Shoyuu

If this will be your only car, then skip the S2000 and get the WRX. Nothing against, Honda (love their cars and had one for 10 years as a daily driver) but it's not so practical if it's your only ride.

No trunk space, cramped on the inside and loud since it's a convertible. Absolutely thrilling to drive one, but on practicality.

SLegacy99

My brother had an '01 RS....that was a fun car. Personally, Ive never understood the point of Vtech. Lots of hp, minimal torque. Meh. Not my bag.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I wish I can get it for 4 K.
No, total car + mods = 11K.
Car was 8K and mods so far are 3K.

Gojirra99

If it were me, I would take the S2000 also, wonderful car

mmarshall

I don't have much experience with the S2000 outside of brief test-drives (It's a little too small for me, even after losing weight), but, to address the issue you bring up, in general, the lower RPM you shift at, the better gas mileage you will get......unless you allow the RPM's to get so low that the engine is lugging and not pulling strongly. The higher the gear you are in, the more likely the engine will lug at low RPM's because of the loss in leverage. In the case of Honda and other VTEC engines, you will get lower mileage at higher RPM's, not only because of more piston travel in the cylinders and greater friction/wear on the engine's moving parts, but also because around 6000 RPM or so, the valve timing increases, the valves stay open longer, and therefore suck in a larger concentration of air-fuel mixture from the injectors.

So, most likely, the best way to get good mileage with this engine is the same way as with almost any gas engine......run it at constant, moderate RPM's and road speed. And don't forget that air resistance, even with aero body designs, increases with the square of the speed. Double the speed and the air resistance (which takes fuel to overcome) increases four times.

TwiBlueG35

I would suggest the 01-03 Lexus IS300 or 03-04 Infiniti G35 sedan. You still need some practicality if this is going to be your only car. But I am not sure if they fall in your price range.

habitat

Yea I actually understand the dynamics of MPG, I was after real world experience and an estimate of actual MPG during those low stress and high stress conditions.

I definitely considered those two cars, but they are out of my price range. IS300's are hard to find in 5spd and when found are around 18k. Similarly, the G35 has more manual transmissions on the market but an even higher price tag of 20-30k depending on options. Most of the low cost G35 are 4 door and automatic.

miniround

a 2000 Rx300 AWD...try for less than 75k. Already pushes 220 stock.

good buy...

all you need is that TRD Supercharger...

and maybe suspension...



p.s. $11995

gengar

The S2000 is among the most fun cars I've ever driven. However, its functionality is very poor as many have stated and I have trouble recommending it to anyone who will be using it as their primary vehicle - much less their only vehicle. It all comes down to what functionality you need out of it. If you're going to need more than what the S2000 provides even a very small part of the time, it's just going to frustrate you.

SLegacy99

So what are you going to use this car for? And how are you going to use it? Part of the reason I detest RWD vehicles such as the S2000 or the IS300 is the lack of traction. I love being able to accelerate through curves, which in most RWD vehicles results in a loss of control. Not a pretty sight to witness. I also love the AWD cause you can just jam down on the gas and be gone. Whenever I drive the IS it takes me a few minutes to get use to not having instant traction. And that can be dangerous.

Something to think about.

toy4two

350Z's are approaching your budget. Go test drive one.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

how about an older 3 series, no i drive, and nothing really that can break on it, plus its more practical then an s2000 and it's a bmw lol, and im sure that you will be able to ind one that fits your criteria

habitat

Thanks for the suggestion, but I drive a SC300 now and its already too heavy for my tastes. A RX300 is upwards of 3900lbs! Too porky for me

Thanks for the insight, since I live in california a RWD car can still be feasible year round. I do enjoy a little tail sliding, although I do also know the addictive AWD endless grip.

I've actually test drove a 2007 350z and WOW it was quick. Problem is it is at the very edge of my budget right now.

I would love to have an old E30, but honestly I am not confident enough with my mechanical skills to keep it running. I also hear so many nightmare stories about expensive BMW parts!
I suppose I should point out that my main question with this thread is to get a grasp of which car, the S2000 or WRX is more reliable. It is my understanding that a FI car will need its turbo rebuilt or replace at ~80,000miles. At the same time I am also curious about reliability of a 2.0L 4 banging screamer after 60-80,000 miles. Does anyone have any insight on the subject of reliability on these cars at semi-high mileage?

habitat

NVM found it on wiki...

splitfire

iTrader: (6)

I had 2 AP1 S2000's and now got a AP2, they are very fun to drive but I must agree to most here it is not very pratical for daily....it is very small and has no storage space at all and is it pretty noisy I can barely talk on the phone when driving.... i drive my about twice a month in fact i drove it to work today and it put smile on my face every time I drive it.. I never drove a WRX but I do have a Evo which is kinda similar in some way.. I like the S2000 better than the Evo I'm keeping the S2000 and selling the Evo. If you going to look into the S2000 try to spend a little more and get a AP2(2004 and up).. coming from 2 AP1s I like the AP2 better it has more touque and it run smoother than the AP1 and the chassis and suspension also imporved on the AP2.. the 8k redline didn't bother me at all, Hope this help.