Frs vs s2000

[Purdue FR-S]

I absolutely love the S2k. If they made em new I suppose I woulda bought one instead of the FR-S.

My dad owns one now, and I suspect he'll want to get rid of it sometime (and I know the maintenance history of it )

[RedFRS4me]

I use to have an S2000 and a G35 6spd coupe together in my garage and I'll say both are completely different cars in every way. I loved both cars for their strengths and hated them for their weaknesses.

For the G35, it just had so much more low end torque. Launching that car was fantastic. It grips and goes. I can honestly feel that it was faster than the S2000. It sits higher than your average coupe I think and has a lot of room to stretch/relax and enjoy the smooth quiet drive. It's a great cruising coupe for sure and the gas mileage (hwy) was just about the same as the s2000 if not better and with a big 20 gallon tank, you could drive 500 miles. I liked the body style, rear tail lights, and exhaust note but felt like the front end was a bit soft. I had the sports package with the stiffer springs and shocks so the ride felt soft(heavy) but firm. through the twisties the car felt confident and controllable at its limit but oddly hated driving over undulations on the road considering its hefty weight. My FRS even seems to soak up bumps better than the G35. I also didn't like how the car would burn oil for some reason that likely has to do with the engine design (screw you nissan). The tranny felt very notchy and translated all vibrations from the engine to the shifter. Overall its a good sports coupe with luxuries and comfort the S2000 doesn't have. Whenever I get out from the S2000 and drive the G35 I feel so comfortable and sleepy lol.

My s2000 was really a work in progress. I bought it cheap from a shady used car dealer near san francisco. There were a lot of things wrong with it but I was sure I could fix it myself and make a good profit if I sold it. Basically all the issues with any older S2000, I had minus the plastic rear window(mine was glass). Idle issues had me do countless ecu idle relearning procedures and EIAC valve cleaning. The infamous map sensor fix (TSB fix with a ziptie lol). Axle cup vibration issues due to lowering on coilovers. Ignition misfires that I later fixed when I adjusted 8 valves out of spec lol. There were lots of dents and dings that required body work as well because being so low, it hit everything. There was also that ticking timing chain tensioner that has a design flaw which requires some sanding after 20k miles. Not to mention the poor gas mileage for a 4 cylinder car. I averaged about 22 mpg city and highway combined. I believe it has to do with the gearing of the car which was less than ideal for longer drives. In the city its a blast to drive though with short gears. The transmission is buttery smooth and shifts were extremely short for a stock unit. But Honda's weak point on the S2000 is the rear differential. I would never launch it in fear that I would have to tow it home. I've heard the horror stories of the diff and never risked it. On the twisties it's definitely tighter than the G35 but much more twitchy. You could feel the car want to oversteer all the time even with the wider wheels and tires I had. driving in the rain around turns or even the on ramp is kind of scary. The chassis is super stiff and compared to the FRS it's even stiffer I think and makes the ride really harsh on longer trips. Space is really limited but you know that already if you're buying a 2 seater. The motor, all in all in daily driving is very similar to the FRS. It's really after 6000 RPMs that it comes alive (mine was the ap1 with 9k rev line). It's really addicting and hard not to hit vtec everytime you drive it. To me the extra pull up top is all that separates the F20 from the FA20. Toyota should have added LIFT to the design (sigh). High speed driving didn't feel so safe considering the soft top and the stiff chassis made you feel every single little imperfection on the road. The S2000 gets lots of attention wherever I go and the looks are aggressive, which i really like. And Finally, owning a convertible is a different feeling than a regular car. I don't know how to explain it but it feels awesome to take the roof off and drive with the wind in your hair. Just made the car feel even more fun to drive. I hate driving it with the top up because of the noise and squeaks you hear from the convertible top and how it really makes visibility poor out back.

When I decided to move to Oregon It was a no brainer to sell the S2000 and keep the G35. It was much more practical. i wish i could have kept both but I couldn't. I loved each car for their strengths but again, hated them for their weaknesses. So when I finally moved, I decided to get the FRS because it had both of their traits i wanted. Great handling, light weight feel, firm suspension and chassis that's not going to kill you on long drives or stop and go traffic, better gas mileage, more space to store things and allow you to sit comfortably all day, aggressive styling, smooth transmission, great visibility front and rear, and at 25k I think it's a steal. sure the engine could use more grunt but having owned it for a few months now I think it's fine. With a drop in filter and free flowing injen exhaust, the car seems to breathe better especially up top. If i could sit in it and drive all day, I totally would and would never get tired of it. I can't say the same about my G35 and S2000.

[vangisback]

^g'damn. The comparison to the G35 came out of left field.

[iLuveKetchup]

Originally Posted by vangisback

^g'damn. The comparison to the G35 came out of left field.

Haha

[CSG Mike]

G35? 500 miles to a tank? You must be joking. I used to DD one.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

G35? 500 miles to a tank? You must be joking. I used to DD one.

the tank is the same but the gas is new. duh...

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

G35? 500 miles to a tank? You must be joking. I used to DD one.

You could probably do it.. if you tried. All highway, 20 gallon tank that's only 25mpg. I hated all the G35/G37 products I've ever driven so I haven't owned one. I believe the highway rating on those is 23mpg but I think we've all beat those numbers so on a road trip I could see it.

In mixed driving.. maybe he meant 500 kilometers.

[Zozr]

S2K was a better car at its time than the BRZ is now at its time.

Too bad they're all pretty old now and beaten/high kms.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

You could probably do it.. if you tried. All highway, 20 gallon tank that's only 25mpg. I hated all the G35/G37 products I've ever driven so I haven't owned one. I believe the highway rating on those is 23mpg but I think we've all beat those numbers so on a road trip I could see it.

In mixed driving.. maybe he meant 500 kilometers.

If only... I got around 17-18 MPG with mixed driving. Also, only about 17 gallons is actually useable, if you try hard...

[RedFRS4me]

lol well the s2000 is like the opposite of the g35. the FRS actually is a nice if not better compromise between the three.

[RedFRS4me]

I drove my G35 at 65 mph non-stop and could have hit 500 miles if i wanted on one tank. If you live in California you'll know that in central cali the roads are rather flat. The best I ever got out of the 6spd anyway.

[manonastick]

Well to me my s2k felt a shit load faster but in reality is not going much faster than my brz and the my s2k i felt more with one with the car than brz as well but i dont get a big boot 3 seats and good gas milage.

[Nu_era]

30 mpg or more outta the VQ is pretty tough IMO. Does that car have a 17-20 gallon tank? Cause most Nissan/Infiniti models MPG are right about what the EPA rates them. I've had a few Nissans before.

[Nu_era]

Originally Posted by Zozr

S2K was a better car at its time than the BRZ is now at its time.

Too bad they're all pretty old now and beaten/high kms.

Back in topic for me this is pretty much my opinion in the States of S2000's. I went looking for one before getting the FRS. 2006 and up they want to much money but anything prior is beat up. I know Hondas can have tremendous value but they seem almost 240 rough. If you know what I mean. Those cars are non existent in proper shape.