- Joined
- 14 December 2007
- Messages
- 104
Hello all!
I thought I would bring this up as a separate thread since the New and Prospective owners thread moves a little slow and didn't seem the place for such a debate.
Anyway. I recently moved to Japan. I currently reside in Kanagawa, in a place nestled between Yokohama and Tokyo the two biggest cities here. I am living in the happiest place I can think of to be a car enthusiast. Fuji Speedway, Tsukuba Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, and countless mountain roads are all an hour or so away from where I reside, not to mention the most famous Japanese Tuners like Powerhouse Amuse, Spoon, and RE Amemiya are all equally accessible. I am even about 45 minutes away from the neighborhood of Shigehara Uehara, the chief engineer of the NSX and S2000.
I am currently in touch with the friendly folks over at MAC's Tokyo; a shop which specializes in NSX's. After talks with them its been decided that I will eventually be buying a car from them. Everything they sell is pristine like nothing I have ever seen in the United States. They always have something amazing gracing their showroom floor and one day we will be working out a deal on an NA1.
However since I am relatively new here I would like to have a cheaper and more readily attainable car in the mean time to build a credit score for my eventual finance of the NSX, as well as something to tide over my passion for Motorsport and driving in general. I could never forgive myself if after working so hard to come to such a place, that I get here and live so long without a car to enjoy.
That said I come to a choice that has been mulled over for more than a decade now
RX7 FD3S...
or
S2000?
Both are abundant here in Japan and both can be had for surprisingly cheap.
If I were to make the choice back in the United States it would be a no brainer... S2000 every time. And I did indeed own a 2007 AP2 S2000 for 2 years before coming here. I had to sell it for money to come here and it was one of the hardest things I ever did. That car gave me many great memories.
Here in Japan the choice is subsequently much harder. As I am sure many of you know the FD3S lived FAR beyond the 1993 - 1995 production run that the US had. FDs had 6 model types or generations before they were officially discontinued in 2002. Because I would be looking at either a Type VI FD3S (1999-2002) or a AP1 S2000 (1999-2003 in Japan) the argument over one car being older than the other is a mute one here. Also something that should be considered is the fact that Japanese owners on average are much more knowledgeable, and therefore care for their cars much more meticulously than American owners on average. When you realize just how much you have to go out of your way to be a car owner here, its easy to understand why most people who go through the effort to do so are genuinely enthusiastic about their cars and caring for them. This obviously carries over to the Rotary sports cars. Also, there are a healthy amount of Rotary mechanics and tuners in Japan to provide repairs and parts should something go wrong.
As per my personal experience I know the S2000 is pretty much as bulletproof as any other Honda. Diligent fluid changes as well as new tires were all it ever asked of me in two years and nearly 40,000 miles of ownership. So I have no fears of maintenance costs or reliability woes in the Honda camp. Also the fuel economy looks pretty slick compared to any rotary.
Both cars have an absolutely massive aftermarket here so I figure they are both on equal grounds when it comes to that.
All in all its a decision that I will be coming to sooner than later here. Of course I still have a lot to mull over while I await the green light from Auction houses and the dealers I am doing business with.
Its a debate that keeps me up at night and I thought that this forum would probably be the best place to get a real intelligible debate going on. I really didnt want to post on either the RX7 forums or the S2000 forums due to the over zealousness with which the respective owners will defend their investments. Plus as much as it saddens me to say, many opinions are just that and I dont see many comments coming from personal experience, or those that are not loaded with bias and assumptions.
This is, I must say, from my limited time and interactions here, one of the most friendly and knowledgeable car forums on the internet. Everyone here has a reputation for really knowing their stuff and being kind enough to share, and its a reputation well deserved. That said I would really value the opinions here more than most of what I have read before.
Please feel free to share your opinion. Anyone who has had experience with Rotaries, your input in particular is valued when it comes to the cost on particular parts etc. I have access to garages and workshops, but that does me no good if I cannot afford the parts etc!
Thanks in advance and look forward to hearing your input!
:smile:
I thought I would bring this up as a separate thread since the New and Prospective owners thread moves a little slow and didn't seem the place for such a debate.
Anyway. I recently moved to Japan. I currently reside in Kanagawa, in a place nestled between Yokohama and Tokyo the two biggest cities here. I am living in the happiest place I can think of to be a car enthusiast. Fuji Speedway, Tsukuba Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, and countless mountain roads are all an hour or so away from where I reside, not to mention the most famous Japanese Tuners like Powerhouse Amuse, Spoon, and RE Amemiya are all equally accessible. I am even about 45 minutes away from the neighborhood of Shigehara Uehara, the chief engineer of the NSX and S2000.
I am currently in touch with the friendly folks over at MAC's Tokyo; a shop which specializes in NSX's. After talks with them its been decided that I will eventually be buying a car from them. Everything they sell is pristine like nothing I have ever seen in the United States. They always have something amazing gracing their showroom floor and one day we will be working out a deal on an NA1.
However since I am relatively new here I would like to have a cheaper and more readily attainable car in the mean time to build a credit score for my eventual finance of the NSX, as well as something to tide over my passion for Motorsport and driving in general. I could never forgive myself if after working so hard to come to such a place, that I get here and live so long without a car to enjoy.
That said I come to a choice that has been mulled over for more than a decade now
RX7 FD3S...
or
S2000?
Both are abundant here in Japan and both can be had for surprisingly cheap.
If I were to make the choice back in the United States it would be a no brainer... S2000 every time. And I did indeed own a 2007 AP2 S2000 for 2 years before coming here. I had to sell it for money to come here and it was one of the hardest things I ever did. That car gave me many great memories.
Here in Japan the choice is subsequently much harder. As I am sure many of you know the FD3S lived FAR beyond the 1993 - 1995 production run that the US had. FDs had 6 model types or generations before they were officially discontinued in 2002. Because I would be looking at either a Type VI FD3S (1999-2002) or a AP1 S2000 (1999-2003 in Japan) the argument over one car being older than the other is a mute one here. Also something that should be considered is the fact that Japanese owners on average are much more knowledgeable, and therefore care for their cars much more meticulously than American owners on average. When you realize just how much you have to go out of your way to be a car owner here, its easy to understand why most people who go through the effort to do so are genuinely enthusiastic about their cars and caring for them. This obviously carries over to the Rotary sports cars. Also, there are a healthy amount of Rotary mechanics and tuners in Japan to provide repairs and parts should something go wrong.
As per my personal experience I know the S2000 is pretty much as bulletproof as any other Honda. Diligent fluid changes as well as new tires were all it ever asked of me in two years and nearly 40,000 miles of ownership. So I have no fears of maintenance costs or reliability woes in the Honda camp. Also the fuel economy looks pretty slick compared to any rotary.
Both cars have an absolutely massive aftermarket here so I figure they are both on equal grounds when it comes to that.
All in all its a decision that I will be coming to sooner than later here. Of course I still have a lot to mull over while I await the green light from Auction houses and the dealers I am doing business with.
Its a debate that keeps me up at night and I thought that this forum would probably be the best place to get a real intelligible debate going on. I really didnt want to post on either the RX7 forums or the S2000 forums due to the over zealousness with which the respective owners will defend their investments. Plus as much as it saddens me to say, many opinions are just that and I dont see many comments coming from personal experience, or those that are not loaded with bias and assumptions.
This is, I must say, from my limited time and interactions here, one of the most friendly and knowledgeable car forums on the internet. Everyone here has a reputation for really knowing their stuff and being kind enough to share, and its a reputation well deserved. That said I would really value the opinions here more than most of what I have read before.
Please feel free to share your opinion. Anyone who has had experience with Rotaries, your input in particular is valued when it comes to the cost on particular parts etc. I have access to garages and workshops, but that does me no good if I cannot afford the parts etc!
Thanks in advance and look forward to hearing your input!
:smile:
:tongue:
