Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for a daily driver that is between $10,000 and $15,000 on the used market and have a few restrictions.
Must be:

• Manual gear box
• RWD or AWD
• under 3500lbs
• Must have over 200HP without engine upgrades (I live in CA so smog is a beeetch)
• Decent gas mileage 20+ mixed driving

I've narrowed it down to 2 cars, the MY01-03 Honda S2000 or the MY02-04 Subaru Impreza WRX. Which should I pick and why? If you voted "Other " please mention the car that you think may suit my needs.

For the S2000, I know there was a refresh in 2004 that bumped the engine displacement to 2.2 liters from 2.0 but also lowering the redline by ~500rpm. Does anyone have any insight on this? Is the <04 or >04 more desired?

For the WRX, I know in 2006 they bumped the engine displacement to 2.5L from 2.0L, however 2006 models are still selling for above my price point.
Thanks for indulging me. Please VOTE!

Wow 2 different cars. S2000 is very high revving, N/A, convert and 2 seater. WRX is a turbo flat, sedan.

I am a fan of both cars. I have to say though the S2000 is a wonderful used car to buy.

At least the Impreza is more functional...

If you're as tall as you say you are (6' 5" ?), forget the S2000.

I dunno bout S1CK, but I'm only 5'7" so no issues with headroom for me

While, true, both vehicles have more than 200 HP on paper, they differ strongly in the way they deliver it. The S2000's HP (and torque) is strongly concentrated in a very narrow band at the top of the RPM range, though not quite so peaky as the first-generation model, which required insane (almost 9000) RPM's for max power. So, to get any real spunk out of the S2000's drivetrain, you have to rev it well above levels you will want to do every day in normal driving....this puts a lot of wear on the engine and increases the tendency to use oil.

Not so with the WRX. The WRX, of course, being a 4-door, AWD vehicle is much heavier than the S2000, but its available power comes on at considerably lower RPM, though there still isn't much below about 3500 RPM or so. So, for normal driving, especially in lousy weather, where the S2000's RWD platform is at a strong disadvantage, the WRX is not only a lot more sure-footed but may even give you more spunk at a lower throttle. I would recommend the S2000 if you drive only in good weather or do track/autocrossing.......the S2000 is a superb car on the track.

Mike is right. I'm 6"5, I can't really fit but I loved the drive, I loved the looks and the simplicity of it. Wonderful car. Its PURE, its like a motorcycle with that 9k redline!

Get the 02 if you can for updates.

I googled this dynochart, it looks like the vtec lifts at around 6000 rpm and continues to make power up to 8500rpm like you said.
If you have any first hand experience with this car, how is gas mileage while shifting right before 6000rpm and gas mileage while keeping between 6000-9000rpm?

being a wrx owner, i can say that they are great cars. fun to drive, and so far reliable, even though i've upgraded just about everything on it. it now has 65k on it and runs great, no problems whatsoever.

This is exactly the reason I am considering the S2000, I have no doubt in my mind that I will absolutely love the drive day in and day out. But since it will be my only car, I wanted to see how people compare the downside of the raw S2000 to a comparable (in power) and more practical WRX.

If this is going to be your only car your might consider the WRX to be more practical. Unless you're ok with the fact that you'll never be able to have more than one person with you and you'll lack space if you ever need it. I think the S2000 is a great car if you have another as well... The WRX would make more sense to me if it was going to be my only car.

The simple question is do you need the space? I drove my previous NSX daily for about a year to work. It can carry an 1 extra passenger, has a trunk so you can still do some shopping and store things if needed, and is a blast to drive. If you can live with that you can daily drive an S2000 which I think has a very slightly larger trunk than the NSX.

Other than the fact you can't have more than 1 passenger and carry a lot of cargo, I don't think there is anything impractical about these types of cars. To be honest, I'm the type of guy that would buy the S2000 and buy a $2000 or less beater 4-Door car for those times when I really need it.

I never really drove a S2000 all that much to get a good feel, but many owners of both the S2000 and NSX say the S2000 might be a little more fun the drive. Nothing better than revving ti 8-9K RPM.

As long as you can live within its scope I would pick the S2000 as I think a used WRX was more likely beat to hell and the 2000 might have seen an easier life. The 2000 will wear out tires and I do not know if the head gasket problems with the 2.5 engine applys to the WRX

S2k is my choice, I was looking for one, but instead bought a 97 Sc3 5 spd, hey, I can do 1JZ and still under 15K. ( so far I spent 11K with mods )

I actually drive a 93 SC300 5spd right now. I'm completely with you on that 1JZ swap but I don't have that option living in California. BTW how did you find a 97 5spd for 4k?