ya i do, dont give up on it man
this town needs more boosted s2k’s anyway 
i should sell you mine!
I think we would all like to see you keep it.
x2
thats a good pic of you standing behind his car 
x3
kk.
You asked for our opinions…“S2000 opinions?”
sucks
Thanks. It was slow.
guess he not interested??
please excuse Be_rad’s shittyness… now that he is such a real deal mazda enthusiest he is just heartbroken that you have replaced your powerplant with that of another manufacturer.
he will get over it… just give him some time.
Hopefully this is constructive…Your stock suspension is 13 years old. Those shocks and springs a likely worn out unless they have been replaced in the last couple years. The softness may be why it is dropping even lower while driving. I know that my Miata with an autocross suspension does not squat at all and has little body roll. I think that if you went with even a cheap coil over kit and raised it some and then ran a slightly larger tire package it would not look odd at all. It is already a low car stock, so I don’t think it would look like a monster truck. And the bigger rear tires would be beneficial for traction as well.
Just trying to throw out an idea to help you keep it. I would hate to see you have to get rid of it. Unless it was moving into my garage…
Get used to it
Eh, my housemate has a brand new (about 3k miles now) S2K and it gets pretty shitty mileage. Maybe it’ll get better after it’s fully broken in?
Anyway, I’ve driven a few '03-04 Cobras in various forms of raped-ape (one doing almost 550RWHP and over 600RWTQ w/ a different blower + small shot). They are quick in a straight line, yes. But they just feel like pigs if you even look at a turn. And the quality/reliability. 
S2K’s I’ve driven AP1s and my housemate’s AP2 and I like the 2 better. At the track (and I mean the ones w/ turns… not those stupid straight ones that are only a 1/4 mile long) the AP2’s are more stable and controlable. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t they modify the rear susp. design to correct some of the snap-oversteer when they went to the AP2? Also, around town the 2.2 is better, even though it still feels dead-dog-slow below 5k, it sorta kinda moves the car. A AP1 below 5k is going nowhere… where you going??? NOWHERE.
I think what you really need to be looking at is a mid-mileage '02 Z06. I’m biased as all f00k, I know. But the serioulsy bad-ass hot-shoes have gotten them into the 11s. And if you’re willing to toss a cam in it and some LTs then 11s are easy. They are amazing amazing track cars, and if you don’t mod them toooooo far they DD great and get great MPG. The interior is “meh” but still way better than a Cobra. The dual zone climate control is really nice, the Bose system is pretty okay (obviously not up to aftermarket standards, but until the last couple years it was one of the better stock systems… now days everybody has 23 speakers and 14 subs stock though). You should be able to get a clean, stock, 40k+ mile Z06 for mid 20s.
I KNOW YOU SAID $20k TOPS but really… what is the car payment on the $6k you have to finance??? That is totally worth it. I’d much much rather have a 40k mile Z06 than a 70+k mile Cobra. It’s down right hilarious to me that '03-04 Cobras comand more $ than C5 Z06s. Obviously the Z stickered way higher when new, and in general they are in much nicer shape since they tend to have older owners that take care of them. Seriously, a 70-80k mile Cobra sounds like a bad, bad, bad idea to me. You know that thing has been shit the whole time.
There’s also resale value to consider. C5s have hit the bottom of their depreciation curve. Other than ones that continue to get TONS of miles they really won’t drop much lower in the next 5-10 years. Then they’ll slowly start coming back up if well taken care of. The Cobra will continue to drop and will never come back up (unless maybe it’s a very rare color w/ zero miles).
Drive both a C5Z (which will feel heavy compared to your Miata, but probably much better sorted) and a Cobra and tell me you can’t feel that weight. With the ~700lbs less weight and much better aero you see C5Zs pull Cobras that put down 100 more RWHP.
-TJ
You sir, are the savior of the thread. Thanks for the insight.
I was actually talking the cost aspect over with some friends last night, and I’m going to look around and see about possibly financing or if it’s cheaper, getting a loan through my bank.) I’ll get some rates, and go from there.
Not going to lie, I’ve always wanted a Z06.
Yay, one of my rants paid off. Also, I don’t know if you’ve ever had a car loan but if not, it’s always a good thing to get a “major” loan under your belt and paid off while you’re young to build credit. So if you have $20k available, find a Z06 for $26k. If the owner is “cool” he’ll let you give him a cashier’s check for say $16k to save you well over $1k in taxes. Then finance exactly $10k + taxes/fees (most credit agencies consider $10k+ a “major” loan). Payments on $10k are jack shit (Google loan payment calculator to get an idea). Make sure your loan has no early pay-off fees and you can make extra payments directly against the principle. Then pay that biatch off in 1-2 years instead of the 5 or whatever your loan term is.
Now, again assuming you had the $20k to spend you mentioned earlier in the thread, you only put $16k out of pocket so far. That leaves $4k to mod it. Whore up CorvetteForum and find a good set of used LTs/X-pipe, cam ('n all the install goodies/springs/etc) and get a tune. Get some '04 shocks and maybe a T1 front sway bar (I pull 1.39 Gs on stock springs, '04 shocks, T1 front bar, and no back bar). Then proceed to rape people in the face.
-TJ
Research the market: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52
Just keep in mind some 'vette guys think their babies are priceless and put up rediculous figures. Out here you can get a '08 Z51 (LS3) for low 40s brand new, so the guys that think their ‘03 Z06 w/ 18k miles are worth that much are straight smokin’ crack. If you look at what they actually sell for, stock should be in the mid 20s to high 20s if they are sub 20k miles. Modded, well my buddy is trying to sell a very clean/fast '02 for 31 and has had NO bites. Not even low ballers and stuff. So it’s a buyer’s market for sure.
My buddy’s car:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1847363
Modded '02 sub 30k:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1898517
'01 Z06 for $22k ('01s were 385HP not 405HP like '02-04 but the cam and some pup cats were the difference, so if you put LTs and a cam in it then it doesn’t matter anyway). High-ish mileage at almost 70k… but $22k for a C5Z:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1869679
'01 with under 45k mi for under $25k:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1897548
Stock '02 Electron Blue (best color eVar :69: :bowdown: ) for $28.5k. Probably get it for less but it only has 20,400 miles on it:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1889024
700RWHP, $32k and rare '01-only low production Speedway White:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1869402
$27k for a 30k mile EB '02:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1887555
Here we go, '02 Quicksilver w/ 50k miles that the guy is asking $25.9k but it’s been for sale over a month. I bet the car could be had for < $25k:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1874481
$23k for an '02 but high mileage (80k):
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1890470
AND HERE IT IS, YOUR NEXT CAR
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=1895986
'02 ELECTRON BLUE Z06, MOD-RED INTERIOR, 40k MI, $25K, ALREADY HAS $2K WORTH OF LG LONG TUBES, XPIPE AND BORLA EXHAUST
-TJ
Jesse i allow you to sell the Miata for a Z06…
else get a FRC 99 c5…sorta looks like a Z06 and probly is cheaper. Then just slowly mod it to Z06 levels. try to get a Ls6 manifold, mild ported LS1 heads and it will run just like a stock Z06. throw in a good somewhat mild cam and make more power than bolt on Z06.
But the LS6 Z06 is such a great car, its worth it to spend the extra doe on it
A C5 FRC is probably the best deal going in sports cars. Other than getting an insane-o deal on an already very built Z06 like I did, I’d say getting a FRC is the way to go.
Jump straight to the Pfadt coil overs (~1600) and sways (~1k), do H/C/I/LTs (4-5k) and you’ve surpased a Z06 easily. The looks are the same (just add the Z06 screens + the aftermarket ones for the fender vents that didn’t even come on the Z06 like I added), almost all of the weight reduction is there (the only difference I think is the thinner windshield on the Z06) and in some ways I think the MN6 gearing of a FRC is better than the M12 gearing in the Z06.
-TJ
i seen quite a few FRC’s for sell at the vette show in Carisle this year. nice mid range mileage ones for under 20K for sure. some already with cam and bolt ons
Since this has quietly turned to c5’s… i want to say i’d spend the money on a vette hands down before an s2k. bigger, more easily modded imo, bigger following, still cheap and easy to fix.
…or maybe its just teh vette blood in me coming out