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Mazda MX-5 Miata 2008
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Comments
I will be looking for a similar vehicle later this year. Maybe a few more miles for less cash.
As inpractical as the Miata is I think in many ways it IS the practical sports car. This might sound crazy.. but let me explain.
I shopped around for different type of sports cars. For example, I looked at a Lancer Evolution X and a Subaru WRX. The Lancer was very fast when you keep the revs up. I wasn't impressed with its interior at all! It said to me, for $35k -- the interior screams you got ripped off. Ironically, I felt it was underpowered when driving it in a more relaxed style around town (i.e. not reving the engine up to get the turbo to engage). It is a quite a heavy car, I had a hard time believing the dealer when he said the car weighed around 3500lbs!!!
The Subaru WRX felt more reasonable and familiar. It has a larger engine displacement 2.5 vs the Lancer's 2.0 and felt very comfortable around town. I guess quite similar to my Subaru Legacy as it's the same engine (when the turbo is not engaged) and about the same weight and it felt like home.
In the end, I came to the following conclusion:
When the turbo is engaged the Lancer and the WRX are very fast cars. For me to get a thrill out of both cars they have to be driven fast at high RPMs all the time. If you dont drive them that way, then the Lancer feels like an underpowered cheap compact car. The WRX felt better due to its larger displacement engine. Again, we are talking comparing both cars tooling around town at reasonable (close to posted) speeds. I decided that knowing myself, I would not want to drive either one of the turbo charged cars in a way they need to be driven to get a thrilll.. and at those excessive speeds the thrill would quickly get me into trouble.... and most importantly, and as much as I was paying a lot of money for speed there would always be something faster. I didn't see a point in investing my money into a car I could not enjoy the majority of the time. Those cars would only really bring me joy if I were to take it to the track, where I could open it up and still feel safe and not worry about watching my speed.
The Miata on the other hand, was a completely different type of car. It feels like you are going faster then you really are. I am not sure how many other people feel this..but my wife agreed. It feels like you are going about 20 mph faster then you really are. In the same way you would feel in a go cart going highway speeds. You dont have to be going fast to be getting a thrill. The handling is something you feel all the time, even cruising around town. I dont feel like I have to push the car and get myself into trouble going at excessive speeds to get a thrill out of it. As an added bonus its a convertible and neither the Lancer or the WRX give you that.
So as impractical as the Miata is for a REGULAR car. It is the most practical SPORTS car for me and the best value for the money.
-ALWAYS Fun at reasonable speeds
-Good looking
-Convertible
-Reliable
-Reasonable gas mileage
-Affordable
I already own practical cars which haul the kids, dogs, and can make a trip to home depot (my Subaru Legacy Wagon and my Pickup). This is a secondary vehicle purely for pleasure. I dont attempt to make it into a practical car by adding two more doors, a backseat, and a large trunk. As a result, this is far from practical, I dont pretend that it is, and as a result it is best at what is designed to do without compromises. Pure joy at reasonable speeds.
This car is like a hobby for me. I am always looks for new places to take it. It's a real joy! But I can say it's been a long winter, and I am tiring of having to have the top up all of the time.
My wife is interested in a Miata or a MINI Cooper S and as I recall my Miata had a spare tire. Is it really no spare available in the Miata or is it an extra cost item?
I know the MINI has run flats.
Thanks
Thanks, my 1999 has a spare in the trunk and plenty of trunk space for anything else I needed. RFT's are a nightmare, but sadly the most active forum is the BMW one. Still RFT's are not ready for prime time. On a BMW it's even worse! Plus if you are in the boonies like I am you could very well get stuck with no way to replace the tire! :sick: That's why I haven't bought a BMW and I wanted a 335i and could have squeezed the price, but RFT's killed the deal and probably will squash the MINI except the Clubman S does have room for a Spare tire so maybe....
Up here if it's late at night and you don't have a cell you might walk 10+ miles to get to a phone. I don't use cell phones. No need for them. But if I had RFT's I have to add the monthly cost to the car.
Best off buying a Spare tire but it's a shame the car makers have stopped putting donut spares in so many cars.
I think I'll give the Mazda dealer a call tomorrow and check it out.
I know for a fact that the Honda S2000 has a spare tire. I saw it in the trunk when I bought my 2008 Civic Si.
Shame the S2000 is over $30K!
We live in North Dakota, so we're pretty remote at times, too, but most of my roadtripping will be on interstate highways, so I'm banking on AAA to bail me out.
We live in North Dakota, so we're pretty remote at times, too, but most of my roadtripping will be on interstate highways, so I'm banking on AAA to bail me out.
As long as it works out for you. I can't justify the price of a Honda S2000 for $35K MSRP but it has a decent trunk and a spare tire. Very sweet to drive. Like my Civic Si but a lot more power.
Shame the price is like $15K more! :sick:
I blew a rim and a tire on my 1999 Miata in the rain. The rain filled a 14 inch deep pothole. Bye bye rim and tire, really bent it! :sick: If hadn't had a spare it would have been a 3 mile walk to a pay phone and no idea how long for a tow truck to show up. I did have AAA, but it was around 9pm and pouring pouring rain!
I just don't see the original spare taking up all that much room in the car I had. I wonder why they changed it?
I went to the county recylcing center to drop off some old metal, and saw a large pile of donut spares right there in the open, up for grabs.
Just make sure you know the size you need, and the bolt pattern. I think it's 4x100mm for mine, but other model years may be different.
Mazda has an online auction, like eBay, for all it's dealers for lease turn ins. I have noticed an abundance of MX-5's pop up as of late. We just purchased a few ourselves.
I'll do another search.
I've seen the 06s dip to about $17k. I did find one gem a couple of weeks ago, it was a leather-lined loaded up model with something like 8k miles. I should have jumped on it. I just wasn't planning on buying until later this year.
I'm keeping my eye out for bargains like that.
Where is your dealer? You're up in New England, right?
Just to give you an idea of where they are price wise, we bought a 2006 MX-5 Touring (cloth interior, power options, 16" wheels) 5-speed tranny with 9,500 miles for. We are asking $17,990 with a Certified Pre-Owned Mazda warranty (8yr-100,000K)
This should be the price according to Edmunds.
link title
Not sure when we're heading up to CT to visit the in-laws, but maybe I'll drop by your dealership if it's on my way. We may go this summer.
They are in Norwalk. My brother-in-law is in Milford. Is either place close?
Lets be real here, how often do you encounter a blown tire? That's what I thought. That is exactly why Mazda does not include a spare tire. Not to mention the fact that the MX-5 is a seasonal car to begin with, and they are usually driven UNDER 10,000 miles per year. Less weight, and less cost. Really not a bad decision on Mazda's part, if you think about it.
In fact one time I checked and my spare was flat. Oops. Wouldn't even had been useful if I did get a flat.
I've only taken it out of town twice, to the beach, about 150 miles away. I doubt I'll do that again. It's cramped for long trips like that.
It's OK, my 93 is still running great. I can wait.
Even if they do match, you would also need to make sure the bolt pattern is the same. If you're going up a size then the brake clearance shouldn't be a problem, but you should check it to make sure.
My '93 Miata has a 4x100mm, not sure about the newer ones, but I doubt it matches BMW's bolt pattern.
Here's how the deal breaks down-
Copper Red Mica GT, 6-speed manual PRHT, only options wheel locks and splash guards. Dealer Invoice: $25,778. Sticker: $27,645. Dealer knocked $1500 off sticker, plus they honored a $500 Mazda rebate certificate we had gotten in the mail several weeks ago. Bottom line: $25,645. We're very grateful to Walser Mazda in Burnsville, MN for a pleasant buying experience and what we think is a heckuva deal. I'd recommend them to anybody out there looking to buy a PRHT. They are the largest Mazda dealer in Minnesota and usually have several in stock.
After my first 36 hours with the car, a couple of things immediately come to mind. 1).All the comments I've read about the door cupholders intruding into the driver's knee: Hogwash! Not even CLOSE! I seriously have no idea what those people are talking about. My cupholders -and my knees- are just fine, thank you! 2).All the comments I've read about the car needing taller gears: Absolutely true! I agree 100%! I was running at 3100 rpm at 62 mph, 3500 at 70, and 3800 at 80. I understand it's a roadster and low-end torque is desirable, but I'd sure like to see those rpm's drop to 25-2800 at 75mph or so. 3).All those comments about how driving this car is impossible without a smile on one's face: 100% absolutely TRUE! The sound at idle and the exhaust note alone are worth the price of admission. And I haven't even squeaked the tires yet (the first time the wife's not in the car with me I'm boilin' the skins! - hey, it's HER car and I don't want her to take the keys away )