Boxster vs S2000

[surf40]

I’ve been reading this forum for 6 months to get educated on buying a 986 (2001-04 S). I’m still not 100% decided on the Porsche. My families Daily Drivers have all been Honda Accords and Civics. They are great cars, and I have a great independent Honda guy that I’ve been taking my cars to for 20 years.

The question for this esteemed group is: have any of you owned a Honda S2000? If so, what do you think about them? How do they compare to the Boxster (for those that have owned both)

My heart says Boxster, but my logical side says S2000. I believe the Honda would be more reliable, cheaper Total Ownership cost for a much newer one (2006-9), but still a blast to drive.

Your thoughts?

[JAAY]

I do not own or have not owned a s2k but my brother has had one for over 6 years and I have driven it countless times. It is much cheaper to maintain and extremely reliable. It is quicker than a 986s and the top is pretty nice on it too. I would say it is less comfortable and the only problem that I have with it is that it is a 4 cylinder and sounds like one. Oh.. The motor is in the wrong place, placed well but not in the middle Go out and drive both! The boxster has soul that can not be described. The s2k is great but leaves me bored and wanting more after getting out of it. After a recent trip through the mountains on a boxster meet. I have a new respect for the boxster. I have never pushed it to the limit and i got the chance to do so. The car was amazing. If you are going to drive the car every day both cars are just fine. There is one not better than the other. You have to make the decision that suits you and you only. The s2k is sensible and worth every dollar. If either car that you would be purchasing needs any repair the boxster will most likely cost 2-3 times more to repair. If you really get stuck, buy both

[jlucas]

I owned a street car S2000 for 3 years before eventually buying a 986S (and a Miata before the S2000). I still race a S2000 in the SCCA Touring 3 class.

S2000
positives: unmatched chassis rigidity for a convertible, Civic of RWD cars (reliability, build quality, low maintenance, low parts & labor costs), best shifter (THE benchmark period!)
negatives: Civic of RWD cars (not as inspiring as 986), lack of torque, less steering feel than 986, tight cockpit, pitching stock ride on concrete, limits beyond street legal speeds

986S
positives: torque, telepathic handling, cabin space, frunk, status (doesn't' matter to me), more comfortable ride
negatives: rigidity/cowl shake, reliability, high maintenance/repair costs (parts & labor), interior build quality behind the S2000, limits beyond street legal speeds, easy bake oven (trunk), no std LSD

If money is at all an issue, you can't beat the S2000. 2004 & 2005 are my favorite years; you get the 2.2L, wider 17" wheels, and glass rear window but not the drive by wire and higher seating position that started in 2006 (2000-2003 was 2.0L and 16" wheels).

Power/torque is the main reason I wanted to go with the 986S over the S2000.

If you want to know more, feel free to PM me for my phone number.

[WhipE350]

Sounds obvious which you want. I bought a brand new Miata Sport in 2000 and loved it, but it just felt way to small to me when I tried to use it for a daily driver so I only ended up driving it on weekends. If a Honda s2k feels as small there is no question which I would choose. Are you good at working on cars, do you like to, is money not an issue for parts, then don't worry about 'total ownership'. Go drive both and buy the one you love, not the logical one...assuming this is a toy. I got several logical cars in my life and I kept the best care of them and loved them best I could, I still however traded them 2 years later, logic didn't make the 4 year mark.

Post pics of your Boxster once you get it

[fatmike]

My other car is a Honda (not an s2000 - family truckster). I read your comments -- you should get the S2000.




If you buy the Porsche, you'll love it (it is the car you actually want). You will be convinced if you drive one. But, in the back of your mind logic will eat at you. You'll never be comfortable that the Porsche won't just explode in a million pieces on the side of the road one day. You'll constantly worry about money and reliability.



No, you should get the Honda.





ps -- JLUCUS -- Cowl shake in a boxster? huh?

----

[jlucas]

Originally Posted by fatmike

ps -- JLUCUS -- Cowl shake in a boxster? huh?

Generic term for body flex in a convertible and yes the 986 is noticablely less stiff than the S2000. Both are light years better than the Miata for torsional stiffness.

Added note: when we had the S2000 it was a daily driver including winters (with snow tires if course), our BoxS is not.

[ekam]

It all comes down to this.

Do you like Asian or European women?

[Johnny Danger]

I've had the occasion to drive a few S2000's over the years, to include a friend's that has been mod'd to the max . Here's my ditty :

Pro's : reliability, relatively inexpensive to maintain, and a world of JDM aftermarket
performance products if mods are your thing .

Cons : performance and handling that are uninspiring, aesthetically boring, an engine
that feels like a "mouse on a pulley", and devoid of any kind of cachet .

p.s. None of the S2000's that I drove felt any more solid or rigid in the chassis
department than the boxster. In fact, most of the S2000's that I drove were far more
prone to creaks and squeaks, cowl shake and cabin/wind noise than any boxster
that I've driven . Oh, and despite all of the concerns surrounding IMS failure with
the boxster engine, it's my understanding that the S2000 has some problems of
it's own .

[Topless]

Originally Posted by ekam

Do you like Asian or European women?

Yes I do thank you!

[Perfectlap]

I weighed the S2000 vs. Boxster S vs. Carrera proposition after autocrossing a Miata for a few seasons. I ruled out the Carrera because I had to have a roadster and 911 Cabriolet just ruins the look for me. I was about to pull the trigger on the S2000 (yellow ) until I spoke a buddy at the local autocross who drove an S2000 himself but pushed me toward the Boxster. He was a former junior formula racer who at point raced against a former F1 driver (McLaren). He was emphatic about the Boxster being the perfect roadster from a driver's point of view. Balance, torque, steering, responsiveness, seat position, braking and those intangible things like the induction sound. Okay so he got my attention. Top Gear ran an episode with Tiff Needell trying to determine what was the best 'pure sports car' you could buy today and drive every day. They decided on the Boxster. After watching him slide the Boxster S around the test track, laughing the whole time, I was convinced.
A week later the EXACT Boxster I was looking for appeared at a local Acura dealer as a trade in. The minute I put the car in drive and heard that induction and listened to the revs come up well even the salesman's (young guy) eyes went like this: The car was spotless. Bought it a week later. Little did I know how hard it would be to come by a low mileage, silver/red, 3.2 garage queen.

The thing about the S2000 is that its perfect for autocrossing although I hear the repairs aren't as cheap as they are made out to be. In that respect I really regret selling my Miata. I should have kept it as my dedicated autocrosser. BUT...autocrossing the Boxster the first time was confirmation of everything my former racer buddy said. That car is perfectly set up right out of the box. You have to pretty experienced behind the wheel to find faults. And most of those are cured with a few modifications. That's something you can't do with the S2000's short coming (torque). I eventually hooked up Toyo R-compounds on the Boxster and it was on rails. But the IMS concerns at the time (pre-LN Engineering) cooled me on beating on the car too hard given the low mileage after four years. Now that I've done the upgrade and have consistently put 10K miles on the car every year I'm not so concerned but for what I spent on the big "major maintenace" items I could have picked up gen 2 Miata with extensive supsension, exhaust, wheel/tire mods with a few bucks to spare. Still thinking about it though but I doubt I'll ever sell the Boxster S, the money I would get would never ever put me into something on par that didn't need repairs. Not to mention I still get compliments, thumbs up, hot girl pulling over to tell me my car is "soooo sexy", and one black dude who pulled up in bumper to bumper traffic sayin "F*ck yeah! Now that's what I'm f*cking talkin' about.". Okay....What do you say that? I've also had many senior citizen guys come up to me and say "you have the dream car I always wanted but could never afford before startinga family". I guess people take this car for granted.

[papasmurf]

but drove a friends briefly ('03 model I believe) several years back before I bought my boxster. The S2000 has a sweet short throw shifter stock....that was probably my favorite part. The power is strong but you have to constantly dog the car to keep it in the power band so alot of times it does not feel as fast as it is. I was never fond of the styling of the S2000 and less so the interior (bar graph tach/speedo) as it seemed kind of monotone to me. The 986 interior is better IMO *when you have some of the upgrades like the sport design package and optional items like painted console, etc...stock it is probably not any better but I do prefer the analog gauges. Also, if you take the snorkel off the 986, the sound is amazing and the S2000 just can't compare. If the reliabilty thing is a big concern to you, I would get the S2000...peace of mind while driving is hard to find a substitute for.

[fatmike]

Originally Posted by jlucas

Generic term for body flex in a convertible and yes the 986 is noticablely less stiff than the S2000. Both are light years better than the Miata for torsional stiffness.

Added note: when we had the S2000 it was a daily driver including winters (with snow tires if course), our BoxS is not.

I drive my Boxster year round in the northeast winter. It does just fine in the snow with proper tires.

There are lots of reasons not to buy a Boxster, but cowl shake isn't one of them...

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

My wife wanted a Miata for years....untill I talked her into test driving several. No way, way to small. Then we test drove several Thunderbirds. They are nice but no umph. Then we test drove a couple of S2000. Nice, Honda quality and easy care for me. Then we test drove 1 Boxster and bought it on the spot. We now have 2 Boxsters.

Nuff Said ?

[laphan]

S2000 was one of my choice before I bought the boxster. They are fun to drive. The styling is not that great IMO but neither the boxster.

I thought Honda should have bulletproof reliability but when I went to their forums all they talked about are transmission issues (more like how we talk about IMS issue here).
S2000 has issue with their transmission (2nd gear) popping out and synchro issues.
And our boxster is not in much better shape with engine blowing up issues too.

After knowing both cars have their own major and expensive to fix issues, I went with whatever I like better (which I picked the boxster).

[Jake D]

I had this debate too. I went with a boxster clearly. I drove an S2000 yesterday around the shop to pull the bumper off. It didnt impress me much even in the short ride i was in it. I thought not having a headliner was primitive.

Also not that i do it very often, but you cant beat the amount of cargo room from and back that a boxster has. I've gone on a few weekend trips with the ex and it works out great. The "her" trunk is up front, mine is in the back. I don't like how little room the S2000 has

[blue2000s]

I think the S2000 is a couple hundred pounds lighter than the Boxster. Which is a big + for sports car fans.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

I think the S2000 is a couple hundred pounds lighter than the Boxster. Which is a big + for sports car fans.

Not true.

Weight is 2809lbs for MY 2000. 2835lbs for MY 2005. Less than 100lbs lighter than a base 986.

http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/test-drive-2000-honda-s2000
http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/test-drive-2005-honda-s2000

Read this too, while the motor won't blow up it's hardly trouble free.

http://www.autos.ca/used-car-reviews/used-vehicle-review-honda-s2000-2000-2007

[WhipE350]

Surf, did you post this same question on a Honda forum...if so I would love to read..send us the link.

[WhipE350]

Originally Posted by ekam

http://www.autos.ca/car-test-drives/test-drive-2000-honda-s2000

The 'autos.ca' site had a 2000 Boxster 'S' review too and they listed it at $71k! What's up with that, I have the sticker for my 2000 'S' and it was $55k. Interesting.

[thstone]

"... I believe the Honda would be more reliable, cheaper Total Ownership cost for a much newer one (2006-9), but still a blast to drive."

You are correct on all counts.

However, here are the Top 5 reasons why I chose a Boxster over an S2K:

1. Boxster had better handling in my opinion. S2K wants to slide everywhere.
2. Boxster had much nicer and larger interior. S2K wasn't much bigger than my Miata.
3. Boxster had more low RPM torque. S2K needs to rev high to move.
4. I can move up the Porsche line to a 996/997 as I need/want more performance. No sports car growth path with Honda.
5. Cost wasn't a big concern (purchase or maintenance)