I have had three Miatas and they are a hoot! The first was a 93’ years of racing on it and never had a repair that cost over $500. Sold it to my sons friend a couple of years ago and it is well over 200k miles. I also had a 2000 in Evolution Orange that was a racer and daily driver I sold it for my STi after several years wanted the simplicity and the gf wanted a Miata. We picked up a 2002 with 26k miles on it. They are great cars, enjoy! If I was going to do anything to ours it would be a Flying Miata V8 conversion.

https://www.flyinmiata.com/V8/turnkey.php

Those who have owned both the Miata and S2000 which do prefer? What did you like and dislike about each? A Miata, S2000 or maybe a Boxster will probably be my next car.

I've driven many Miatas & a few S2000s.

The S2000 seems to hold value much better than the Mazda.

IMO, the Miata is more go-kart like over the S2k.

The 9k RPM redline in the AP1 S2k is pretty awesome.

Personally, I'd probably take the Mazda over the Honda. ND > NB > NA > NC. Would put the S2000 ahead of all except the ND, but NBs have gotten pretty cheap.

S2000 is my hands down winner. While the Miata is lighter and more ‘toss-able’, the S is a marvel. Mine is 14 years old and is worth more then I paid for it 11 years ago. That should speak volumes. It is fast, solid on the road and I can drive 500 miles in a day and feel fine when I roll out. Repairs have been limited to a leaking rear shock that I replaced the pair myself. MPG averages 27.8 on premium gas. Trunk room in huge in comparison. A downside is that tires are a different size front to back and directional. Therefore they can’t be rotated.

My S spends 6 months of the year under cover in my garage. Montanan winters - you know. A big smile appears on my face about May 1 when the cover comes off and the battery gets connected.
Mike

I think one of the NBs would be a good candidate for a swap with Ford's new hi-po turbo 4 and 6 speed from the Mustang. I think they're 330 ish horse and lighter than a big v8 to maintain that weight balance.

Glad you like your new toy. Keep us updated.

I'll pass.
1st, I'm a little too big. At 6'2" ish it feels like I'm riding in a go-kart.


2nd and more importantly- BAD memories from a psycho ex-gf that almost killed me in a Miata.

To be honest, she almost killed me a few times, but one was in a Miata.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Those who have owned both the Miata and S2000 which do prefer? What did you like and dislike about each? A Miata, S2000 or maybe a Boxster will probably be my next car.

I agree with mcrimm. The Miata is a fun forgiving car but the S2000 is an enthusiasts' machine. I bought my '03 AP1 new after test driving as many other options as possible including the boxster (which didn't have the peppier engine back then). No contest. The S2000 put a huge grin on my face that the others didn't.

Also have done long distance road trips (to the East coast doing 12+ hours per day) and found the car comfortable. One of my sons, who is 5'11", went with me on one such trip and also gave the accommodations a big thumbs up.

I added a beefier front swaybar and went with the Honda UK spec AP1 4-wheel alignment which served to reduce any stock handling "twitchiness" in the first generation S2000. Those who are careless or less skilled with RWD cars may find themselves doing 180 degree spinouts. Sadly it is a fact that many of the 110k worldwide S2Ks produced during its 10 year run were trashed by such drivers. A local MD here went through 2 of them in short order. So no, not forgiving like the Miata but for me not an issue.

Mine too is stored 7 + months of the year here in South Dakota. The sticky compound tires need warm pavement to work properly.

Here's a nice, recent retrospective article posted by Road and Track about the S2000,

https://www.roadandtrack.com/c...s2000-retrospective/

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Those who have owned both the Miata and S2000 which do prefer? What did you like and dislike about each? A Miata, S2000 or maybe a Boxster will probably be my next car.

I’ve had them all and the Miata is the most tossable and most forgiving by far. The S2000 was great but I wasn’t a fan as a daily driver. It didn’t allow for a lot of mistakes behind the wheel. The BMW Z4’s E85 and E89’s were the most luxurious and roomy. Not what I would regard as truly all that sporty unless you get the E86 Z4M which is a complete brute. The Boxster was precision personified but for me the most cramped of the group. The peddle box was small for my size 13 feet. While I haven’t owned one I have driven every generation Audi TT and the latest generation was a hoot but pretty soft in terms of handling. The SLK’s and touring cars not really sporty. The AMG versions are a hoot in a straight line. For daily use the Z4 E89 and Audi TT win out. As a pure toy for the money the Miata wins....especially with all the available mods. It’s the most popular convertible sports car in automotive history with a rich aftermarket following.

For what you pay for a 20 year old S2000 you can get a 2017 ND Miata with modern comforts and 10-20k on the clock. For me I don’t think I loved my S2000 enough to pay today’s prices. Another option in that price range is the Mazda built Fiat 124 Spider Abarth...aka the Fiata. Built on the ND platform it has a turbo engine that makes it feel like a 90’s old school turbo 4 banger. The quad exhaust makes some delightful noises and the styling is just different enough from the Miata to make them interesting (the interior is basically identical to an ND.)

Dollar for dollar I would say shifter carts.

Living in Montana with 4 months of summer I have never been a vert/roadster guy. Drove several over the years and I 110% agree they are a GREAT little SPORTS CAR. IMHO a TRUE sports car.

I was tempted with the newer hardtop Miatas. Very tempted. Test rides and a trip to my Bank tempted.

Then fell into a killer deal on my 2018 Cayman with the 6 speed manual, so I have Porsche's answer to the Miata instead.

I had 2005 Mazdaspeed Miata. It was basically a tuned up Miata , factory turbo and sportier suspension. I really liked that little car …. until I moved to north central Idaho. It was scary when the turbo would spool up on snowy roads. Just didn't make sense to have it....I still miss it !

Thanks for the info guys! Those S2000’s have been steadily climbing in value the past few years. It had been my #1 choice for a roadster but the Miata is damn tempting. A first or second gen Miata would be less expensive but I wonder if I would spend as much to modify the Miata up to a S2000’s stock specs that I’d be better off just starting with a S2000? Finding a clean unmolested Miata for a good price isn’t impossible but most of what I’ve seen in my area is either stock and $$$& or modded, ruined and cheap.

I couldn't own one.

I'm a Porsche (Boxster S) guy but my buddy has a 2017 Miata. A great car. Were it not for my old aging bones I would seriously consider the Mazda. Congrats, have fun, and stay safe.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Thanks for the info guys! Those S2000’s have been steadily climbing in value the past few years. It had been my #1 choice for a roadster but the Miata is damn tempting. A first or second gen Miata would be less expensive but I wonder if I would spend as much to modify the Miata up to a S2000’s stock specs that I’d be better off just starting with a S2000? Finding a clean unmolested Miata for a good price isn’t impossible but most of what I’ve seen in my area is either stock and $$$& or modded, ruined and cheap.

This is true. The clean NA/NB cars are getting harder to find.
Mazda recently started offering new parts for them again, so even a slightly tired car could be brought back to stock with OE parts.

For me, it'd be a really late NA, or an NB2 if I were going older, never was a big fan of the NC & love the ND2.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Thanks for the info guys! Those S2000’s have been steadily climbing in value the past few years. It had been my #1 choice for a roadster but the Miata is damn tempting. A first or second gen Miata would be less expensive but I wonder if I would spend as much to modify the Miata up to a S2000’s stock specs that I’d be better off just starting with a S2000? Finding a clean unmolested Miata for a good price isn’t impossible but most of what I’ve seen in my area is either stock and $$$& or modded, ruined and cheap.

There’s a couple really nice S2000’s in the Charlotte area for about $20k

Chick cars are always more fun with Chicks in them.
FWIW, when I was autocrossing they always did well.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Chick cars are always more fun with Chicks in them.
FWIW, when I was autocrossing they always did well.

I did some Auto-X in college (out in College Station, A&M Sports Car Club), was fun watching the Miatas getting better times than Vettes & Camaros.