Originally Posted by ImportConvert

If your tastes allow it...

My experiences with the S2000 were good one's, and you won't find a car in that price bracket/segment with more attention to detail regarding the interior. I would get an S2000 before I got an Elise. Service/maintenance, comfort, quality, etc.

*Took one out on a test-drive and knew I wouldn't push the car as all I had driven at that point was my crown-vic and my '95 Trans Am. I was 19. So, had the dealership supply me with a good driver who knew the car (At this point, I worked for Ford. It was late 2004 and our new Mustang had just hit the floor. There was some competition between the dealerships with the S2000 AP2 and the new mustang. Typical testosterone fueled "ours is faster" stuff). He got the back end loose on many occasions and tempted the corners. VERY! agile little car. They are pretty quick, too. Faster than the other cars you mentioned other than the Elise. Raced one in my 5.0 (247whp) and it was about dead-even. They are decently quick little cars, and the interior is just awesome. Typical Honda craftsmanship regarding materials/driving lay-out/quality.

Just my take, but the best little roadster for the money is an S2000. However, I would prefer a 370Z Sport/Touring to that any day, but you seem to want the open-air "roadster" experience, and the S2K delivers that very well, much better than anything you mentioned except the Elise, which is a total 1-trick pony and looks like a toy in person.

With the S2K the clutch and then the rear-end is a weak-point in the factory car, but I know a guy who put down 700+whp on stock internals. The engine is bomb-proof. With stock power the only thing you possibly need to think about doing is upgrading the clutch if you want to drive it aggressively. Honda improved the rear end year-to-year, I belive. Maybe the same with the clutch. WIth any car, buy the newest one possible. I think they stopped making them in 2009 as a 2010YM, or some similar.