s2k vs. NSX

[shawn110975]

NSX all the way,, alot of guys garage their NSX and let them ROTT, so I say get both and garage the S2000 and let it ROTT,, drive the NSX and you will see how much more attention you get, the looks the questions,, on a daily basis I get at least 3 compliments from chicks, guys, old women wanting to know what kinda car it is/ what year etc.,, the best was at CompUSA this older guy told me that he loved my car,, and that it was "CHERRY" was funny hearing it from an old guy ya know,, S2000 will never be an EXOTIC,, and you can get a fairly good condition NSX early 90's for around 20,000 yea you will need to put some money into it but thats part of the fun/and ownership of this Exotic,, everyone that owns an NSX scans the parts for sale section of this site daily,, and to know that your hard earned dollar keeps her alive is worth it,, and you will learn to love SOS ( Science Of Speed ) website, everyone on Prime has purchased something from them,,, GET the NSX and never have to worry about getting another car ( Exotic ) again,, and in 10 years it will still be worth 20,000 ,,if not more!! best investment By far!

 

[PhiAlpha44]

S4Play, you've definitely got the hotness in your garage!

They're two totally different cars. I really like the S2k's. Being an NSX owner they catch my eye when I see em', but that's because I'm a Honda whore.

I have a modded NSX, and last summer I drove the S2K for the first time.
The S2K felt like a go kart like you'd expect, it also felt VERY under-powered, but I'm sure it's just because I'm used to my car.

I'm not sure if you stated your size. I'm 6'1 and 285lbs. I'm not a FAT 285 as much as I look like a linebacker. I felt super cramped in the s2k. And it wasn't my ass or my stomach or anything else you'd assume of a big guy. It was my shoulders. My shoulders are too wide to sit comfortably in the S2K. I felt like I was in a clown car.

I still sorta want an S2K one day, modded definitely. I think it's a sharp car and it would be fun to have the top down on sunny days as my NSX is a coupe.... but seriously seriously seriously...... I'd never in a million years take an S2K over my X. I've owned my NSX since 2006 and I still get a funny feeling every time I turn the key. :smile:

 

[Hasdrubal]

I helped a friend shop for cars last weekend, and he ended up getting an AP1. I went with him on the test drive, and it was indeed cramped. I'm 5'7" and in decent shape, and my arm was pushed up against the door.

PhiAlpha44, I don't know how you could have fit in the thing. Still, great car. Sounds sort of like a racing motorcycle.

 

[PhiAlpha44]

I helped a friend shop for cars last weekend, and he ended up getting an AP1. I went with him on the test drive, and it was indeed cramped. I'm 5'7" and in decent shape, and my arm was pushed up against the door.

PhiAlpha44, I don't know how you could have fit in the thing. Still, great car. Sounds sort of like a racing motorcycle.

Well maybe we've discovered that the S2K isn't a girly car... it's just a car girls fit better in.

 

[EuroBoutique]

NSX over S2000

- much better quality (no engine failures, driveshafts, roof and so on)

Again, I've owned both cars for quite some time and owned THREE s2000's with over 90k miles combined and not one of them gave me the issues you listed above. I see the only drawback of the s2000 is the softop that requires care. Everything else is cheap to maintain on the car including the $40 oil changes


S2000 over NSX

- modding near to useless unless you go FI but then the engine will blow even sooner than under normal circumstances

I've had my CTSC installed for about 25,000 of the 37,000 miles on my car and the car never gave me one hiccup or issue. It's a sweet power adder and really gives the car some added midrange power between 3000-7k rpm range. Blown engines are usually caused by idiots who have no clue what they are doing or abusing their cars....

I agree with most of what you said in your post except the ones above....not sure where you get that data but it's totally not true


PhiAlpha44: thanks man - I'm nowhere near your size as I'm 6'2, 180 lbs but my biggest gripe with BOTH cars is lack of headroom. I'm a bit tall for both cars so my solution is to swap out the seats in both rides. If you notice in my pictures, both cars have the same pair of seats but the driver and passenger models are different. If you search on the owner's section I have a thread detailing why I chose these seats but basically the driver's seat gives me about 2" extra headroom (Bride Stradia Sport) and the passenger (EURO II) gives my girl comfort with soft side bolsters for ease of entry, etc.

My s2000 and NSX both run the same model driver / pass. seat combo which shows how much I love those seats. The s2000 has decent room if you install the proper seat so don't let the seat get in the way of enjoying both cars!

 

[R13]

I had the same debate as the OP last year. Qualifying that, I had always been looking for an NSX, but drove an S2K out of "due diligence".

I think if you are pretty mechanically handy, all but the "big" maintenance issues won't be too painful. Parts are still more expensive, but such is the cost of exclusivity.

I more-or-less DD my NSX and, knock-on-wood, have not had any issues to speak of. Grant it, I didn't buy the car as an investment, I bought it to drive it and it is a very easy car to bum around town in considering what it's capable of. If you are the nervous type though, maybe not a good idea.

You scrape on steep entrances and such, but I don't know how much better an S2K would be in this regard.

-If you want a jump-in-and-go sporty car and you don't plan to take many long trips, S2K

-If you plan to be covering a lot of distance, and you don't mind anwering "what is that?" every now and again, NSX experience is hard to beat this side of Italy.

 

[BATMANs]

Let's try to be fair. I would like you to go to S2000 forum and post the same question. And I would like you to let us know what is the verdict from the other guys.

I mean it!!

There would be more of them bowing down to the NSX since it's Acura's flagship car and more $$$$, etc. than what you are witnessing here.

 

[RYU]

There are a lot of NSX vs. S2000 threads on here but admittedly, I can't find a good one for you.

I daily drove an AP1 for almost 2yrs. It was just too damn small (i'm 5'11") and found myself not wanting to drive it as much. I kept on thinking.. if only this car was 5" longer and 5" wider I would kept it as a DD... I upgraded to the NSX and it's better in all aspects that counts (except for the higher maintenance costs) though I don't DD it. Front forward seating position. Mid engine balance. Way more noticeable torque and in my case the lack of pwr steering. I live in Socal and the NSX doesn't really get the looks or the girls (this car gets a lot more dudes than girls!). Actually my old chevy gets way more thumbs up than the X so I didn't exactly get it for the rubber necking effect.

The only thing I miss about the S2k is the sweet 6 spd trans and the extra 1000rpm thru 9k redline. I don't even miss the convertible at all.

Sounds like you're interested in resale value.. well that's easy. X retains it's value much better esp if you buy now. I think give it a few years and the bottom price for a good well-kept X will still fetch relatively the same pricing. When you look at the market there are so few mid engined sports car available in the 25k-35k range that can compete in driveability and performance with the X (maybe the Lotus, but have you tried to drive that in rush hour traffic???)

On the other hand.. the S2k.. I sold it in 07 sometime for $20k with 70k miles. I see AP1s for roughly the same mileage now but for much cheaper @ $9-13k all day long.

 

[DocSean]

I've got to be honest, after reading everything and doing a lot of thinking, the only thing holding me back from the NSX is price. 30k is right at the very top of my budget (I could spend more, but that's the budget). So if I get an NSX it will be really slow going. Also, for the immediate future I don't have indoor parking (although I live in AZ), so that worries me with the NSX. The s2k I can get into cheap cheap cheap, mod, drive it daily, and still have cash left over. I can't say that about the NSX.

 

[EuroBoutique]

I know many NSX owners will disagree with me on this one but seriously I think the NSX is for those with at LEAST a $40k budget (real world wise)......those $20k cars / budget are ok but you're going to dump $$$$ into it really fast plus factor in insurance/gas/registration, etc.

As the prices of NSX's fall due to recession the NSX becomes more attainable now but in reality if you are pressed at $30k, then this is probably not the right car for your budget. I never understood why people finance these kinds of purchases as it should be a luxury item, not a necessity.

If I were you, go find a s2000 CR with low miles. Drive it and if you take good care of it, you'd be able to recoup some of your money down the road.

I've been looking for that elusive White s2000 CR for some time now and it's 10x harder to find than I anticipated. The only one I saw has 2000 miles in socal and the greedy owner wants $33k.


rick

 

[RYU]

I've got to be honest, after reading everything and doing a lot of thinking, the only thing holding me back from the NSX is price. 30k is right at the very top of my budget (I could spend more, but that's the budget). So if I get an NSX it will be really slow going. Also, for the immediate future I don't have indoor parking (although I live in AZ), so that worries me with the NSX. The s2k I can get into cheap cheap cheap, mod, drive it daily, and still have cash left over. I can't say that about the NSX.

S2k sounds like the right car for you - get a cheap AP1 you can ride to the ground with the biggest grin on your face. But don't give up hope! The NSX is best as a 2nd car imo. You really get the most out of it this way. Yes, you can DD it but would you really want to? I sure wouldn't. I'm good knowing I can DD it if I wanted to. It's a testament to how real-world the car is.

 

[DocSean]

S2k sounds like the right car for you - get a cheap AP1 you can ride to the ground with the biggest grin on your face. But don't give up hope! The NSX is best as a 2nd car imo. You really get the most out of it this way. Yes, you can DD it but would you really want to? I sure wouldn't. I'm good knowing I can DD it if I wanted to. It's a testament to how real-world the car is.

Exactly. I'm going to finance it over 3 years, so maybe in I can pick up a 97+ or even an 02+ in 2013!!!

I also agree with rick on the budget. Although I might be able to snatch up a prime NSX for 28k or so, I think that number would grow largely in the first year. And like I said, although I can afford it, I'd rather not right now.

 

[goldNSX]

As the prices of NSX's fall due to recession the NSX becomes more attainable now but in reality if you are pressed at $30k, then this is probably not the right car for your budget. I never understood why people finance these kinds of purchases as it should be a luxury item, not a necessity.

Agreed. Maintainance of an NSX costs more than of a S2000, not only because the parts are more expensive but also due to the age of the cars.

As for the S2000 engines. Not only a few of them just blew, most of them 99-01 and not only of 'idiotic drivers' as there are a lot of them with this car (in Europe at least). Things have changed from 02 or 03+ on and the stories got very rare.

 

[manh3]

Reading your postings I would recommend an S2000 because of the cost and wanting to mod the car to your liking. S2000's are great cars and I would love to own one down the line, I have driven a supercharged 2000 and it seemed to be quicker than my bolt on NA1 NSX. I agree with S4play that when buying an NSX you should also have 10k on the side in preparation Maintenance, tires and other car related expenses especially if you are going to daily drive your NSX.


Buy an AP1 S2000 for around 13k which should be in great shape and spend about 7k to mod the S2000 to your liking.

My Analogy between the two cars for all you guys:

S2000 - Young college Freshman with a great body and perky personality. She is fun for short periods of time but can be annoying at times. Does not require a lot of attention or maintenance and lastly is nothing special because she is a dime a dozen and you can always replace her with another one but she's a good type to start out with.

NSX- The girl that you have been in love with since puberty, she has a classic beauty and grace. She is an over achiever since high school now out of college and has a great career. You have been wanting to ask her out ( purchase) but distractions has gotten in the way ie the easy college freshman(S2000) or the next best girl that you meet at a bar or function and have fallen in love with her for the moment. (Since the NSX first came out M3, R32,R33,R34,GTR, 911 but all of those are just for the now and all of those have been over produced and even though some variants are much faster than an NSX they are not as special, just look at their resale value.) The NSX is timeless and she knows who she is and is confident in herself and her flaws, she needs a guy who can accept her as she is and not worry about what others think or say because others will not know her like you do because deep down inside you'll always be in love with her.

 

[DocSean]

I know many NSX owners will disagree with me on this one but seriously I think the NSX is for those with at LEAST a $40k budget (real world wise)......those $20k cars / budget are ok but you're going to dump $$$$ into it really fast plus factor in insurance/gas/registration, etc.

As the prices of NSX's fall due to recession the NSX becomes more attainable now but in reality if you are pressed at $30k, then this is probably not the right car for your budget. I never understood why people finance these kinds of purchases as it should be a luxury item, not a necessity.

If I were you, go find a s2000 CR with low miles. Drive it and if you take good care of it, you'd be able to recoup some of your money down the road.

I've been looking for that elusive White s2000 CR for some time now and it's 10x harder to find than I anticipated. The only one I saw has 2000 miles in socal and the greedy owner wants $33k.


rick

P.S. there is a nice white CR on s2ki right now, think he's asking 27k?

 

[EdinKali]

Excellent analogy!

My Analogy between the two cars for all you guys:

S2000 - Young college Freshman with a great body and perky personality. She is fun for short periods of time but can be annoying at times. Does not require a lot of attention or maintenance and lastly is nothing special because she is a dime a dozen and you can always replace her with another one but she's a good type to start out with.

NSX- The girl that you have been in love with since puberty, she has a classic beauty and grace. She is an over achiever since high school now out of college and has a great career. You have been wanting to ask her out ( purchase) but distractions has gotten in the way ie the easy college freshman(S2000) or the next best girl that you meet at a bar or function and have fallen in love with her for the moment. (Since the NSX first came out M3, R32,R33,R34,GTR, 911 but all of those are just for the now and all of those have been over produced and even though some variants are much faster than an NSX they are not as special, just look at their resale value.) The NSX is timeless and she knows who she is and is confident in herself and her flaws, she needs a guy who can accept her as she is and not worry about what others think or say because others will not know her like you do because deep down inside you'll always be in love with her.

 

[dawk]

Exactly. I'm going to finance it over 3 years, so maybe in I can pick up a 97+ or even an 02+ in 2013!!!

I also agree with rick on the budget. Although I might be able to snatch up a prime NSX for 28k or so, I think that number would grow largely in the first year. And like I said, although I can afford it, I'd rather not right now.

Have you check with your bank about financing? Would be hard to get a loan on a NSX older that a '99 or '00. Banks were hard on older models 2 years ago, would think it is worse now. I know a fellow NSXprimer trying to sell his '91, and he said that nobody can get a loan to purchase.

 

[NA1VTEC]

Excellent analogy!

+1, manh3, that was just beautiful... :redface:

 

[R13]

My Analogy between the two cars for all you guys:

That's pretty deep dude. I mean, I agree completely, but dang.

 

[Alleykat]

Put me on the list of people that own both.

s2000 Goods:
Front engine layout is easy to work on.Oem parts are cheap and used parts are everywhere.Interior is straight forward,personally I love the gauges.The transmission is great.Shifting in that car is the best.Handling is just as good.Car has a timing chain so no worries.If you happen to somehow screw up the engine,there is plenty of replacements for decent pricing.If you plan to mod $5-6k will get you a bolt on inline pro turbokit and put you at 400whp.

s2000 Bads:
Now with AP1's getting more affordable,the "civic racer boy" crowd is getting them.In stock form its pretty slow but hey which Honda actually has TQ? :biggrin:



nsx Goods:
It is a timeless design car produced in limited numbers.It holds its value pretty dam good and will turn heads even if its a 18 year old car.You can daily this car and not have to worry about problems in comparison to other name exotics.Yes the nsx is an exotic...the smart mans exotic. With proper maintenance you dont have a thing to worry about.This car is a ATTENTION GETTER.If your possibly gay and dont like the ladys admiring it,then this will be in the bad column for you.

nsx Bads:
Rear engine layout makes things a pita not all but most of the times.More so when doing bigger work on it.New parts that aren't wear & tear items are ridiculous expensive.Even used parts are ridiculous expensive depending on whos selling them.I find lots of people over pricing lots of things.Almost always I hear the same explanation of why.Cause its a smaller market,etc. Turbokits for NSX are more like $10k+.If you compare the parts..its the same! Maybe longer piping but not that much.Tranny and engine are nice but dear lord do NOT mess anything up!!! Try finding an engine.And when you do find one expect to pay $5k or so without a tranny.About $8k for a 3.2 version.Interior,to me,is very dated.

Well thats all I can think of right now. :tongue: I had my s2000,built it,took it apart,never finished putting it back together.lol.Instead I bought my nsx and put it together since the previous owner took it apart.Now I sold it and gonna go back to finishing my s2000 one last time.After that though I will be back in an NSX.I want a 02+ though for the front end and targa.Even with all the stuff I listed,I love the look too much not to have one.

-Alex

 

[betthemortgage]

My Analogy between the two cars for all you guys:

S2000 - Young college Freshman with a great body and perky personality. She is fun for short periods of time but can be annoying at times. Does not require a lot of attention or maintenance and lastly is nothing special because she is a dime a dozen and you can always replace her with another one but she's a good type to start out with.

NSX- The girl that you have been in love with since puberty, she has a classic beauty and grace. She is an over achiever since high school now out of college and has a great career. You have been wanting to ask her out ( purchase) but distractions has gotten in the way ie the easy college freshman(S2000) or the next best girl that you meet at a bar or function and have fallen in love with her for the moment. (Since the NSX first came out M3, R32,R33,R34,GTR, 911 but all of those are just for the now and all of those have been over produced and even though some variants are much faster than an NSX they are not as special, just look at their resale value.) The NSX is timeless and she knows who she is and is confident in herself and her flaws, she needs a guy who can accept her as she is and not worry about what others think or say because others will not know her like you do because deep down inside you'll always be in love with her.

I've owned both: I owned a Silver/Red first model year S2000 (pre-ordered a year in advance) and sold it 2 years later. And, as of last Saturday, I now own an '04 Silver/Silver NSX. Dude, that analogy is so dead-on accurate in its description, it's downright poetry.

 

[warrenw]

S2000 - Young college Freshman with a great body and perky personality. She is fun for short periods of time but can be annoying at times. Does not require a lot of attention or maintenance and lastly is nothing special because she is a dime a dozen and you can always replace her with another one but she's a good type to start out with.

NSX- The girl that you have been in love with since puberty, she has a classic beauty and grace. She is an over achiever since high school now out of college and has a great career. You have been wanting to ask her out ( purchase) but distractions has gotten in the way ie the easy college freshman(S2000) or the next best girl that you meet at a bar or function and have fallen in love with her for the moment. (Since the NSX first came out M3, R32,R33,R34,GTR, 911 but all of those are just for the now and all of those have been over produced and even though some variants are much faster than an NSX they are not as special, just look at their resale value.) The NSX is timeless and she knows who she is and is confident in herself and her flaws, she needs a guy who can accept her as she is and not worry about what others think or say because others will not know her like you do because deep down inside you'll always be in love with her.

Wow, considering I have both....well.....I guess I should not share this with my wife! On the other hand, she drives the S2000 as a daily driver in the summer

Funny I remember looking to buy a P. Cayman before the NSX and I didn't like the fact the engine was completely enclosed. I told my wife I didn't like that, and she asked why. I told her it is like having a girl friend that you can't take her cloths off! She asked "why do you need a girl friend?"
Now this description shows up!

 

[LJSB]

I just got a 2000 S2000. I always wanted one.
Black w/red/black interior.

It has really great handling but sounds like a Kirby Vacuum cleaner with the stock exhaust.

Not very powerful or fast but a ton of fun to drive and that's what I wanted. For the street my CTSC NSX is too easy to get a ticket with.


I am having a Skunk2 exhaust put on the s2000 and hope the exhaust doesn't come off as hype.


As for that analogy... it's obvious many of you are my son's age.

I got the feeling that I must be about as far past 50 as some of you fellows are from puberty.:biggrin: :biggrin:

 

[docjohn]

wow Joe an ap1 fwiw I thought the mugen titanium exhaust really melowed and improved the coffea grinder noise on the stocker.make sure your car got the trannie/shifter updates,which did help to reduce the "buzzing".

 

[passline]

Congrats Joe on your new sports car. Are you going to make it "loud" like the other one? I hear that Duchess Co. is going to start cracking down on loud vehicles. haha :biggrin: