IS300 vs. S2000

Well, I will agree and disagree with some of the points made above. Before I get flamed, I was all set on getting an IS -- until I drove the S2000 -- plan on taking delivery of my silver/black later this week, early next week. With that being said...

The S is not a luxury car -- it is indeed a pure sports car. It will be my daily driver until about Sept and then I will buy a second vehicle for the winter. There are many people who use them as their d.d. but there are many who buy it with this intent and can't handle the "pureness" of the car everyday -- thus quite a few available in the classifieds. It really isn't fair to even compare these two cars IMO.

Those who say that it is difficult to drive around town are full if shi!t and don't understand the powerband -- similar to riding an i4 jap bike. It is very fast but also takes a lot of attention to drive at its limits -- you can loose this thing very easily if you do not understand the dynamics of driving a rear wheel drive car with this much hp at such a high rpm.

Whoever it was that tried to race a S in an IS must have been bored -- did you really think that you could beat it? This thing eats Boxsters all day long and can give a Boxster S a run for its money -- only if the S driver can get the full potential out of the car. And for the twisties -- you think you could take it there as well? That must be some really good N Cali weed that you are smoking -- this is one of the best balanced and neutral cars you can buy.

So with all tha being said -- I am still a huge IS fan and still do not think it fair to compare. I would encourage everyone to test drive the S before purchasing -- you either love it or hate it -- I haven't stopped smiling since my test drive

I am always perplexed when people compare these two vehicles. I guess it must be because the prices are so similar.

Besides being made in Japan and rear wheel drive, there really isn't any other comparison.

The IS is a fantastic sports sedan. It can be hustled down the road amazingly well. It is quick, it is fast, it corners well, and it brakes well. It will carry four people (as long as the back passengers aren't too big) in a reasonable amount of luxury and comfort. On top of that, it is reasonably priced and has the real benefit of being sold and serviced through the best dealership network in the US (Lexus).

The S is a pure sports car. No automotic transmission, no traction control, no seat heaters. In fact... it has nothing that you need except that which gets you around a road course faster (with the annoying exception of the power top with plastic window).

The S has a good sized trunk for the kind of car it is (I used to have an M1 Miata) but don't expect to make runs to Home Depot with it. It is stiffly sprung (but not overly) and loud. There is a good amount of space for two people but you have no glove box, no door storage and not even a vestige of back seats. A pure roadster with an amazing engine, sophisticated suspension, world class brakes and arguably the most solid open top chassis in the world.

If you are wavering between buying one of the two I suggest you take a long hard look at what you want from a car. I bought my S because my better half as a sport ute that we can use to carry people, plants, whatever else we need. We use the S primarily as a weekend car. You can use it as a daily driver (I drove a M1 Miata for a long time as my only car) but you have to be creative.

They are both great vehicles that prove that we truly are in the golden age of auto's for enthusiasts. You can't go wrong with either (though I'd definitely wait for the manual transmission IS).

Enjoy, drive safely.

AlnIS300,

Here are my opinions...and yes, I have test driven an IS300, and I own a S2000. I was looking at the IS300 for a while last year...but I decided I wanted a manual transmission and a 2 seater. Overall...it would be tight to own both cars.

Interior

The S2000 interior isn't too spacious...if you want a comfortable car...go with the IS300. The IS300 felt damn comfortable when I sat in it...and the interior looks pretty nice. The interior of the S2000 is plain jane and unluxurious. The S2000 has only 2 speakers and they suck pretty hard, and you can't really hear them because there is alot of cabin noise in the S2000.

Exterior

Both cars are very stylish...they are great base cars to modify and to pimp with.

Appearancewise, I have installed some 18's, coil-overs, and an exhaust on my s2000:

http://www.digicomp.cc/grandtouring/s2k%20te37%20s.jpg
http://www.digicomp.cc/grandtouring/NipponInstall004.jpg

I have seen some really nice looking lowered IS300's with 18's on them. I love this IS300 setup below:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=155351&a=11164395&p=31468273&Sequence=0

Performance

Performance cannot be compared between the S2000 and the IS300...just like you can't compare the luxury and comfort of the IS300 to the S2000. When the manual transmission IS300 comes out with the rumored stiffer suspension...the IS300 will be a kick ass rear wheel drive luxury sedan for the price.

Value

Honda and Luxus automobiles keep their value pretty well the last time I checked...you can't go wrong with the top brands known for quality. As far as the IS300 and the S2000 being sold for ~ $33,000...the cars are a great buy.

[ April 25, 2001: Message edited by: Unicron ]

TicaLis300,

Good job...you must be better at driving your car than the S2000 guy. The M3 and the S2000 should be pretty even...but it seems to me that the M3 is alot easier to launch well.

I recently raced a 99 M3 coupe I met on this board (maddogtx). I was pretty much stock back then with some 18's (which really slowed me down). He has a software upgrade and the Dinnan cold air intake. We raced like 4 - 6 times...and it seemed pretty even because whoever had the better launch would win.

Last couple weekends ago I saw maddogtx's 99 M3 beat an S2000 by a car length and a half. I raced the same S2000 prior to that race and beat the S2000 by a car lenght...and I had a bad start. I lost a car lenght because I had a delayed launch...but I caught up and beat the S2000 by a car lenght and some.

When two cars are relatively close in 0-60 times...in a street light drag race...it's all in the driver!