Blueman33

Never been a huge fan of Honda's, but a friend of mine let me drive his s2000. What a kick. 2 liter engine just trounces the Boxster. The shift was awesome,and I got a kick out of 9000 rpm redline. The digital tach wasn't my style (stunk IMO), but Porsche better catch up. If the cars were close in performance, especially given the Porsche's larger engine, and close in price, maybe the overall styling would make Boxster competitive, but the Honda does a whole lot more with 2 liters than Porsche is doing with 2.5....errr...2.7 now I believe. PORSCHE used to be the one squeezing lots of performance out of smaller engines!! Of course the 3.2 which is a full 60% larger and with another $9000 price tag will keep up with the Riceburner 2000.

I own a 951, not a boxster, but am slightly embarrassed that Honda would smoke it's more expensive German Boxster competitor.

READ THIS <a href="http://www.europeanhonda.demon.nl/honda_s2000_comparison.htm" target="_blank">http://www.europeanhonda.demon.nl/honda_s2000_comparison.htm</a>

These are the original 1999 comparisons, and Boxster now has played a little catch up, but I hope they redesign or Twin Turbo or do something to bring performance in line with Honda (never thought i'd say that)

Cupcar

A friend of mine has and S2000 and the engine is stunning. The Boxster would have 380+ HP if it's engine were as efficient as the S2000's 120 HP per liter. The thing is amazing at 9000 RPM.

The other thing the Honda is bullet proof, my friend has had no warrantee claims.... <img border="0" alt="[typing]" title="" src="graemlins/yltype.gif" />

Geoffrey

Torque, what about Torque? The Honda is one car that you have to always be reving to drive. Not my style. It is also quite a bit lighter than the overweight Boxster.

johnfm

I believe that most motoring journalists, well especially here in the UK, still rate the Boxster as far and away the best 2 seat roadster out there. Period. I don't own one, nor do I want to, but comparing a highing revving japanese car to a boxster is apples to oranges. I don't think the S2000 has the total package and the engine is only great if you love revvy engines with little low rev torque.

jim944s2

I have attended a lapping event where the following occured: Vintage Alpha racer guy w/ loads of race experience is lapping his fairly new S2000 on street tires, His 'old' Boxster (non S) is also there on street tires w/ it's new owner (guy w/ much less driving experience). The S2000 could almost but not quite keep up w/ the Boxster. S2000 guy seems rather grumpy at lunch. The Boxster may have had a plus1 wheel/tire upgrade, but that appeared to have been the only mod. & It shouldn't make that much of a difference on street tires. -just my observation...
Another thing; I've heard that the Honda can be a real handful in the rain for some reason, and that auto-crossers will pack up and leave w/ their S2000's if it gets wet, something about too many of them going off track (I've seen one end up in the bushes, but I've seen a Boxster do the same too).

Doug&Julie

All I've heard about S2000 owners is they end up trading them in after trying to use them in "daily" driving duties. Like Geoffrey said, you have to really rev them to make all that power. Even for an enthusiast, that gets annoying on the street. Peak racetrack performance may be as good or better than a base Boxster, but there's no comparison in real world performance.

James Herne

Blueman33, Porsche is made for people for everyday driving. You think Porsche cannot push 120hp/L ? Sure it can, but then you get what is S2000. It's a nice engine, but only for weekend amateur racing. I think it's not very comfortable to drive a car, which has 100 hp at 7000rpm and 240 hp at 8000rpm.

For your info, Porsche can pump out a lot from small engine if it wishes - for example it has made 1.5L Turbo engine with 900hp many decades ago, but, well, this is not for everyday driving.

And about warranty claims - I know one person, who used his S2000 for amateur (stock car) drag racing. The mileage was maybe only 5000 when he had first problems with gearbox and clutch.

Edward

Quiz:

1)How many 944s,951s,911s,986s out there on the track?

2)How many 944s,951s,911s,986s pull double duty as daily driver/track missile?

3)How many 944s,951s,911s,986s can do the above, over and over,in nasty conditions, without grenading?

4)How many 944s,951s,911s,986s do all the above and are 2-10X older (years and milage) than the S2000?

Answer: Lots, Lots, Lots, and (you guessed it) Lots!

Moral: Drive what you like, Buy what you can, but lets compare apples to apples
<img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

Edward

Edit: Forgot the 914s...forgive my faux pas

Chris Campbell

Yup...the day I see a couple dozen 20-30+ year old Hondas show up at the track and drive laps all day in summer heat, then make it home in one piece, I'll become a believer <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

Carlos

The S2000 I drove had to be at about 5000 rpm before it made more power than my Cub Cadet riding mower. On the other hand the shift is light years ahead of anything Porsche has ever made.

EricT

Just yesterday I test-drove a '99 Boxster and a '03 S2000, and I preferred the Boxster. I posted a review in the 986 forum if anyone is interested.

The S2000 is an awesome machine, and the shifter is amazing, but the drivability of the Boxster can make a great driver out of anyone.

The reason the S2000 has problems in the wet is due to the light-switch powerband. It's more difficult to apply the power smoothly. If I can make a motorcycle roadracing analogy (I used to race bikes)...in wet conditions you usually see the Ducati twins doing better than the 4-cylinder Japanese bikes simply because the power goes down more smoothly and gradually. The same reason why the Honda "Big Bang" 500GP bikes dominated for so many years. They were a V-4 engine, but the firing order was like a twin...it would fire all four cylinders very close together, then pause for the next revolution, then fire again. It allowed the tire time to hook up between power pulses.

Jack Ennuste

C'mon, Boxter (especially S) has much more usable engine. These 2 engines in fact are very different, Porsche has 305 Nm torque at 4500 rpm and Honda S2000 just 208 Nm at as high as 7500 rpm's!!! It means pretty much that in Honda You rave to redline literally all the time and engine usable band is very narrow. I don't call it as good engine. I call it bike-like engine.

Now, back to reality. Boxter S beats S2000 in Nürburgring Nordschleife at 7 seconds per lap. At 200 km/h it is about 300 meters. Basically You don't see it anymore.

markaria

I have had the opportunity to drive an s2000 and I personally think that its a great car...to me it felt like a street legal mini f1 car. As for my true love (Porsche) I wonder whats really going on... an suv and the too slow for the $ boxter...and the factory's withdrawal from racing....I'm afraid to read about what Stuttgart will do next (if it keeps going in this direction, maybe they'll make a luxo-barge car like a lincoln and stop making the 911....
bad thought but makes me wonder

Sami951

"too slow for the $ boxter" (sic)

Have you actually driven that car? I think the pricing is very reasonable for that kind of performance... and guess what, they cost 70+ k$ in here (thanks to taxes)

Mark97c2

Although the s2k is still rather new, it's made by the same company that carries a "bulletproof" reputation.

Also, maybe the s2k's don't do extremely well on the track but they sure do really well on auto-x. I've heard people sometimes doing a whole course in first gear(capabilities of going to 40mph in first). But given a choice of which car to pick...I'd still stick with the boxster over the s2k anyday.