no auto transmission, hehhehe

Well, anyone have any dirt on a s2000 that might discourage my choice I've checked some of the s2000 boards "by the way I've seen some others members of this board there too, pulled to the darkside" And have only seen a few recall issues on them such as spark plugs not being seated correctly etc. It also looks like there are tons of after market stuff available.

If the Z was here in the next couple weeks I would be able to obstain till I could check out both but it has been a long battle and the flesh is getting weak. I think apostle paul came up with that line, gee do you think he had a Z?

mcclaskz

Don't do it man. Put the phone down and back away! I know what you feel though. I test drove an '02 M3 on the lot w/ 3000 miles on it for $50k (less than MSRP) the other day, and an S4 yesterday. The temptation was overwhelming, but after a few hours I realized that even though I could have either today, it wasn't worth it. They are both wonderful cars, but neither would give me what I wanted in the Z. Similarly, the S2k is a nice car, comparable performance, but wouldn't you rather have a nice V6 w/ torque and more ability for tuning? I think in the end you will.
p.s.: is this icon an asscrack or ****?

gammbino350z

no torque in the s2000 and a quite boring design imo.

nizl

Is this confirmed? Was exsilio's departure due to a trip to the dark side?

Chris S

I've owned my S2000 since 2/01, and I def. wouldn't try to talk you out of it...of course, I wouldn't be here if I had no interest in the Z, either.

Y'all know what makes the Z a kickass car, so I'll point out the S2000's pros:
- convertible
- much lighter and more agile
- the powertrain, depending on your preferences, may provide a more visceral experience. I also ride/race sportbikes, and the S2000 feels like the closest thing to a motorcycle/racecar IMO.
- relative rarity: there s/b more Z's on the road after a year of production, despite the S2000 getting a 3 yr. headstart
- focused interior: at first I thought it looked way too plain (coming from a '97 Supra TT), but it's very focused for serious driving, w/ all controls falling readily to hand
- quality: the S2000 is hand-built in ltd. quantities, in the same factory as the NSX.

If drag racing is important to you, or if you want a daily driver, the Z will likely be a better choice. If you like playing around on curvy roads &/or enjoy a climate conducive to topless driving, the S2000 offers a fun factor beyond what it's price and specs would lead you to expect. Too bad I can't have both cars!

Dr Bonz

iTrader: (1)

I read some of his posts over at a STOOK board and he was talking to several posters about buying one. He seemed pretty serious. To bad, I kinda liked him. Now I MUST DESTROY HIM!

D'oh

Zoro,

I too was deciding between a Z and an S2000, and I decided to wait for the Z for a couple reasons.

1. Hardtop. Even though I live in California, I am not a big fan of convertibles. If there was an S2000 coupe, my choice would be much more difficult.

2. Engine/Torque. While I love the idea of a NA engine that makes 120 hp/l, I am not a big fan of the high revs. I always feel as though I am beating my car, so I like having the low end torque available so the revs aren't as critical. I also like the fact that the VQ V6 is proven in many other vehicles, and has been rated one of the best engines almost evey year during its life.

3. Style. I love the looks of the Z as well as the looks of the S2000, but the Z looks significantly better to me.

4. It's a Z. I've wanted a Z (or RX-7) for as long as I can remember, while the Honda doens't have that same nostalgia for me. Since it looks like it will be another couple of years for the next RX-7, I'm going for the Z. Maybe by the time the RX-7 arrives I will have struck it rich and can have both...

Things I like about the S2000.

1. Light Weight. I wish the Z weighed 200 lbs less, but so far it looks like it handles very well, even if it understeers slightly. The engine of the Z makes up for it, but imagine if it weighed under 3000 lbs.

For me, the decision was easy once I learned the Z was going to be made. I've had mine on order since Feb 2nd, and it should arrive in October. I can't wait!!!

rai

Um was that a typo? did I say auto tranny? If you are trying to choose between a 6 speed honda and a slusher Z I think you are all mixed up. ( I guess it's your wife's idea). As much as I hate to say it but get the S2000. I wish nissan had some guts like honda to only offer the MT. Oh well I guess there will be a lot of pousers with Z's like the vette (60% slush boxes).

I only say it because it sounds like you were getting an auto Z because your wife wants to drive it. I'd rather not have me wife drive my Z. Thats why I call it My Z. when I was picking out my Z I was torn between the track and touring. My wife said get the heated seats because she likes them. Needless to say I ordered the track.

Now I have also driven the S2000 and if my Z was not on the way I would be driving one now. But I have owned a convertible and since 1/2 of my driving is on the highway that is like 1/2 of the time I don't use the top down. Then you have rain, winter, summer (too hot) and that kills another 1/2 the time, so you have a convertible like 1/4 of the time (great fun), but the rest of the time is like top up, limited rear visibility road noise etc..

The S2000 is a blast to drive esp. when ripping off red line shifts. The Z will be better around town as it can pull stronger if you are in the wrong gear. Low end compaired to an american V8.

The Z may tend to be a little safer in a crash (god forbid). Because it has a roof, it weighs 400 pounds more, and it can have head and side air bags.

The Z can have TC and VDC. That's a big selling point for me.

The Z is a little more roomy for me, and the view out the front is better because the S2000 has a lower windshield.

BTW, I don't think that your dealer will be able to produce a Z for you on demand. I mean if your Z is not there what's he going to do? take someone elses Z and give it to you? I hope not.

Well there you have it. I would take a manual transmission over a slush box every day and twice on sunday.

Traffic

Yeah, I drove a S2000 too and was thoroughly impressed, and everyone here has made great points, but consider the insurance for the S2000 should be slighly higher since it's a convertible, and another lovely facet of the S2000 is that it's an economy car when you need it to be, and a sports car when you want to be. But I know I'd rather have a manual S2000 than a slushbox 350Z.

Zoro

I haven't made any rash decisions yet.

And seeing some of the pics of buyers actually getting their cars has helped some. I just gotta go down to the nissan dealer and be a little obnoxious I guess, and ask them if they want to call nissan and get me some info or if they want to wait and have nissan call them.

But the fact remains that the S2000 is quite a car and I don't know for sure if the Nissan is what I want till I see it and take it for a spin.

All I know so far is it's suppose to be here some time between sept and november and that could be as early as sept 1 or as late as november 31.

I must admit the that the z's 6 cyl would be my preference even though it's an AT5. From what I've seen the performance difference between the is only .3 - .5 s in a 0-60 so the fact that my z would be as you say a "slush box" has nothing to do with my decision. I think my decison will be based on impatience and dealer ignorance.

Anyway I like both cars alot even though I haven't had a chance to see the z in person, I think it is the better overall car. But the S2000 makes you feel like your in a F1 with a mission. As I said before the only thing I really don't like is the digital display, I've checked around and can't find any after market displays other than digital. I've been told they grow on you after a while

The convertible option has nothing to do with my decision I can take it or leave it the car is only gonna be on the road 5-6 months a year anyway. Actually the Z gets an advantage in that department as my little doggie goes every where with my wife and I, usually sits on the passengers lap anyway, when she's breed "the dog not my wife" we plan on keeping one of the pups and that hatch would be more useful for a second dog than the tiny trunk of the s2000.

Anyways to use the words of another one of the posters here
I haven't gone "INSANED" yet and will see if I can get a real honest to goodness eta before I make any rash decisions what the heck I've only been waitng 5 months.

Thanks for the input and words of wisdom guy's.

bhobson333

I understand your dilemma. Although I have a long history with the Z (my father owned four or five, starting with a 1972 240Z), I'm a long-time Honda fan. I was seriously considering the S2000 until I heard about the 350Z.

You need to be patient, though, no matter what you do. I have been thinking about this a lot and here's my plan:

Experience shows that the first year-model isn't always the best car to get, usually the third year is the best to get. They need to work the kinks out, both in manufacturing and in the options offered. The 2003 S2000 will be (IIRC) the third year model. Then you add in the hype, Nissan dealers want you to put signifigant money down to order a car you've never seen or driven, dealers wanting you to pay 5k-10k over sticker for whatever they might have on the lot. These are signifigant factors weighting toward the Honda, but, still, wait.

Once the 350Z hits the lot and I can see it and touch it and maybe drive it, I'm going to try to get one. If I can place an order for what I want with a reasonable delivery date and if I can find a dealer who's not trying to gouge me, I'm going to buy one. If not, I'm going to wait until mid-to-late November and then pay a visit to my Honda dealer.

Do you think they will have been selling many 2003 S2000s? I don't. I think they'll have them stacking up and they'll be EAGER to sell you one! The S2000 has no options and a sticker of around 32k, which is very near the TOP of the line for the 350Z and way above the base 27k. Add to that the fact that (IMHO) late November is the best time to buy a new car because the salesmen are starting to add up the last commission check they'll get before Christmas. My guess is that by late November it will be a buyer's market in the Honda dealership and (if I can't get a 350Z on my terms, remember) I'm going to try to get an S2000 with the $4k hardtop thrown in for free.

Whether I end up with a Z or an S2000 this fall (and this will entirely depend on the Nissan sales team and process) I expect I'll be looking seriously into trading into a 2005 350Z for a long-term car, to drive until my reactions slow down and I can't fold my old bones into it any more and I have to buy an Oldsmobile.

Oh, one other thing: Get what you want. Don't let your wife talk you into an AT if you really want a stick, you'll resent the car every time you drive it. If she can't drive a stick she needs to learn!

robbyn

There apparently is another reason to get the Honda: you get 25% more time with the Honda. 1/2 (highway)time + 1/2(bad weather) time + 1/4 (driving) time = Honda time. WTF??

rai

I said the rain etc. kills ANOTHER 1/2 of the time. That means 1/2 of the remaining time that I am not on the highway. (IN other words 1/4 of the whole time).

Here you go I'll make it simple for you.

highway = 1/2

non-highway= 1/2

sub-set non-highway
good weather 1/2 this is the good time (1/4 of total)
rain, too hot, too cold 1/2 (1/4 of total)

Chris S

I generally don't drive my S2000 if the weather isn't good enough to put the top down, so I enjoy having a convertible ~90-95% of my miles w/ it!

Also, top-up rearward visibility isn't bad, prob. no worse than the Z. I hated the dash & plain interior at first, now I love it. Everything is quickly readable at a glance, and you only need to move your hand off the wheel to shift. The fact that the guages mirror the ones on my RC51 is an added bonus!

Spoon makes analog drop-in guages, though I don't think they're cheap.

Zoro

I was told that the analog guage and dash display you may have seen at spoon was a one of a kind and was part of there private collection.

I guess if nothing else was available one could get something like a 3 piece pillar gauge set and run them in addition to the stock set up. It would kind of be ashame though to glutter up the pillar when the rest of the interior is so sparse of instrumentation and gadgetry. There is something kind sweet about not having gizmo's scattered all over your dash. When you first look at the dash it looks like they forgot to put anything in it.

S2kRob

Do what I'm doing. I bought a 2002 S2000 in April and have been thoroughly enjoying the awesome weather we've been having this summer while all these poor souls are still waiting for their 350Z's. That said, it was damn close. I nearly went for the Z, if it had been available in June, I probably would have done it. Damn, I love that car, and Nissan is my favorite Japanese manufacturer.

That said, I love the S2000 as well. The convertible is a huge bonus and the open air element of motoring is pretty awesome. It's definitely not a torque monster like the Z will be, but it is fast. I'm doing some choice modifications, and am considering dropping in a 4.44:1 final drive for even better acceleration.

So, now that I have a cool car to drive, I can sit back and wait to see what happens. If there is really going to be a turbo Z coming out, it'd be pretty hard to resist, but I think I'm going to wait for the new GTR and build it into a pseudo-supercar to complement the S2000.

Good luck on your decision. Don't pay MSRP, whatever you do, though!

Boomer

I considered the S2K and was very interested. The performance was terrific, looked great, and had Honda's rep for durability. Then I started adding up the debits, convertible in OK sucks, car is very small, not sure I would fit, and the deal killer of them all, NOISE.

Every review of the car I read quoted full throttle(no fun unless you drive it like you hate it), DBs of 89-96. You wouldn't be able to hear yourself think, much less listen to a stereo, or some other activity, like talking to your passenger.

I have a mild case of tinnitus(ringing in the ears), common to us aging rock and rollers and my ears would not be able to take it, so I wrote off the S2K a while ago. The full throttle DBs on the Z tests have quoted 84-86 DBs or less. Great, I can enjoy a spirited full throttle blast without going deaf and I like a 6 better than a 4; I'm not saying one is better than the other, just my preference.

Besides, I want a coupe body, no moonroof, t-top, convertible, etc. Even my MR2T body twisted slightly over some uneven pavement; I expect just what we have been reading about, great chassis stiffness, firm shocks you can live with on a long trip, great power, and roomy interior. Don't need no stinkin' baby shoe I have to wriggle into and slither out of like the S2K. Another plus for the Z for me height from top to ground=51.9"s; I don't know what the S2K is ,but the C5 vette is 47.7"! Screw that, I'm buying a sports car that fits my 6'5" body, not some pocket rocket I'll get bored with in a few months.

Boomer--give me the Z.
BR/FR/AT