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+--- Thread: Miata as first car? Suggestions? (/showthread.php?tid=10613)
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-09-2014
*insertusernamehere* Wrote:Another thing to consider is time. Do you see yourself being busier next year? Do you have time for two cars? If you do, then it looks like the Miata option would work for ya. Do it! Did you drop the Celica option?
Yeah. I'd never find a 5th gen. I'm starting to feel a Miata is perfect for me. I also want to find the girliest color I can, because I hate people that put weird stigmas on things like that. When you hang out with truck guys, you get a lot that.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Evan - 03-09-2014
Miata is the answer. I DDed various miata iterations for almost 10 years (I owned 4). Im 6'2" and I fit in the car good enough...... plenty of 4+ hour trips in one. Cutting some of the foam out of the seat made a big difference. Actually more comfortable and much better fit in the car. I had a seat that i just moved from car to car when i got a new one....
Miata handles great stock, I tracked one for a year with bone stock suspension and it handled great, then I just added swaybars and tracked it for another year or so before it got a cage and race suspension.
I had a 240sx, that thing handled like ass stock compared to the miata. Im sure they can be made to handle great, but they take some work. it was also a big flexy wet noodle, and had shitty shitty shitty seats and a pretty awful motor.
Get a 94+ (1.8), they dont cost much more at all than a 90-93 (1.6), and the extra torque makes a big difference, also many came with nice torsen LSDs. stay away from 90s at all costs, they had a crank nose defect. (iirc early 91s did too)
if you can swing a 99/00 they are my favorite
the biggest drawback to a miata right now is its going to be silly price season real soon due to the weather. going to be much harder to find good deals.
also to keep in mind is that soft tops are wear items. they will crack eventually.
to track them you will need a rollbar. hardtops are great to have for track duty, but are expensive and can be a pain to find.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-09-2014
Good to hear! Goodspeeds post said to count the number of teeth or whatever on the crank pulley for the crankshaft issues and I'm definitely looking 94+, especially 96+.
What are some easy ways to spot the ones with the LSD?
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Goodspeed - 03-10-2014
Easiest way is to check visible options on the car to see if it's of a package that included LSD. This guide breaks down each model year's packages, for instance, if the car has leather and power mirrors, it has a LSD, etc.
http://miata.net/faq/america/index.html
Only '90's and some '91's had the shortnose crank issue, so a later 1.6 or any 1.8 and you're fine.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Sully - 03-10-2014
Ok well no one else seems to want to say it but I think ( especially if you're on a tight budget) that maybe a second car isn't the answer right now. Having two cars is tough. Having two cars in college is really tough. Having two cars in college while you're trying to mod one or both will be next to friggin impossible without three well paying jobs not to mention your off road hobby will result in broken parts. Doesn't matter driver skill, off roading just breaks shit as I'm sure you know.
I'm sure everyone here will hate me and say it's totally doable and im just being negative but honestly it's just not worth it. You'll be poor and unhappy with both your cars. And having two vehicles in most apartment complexes will not be very fun either. College beats the shit out of cars. Save your money. You'll be much happier.
240's are dead ass reliable stock especially with the ka24 truck motor. If you want it to be unreliable, dump a shit ton of money and power into the bay and you'll have it. Ka24 are bullet proof and will take boost but they just aren't mad tite JDM yo so no one wants them
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Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - ispoonwithmugen - 03-10-2014
^Coming from me. It's almost impossible owning two cars. I never have time to go home and work on the E30 and when I do I don't have the money for it. Definitely evaluate that. The flipside is I bought the E30 as a project. If you use the Miata as a DD and isn't a project at all you MAY be able to wing it. Regardless it's a pain in the ass.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - SlimKlim - 03-10-2014
Sully Wrote:Having two cars is tough. Having two cars in college is really tough. Having two cars in college while you're trying to mod one or both will be next to friggin impossible without three well paying jobs not to mention your off road hobby will result in broken parts.
Yep. I had a lot of fun with my bikes in college, but it would've been so much easier if I just used the money to focus on taking care of my one car. I was perpetually broke and never did a spring break trip or anything interesting. I'm not saying don't do it, just sharing my anecdote. If money feels tight, Then trying to mod the truck and buy/fix/mod a Miata (you won't be able to resist, they practically need suspension and a roll bar) is going to suck.
Also, depending on where you live, having 2 cars can be a royal pain in the ass. First semester senior year I had to borrow an extra parking pass from a neighbor who wasn't using it, then in the spring I had to keep either the car or bike at Cabell's house downtown and swap my parking sticker over whenever I switched. Just something to think about.
Would you be willing to sell the truck? Just moving over to a car would save on your insurance and free up some cash for the purchase. You could get a WRX hatch for a fun car that can still play in the mud, or DD a Miata like Jake and Goodspeed did.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-10-2014
I can't and won't sell the truck.
I don't plan on modding the Miata right away. I'm just really tired of driving a truck all the time. Want to go on cruises and auto-crosses.
I know parking will be a hassle, but it'll be easier since I'm in copper next year. I know they're a little easier with parking than other places, but still not easy.
I know finances will be tight, but that's why I'm feeling everything out. I'm waiting until the end of summer or sometime next semester to see how things are then, then I'll make a decision.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - *insertusernamehere* - 03-10-2014
Senor_Taylor Wrote:Want to go on cruises and auto-crosses.
Keep in mind we've only been on like 3 cruises and 2 autocross. Not much..
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-10-2014
I don't have to wait on MM to go drive my car
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - ScottyB - 03-10-2014
miata. there's a reason its so popular.
if you feel stretched for cash, i'd say just keep the truck and co-drive with other peoples' cars at motorsports events for a year. yeah, its not as cool because its not your car, but its still a blast and you can just brush you hands clean of ownership woes after the event.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - JPolen01 - 03-10-2014
Copper is definitely not the easiest when it comes to parking so I would look into that before you add a second car to your lineup. They wanted to charge me $100 for a new pass when I got my civic because I didn't have the old pass from my accord. On the weekends there is no guest parking unless you get one before 3pm Friday. I don't know anyone in copper with 2 cars.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Maengelito - 03-10-2014
Senor_Taylor Wrote:cheap to insure. Hopefully I can drop my truck down from $500 quarterly, which is insane.
Hang on, are you paying $2000/year to insure a 10 yr old truck?
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-10-2014
Maengelito Wrote:Senor_Taylor Wrote:cheap to insure. Hopefully I can drop my truck down from $500 quarterly, which is insane.
Hang on, are you paying $2000/year to insure a 10 yr old truck?
Yes. I've only found two places that quote lower.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-10-2014
So, what did everyone else with two cars do? Leave one at home?
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - RawrImAMonster - 03-10-2014
Senor_Taylor Wrote:Maengelito Wrote:Senor_Taylor Wrote:cheap to insure. Hopefully I can drop my truck down from $500 quarterly, which is insane.
Hang on, are you paying $2000/year to insure a 10 yr old truck?
Yes. I've only found two places that quote lower.
Damn, thats like $500 more than I paid for full coverage on the evo at 22.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - JPolen01 - 03-10-2014
What is your driving record like to warrant prices like that?
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - DavidM - 03-10-2014
JPolen01 Wrote:What is your driving record like to warrant prices like that?
Yea...I just ran a quote for a risky driver with 2 tickets and got a quote for full coverage at ~$1,600 (in fairfax). Liability only drops it to ~$1,000. $2K seems like highway robbery.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - Senor_Taylor - 03-10-2014
No tickets, nothing.
One claim, but it was a hit and run type deal. Someone ran me off the road and ran. Not at fault.
Re: Miata as first car? Suggestions? - RawrImAMonster - 03-10-2014
Senor_Taylor Wrote:No tickets, nothing.
One claim, but it was a hit and run type deal. Someone ran me off the road and ran. Not at fault.
Do you not have any credit? Credit score makes a big difference on insurance premiums, at least with my company. The insurance on my evo dropped about 400 bucks just from the difference in my credit score from the car loan.