Miata as first car? Suggestions?

[Senor_Taylor]

I think it'll be a problem with me fitting in either unless the BMW has adjustable steering wheel.

I'd love a Miata for the fact that go-fast parts are super cheap and it doesn't blend into the crowd.

The E36, on the other hand, rides like a dream, will probably have leather seats, back seats ( having one vehicle with more than 2 seats would rock), a roof, and a nicer interior and has way more power. I'm afraid I'll be wishing for more with the Miata.

How's the ride in a miata compared to the BMW?

Now that I'm serving, I'm honestly expecting at least $5000 in the bank before next semester starts. I've been making something along the lines of $15 an hour recently.

[*insertusernamehere*]

Do i even need to state my opinion? But considering you'll be owning two cars, go for the cheap one.

I will say I've been perusing clist and it seems like you can pick up a decent e36 for cheaper than a decent miata

[Senor_Taylor]

Yeah. It's a tough decision. I REALLY don't like owning what everyone else does, so I'd hate to add another Bimmer to MM. I love everything about the Miata, but I'd love to have a "luxury" kind of feel. Owning trucks my whole life, I'd love something above " 4 wheel, 4 speakers, 2 seats, and a steering wheel."

How's the Miata interior? How does it ride compared to the E36?

[SlimKlim]

Taylor how tall are you?

E36s don't have adjustable steering wheels. I'm 6'4" and I fit fine in mine, but my head is very, very close to the headliner. Close enough that i can feel my hair sticking to it, when I do an autocross I just have to shove the helmet on and kinda wedge in. The roofline of the sedans is ever so slightly taller.

I look ridiculous in a stock miata, you can do a "foamectomy" to eek a little bit more room out of it with the stock seats, but i still had lots of visibility issues with the top raised.

One big thing to consider, is if you want to get this car on track and do a hyperdrive or something, you're going to have to install a $4-500 roll bar in the Miata, whereas the E36 can go as it sits. Another issue with the roll bar is, depending on your height, you could end up with a hard metal bar a few inches behind the juicy part of your skull, so you might end up shopping for seats and harnesses shortly thereafter.

It doesn't have to be an E36, but if you want back seats and are worried about space, a Miata probably isn't the car you want.

[Evan]

no chance that an e36 will be anywhere near as cheap to maintain and track as a miata.

calling an e36 'luxury' is a stretch. they drive great, but even when new they werent any more luxury than a honda accord. and time is generally not very kind to them.

One big thing to consider, is if you want to get this car on track and do a hyperdrive or something, you're going to have to install a $4-500 roll bar in the Miata, whereas the E36 can go as it sits.

E36 self destructing cooling system?

[SlimKlim]

E36 self destructing cooling system?

Miata self destructing pistons?

A properly maintained E36 would be fine on track. If you drag some barn find anything onto the track you're gonna have a bad time.

I'm not suggesting an E36. I'm not not suggesting it. It just doesn't sound like he wants a Miata. :dunno:

[*insertusernamehere*]

I think it'll be a problem with me fitting in either unless the BMW has adjustable steering wheel.

I'd love a Miata for the fact that go-fast parts are super cheap and it doesn't blend into the crowd.
.

1. You'll fit fine in an e36 if you put more effort into getting comfy, its just cause you didn't wanna mess with my seat and you looked weird and bunched up and your knees were way too high and....you get my point. If Jake, Joey and Dan fit in them, trust me you can too.

2. Wait til you show up at autocrosses and the track, you won't feel any more original owning a Miata over an e36 :lol:

[Senor_Taylor]

I'm almost 6'2" with shoes on. I regularly drive with shoes, so let's say that.

I drove Matt's and my knees could not fit around the steering wheel. maybe I just need to find the right seat placement.

I am worried about the rollbar, but I'm also worried about maintinence costs. I know you guys swear E36s are just dirt cheap to maintain, but that's not true at all.

What are my other options here for the price Around 3k, but no more than 4k. Cheap to track, RWD.

[*insertusernamehere*]

but even when new they werent any more luxury than a honda accord. and time is generally not very kind to them.

They do drive alot nicer than accords tho. The time comment is more accurate than the BMW not being more luxurious than the accord. My accord interior held up nicer over time, but if i were to really refresh the bmw it would blow the accord out the water

[Evan]

E36 self destructing cooling system?

Miata self destructing pistons?

:?:
is e36 fisher-price cooling system not a universal problem? point is, its not a buy it friday track it saturday car, and it might take as much money as a miata rollbar to get it into track shape.

ive never ever heard of miata piston problems and ive been around a few.... :dunno:

[Senor_Taylor]

Honestly, both cars have major downsides to me. It'll come down to which I want to compromise for unless I can get a 3rd option in here.

I might say "screw it" and go for the worst of both worlds and get a 944 and hate my life and love it at the same time.

[Evan]

I'm almost 6'2" with shoes on. I regularly drive with shoes, so let's say that.

I drove Matt's and my knees could not fit around the steering wheel. maybe I just need to find the right seat placement.

I am worried about the rollbar, but I'm also worried about maintinence costs. I know you guys swear E36s are just dirt cheap to maintain, but that's not true at all.

What are my other options here for the price Around 3k, but no more than 4k. Cheap to track, RWD.

You're a hair shorter than me then, so you are in the range of fit for a miata (but upper range)
foam-ectomy makes a world of difference. I foam-ectomied the seat from my first miata and just moved it around to each new miata I got.
if and when you put a race seat in it, your fit problems go away entirely.

240sx is another relatively cheap to track rwd car. Will need some suspension work to have fun on track (like most cars). and the body is a noodle so it should get a rollbar eventually. (well all track cars should have a rollbar regardless)
oh and the stock seats hold you about as well as a vinyl bench seat in a 1975 cadillac.

there really is no magical car for this purpose unfortunately.
miata is pretty close, but there is the small thing.

[CaptainHenreh]

I might say "screw it" and go for the worst of both worlds and get a 944 and hate my life and love it at the same time.

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[Senor_Taylor]

I might say "screw it" and go for the worst of both worlds and get a 944 and hate my life and love it at the same time.

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Yeah, kinda.

[Senor_Taylor]

So, let's weigh the track-prepping costs.

Miata:
$500 for roll bar

E36:
New water pump
Suspension refresh
Shock mount reinforcement

What else?

[D_Eclipse9916]

I might say "screw it" and go for the worst of both worlds and get a 944 and hate my life and love it at the same time.

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^^^^ Seriously. The 944 would make th E36 look buletproof.

Simply put, a miata is easier and cheaper on consumables. No if/and/or/buts about it.

Go to the track a couple times. Talk to people. See what is popular among the "general" population in HPDE 4/TT/Racing (HPDE 1/2 is just people taking their cars and havent jumped in yet). There is a reason Miatas and E36s are ridiculously common.

The miata is very bulletproof out of the box, and is the easy button to be sure.
The E36 is ONLY bulletproof when gone through. All fixes are permanent fixes, and then it just devours track miles. It is heavier/more powerful/better balanced and simply faster. You absoultely pay more up front and in maintenance costs. However, it is not as significant as people make it out to be. Probably on the order of 1.25-1.5x the cost.

With costs on E36s being ridiculously cheap, and modern hardware getting better and better. The Miata is just simply outclassed at this point on track. Unless you are in a field of 30x miatas, you won't be having much fun in one. Jake realized this, Packer quickly realized this, and the sentiments are shared among many track people.

If you just want to get out there for as cheap as possible = miata hands down
If you spend just a bit more dough, youll enjoy the car all the way through the HPDE levels

Miatas are now just an exercise in "stick your hand out the window" during HPDE. 5-10 years ago it was different.

[Senor_Taylor]

I think I need to take a step back and try not to go for what's best, and just get what I can.

Right now, Miata might not be the best, but (Track time in a miata) >(No track time at all).

Hell, I'm just as young or younger than Jake was when he bought his Miata, so it makes sense.

Maybe an E36 down the road once I've had track time, and have the time/money/expertise to dump time and money into something before I can use it.

At this point, track is NOT the first stop with getting a car. I do want something to just enjoy driving. There's no enjoying driving a truck unless you never drive one and just like the novelty of it.

So, back to looking for Miatas. I guess I'll be back every month asking the same thing until I get the money to buy one.

[D_Eclipse9916]

+1 on your sentiments. You made a good choice. There is a JMU alum selling his blue one in good shape. Jump on it. The Krazsteks always seem to have miatas flowing in and out of their garages.

[Senor_Taylor]

Link?

I don't have the money now, but I plan to have at least $5k by the end of summer, but even then, I'm not sure if that's financially sensible. I just want to get my information set and know what to look for so I know as soon as I decide.

[SlimKlim]

I don't get the logic in this thread.

150k miata = 100% guaranteed to be bulletproof and ready for track use just throw a bar in it and party right? This makes sense because as we all know Miata's have never ever blown out their shocks, or bushings, or needed a clutch, or spark plugs, or brakes, or a radiator ever in their life...

150k E36 = 101% guaranteed to require suspension and cooling system services and shock tower reinforcements within 2 hours of purchase. Because we all know it's completely, 100% impossible to find a seller who has completed these items within the last year, right? Is that what we're going with? :roll:

My point is, with any old car, buyer beware. Whether you're shopping for a BMW or a Honda or a Miata you better know the weak points of that car inside and out before you go check it out so you can ask all the right questions and inspect all the right areas. Don't go running into a Miata (or any other) purchase and just slap the cash in the guy's hand without thoroughly inspecting the car and grilling the seller, you could end up balls deep in it if you aren't careful.

I'm still not recommending an E36. If you're not going to dive straight into tracking then a Miata with a foam-ectomied seat is a pretty ideal car. I know you're worried about power but there is A LOT to be said for a car you can drive at 10/10ths pretty much everywhere and still be legal. Even in something with 220hp a few seconds on the go pedal and you're risking a nasty ticket. In a 115hp Miata that's a total non-issue. You can redline shift that thing past cops all day long and they won't even notice you. Even in heavy traffic you're either hard on the throttle or hard on the brakes, so running out for a gallon of milk turns into an adventure. That's the one thing I miss about mine, as the saying goes, "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow."