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Honda S2000 vs. Nissan 350Z

183 messages,  Last post on Sep 08, 2007 at 11:04 AM

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What is this discussion about? Honda S2000, Nissan 350Z, Coupe, Convertible


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#46 of 183
Re: Personal preference: [glendower] by gsolman6
Jan 30, 2007 (7:43 am)
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Replying to: glendower (Jan 30, 2007 7:04 am)

Well actually the S2000 digital gauges are being spread in the Honda family now as the Civic has a digital speedo. Porsche is not the end all be all of sport cars. I test drove a 968 before buying the honda, a 4 cyl with about the same hp as the S2k, and bought the S2k w/o reservation. Jeremy Clarkson can sum it up better that I do - check out his comparo on youtube b/t S2k, Z3, and one other car I forgot which.
 
I just wish more carmakers made no frills sports cars, light weight and nimble but sadly things are going in the comfort/overbuilt/gadgetry direction b/c American drivers want to be coddled all the time. Little do they know that less is actually more when it comes to sports cars. In other words I would rather drive a 2000 Miata over a 2000 V8 Mustang b/c it is a more visceral connected experience.
#47 of 183
Re: Personal preference: [glendower] by varmint
Jan 30, 2007 (2:45 pm)
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Replying to: glendower (Jan 30, 2007 7:04 am)

"Why Honda comes up with such stuff periodically is beyond me."
 
When you have a tach that runs to 9,000 rpms, you want to highlight it as a feature. An ordinary, circular analog dial would be... ordinary.
#48 of 183
Re: Personal preference: [glendower] by habitat1
Feb 01, 2007 (11:20 am)
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Replying to: glendower (Jan 26, 2007 6:34 am)

"The S2000 is simply too small, has goofy, inappropriate instrumentation for its genre, and lacks adequate torque. "Brilliant" it is not. And I'm not impressed one whit by the fact that you own a 911. Overpriced and unreliable, I regret to say."
 
You are certainly welcome to your opinion, just try stating it as such.
 
I put 20k miles in a Honda S2000 over 2.5 years and found the instrumentaion to be just fine. This is a no-frills sports car and the LED tach is a better altenative to analog guages, especially when you are taking it up to it's 9,000 rpm redline. But if you want to buy a sports car based upon instrumentation as a top priority, that's up to you.
 
As far as "brilliance" goes, Getting more HP per liter than a Ferrari 360 and implementing some of the most advanced technolgy in anything under $60k is a big step towards deserving that accolade, IMO. The S2000, as a roadster, far exceeds the 350 Z coupe in responsive handling, steering, gearbos crispness, etc. The 350Z convertible is the Queen Mary II by comparison. The S2000 is ground up new technology, in much the same way (or better) than the NSX was at the time it was introduced
 
As far as the 911 being "overpriced and unreliable". I also happen to own one now (2005 Cab "S" model). I did a lot of research into it before buying, since it exceeded my next highest new car purchase by a factor of 2.5. You might find that too pricey for your blood, but it's barely half of a Ferrari 360 and the performance is comparable. Price/value is highly subjective, but again, there was nothing out there that floated my boat in terms of build quality, reliability and performance
 
As far as the 911 being unreliable however, that is more objective matter and you are just plain WRONG. The 911 is about as bulletproff as any high end sports car can get. I now have 12,500 miles on it's odometer and I went ahead with an oil change at 10,000 miels and 1 year, in spite for the insitance by Porsche that you car wait to 2 years and 20k miles. JD Powers ranked Porsche above Lexus this year as the #1 quality manufacturer. Even Consumer Reports gives it a recommended mark and they are not exacly fans of sports cars. So you might want to recheck you facts on that one.
 
If the S2000 at $32k isn't brilliant from an engineering and performance standpoint, I'd like to hear what you think is.
 
P.S. Sorry to hear that you can't fit. It's one of the few times I was glad I am height challenged, at 5'7". And in the case of the 911, my 5'1" wife and two pre-teen daughters can go along for the ride, as well.
 
#49 of 183
Re: Personal preference: [habitat1] by tides
Feb 03, 2007 (6:39 pm)
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Replying to: habitat1 (Feb 01, 2007 11:20 am)

Habitat, I remember you posting on the S2000 threads from awhile back. Glad to see you're stil extolling the virtues of the S2000.
 
I've wanted one since it came out, and had an opportunity to buy one a couple of car purchases back. I decided to go with another car, since I was already coming from a torqueless Prelude vtec.
 
I've now driven the current 2.2 powerplant, and I have to say Honda has made big strides with the low end torque. I'm impressed.
 
The car just feels right. Fits like a glove. In addition, the clutch/manual combination is heaven. You forget you're driving a stick because it's so natural and effortless. I didn't find the clutch to be too soft. I'd driven a Civic Si immediately before, and it felt like work rowing through the gears and the clutch made my foot tired.
 
I think it's a tribue to the S that we're still talking about it and heaping praise on it 8 years later.
#50 of 183
Re: Personal preference: [habitat1] by dat2
Feb 03, 2007 (7:22 pm)
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Replying to: habitat1 (Feb 01, 2007 11:20 am)

"You are certainly welcome to your opinion, just try stating it as such."
 
I would hope most of us can recognize that people are stating their opinions here!
#51 of 183
Re: Personal preference: [glendower] by boosted3liters
Feb 13, 2007 (10:27 pm)
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Replying to: glendower (Jan 30, 2007 7:04 am)

"That's swell. Wake me up when you enter an F1 race in one, will you? The gauges are goofy, like the new Civic's and an earlier Prelude's. Why Honda comes up with such stuff periodically is beyond me."
 
Driving an S2k is the closest thing you'll ever get to F1 technology without having to buy a Ferrari. Strap on a Mugen full exhaust and it even sound like one, less the 4 cylinders. Honda pioneered variable valve timing which you now see a lot of other manufacturers are using to improve performance; which I think is brilliant!
As far as the gauges.. it's a niche-market technology. Why it's beyond you might have something to do with the factor of age? Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with analogs(I especially like the Audi's). But people are often afraid to accept new things. Maybe it's the S2000's way of telling us.. welcome to the new millenium. The digital age. Even if future buyers were to consider not getting an S2K because of it's "goofy" gauges, they'd be at fault not to test drive it first and take it to redline b4 making a decision.
 
 
#52 of 183
S2000's gauges by gsolman6
Feb 19, 2007 (10:10 pm)
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My other car is a VW GTI with analog gauges and comparing them to the S2k's there is no difference in readability. A very close analogy would be a digital clock compared to a standard one.
#53 of 183
S2000 as a daily driver in snowy state by 6_onthefloor
Feb 24, 2007 (10:19 am)
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Greetings everyone. I'm new to the forum. I have enjoyed reading many of the posts in this topic area and am impressed with the knowledge base here. I realize that my question is a bit off the S vs. Z topic, but am hoping that you will be able to help me out.
 
I will be moving to Ohio shortly to begin my residency training. To celebrate being done with medical school, I have decided to purchase a new car. My search began with the new Civic Si. While I enjoyed the 6-spd gear box, high-revving engine and creature comforts, I decided that I am looking for something with a little more 'meat'. A friend suggested I give the Subaru WRX a test drive given the fact that AWD might be nice during the winter. While this had a bit more under the hood, I missed the slick Honda transmission.
 
This brings me to the S2000. While I don't have the funds to buy a new S, I do think I could put together a few grand above what a new Si would cost to purchase a reasonably young (04-05) S without too many miles on it. So, to get to my question, is it feasible to have an S2000 as a daily driver in a state like Ohio that gets a decent amount of snow? I'd be willing to spend some money on a decent set of snow tires if this makes any difference.
 
I appreciate your thoughts and comments...
#54 of 183
Re: S2000 as a daily driver in snowy state [6_onthefloor] by habitat1
Feb 25, 2007 (5:00 pm)
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Replying to: 6_onthefloor (Feb 24, 2007 10:19 am)

"So, to get to my question, is it feasible to have an S2000 as a daily driver in a state like Ohio that gets a decent amount of snow? I'd be willing to spend some money on a decent set of snow tires if this makes any difference."
 
Sorry, the answer is "no". If you could figure out a way to buy a cheap winter car or SUV, that would be the way to go. I speak from the experience of having an S2000 for 2.5 years and being originally from Erie. Snow tires could help you get through the occassional 2-3" we get in Washington, DC. But Erie has had 100+ inches so far and you'd be pushing or pulling an S2000 more than you would be driving it, even with snow tires.
#55 of 183
. by anythngbutgm
Mar 07, 2007 (1:21 pm)
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There are a couple of guys in the NE club that drive theirs year round with a good set of snow tires. But from what I gather, anything over like 3 - 4 inches of snow and you are pretty much dead in the water. The S is really not a four season car IMO, so I would probably steer away from it as a DD. Trust me, there may be 364 days of perfectly acceptable driving weather, but that 365th day will be the worst day you'll ever have to be stuck with an S2000 as your only car.

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