The question that has plagued the internet for years now! Now that I have owned all three of these cars I’d like to chime in on my opinions between the three. While a lot of online reviewers have driven them back to back, I don’t think many people have had the privilege's of living with all three of them. I have used all three as a daily driver, modded them, and driven them on track. I will try my best to touch on all of these subjects and then let you decide which works best for you.
I haven’t owned many cars (5 total) in my life but what I have realized by now is to find a car that is best at what you care most about. Instead of wanting a car to be just like another, learn to love what makes it stand out. I will give more examples of this further down the article, but it’s something I wish I realized earlier.
I will give a brief story of each and then give my comparisons at the end. If you have any questions or feel like I missed something feel free to comment and I will do my best to address it.
HONDA S2000
The first car I owned of the three was the Honda S2000. I bought my 2002 AP1 back in 2010 when I was in college. I drove one at an autocross in high school and was in love with it ever since. The car is and was my favorite car of time. I kept it 100% stock for about 5 years of ownership and daily drove it to school/work that entire time. In those 5 years I only had one mechanical problem: my clutch master cylinder was leaking and ran out of fluid one day. I think an aspect of this car that gets lost in the shuffle is how reliable it is.
While stock I took several road trips to tail of the dragon and tracked it a few times a year while I was getting my undergraduate and graduate degree. Outside of brake pads and high temp fluid, I did not mod the car at all during those track days. I hope everyone gets to track a stock S2000 one day to truly see how capable this car is.
Once I finished school and had more time/money on my hands the car slowly began it’s transformation as a track only car. I tracked it in autocross STR form for a while and even went on road trips to Road Atlanta and VIR in this form. I think that time period was when I enjoyed the car the most. It was a slight compromise on the street because of the coilovers, but it was so well rounded that it did not bother me. If I could rewind time I would have left it here and never turned it into a racecar.
I then sold the car at the end of 2020 in full NASA ST5/TT5 trim. I actually drove the car to and from the track in this form because I do not own a truck/trailer.
When actually purchasing one of these cars, I think it needs to be said that this car is old and kind of hard to find nowadays. Parts are becoming more expensive and rare, so I think it is a big factor that the car is ~20 years old and relatively the same price as the other two.
SCION FR-S
In 2017 was when I first transformed the S2000 from daily driver into a track only car. I was able to do this because I bought my 2014 Scion FR-S to take over daily duties. The car came lightly modded with lowering springs, exhaust, and an oil cooler.
When I first bought it I was really angry with the purchase. All I wanted was the car to be the S2000 since that’s all I knew for a while. I remember being unhappy with the shifter and clutch hydraulics, the sound, and lack of edge that the S2000 has.
Once time passed I started to realize what really made these cars shine. I ended up moving to Detroit for a few years and this car not only was my daily, it became my winter car as well! I slapped Blizzaks on the stock wheels and had no issues in the winter. Note: I would routinely be sideways through intersections and got some wild looks, but it was all worth it!
I ended up tracking this car as well, with only Powerstop track day pads and ATE200 fluid as prep. A buddy of mine co-drove it with me at Gingerman and Sebring, and the car had no issues getting abused all day. It is understated just how important being able to take an extra set of tires to the track is. I could comfortably fit 2 people, 4 wheels/tires, and all of my tools in this car. In the S2000 I was only able to bring my R-compounds when there was 0% chance of rain and I would just drive them to the track.
On the same day as I sold the S2000 I also sold my FR-S. I got a great trade-in offer that was much greater than I purchased the car for so I had no choice but to sell it. I even thought about keeping it regardless of the offer but in the end logic prevailed.
Even though these cars share similar power/weight specs this car feels a lot slower than the other two according to the butt dyno. When full throttle this car feels like you’re just waiting for it to speed up and never really gives a sense of speed like the other two cars do. It’s really weird and I’m not sure if it’s the torque curve that everyone talks about or if the car is genuinely slower.
In terms of aesthetics the FR-S is my favorite of the three. I love the silhouette of the car and I think they did a fantastic job designing the car. If this car was a hatchback like the RSX or 240SX, it would have been a slam dunk.
MAZDA MX-5
Finally, I bought the ND1 Miata once the others were sold. This car also came lightly modded with lowering springs, sway bars, and some cosmetic upgrades. I had the car shipped from Denver. It barely has any miles on it because it was a summer only car.
When I first got the car I was unable to really drive it because of the ergonomics. I bought the ND1 model which does not have a telescoping steering wheel like the newer model. I found the seating position almost unbearable, but luckily the ND2 steering assembly swaps right over. It was about $300 in parts from Mazda and an hour of work. I highly recommend this upgrade for any ND1 owners.
It took a little while to get used to the Miata as well coming from the other two. The shift knob is so small from the factory it feels like you’re pinching salt and needed to be replaced immediately before being able to judge it fully. Funny enough, the shifter that I used to complain about in the FR-S was something I found myself missing!
In daily form this car truly shines. It is by far the most comfortable of all three cars and gets an absurd (awesome) 35MPG on the highway. The clutch and brake pedal is also the best of the three. I’m not a fan of the throttle pedal rotating from the bottom, but I’ve learned to get used to it.
DAILY DRIVER (HARDTOP)
Since two of these cars are convertibles, I am going to compare them if you are going to opt for a hardtop or RF ND. I feel like going for the hardtop takes away a lot of the charm from both the S2000 and ND. They are both cars of two personalities. If you are not a fan of convertibles, I think the FR-S is the best of the three. Even with a hardtop the FR-S is much quieter and has a lot more space. I personally am not a fan of the S2000 with a hardtop. If it did not come as a convertible, I would not have bought the car. I have also driven a RF ND and it is more of a t-top rather than a full convertible. It did not give me the same sensation that the soft-top models do. When I was shopping for the car, I did not have any interest in the RF version.
The FR-S is a great daily not only because of being a coupe, but it is the most well-rounded. I had no problems doing Home Depot runs in the car and never had to borrow a friend’s car. The S2000 is pretty much only good for grocery shopping and the Miata has even less room than the S2000. The benefit of the back seats does give a lot more storage and convenience as well, especially for a student. They’re not very good for putting people back there, but great for a backpack or other equipment.
It might matter to some, but the FR-S is also the best choice if you have to fit a child seat. I don’t think I would ever fit one in the ND or 06+ S2000, even if they are able to turn off the passenger airbag.
I would rank this FR-S > ND > S2000
DAILY DRIVER (SOFT-TOP)
I am going to exclude the FR-S here since it does not have a convertible option. If your mind is set on having on of the convertibles as a daily, I would recommend the Miata. It is much more comfortable, gets much better MPG, and is the most fun driving around town. The low-end torque and the gearing is much better than the S2000 so it genuinely feels faster around town. The ergonomics are also better for daily driving since it has the option of the telescoping steering wheel. The AP2 does have better gearing than the AP1, but it still doesn’t come close to the ND in terms of daily torque. I am also a driver that rarely touches VTEC going around town so I don’t think I get the full benefits of the S2000 around town.
Also, the manual soft-top of the ND is actually much better than the electronic S2000. I could have the top up or down in the ND in about 2 seconds. This might be an issue if you’re up there in age, but I would much prefer if the S2000 did it the same way. If I am cruising down the street at 30MPH and it stops raining, I just go ahead and put the top down with one hand without having to wait for a stop. It also has one center latch, rather than two of the S2000.
With the ND being a much newer car is also has a lot of creature comforts the S2000 lacks in. One of my killer applications is having keyless entry and the S2000 has a whole sequence just to turn it on. Having NAV and Android Auto/CarPlay support is pretty big for me as well.
I would rank this ND > S2000
DAILY DRIVER/WEEKEND WARRIOR
I remember Speed Academy being asked this question between their FR-S and S2000 and not agreeing with them picking the FR-S. However, now I agree that is the better choice. It is a huge benefit to be able to have track wheels and tires in the car. Not only that, but you don’t have to worry about cutting up the interior for a roll bar or passing broomstick tests. The drive to and from the track is also much better in the FR-S than the other two. Driving to the track in the S2000 felt like a chore whereas in the FR-S it was comfortable and easy. Another thing to mention is the FR-S comes with much better stock seats than the S2000 and ND does. I did not feel the need to upgrade those to a bucket, but in the other two it’s kind of a must if you don’t want to be sliding around.
I don’t feel like the ND makes a good track car in stock form. It is very soft, which makes it great for a daily, but it doesn’t translate well on track. I think it needs a few more mods than the other two to make it more fun on track but they would heavily compromise the car as a daily driver.
I would rank this FR-S > S2000 > ND
TRACK ONLY CAR
This is where the S2000 shines, but the FR-S comes a close second for me. I actually think the FR-S has a higher ceiling because of the aero and coupe benefits, but just lacks in the power department. The S2000 is just such a gem in terms of performance. As you probably already know, there is nothing like a 9000RPM redline and the neutrality of the S2000. It is the hardest to drive of the three, but also the most rewarding.
The FR-S might be a better choice for beginners because it is much easier to drive at the limit. I don’t see enough reviewers talk about this but I think the car has way too much understeer and I had to purposely tune the car to get it to rotate. The benefit is it’s pretty much impossible to screw up in and rarely makes you feel like you’re in a dangerous situation.
As I mentioned a little bit earlier, the ND needs more work than the others to make it track capable. A set of Ohlins and stiffening up the car would transform it into another animal. I think a well prepped ND would absolutely spank the other two because of it’s underbody aero benefits and light weight.
I am assuming a track only car has a truck/trailer even though I didn’t. If you have to drive to the track like I did, get the FR-S.
I am really torn between the two cars here because the S2000 is more fun as a track car, but the FR-S is so much more economical and practical as a track car.
I would rank this S2000 > FR-S > ND
PARTS AND MODDING COMMUNITY
I felt this topic should be taken into account as well. A good community means a lot to me and greatly impacts the ownership experience. Back when I first got the S2000 the online community was at it’s infancy and only similarly minded people owned it. Once the car got cheaper is when the community exploded. There used to be only a few wheels options back in the day, but now there’s a ton!
As it stands now, the S2000 community is beginning to die down. Parts are becoming harder to find, especially longblocks. Expect to be about $4000 in the hole if you need an engine replacement.
The FR-S community is not as track oriented as the S2000 community is, but they are much more into modding. Stock parts are dirt cheap and plentiful. For example: a set of front headlights is $80 compared to $600 for the S2000. There are not as many FR-S track owners as there should be, but there is a lot of aftermarket support. This car is by far the cheapest to mod and fix if something happens.
As for the ND from my observations their owner base seems to be older than the other two. The modding and track community seems small right now, outside of STR autocross. The good news is they have a factory club car so there will always be a plethora of aftermarket support for the car. I think the price for parts right now is high, just as it was for the S2000 when there wasn’t a lot of competition.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In order to make a final decision I think it’s better to know what purpose the car will solve and then decide from there. Even though they are all similar cars, they really shine in different ways. The S2000 will always have a special place in my heart so it is my favorite of the three, but I have to acknowledge it’s getting up there in age and doesn’t make a lot of sense anymore.
If I had to start over today I would wait and see how the Gen2 BRZ/FR-S turns out. If they solve the speed issue it has the chance to blow the other two out of the water in terms of performance. It will not have the convertible aspect to it, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a truly great car.
I hope this was helpful and/or insightful. There are a lot of difference factors involved so if you feel I missed something or want my opinion on anything else feel free to comment below and I will update my post!
Thanks everyone and happy car shopping.