FR-S vs RX-8 vs S2000 Review - Everyday Driver

[vangisback]

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

Because BRZ - S2k is definitely an apples-to-apples comparison when you get down to it. You know, different number of seats, hard top vs convertible, new vs used, largeish price difference between the cars as purchased new, etc.

This thread is about the FRS/BRZ vs the S2000. Why don't you get on S2ki and LotusTalk if you want to discuss the S2000 vs Elise.

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

HERE is an Elise for ~$30k. Yes, you can get the FRS cheaper, but there are plenty of people paying in the neighborhood of 30k for BRZs, especially on the west coast. Low-mileage S2ks also seem to go for ~28-30k, so not far off there either.

C'mon dawg, you're comparing the cheapest Elise to the most expensive S2000 or BRZ. A used low-mileage S2000 is more around the mid-$20k (see post #126 right above your last post) and the Elise is more around the mid-$30k+. For every Elise that you can find around the $30k mark, I can find you 10 examples of an S2000 under $10k. Now we're looking at a $20k price difference, you see?

Being that you're an FRS/BRZ owner, I'm sure that you're familiar with the "throw that extra $$$ into car X and it will rape the more expensive car Y" argument. Trust me, with the price difference btw the S2000 and the Elise, you can make the S2000 into something that will shit on 911 Turbos.

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

Way to pick a shitty supercar for your hyperbolic example, though.

Shitty in what way? Sorry if fast and sexy isn't your cup of tea. I see that you own a GTI and BRZ....huh, makes sense.

[Sonolin]

If I was going used, I'd rather pay 15k more for a good condition Elise...

And just about any other supercar instead of an Aventador.

So I agree with @Ganthrithor.

The point is its silly comparing a used car (s2000) to a new car (fr-s). You can get plenty of very good used sports cars for under 25k. Older m3, rx-7 fd, (if your lucky) a supra, hell you can even get a used corvette for that price! So if your going used there's plenty of other options and I personally think the s2000 vs fr-s is kind of a silly comparison. No offense to the s2000, but if I was looking low mileage used an s2000 just wouldn't be high in my list. At least in cali I can't find any good condition s2000 for under 20k, looking at at least 25k-30k for a good low mileage one. All the others are either high mileage, bad condition, or salvage title.

If your looking at which car is better (price taken out of the equation), I'll take a Cayman please . Or, for a track car, a nice used corvette.

[Sonolin]

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

HERE is an Elise for ~$30k

That's in very good condition!

I like

[iLuveKetchup]

For those choosing an Elise or Porsche for a track toy must have never been to a track or don't do it regularly (Edit: or financially wealthy). The virtue of an s2k is that you can run it hard at the track & be confident that it can be driven home. The s2k & it's replacement parts are cheap. You will be crying if you ever beach a Lotus. A cracked diffuser can total the car. For a reliable headache free track car, the s2k is hard to beat.

I really want the BRZ to do well. I was looking at the BRZ to consolidate my track, auto-x, & daily. However, after driving one.. I feel that it is too much of a compromise car. It does everything good enough, but nothing exciting or fun. The car felt very soft & took a long time for the weight to settle. The ice mode braking is annoying as well. I really want to get the BRZ, but the current version is very uninspiring. I am sticking around for the BRZ STi. Hopefully it will have a bump in HP, stiffer, & comes with no radio or AC.

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by vangisback

Shitty in what way? Sorry if fast and sexy isn't your cup of tea. I see that you own a GTI and BRZ....huh, makes sense.

Shitty in that pretty much every review I've seen of the thing says it's incredibly fast and has completely unpredictable handling (and a shitty gearbox, IIRC)? I also happen to think it's completely hideous, but that's just an aesthetic thing.

But yeah, what would I know? Clearly I've never driven anything fast, lol.

The point of my post was simply that I agree with the reviewer-- the BRZ / RX-8 are more practical DDs than a S2k, but if you were going to get two cars then why consider practicality at all when picking your toy car? The Lotus isn't that much more expensive (here's one with 30k mi for $25k) and it's a purer sports car-- it's a thousand pounds lighter than an S2k, has un-assisted steering, etc. In exchange it is completely impractical as a DD-- but if you're not going to have to DD it, then who cares?

I'm not trying to insult your car, dude. They seem like really cool machines. I'm just saying that it isn't what I would buy if I were going to get a second car for weekend fun in the sub-$30k space. That's all.

Originally Posted by iLuveKetchup

For those choosing an Elise or Porsche for a track toy must have never been to a track or don't do it regularly. The virtue of an s2k is that you can run it hard at the track & be confident that it can be driven home. The s2k & it's replacement parts are cheap. You will be crying if you ever beach a Lotus. A cracked diffuser can total the car. For a reliable headache free track car, the s2k is hard to beat.

This is absolutely true. I don't do track events (at least not yet)-- mostly I just hit back roads and autox once or twice a year. If you fuck up the clam shell on the Elise you're in real trouble, as the whole body is basically two pieces and they're both extremely expensive. Also if you have any kind of serious collision your car is basically done since Lotus won't even try to repair any tub damage.

I don't even want to think about what it would cost to track Porsches regularly. How many track days does it take to run through a BRZ's-worth of brakes alone?

[iLuveKetchup]

In addition, I wouldn't want to daily the s2k. If you had to have one car, I'd most definitely choose the BRZ over the s2k. Having to use another car to transport a set of wheels/tires to get mounted gets real old quick!!

[maj75]

The RX8 loses on reliability and gas mileage grounds.

The S2000 looses because it doesn't have enough leg room and its a soft top. I sold off my Boxster S because I don't want to track a convertible.

I really love my FRS. Every track event I attend, I get dozens of fellow racers who come by to look and ask questions. One guy told me he was considering retiring his Porsche 911 and getting one of these. Many people told me they expect the FRS/BRZ to become the class racer of the future, like the spec Miata. Every time I drive it, I love it more.

[NateKthx]

I can't even watch this - all these guys do is try to make clever analogies and talk about 0-60...

[ZN6DS4]

S2000 CR would be my choice over BRZ

[redcelica]

Originally Posted by Superhatch

I don't have the space for a daily and a fun car and a project car. The BRZ being able to be a DD fun car for me allowed me space/money for a project car as well.

As noted above, if the S2K was a hardtop I -might- have made some compromise for it. It's still one of the most amazing cars on the market, and one of the best cars Honda ever made. I do wonder why they never made a Type R version though.

That is a great question actually Type R s2k would have been awesome

[CSG Mike]

Because they are unable to extract more power out of the engine.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Because they are unable to extract more power out of the engine.

That's what happens when you offer forged internals from the factory.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by ZN6DS4

S2000 CR would be my choice over BRZ

Cayman would be my choice over ricer-wing cursed CR...

[iLuveKetchup]

Originally Posted by maj75

I really love my FRS. Every track event I attend, I get dozens of fellow racers who come by to look and ask questions. One guy told me he was considering retiring his Porsche 911 and getting one of these. Many people told me they expect the FRS/BRZ to become the class racer of the future, like the spec Miata. Every time I drive it, I love it more.

All the attention is because it's a new car. The novelty will wear out. I have no doubt the FR-S/BRZ will be a spec series. There will be tons of used & cheap FR-S/BRZ down the road.