I had a 99, and when that car was totalled (rear-ended
), I found a 2000 S in my budget. What a differece! The S is much more car. Because the 99 didn't have as much torque, it required a bit more throttle to get her going, particularly when starting on a hill. The S is not like that at all. I can practically let the clutch out at idle and she won't stall. It's so much easier to drive in traffic. As well, the S brakes better and feels a bit tighter through the suspension. The trade off has been a bit of gas mileage. The 99 regularly got 26-28mpg. The S gets 22-24. I'm happy to pay a bit extra at the gas station.