Elise, Integra, S2000!?
Discussion
Hi all,
Been told I’m now working from home for at least a couple years so I have no need for the economy car I have now. As all I Do now is drive for leisure and never have more than one passenger, I want a sports car. Have a max of 14k to spend. (Factor in im 20 So insurance is an issue).
I’m thinking:
S2000, RWD, timeless interior, 9000 rpm fun
DC5 Integra, looks class, Supposedly best FRD car of all time
S2 Elise, would be stretching the budget a little but I adore these, the boot space may be an issue though.
Anything else I should consider?
Cheers,
Aaran
Been told I’m now working from home for at least a couple years so I have no need for the economy car I have now. As all I Do now is drive for leisure and never have more than one passenger, I want a sports car. Have a max of 14k to spend. (Factor in im 20 So insurance is an issue).
I’m thinking:
S2000, RWD, timeless interior, 9000 rpm fun
DC5 Integra, looks class, Supposedly best FRD car of all time
S2 Elise, would be stretching the budget a little but I adore these, the boot space may be an issue though.
Anything else I should consider?
Cheers,
Aaran
Best car i've ever owned was my S2 111S Elise. Don't let the K Series scare you off as its a peach of an engine in that car.
Close second though was the RX8 R3 i had for a short period. I had to commute in mine, only ever got 17mpg whether you drove like a nun or a rental. Engine again was so buttery smooth. Ended up selling the 8 and buying the Elise as it got double the mpg!
Close second though was the RX8 R3 i had for a short period. I had to commute in mine, only ever got 17mpg whether you drove like a nun or a rental. Engine again was so buttery smooth. Ended up selling the 8 and buying the Elise as it got double the mpg!
They’re each quite different propositions. I’ve never owned an Integra but I’ve always liked them. They’re five speed and don’t all have a/c - just to beware.
I had an S2 Elise 111S and it was very competent and very “good”. Ultimately though I found it uninteresting and sold it.
I now have an S2000. The engine has bags of character and with a decent boot, a/c and a quick electric hood it’s a lot more useable and than the Elise, either to drop the top and have a quick blast or go away for the night. Despite 6 speeds and cushy leather it’s not refined though!
I appreciate my needs are probably very different from yours (limited opportunity to use it on a whim and a small child on board a lot of the time) but the S2000 really does do character, competence and usability very well and still (to my mind) remains interesting and engaging.
You’ll get a good one for £10k too whereas Elises are going to be more expensive like for like and Integras are thin on the ground. Both Integras and the S2000 rust!
I had an S2 Elise 111S and it was very competent and very “good”. Ultimately though I found it uninteresting and sold it.
I now have an S2000. The engine has bags of character and with a decent boot, a/c and a quick electric hood it’s a lot more useable and than the Elise, either to drop the top and have a quick blast or go away for the night. Despite 6 speeds and cushy leather it’s not refined though!
I appreciate my needs are probably very different from yours (limited opportunity to use it on a whim and a small child on board a lot of the time) but the S2000 really does do character, competence and usability very well and still (to my mind) remains interesting and engaging.
You’ll get a good one for £10k too whereas Elises are going to be more expensive like for like and Integras are thin on the ground. Both Integras and the S2000 rust!
370z is a big bloob GT, sounds good, goes well but not really exciting.
check s2000 insurance, they're known to be expensive AF!
all 3 cars are safe buys in a sense that they won't depreciate.
for an out-right mad car and elise is probably the one.
for unique engine and epic greabox it's an s2k.
integra is FWD but also known to be great fun(never driven one can't comment) and again is a safe buy if you get non rusty one.
I have an s2000 and had it for near 2 years now, love it to bits and it's an epic car to own and does just that perfectly.
few pics of mine!
check s2000 insurance, they're known to be expensive AF!
all 3 cars are safe buys in a sense that they won't depreciate.
for an out-right mad car and elise is probably the one.
for unique engine and epic greabox it's an s2k.
integra is FWD but also known to be great fun(never driven one can't comment) and again is a safe buy if you get non rusty one.
I have an s2000 and had it for near 2 years now, love it to bits and it's an epic car to own and does just that perfectly.
few pics of mine!
griffter said:
They’re each quite different propositions. I’ve never owned an Integra but I’ve always liked them. They’re five speed and don’t all have a/c - just to beware.
I had an S2 Elise 111S and it was very competent and very “good”. Ultimately though I found it uninteresting and sold it.
I now have an S2000. The engine has bags of character and with a decent boot, a/c and a quick electric hood it’s a lot more useable and than the Elise, either to drop the top and have a quick blast or go away for the night. Despite 6 speeds and cushy leather it’s not refined though!
I appreciate my needs are probably very different from yours (limited opportunity to use it on a whim and a small child on board a lot of the time) but the S2000 really does do character, competence and usability very well and still (to my mind) remains interesting and engaging.
You’ll get a good one for £10k too whereas Elises are going to be more expensive like for like and Integras are thin on the ground. Both Integras and the S2000 rust!
This isnt making this any easier, want all 3 now! I had an S2 Elise 111S and it was very competent and very “good”. Ultimately though I found it uninteresting and sold it.
I now have an S2000. The engine has bags of character and with a decent boot, a/c and a quick electric hood it’s a lot more useable and than the Elise, either to drop the top and have a quick blast or go away for the night. Despite 6 speeds and cushy leather it’s not refined though!
I appreciate my needs are probably very different from yours (limited opportunity to use it on a whim and a small child on board a lot of the time) but the S2000 really does do character, competence and usability very well and still (to my mind) remains interesting and engaging.
You’ll get a good one for £10k too whereas Elises are going to be more expensive like for like and Integras are thin on the ground. Both Integras and the S2000 rust!
grudas said:
370z is a big bloob GT, sounds good, goes well but not really exciting.
check s2000 insurance, they're known to be expensive AF!
all 3 cars are safe buys in a sense that they won't depreciate.
for an out-right mad car and elise is probably the one.
for unique engine and epic greabox it's an s2k.
integra is FWD but also known to be great fun(never driven one can't comment) and again is a safe buy if you get non rusty one.
I have an s2000 and had it for near 2 years now, love it to bits and it's an epic car to own and does just that perfectly.
few pics of mine!
That looks class mate, the S2000 is such a looker. check s2000 insurance, they're known to be expensive AF!
all 3 cars are safe buys in a sense that they won't depreciate.
for an out-right mad car and elise is probably the one.
for unique engine and epic greabox it's an s2k.
integra is FWD but also known to be great fun(never driven one can't comment) and again is a safe buy if you get non rusty one.
I have an s2000 and had it for near 2 years now, love it to bits and it's an epic car to own and does just that perfectly.
few pics of mine!
I had a S2000 at the same time as an Integra DC2. The initial turn in was great on the S2000, but the Integra felt more nimble and playful. My S2000 was a low mileage 2005 model and I think the shape of the S2000 is one of the best to come out of Japan. They still look great now to my eyes.
The F20 engine in the S2000 had a very smooth, refined vtec engagement and it loved to rev. For a car I wanted to drive for fun, the old school Integra brings a bigger smile to my face. Having said that, with the roof down on empty, smooth European roads lead to some memorable drives too. The S2000 was probably slightly quicker in a straight line, but then modern 2.0 diesels would have no problems keeping up with either. The transmission in the S2000 is hands down the best I’ve experienced and I really appreciated how driver focused the S2000 cockpit was. The seats in the S2000 weren’t great compared to the Recaros in the Integra.
I know you mention the DC5, rather than the DC2 and with some adjustment they are great cars. I recently drove an FD2 and that would probably be the one I’d go for now. I kept my S2000 a year for a number of reasons, but still have the DC2 which I’ve had for nearly 9 years.
grudas said:
370z is a big bloob GT, sounds good, goes well but not really exciting.
That is very subjective though. The S2000 only has a small 4 cylinder engine in it, and I don't class that as being exciting. I do like the lower weight of the S2000 though for sure, and yours looks very sweet. 
From that list definitely the Lotus. I never got on board with the S2000 bandwagon and wrong wheel drive disqualifies the Honda IMO. Ok for a normal commuter but wouldn't want it if what I was looking for was a sports car.
But if it was me I might look outside of that 3 cars list. 14K buys a lot of nice sports cars-
But if it was me I might look outside of that 3 cars list. 14K buys a lot of nice sports cars-
p4cks said:
Try the thinking man’s Elise... VX220 Turbo.
If you drive for fun, these are untouchable
This If you drive for fun, these are untouchable
Bang for buck, the VX220 is a good alternative to the Elise and they'll hold their price too.
I've had an S2000 - great car, but the powerband is way too high and they get crashed a lot. Short wheelbase, iffy suspension geometry from the factory, and a peaky engine make for a great car but also a potential widowmaker. I was always scared of mine, perhaps the regular "I've just crashed my car" threads on S2ki.com got to me.
This guy is the best vid I've seen driving an S2000. If you have the skill, the rewards are up there with the best of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYYS2Nz0J1o
No experience of the DC5.
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