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AnalogMan · 10-18-2020, 07:56 PM

I owned a 2006 S2000 for about 10 years before the BRZ. I loved it, and often have second thoughts about selling it. As others have said, the S2000 doesn't have much low-end torque, but that's not what the car is about. It's a revver, a high-winding engine in the spirit of F1 motors.

It's more of a pure, hard-core 'sports' car than the Miata, and a couple of steps up in performance. You really need to wind it out to beyond 6000 rpm, past where the VTEC kicks in, to get the true performance potential out of it. Driving it and shifting at 5000 rpm and it'll feel slower than a Miata. Shift at the redline and it'll take your breath away (in a good way).

The S2000 is amazing in that it's a hard core sports car but one with working heat and A/C, a water-tight top, and Honda reliability. No Lotus owner could ever dream of those things. Like with many specialist cars, Honda didn't sell a whole lot of them, but there's a passionate following. Check out what they sell for on Bring-A-Trailer and it'll take your breath away.

Most people that want a 'sports car' are happy with the Miata, which offers more in creature comforts. It's a car that can be used as a daily driver and for long trips (albeit with very limited storage space in the current model). The limitations of the S2000 are that it's hard (at least for anyone older than 20's/30's) to use the car as a primary daily driver, or for long trips. I bought the car when I was in my 50's and had so much fun with it. But as I approached my 60's, the ride was getting a little too stiff, and the car a bit hard to climb out of (don't laugh; wait until you get old yourself). My wife was less tolerant of it than I was, and just found riding in it for more than an hour or so to be too hard on the bottom (the secret to a successful marriage: keep your partner's bottom happy).

I wanted something that was sort of a cross between the overt sportiness and sheer fun to drive of the S2000, with the greater comfort (roominess, more interior space and storage, and easier to climb out of) of the RX8 I had. The BRZ was kind of a love child between the S2000 and RX8, and fit the bill.

In hindsight, there are times I wish I kept the S2000 (for the pure, unvarnished, visceral thrills) and the RX8 (because it was such a neat car, though a needy, maintenance-intensive one). I thought we'd be using the BRZ for a lot of weekend trips and getaways, for which it would be much more practical than either the S2000 (its roomier and more comfortable ride) or the RX8 (it's more reliable and less needy). The pandemic threw a wrench into those plans.

If you're looking for a pure toy, something just to have fun in, don't need to rely on it for transportation and it'll be a second or third car, the S2000 is hard to beat (but grab one soon, prices are going up).

10-18-2020, 07:56 PM	#118
AnalogMan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2018 Drives: 2019 BRZ Limited 6 speed Red Location: New England Posts: 514 Thanks: 743 Thanked 1,036 Times in 344 Posts Mentioned: 7 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I owned a 2006 S2000 for about 10 years before the BRZ. I loved it, and often have second thoughts about selling it. As others have said, the S2000 doesn't have much low-end torque, but that's not what the car is about. It's a revver, a high-winding engine in the spirit of F1 motors. It's more of a pure, hard-core 'sports' car than the Miata, and a couple of steps up in performance. You really need to wind it out to beyond 6000 rpm, past where the VTEC kicks in, to get the true performance potential out of it. Driving it and shifting at 5000 rpm and it'll feel slower than a Miata. Shift at the redline and it'll take your breath away (in a good way). The S2000 is amazing in that it's a hard core sports car but one with working heat and A/C, a water-tight top, and Honda reliability. No Lotus owner could ever dream of those things. Like with many specialist cars, Honda didn't sell a whole lot of them, but there's a passionate following. Check out what they sell for on Bring-A-Trailer and it'll take your breath away. Most people that want a 'sports car' are happy with the Miata, which offers more in creature comforts. It's a car that can be used as a daily driver and for long trips (albeit with very limited storage space in the current model). The limitations of the S2000 are that it's hard (at least for anyone older than 20's/30's) to use the car as a primary daily driver, or for long trips. I bought the car when I was in my 50's and had so much fun with it. But as I approached my 60's, the ride was getting a little too stiff, and the car a bit hard to climb out of (don't laugh; wait until you get old yourself). My wife was less tolerant of it than I was, and just found riding in it for more than an hour or so to be too hard on the bottom (the secret to a successful marriage: keep your partner's bottom happy). I wanted something that was sort of a cross between the overt sportiness and sheer fun to drive of the S2000, with the greater comfort (roominess, more interior space and storage, and easier to climb out of) of the RX8 I had. The BRZ was kind of a love child between the S2000 and RX8, and fit the bill. In hindsight, there are times I wish I kept the S2000 (for the pure, unvarnished, visceral thrills) and the RX8 (because it was such a neat car, though a needy, maintenance-intensive one). I thought we'd be using the BRZ for a lot of weekend trips and getaways, for which it would be much more practical than either the S2000 (its roomier and more comfortable ride) or the RX8 (it's more reliable and less needy). The pandemic threw a wrench into those plans. If you're looking for a pure toy, something just to have fun in, don't need to rely on it for transportation and it'll be a second or third car, the S2000 is hard to beat (but grab one soon, prices are going up).