S2000 or Miata...or Z3
 

As follow up to my MB question....want a weekend ragtop for taking Mrs Choc on mountain drives, etc. My days of repairing cars on the side of the road are behind me.

Have recently been looking for a NC2 Miata with a 6 speed, but not much available. I would have guessed in a city the size of Atlanta, there would be dozens. Nope.

It seems I can get a nice, low mileage early S2000 (2000-2002) for about the same money as a later model Miata (2010-2012).

Im pretty sure that Miatas will never retain value. An appliance to be used up without any drama. But what about an S2K? Honda reliability, no longer made, and seem to have a somewhat loyal following.

Anyone with S2000 experience? Any years to avoid, etc?

I would bet any nice Miata that is not modified and remains rust and collision free will actually keep some decent value. Everyone knows they are fun little cars and light years ahead of the old British sports cars. Lots of people will tease about the hairdresser bit, but that is true of almost any two seat convertible that is not some super expensive Ferrari or exotic.

The S200 is a nice car. Drive one for a bit before you buy. From what I hear, they have very little low end torque, and you have to be above 5,000 RPM to have any power. It you love to shift, it is a good choice.

"low end torque" is very relative.

Think of it as a percentage of the power band rather than a fixed RPM.

With great rev limiters come great power.

That said, for a low wrenching car I would choose age, the S2000 may be in for work in the future unless it is already done.

That favors the Miata.

Take a peak at a 2008-2009 Jaguar XK.

Right, for maximum reliability, chose youth (ie, newer low mileage Miata vs S2k). For outright performance, the S2k is probably a better performer as it's on a different level than a miata.

Drive both and see what you like. I think the S2k has (or at least had) some highly desirable parts that made them prone to theft either outright or for just having parts stolen. The miata, probably not so much. I would think the S2k might be more fun, but the miata might be more trouble-free on several fronts.

I'd go for the Honda. The Honda looks sweeter IMO. Are looks important?

I have hours in both cars from instructing at HPDE track events over ten years, and a couple canyon drive's in my brother in law's S2000. For your purposes, I'd wait for a good Miata.

The S2000 is a fun car, and I agree it's better looking, but any car that requires high RPM to generate sound and power gets exhausting fast. It's just not that easy to maintain RPM's during normal driving condition. Plus, newer is alway more reliable.

Interesting advice, thanks guys. And not what I expected. I thought sure the S2K would be the unanimous choice, mostly due to growing scarcity.

I've always liked the S2k, and would love one, but before I'd get an S2k, I'd get a Boxster. But, for a fun, inexpensive weekend toy, a miata is almost always the best answer.

Your stipulations of what you've been looking for bias our advice.

Yep, understand. Very much prefer a stick that’s going to be reliable and not break the bank. Seems there are a lot more automatic Miatas around here...S2K seems a reasonable alternative to at least consider.

The S2k will hold value and in my opinion appreciate given time. They are an icon of Honda's golden years, and a car many of that generation aspired to. If you buy a stock one, keep it stock, and keep it nice, you'll probably never lose money. BUT, you have to like a car with super peaky power delivery.

The Miata is the Camry of sports cars. Won't turn heads, dead reliable, cheap, and 100% delivers on the promise of perpetual fun. It's why they are so popular. But they made a ton of them, and the NC will eventually be a sub-$10k car because of that. You can already find early NDs for under $20k, which will keep pushing the NC downwards. They also are a lot of fun but not fast cars. Not slow, maybe quick, but not fast.

Assuming your price range is somewhere around $15k, have you considered the Boxster? You can get a nice 986 S for that money, or an exceptional non-S. It's also the most practical of the bunch, both the Miata and S2K have tiny trunks that will limit your weekend excursions. The Boxster's two trunks hold a lot of stuff. It's faster than the Miata in both forms, handles better than either, the S is faster than the S2K, and they are very solid reliable cars.

Unless Mrs. Choc is a sporty driver and happy keeping a car over 4,500 RPM's, she going to complain that "That S2000 is the slowest car she's ever driven" (My wife has never broken the 2,500 mark...unless maybe she dropped her handbag on the gas peddle by accident).

Be patient and expand your manual shift Miata search outside the area. Lot's of Pelican's in other states willing to help out. Heck, Matt drove 150 miles to do a PPI for me on a 70 C10 :D

I agree with Matt 100% about the Boxster. Superior to the Miata and S2K...except for one of your stipulated categories. They are not always cheap to maintain...unless you are handy with a wrench.

I would take a BMW Z3 any day over either the Honda, or the Mazda....better looks, performance, and priced in the ballpark.

Lots of good advice on this thread. You can't really go wrong with either. Let us know what you decide and report back over time on how ownership goes.

Ya know, I love the looks of the Z3 and hate the Z4 (transformer) but the Z4 is supposed to be a much better car. Have been watching ads for weeks. Also Boxster. But my concern is cost of repairs, IMS and also sending my car insurance through the roof (I have three kids under 24 on my insurance).

Anything 2004 and earlier can go on collector policy (according to American Collectors). A Miata at under $12k will get liability coverage only, so not too bad. Another consideration for S2K or Z3 I suppose.

Geat post. Thread closed. High rpm with your wife on the car? Nope.

He said "reliable". BMW reliability seems to be hit or miss. Some are great, some are horrible. And the Z3 being the entry level is probably not the most reliable of the bunch.

Yep, great points regarding S2000. Added Z3 to the thread title. They seem to be priced from $1500-$10k. I know the 3.0is the desirable engine...appreciate any other insights.