AltecLansing

which has better handling? ride? and so...

im asking this becox the Z4 is growing on me :D
especially ones with hard-top, yet the S2000 is also a nice one too. if u can choose, which would u prefer?

for those who have not see it be4:
http://intl.bmwfilms.com/
pretty cool videos from BMW, which were made by famous movie makers and directors...

Ike

IMO there is no reason to buy a Z4 or even Boxster as long as the S2K is around, unless you're a name snob.

mysql101

If two seaters are what you're looking at, why not the Elise?

Magic8

I'll take an Elise with an s2000 engine with the 6spd tranny, instead of the celica engine and tranny. I wonder if a 13b can fit in an Elise?

PaulieWalnuts

IMO the new Z4 is ugly. Too much going on. If you are up for a 2 seater convertible, the S2000 has nice lines and a race engine. BMW's are overrated.

AltecLansing

ha, im not taking any of them anyways :D just asking how is Z4 performaning. u no, today is over 99'C in socal, which makes think that getting a huge SUV with huge air-condition will be a better choice :D jk

pelucidor

I am beginning to like the Z4 styling more than when it first came out. Still hate the depressing 'face' of the car however.

Between the S2000 and Z4 I would take the Honda every single day and twice on Sundays. It looks better inside and out, has Honda reliability and build which shames BMW, and the kind of Jekyll and Hyde personality I love (Civic below 5800rpm, Ferrari above 5800rpm - yes I exaggerate a little). I really, really hate the stark and bland interior of new BMWs - just think 10 years ago they had the best looking and highest rated interiors in the industry...

I think the S2000s I have test-driven are more extreme vehicles than the Z4 - for good and bad. I have never driven a Z4, only the old Z3, but I imagine the S2000 is more performance oriented in handling and ride than the more comfortable BMW. Acceleration in the BMW is effortless, in the Honda you have to really want it and work at it to match the BMW times.

Finally there is price - a nicely eqipped Z4 3.0 costs 50% more than a new S2000. Put it another way you could buy a Mazda 3 and the Stook for the price of the Z4. Also if you want a hardtop the S2000 comes with a very good one for about $3k.

Josh

do a search for the top gear vid that compares the s2k, Z4, and the boxster...

Boxster finishes 1st
S2k a close 2nd
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Z4 last by a mile.

KC_Prelude

Z4 - overpriced and underpowered showoff car for lame yuppies trying to get laid and rich old grandma's (the only people I ever see behind the wheel of these cars).

S2k - Better performance, more reliable, less expensive in every respect, better looking imo.

Boxster is cool, not quite my thing and still too pricey for what you get but you are paying for the name.

AltecLansing

thanks for all ur reply!
Josh, i can only find this one:
http://auto.joins.com/upboard/pds/pdst/battle-Fr.wmv
i did a few searches at google but most of them were discussion instead of videos....

takahashi

A personal view in my website... I just happen to wear a suit walking pass BMW dealer

my website has all the cars I tested inc Z4 and S2K

www.step-hen.com/testdrive.htm

AltecLansing

hey, thanks for ur site,takahashi. nice review!

jonnyb

wait for the new boxster that is coming out. it is supposed to be getting more power.

KC_Prelude

More power for more money of course. I was considering buying a nice old 944 or a 928 but I really just don't want to be seen as a porsche owner. The vast majority of them are idiots that know nothing about their cars. Porsche makes good cars but they are not worth anything near what they cost, and the japanese will beat them up for less money every day of the week and often look better doing it.

Seenitall

KC_Prelude: I researched 928 a year ago-repair costs are just out of this world.
Z4 is cruiser, s2k is a sports car.

jonnyb

i am looking at those cars too. the costs arent high if you can do things yourself.

to say porsche owners are idiots is incredibly ignorant. ok maybe the porsche owner who is in his midlife crisis doesnt know anything but if you go to pelican parts or rennlist message board you will see those guys know as much about their cars as any other enthusiast knows about theirs.

also saying that the japs build better cars is a complete joke. how many superscars have the japs built? what kind of race history do they have? how many countries have they taken over? :D

Kain

"how many countries have they taken over? " They took over the United States in the late 80's

Josh

here's your link for you... Its very large, but VERY good.

http://www.missouri.edu/~jrjx93/Top%...0%20Review.mpg

MadRonin

I can think of one and only one reason why I would get a Z4 over the S2000 - Space. The Z4 has way more room than the S2000. I've been in both, and I would have had no problem driving a Z4. The S2000 on the other hand is just too cramped. The biggest problem I had was leg room. My legs got in the way of the steering wheel.

Looks-wise, it's a wash since I love the look of both of them.

mysql101

I've never been in a S2000 before. How does it compare to the Miata?

I recently sat in a MS Miata, but the thing was far too small for me, and the seat didn't move backwards to give me more space.

KC_Prelude

The main maintenence costs for porsches come from expensive labor rather than expensive parts (even though they are expensive). Of course there are some cool porsche owners out there just like there are cool owners of any car, I'm talking about the MAJORITY here. THe MAJORITY of porsche owners are idiot doctors with more money than sense. I am also mostly referring to newer porsche owners as idiots. I have MUCH more respect for someone who owns a nice old 944 than someone with a new silver automatic 911. When I was 16 I worked at a carwash in a rich neighborhood and saw/drove my fair share of porsches. Whenever I wanted to talk to an owner about his car he would have no idea what I was talking about.
Japs can't build good cars? Have you ever heard of the NSX, a supercar that is as easy to maintain and reliable as an accord? Can you say that ANY porsche is reliable or easy to maintain? I didn't think so. Single turbo supras that are daily drivers and run 10's at the drag strip? Souped up FD's? Slightly modded WRX's that blow the doors off a new porsche for tens of thousands, or a hundred thousand, dollars less?
Forget supercars, I could care less about a car I will hardly ever see on the street, much less drive myself. While porsche is making cars that no one but a rich *** could afford to drive, the japanese give me cars that perform just as well, if not better in some cases, with reasonable prices and maintanence costs. No racing history? How about the 3 rotor mazda than won lemans in 91 and was banned because it was so much better than every other car competing. How about WRX and EVO rally cars that dominate the euro rallies? I'm sorry that I may have offended you since you obviously like porches, I do too, but they are unreasonably priced and therefore I don't really care about them. Your comments make you look like the ignorant one here.

SDFLY

...and the Z3 M-Coupe is overrated? Get educated. I agree the Z4 is just plain ugly though.

Ike

Acctually they are rated just right by the automotive press, usually behind the Boxster, S2K, and now the Z roadster. The M roadster and coupe was a different story but overall the Z3 and Z4 are always playing second or rather fourth fiddle to another roadster.

Josh

The S2k is actually a good deal more spacious than the miata. It compares quite nicely to the '01 Z3 I owned, except the s2k has more headroom.