Discussion
Long story short, I purchased my MX5 as a fun but practical everyday car.
However, I now have a shed to trundle around in most days and the MX5 has been relegated to the 2nd 'fun' car. Although it is a very nice car (if I may say so myself) I do think perhaps now having a daily driver allows me to have a weekend car that is a little more focused on fun and less of a compromise.
At this stage I'm all ears, I'm looking at TVRs, classics and everything in between.
I'm quite taken with the idea of an early S2000 as they now seem to be in budget. The '5 is worth about £4.5k and I wouldn't want to spend much more - the S2000s are £5-6k for early good examples now.
The thing I like about the '5 in particular is it is so cheap to run. Will the S2000 rape my wallet in comparison? It'll only be doing 2-3k a year max. Has anyone gone from an MX5 to S2000 before and can share with me the +/- points?
However, I now have a shed to trundle around in most days and the MX5 has been relegated to the 2nd 'fun' car. Although it is a very nice car (if I may say so myself) I do think perhaps now having a daily driver allows me to have a weekend car that is a little more focused on fun and less of a compromise.
At this stage I'm all ears, I'm looking at TVRs, classics and everything in between.
I'm quite taken with the idea of an early S2000 as they now seem to be in budget. The '5 is worth about £4.5k and I wouldn't want to spend much more - the S2000s are £5-6k for early good examples now.
The thing I like about the '5 in particular is it is so cheap to run. Will the S2000 rape my wallet in comparison? It'll only be doing 2-3k a year max. Has anyone gone from an MX5 to S2000 before and can share with me the +/- points?
Test drive an S2000, ideally a freinds who will let you give it some.
I had an MX5 turbo at the time I took a mates S2000 out for a spin and I thought it rather naff. The MX5 would have it for breakfast. Gearing far to high was my main hate, but otherwise it just felt a rather dull boring car.
I had an MX5 turbo at the time I took a mates S2000 out for a spin and I thought it rather naff. The MX5 would have it for breakfast. Gearing far to high was my main hate, but otherwise it just felt a rather dull boring car.
MX5 has a more neutral balance and more feedback, and is easier to push to it's (lower) limits.
S2000 has a much better engine (needs really winding up but is real-world very quick at the top-end), feels more solidly built and has some nice touches - e.g. elec hood and glass rear screen. But it needs the geo sorting to handle reasonably well and even then benefits from cross-braces (insurance-declarable mod) and arguably different dampers to get it to truly handle very well.
That said, the S2000's limits are very high in the dry and with the right set-up it's not THAT snappy in the wet. But aside from being more throttle-steerable it's not as playful as an MX5. Then again, neither is a Focus ST vs a 306GTi or a Clio 172/182.
DO drive one - preferably a sorted one, as with the wrong geo they can feel leaden or twitchy. And then decide if it's special-enough vs the MX5. Tough call...depends what you want from a car.
S2000 has a much better engine (needs really winding up but is real-world very quick at the top-end), feels more solidly built and has some nice touches - e.g. elec hood and glass rear screen. But it needs the geo sorting to handle reasonably well and even then benefits from cross-braces (insurance-declarable mod) and arguably different dampers to get it to truly handle very well.
That said, the S2000's limits are very high in the dry and with the right set-up it's not THAT snappy in the wet. But aside from being more throttle-steerable it's not as playful as an MX5. Then again, neither is a Focus ST vs a 306GTi or a Clio 172/182.
DO drive one - preferably a sorted one, as with the wrong geo they can feel leaden or twitchy. And then decide if it's special-enough vs the MX5. Tough call...depends what you want from a car.
I've had both (currently have an S2000). The running costs are in my profile, and in a fair bit of detail.
The S2000 will be more expensive to maintain should you need to fix things, and will do far fewer miles to the gallon. On the other hand, it is quite a bit like a "grown up" MX-5. The 5's a lot more forgiving, but the S (at least mine!) isn't as snappy as the reports would have you believe. It's not great in the snow, mind you!
There's not much feedback from the wheel, but otherwise it's a decent enough car - a bargain at £6k, assuming you don't need to fix anything major!
Oh, whilst I think about it - it's expensive to insure.
The S2000 will be more expensive to maintain should you need to fix things, and will do far fewer miles to the gallon. On the other hand, it is quite a bit like a "grown up" MX-5. The 5's a lot more forgiving, but the S (at least mine!) isn't as snappy as the reports would have you believe. It's not great in the snow, mind you!
There's not much feedback from the wheel, but otherwise it's a decent enough car - a bargain at £6k, assuming you don't need to fix anything major!
Oh, whilst I think about it - it's expensive to insure.
I went Mk1 MX5->S2000->TVR Chimaera.
I'll echo most of what has been posted already. I didn't find the S2000 quite as playful/chuckable as the MX5, partly due to the much higher grip limit. The Honda's steering is similar in gearing and directness to the '5, but does not transmit as much feel. As an MX5 owner you'll already be used to having to rev the tits off the engine to make progress; in VTEC, the S2000 is genuinely rapid, and sounds great. 5700 to 9200rpm is the sweet range, and the revs drop into VTEC on upshifts. The brakes are powerful with decent feel. Gearchange is similar to MX5; 'rifle bolt' is a cliche, but the S2000's is very direct, tactile and well-engineered. HID lights good, hood watertight, MPG wasn't actually any worse than my '5!
In many ways the S2000 does feel similar to a Mk1 MX5 with double the performance. I have driven turbo'd & supercharged '5s, and agree they have the S2000's performance with perhaps more accessible handling, but I preferred the looks and package of the Honda.
I see you're considering TVRs. After 4 months of having the S2000 as my only car I let it go to have daily driver + TVR. Yes, it drinks fuel, costs an absolute fortune to maintain, even if I do some work myself, requires constant fettling ( I call it character). In fact, it's a bit of a hassle sometimes.... However, the thunderously antisocial noise, grunt, looks and performance more than make up. There's a high degree of reward from manhandling it around corners and making progress without being killed, particularly in the wet. When I drove the S2000 I felt ever so slightly 'estate agent' at times, whereas in the TVR the public response is positive, even if they probably don't know what it is. Neither car is suitable for shrinking violets BTW, particularly with the roof off. You can tell when the TVR noise front reaches down the street by the heads turning round. If the budget limit is £6k then that's really at the bottom of the Chim market anyway. Honda probably a better bet long term for reliability at that price.
I'll echo most of what has been posted already. I didn't find the S2000 quite as playful/chuckable as the MX5, partly due to the much higher grip limit. The Honda's steering is similar in gearing and directness to the '5, but does not transmit as much feel. As an MX5 owner you'll already be used to having to rev the tits off the engine to make progress; in VTEC, the S2000 is genuinely rapid, and sounds great. 5700 to 9200rpm is the sweet range, and the revs drop into VTEC on upshifts. The brakes are powerful with decent feel. Gearchange is similar to MX5; 'rifle bolt' is a cliche, but the S2000's is very direct, tactile and well-engineered. HID lights good, hood watertight, MPG wasn't actually any worse than my '5!
In many ways the S2000 does feel similar to a Mk1 MX5 with double the performance. I have driven turbo'd & supercharged '5s, and agree they have the S2000's performance with perhaps more accessible handling, but I preferred the looks and package of the Honda.
I see you're considering TVRs. After 4 months of having the S2000 as my only car I let it go to have daily driver + TVR. Yes, it drinks fuel, costs an absolute fortune to maintain, even if I do some work myself, requires constant fettling ( I call it character). In fact, it's a bit of a hassle sometimes.... However, the thunderously antisocial noise, grunt, looks and performance more than make up. There's a high degree of reward from manhandling it around corners and making progress without being killed, particularly in the wet. When I drove the S2000 I felt ever so slightly 'estate agent' at times, whereas in the TVR the public response is positive, even if they probably don't know what it is. Neither car is suitable for shrinking violets BTW, particularly with the roof off. You can tell when the TVR noise front reaches down the street by the heads turning round. If the budget limit is £6k then that's really at the bottom of the Chim market anyway. Honda probably a better bet long term for reliability at that price.
Some interesting responses. I of course don't have to change the MX5 - even as a second car it might still be the best car for me/my budget. I don't dislike it in any way but I have a roving eye...
I do really want to keep the budget to £6k tops simply because I'm tired of pouring money into cars and happy with the current level of automotive investment plus perhaps a bit more as a top up if required.
I will have a look into the S2k a bit more - the dash is indeed hideous and the car is a lot more complex than the MX5 so when it goes wrong it'll cost more. I haven't tried insurance so I'll have a look soon. It does, on paper at least, seem like a nice package and a suitable step up from the MX5.
Speaking to friends it boils down to three different catagories - mid 90s waftab cruisers (Porsche 944, Mercedes SL), classic cars (Midget, Minor touring etc) and early 21st century stuff like the S2k.
Will need the thinking cap on over Christmas. Something to concern myself with whilst everyone else does the Christmas thing
I do really want to keep the budget to £6k tops simply because I'm tired of pouring money into cars and happy with the current level of automotive investment plus perhaps a bit more as a top up if required.
I will have a look into the S2k a bit more - the dash is indeed hideous and the car is a lot more complex than the MX5 so when it goes wrong it'll cost more. I haven't tried insurance so I'll have a look soon. It does, on paper at least, seem like a nice package and a suitable step up from the MX5.
Speaking to friends it boils down to three different catagories - mid 90s waftab cruisers (Porsche 944, Mercedes SL), classic cars (Midget, Minor touring etc) and early 21st century stuff like the S2k.
Will need the thinking cap on over Christmas. Something to concern myself with whilst everyone else does the Christmas thing
Merlot said:
crofty1984 said:
Turbo the '5?
Don't fancy it!Supercharging on the other hand keeps throttle-response sharp, and is more in keeping with the MX5's character, yet still gives useful hooligan potential. A friend's Mk1 with Jackson Racing 'charger gave 170bhp, yet retained all the driveability of the standard car, unless you used all the throttle, in which case it was pretty quick. The lunatic had 100bhp nitrous jets fitted also, but we didn't go there.
IMO having owned both the S2000 makes the MX5 seem like a toy car. They are similar but the S2000 is basically everything the MX5 is but much more grown up.
Not sure about the comments about handling, in the dry the S2000 is a superb handling car, people may say the MX5 is better but IMO a lot of that comes from the fact that it is relatively slow in comparison.
In the wet my earlier model (2001) was a bit of a handful if I tried pushing it, the later car (2005) was much more forgiving. The tyres on the earlier cars are to blame for most of the wet weather issues.
Just drive one, I admit it isn't a car for everybody, I loved both of mine, they had everything I liked about the MX5 and more.
Not sure about the comments about handling, in the dry the S2000 is a superb handling car, people may say the MX5 is better but IMO a lot of that comes from the fact that it is relatively slow in comparison.
In the wet my earlier model (2001) was a bit of a handful if I tried pushing it, the later car (2005) was much more forgiving. The tyres on the earlier cars are to blame for most of the wet weather issues.
Just drive one, I admit it isn't a car for everybody, I loved both of mine, they had everything I liked about the MX5 and more.
I went the other way from S2000 --> Turbo'd Mx5
The '5 is quicker, much easier to exploit at the limit, better steering feedback, generally much more fun to drive.
The S2000 sounded better (with an aftermarket boy racer exhaust), felt more refined and grown up, not as much fun at the limit and felt a little wooley (Geo might have fixed this?).
The '5 is quicker, much easier to exploit at the limit, better steering feedback, generally much more fun to drive.
The S2000 sounded better (with an aftermarket boy racer exhaust), felt more refined and grown up, not as much fun at the limit and felt a little wooley (Geo might have fixed this?).
kambites said:
I wouldn't describe an S2000 as much more "focussed" than an MX5. It's got a nicer engine, but that's about it. If anything I'd say the MX5 is a better handling car.
I agree. The steering is faster on the S2000 which makes it feel more "precise" than the MX-5. I went from MX-5-> TVR Chim -> S2000. The Mk2.5 MX-5 I owned handled better than the S2000 but that is not to say the S2000 wasn't very good. Gassing Station | General Gassing [Archive] | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff