rouxeny

I'm lucky enough to have the Z as my pleasure car, but it could easily be a daily driver. It's easy to drive around at ho-hum speeds, but stepping on it really brings out a different personality.

Sure it's a little bumpy at times, but it's a sports car. There's one stretch of road down in New Haven which just kills me. It's got these sine wave undulations on the left side of the lane, so when you go over, the whole left side of the car bounces up and down. I never noticed it in my Accord, but in the Z, it's downright nauseating. I'm sure it looks pretty funny from the outside too. However, this wouldn't be enough to make me get rid of the car. I mean, it's one 30 foot stretch of road. On the freeway, the car does amazingly well. It jostles when you hit a sharp raised area, or a sunken drain site, but that's what I expect from a sports car. I'm happy with the noise level. There's some tire roar, but it's very easy to have a normal conversation while going 90 mph. Wind noise has so far been non-existent.

Old Skooler

I'm with Droid. This reviewer who disses the Z can go buy a damn Lincoln Continental.

MikeyDNY

That sounds about right. I took a half-hour test drive of the s2k this summer--it's a heck of a car. Great race-car cockpit feel, the engine revs pretty freely, and I can't imagine better shift-action on any car. And, cornering is unbelievable--no body roll, NONE.

But in the end, I prefer the look of the Z better. The soft top, noise levels and very tight seating position also helped convince me to wait for the Z--I think it's the better daily driver.

THrussT

Actually, as one of the very few S2000 owners in my state and someone who has sold sportscars in the past, I can tell you the main reason automobiles like the S2000 and MR2 Spyder are often seen with "for sale" signs (and low odo's) is, in a great many cases, simply because these "toys" were impulse purchases. The thrill of the test drive and visions of summer fun have taken their toll on many household budgets, only to be beaten back by the existence of practicality. Since sportscars, especially the above two, are engineered to COMPLIMENT a garage and not reside alone in one, it is much easier to justify selling 'em because their usefulness wears out alongside the 8,000 mile OEM tire replacements at $200/pop (in the S2000's case). I'm not aware of any S2000 owner who has sold their car because it was "punishing to drive daily."
I've owned more than 15 sportscars in 20 years and three words that should NEVER coexist in the same sentence are "sportscar" and "daily driver." To me, the latter is simply code-speak for "I do a lot of idling in city traffic."
I don't look forward to the day (I suppose with age, it will eventually come, or perhaps a move to a congested city) when the principal factor in determining my next sportscar will be how comfortable I am while rolling 10 feet every 10 minutes.
Sportscars for most purists, should be sheetmetal left cloaked until those stolen moments of opportunity arise when the owner can redline their way around the backroads and gorgeous highways of anywhere, USA. Let the SUV's and mini-vans own downtown, clog up the drive-thru's and escort the kids to school. Meanwhile, me and my S2000 will continue to seek out those roads much less "punishing."

docfrese

Damn, what car mag do you write for?? Nice

frayed

Hardly. With its weight, suspension tuning, and tire selection, Nissan did not bring this car to the market as a 'true' sports car. It could have though, as the platform is there.

My last car, a Honda S2000, is far more of a purist's car.

*raises hand* Well, now you found one. I found the S2000 a pain in the *** to drive every day. With the top up, it was noisy, buzzy, uncomfortable, claustraphobia inducing, and torqueless at the low end, which noticably suffers in the heat of the summer and with the a/c on. It also makes picking groceries, dry cleaning and regular daily duties a chore, and the ride was a bit unsettling to unsuspecting passengers.

With the top down, the car changed completely and it felt *right*. I still love the S2000 though, and admire it for what it is.

Having room in the garage for only one car, I want a car that is a true decathlete. . . one that can do everything well, from accomodating a baby seat, to tearing up the race track, to getting groceries, to carving canyon roads, to picking up kids at school, to hauling clients around, to, well you get the picture. . . .

Unfortunately, there are very few cars out there that fit the bill.

BigBadBuford

I understand some of the guy's comments on the Z, but to me he is being extremely harsh. The ride does get a bit bouncy over some weird road surfaces, and at times the tire noise can be loud, but 95% of the time you drive the car these factors do not come into play. Also, I've noticed that with my car, the more miles I put on it, it seems to get quieter and the suspension seems to have settled out a bit. I think the Z is a great daily driver (although I still use the '96 Corolla for that). In most situations, the Z is actually a very quiet car, with great seats and I love the auto climate control. Road trips are awesome, I spent hours in mine the other weekend cruising the Amish country, and I felt great after sitting in the car that long.
I think some people are just being overly critical of the car. They expect it to ride like a Caddy with the handling of a Ferrari and the interior of a Rolls for the price of a Civic. In my opintion, Nissan did a great job designing the car for what it was meant to be - a sports car.

THrussT

[QUOTE]Originally posted by frayed
I found the S2000 a pain in the *** to drive every day. With the top up, it was noisy, buzzy, uncomfortable, claustraphobia inducing, and torqueless at the low end.
Thank you for making my point. It appears this was an "impulse" buy for you. Seriously, you somehow during the test drive (I'll assume you actually took one before purchasing) overlooked the "claustraphobia inducing" feeling of the car? As for noisy, well I think one man's noise is another man's redline. The F20C's 9,000 redline ain't your father's Oldsmobile. Buzzy? I've owned my fair share of convertibles (12 at last count) and most rattled more than a crackwhore holding the winning Powerball ticket. The S2000 provides a ride nearly as solid as my friend's C5 coupe, though I suspect that type of solidity in a ragtop could be construed as being "harsh." You also state the car was uncomfortable which begs me to wonder if so, why did you buy it in the first place? You somehow was comfortable enough to cut the check for it, removing it from the lot and yet down the road, did your body fat percentage change? J/K, but again...your comments SCREAM impulse buy. To continue, you lamented the lack of low-end torque. Did you think by breaking in the engine, it would become an LS1? You didn't get a feel for how the engine was designed (high RPM running) during the test drive? Did that sub 6K test drive (let's hope you didn't VTEC a new car) somehow reveal engine characteristics lost as soon as you got it home? As for summer heat, any high compression engine is going to suffer (to a moderate degree) in the heat of the summer with the a/c on but the easiest way to compensate for that is to simply keep your foot planted but I suppose that would initiate more noise. Strange though...to the best of my knowledge, we have very happy S2000 owners living in Houston and San Diego, Phoenix and Miami. Granted, your opinions are yours and I'm not debating the validity of them but I'm pointing out observations which lead me to think you have done a better job than I of making my point.
It also makes picking groceries, dry cleaning and regular daily duties a chore Again, how was this overlooked when you first did a visual walk around before buying? You must not of discovered the "secret compartment."
The ride was a bit unsettling to unsuspecting passengers.
I'm not sure what your definition of "unsettling" implies, but for those weened on the old Castrol commercials showing an engine being revved to 6K and then blowing up, perhaps you make a valid point. The first time I took my girl to 9,000 revs (boy, does the mind wander!), she thought the car was going to do its impression of another weekend for Minardi (F1 inside joke).
Strange though, after about 10 minutes of 9K road buffet, "couped up" in the passenger cockpit, I pulled the car over and she turned to look at me with a smile you could of poured on a waffle.
Now...I can deduce from your complaint list that the high revving, no-thrills, one-purpose S2000 wasn't for you. That, we both agree on, but what amazes me is how you ever got it home in the first place. Or better yet....why? Most of your observations could have been deduced whilst the car was sitting on the showroom floor.
Impulse buy perhaps?

To close, as I suspect is the case with many hard-core sportscars (think Lotus Elise or Dodge Viper), there are owners who bought the car based solely on the seduction of the test drive when in truth, probably would have an easier time justifying the ownership of a two-hour comp tape of midget ****.
Having room in the garage for only one car, I want a car that is a true decathlete. . . one that can do everything well, from accomodating a baby seat, to tearing up the race track, to getting groceries, to carving canyon roads, to picking up kids at school, to hauling clients around, to, well you get the picture
Fair enough and certainly justified. I think you have a car that can do all of those things and I congratulate you on your good taste (in another time, make mine Le Mans Sunset please). For the present however, I prefer to think of my S2000 as a one-trick pony whose name is Secretariat, and "down the stretch," with 9,000 "lashes" at the ready, that makes for one hellva ride. For chores, I'll use the mule. ('89 Mazda).

frayed

ThrussT,

It was an impulse buy, no doubt pulled in that direction by all the mags.

No test drive: Since I had the 755th S2000 brought into the states, I did not/could not test drive it. Back in their first two months of introduction in 99 when I got mine, no dealer in the country was permitting test drives so some of what I found with the car could not have been discovered. Others certainly.

Many of the faults of the S2000 I knew up front, but I thought I could live with them. An underestimation of sorts.

Then, 6 mos into ownership, my wife informed me that we were having a baby. I made a deal with her: I dump the S2000 (which she never liked in the first place, b/c I looked to available in it, provided that I get a car that is at least as good on the track but yet offers day to day utility. She agreed, and I got an E36 M3.

Funny thing is, running full double adjustable coilovers, solid hiem joints, big sways, fat rubber (well, for the track anyway), and an inch of lowering, my wife now complains about the ride. OTOH, my 1.5 year old daughter loves it.

I'm still friends with the local S2000 guys, and we go to the track together. I think they only let me hang around b/c I can fit 4-5 people into my car for our post track day rituals, swilling some cold beers while making believe all the hotties think we are attractive.

Jeff

THrussT

[QUOTE]Originally posted by frayed
ThrussT,
Funny thing is, running full double adjustable coilovers, solid hiem joints, big sways, fat rubber (well, for the track anyway), and an inch of lowering, my wife now complains about the ride. OTOH, my 1.5 year old daughter loves it.

A future Sarah Fischer perhaps?
There's nothing wrong with mixing in a little heel and toe training in between Dr. Seuss.

As for not being allowed a test drive, I can't imagine buying an automobile without one. You Z-owners are courageous. I couldn't muster the courage to buy a guitar without playing it first. Well, ok...if I won the lottery, I'd order a Zonda. Touche.