Recommendations for a Miata (or other fun car)
- Thread starter Decatur Greg
- Start date
RamblinE, thanks for that great Miata video. Well done.
Decatur Greg
Super Member
WOW! Lots to consider that I hadn't thought about (or forgotten about).
Turns out there is a Del Sol in my price range local that appears to be in great condition.
The Fiat X1/9 brought back memories... that was my dream car at one point in time. Hmmmmm
That got me thinking about the poor man's Porsche (or rich man's Volkswagon)... what about the 914? I know 914 6's were rare as hen's teeth last time I looked for one but that would be FUN!!
Keep the suggestions coming!
Turns out there is a Del Sol in my price range local that appears to be in great condition.
The Fiat X1/9 brought back memories... that was my dream car at one point in time. Hmmmmm
That got me thinking about the poor man's Porsche (or rich man's Volkswagon)... what about the 914? I know 914 6's were rare as hen's teeth last time I looked for one but that would be FUN!!
Keep the suggestions coming!
Decatur Greg
Super Member
Thanks RamblinE!! I will have to check this out from home
914 could be fun but a 944 will likely be cheaper and far less likely to rust. 914 predates standard galvanizing of Porsche bodies.
Also, a 914 is TINY. I used to have one, and once I moved to DC the thoughts of resurrecting it for a fun yet cheap to run daily driver evaporated... I would have been dead in a week because the roof was so far below the beltline of most of the SUVs on the road (most of the vehicles on the road, that is.)
Also, a 914 is TINY. I used to have one, and once I moved to DC the thoughts of resurrecting it for a fun yet cheap to run daily driver evaporated... I would have been dead in a week because the roof was so far below the beltline of most of the SUVs on the road (most of the vehicles on the road, that is.)
sKiZo
Hates received: 92644 43.20°N 85.50°W
Even rarer finding one crammed up the ass end of a VW Bug ...
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Not a practical machine, but I betcha it's a fun one to drive ...
MaxxVolume
Lunatic Member
I once had the opportunity to drive an M roady with the 316 HP engine....that was an E-ticket ride !
MaxxVolume
Lunatic Member
I do miss my '66 Corsa....
Wow, that`s a real beauty....what lines !
I had several of `em back in the day, 2 with the 140 HP engine, one that I did a Crown V8 conversion on. Now THAT was a fun car to take out and surprise the crap out of muscle car owners....
oldgringo
Canadian / Brit - I Support Ukraine.
+ [another] 1!
Exotic cars aside, the cars that I've craved-for the longest / hardest, over several decades are the Morgans! Don't know to what extent they are available over there, tho'. I was also falling over myself, trying to get a Porsche 944S or 944 Turbo, in the day; but they were always a little rich for my [financial] blood. Also for 'out-and-out' fun, can you guys get Lotus or Caterham '7s' over there???
Anyway, in March [2016], I got a second gen. ["NB"] Miata! One of the guys in the [above] video mentioned the size thing. I find it to be perfectly fine; but compared to that lad, I'm only [a (now) 'shrunk-down'] 6' 0" and 200 lbs.
I had me an MGA, when I was a kid. I had a Mini, with a 1275 engine in it, in 1972; and when I was 60, I had someone drop a 'semi-warm' [135 bhp / 1.6] JDM VTEC 'lump' into my stock '95 Civic Hatchback [manual steering / 'double-wishbones' all round!]. My Miata provides at least as much fun per pound as any of them.
I hung out with a bunch of Miata owners / amateur racers, on Monday. After much careful listening to their arguments [
], I came away with my initial opinion remaining intact - that being that the Mk1 is probably the best base for a project car. I like the look of the Mk 2 / 2.5 better; but you really have to get to grips with certain rust issues, with that version, before you will be able to 'breathe easy'! However, with it 'runnin' on rails' an' all; and gently dropping it into 'top' [fifth, in my case] at 80mph, with the top down, makes for a fantastic 'grin-factor'!DG, to feed those [all] 'ears', here is my less than smooth intro to the ownership of my 2005 Miata / MX5 [UK], which I do not regret buying, at all.
Good luck with whatever your choice of 'motoring-fun' turns out to be! I recommend that you try to spend time with different 'Owners Clubs', if you can - half a day with each will tell you most of what you would like to know.
Cheers, og.
PS: Totally 'gapped' my 1991 Suzuki Swift GTi ['GT' after their VW lawsuit!] - that little babe surprised a few Porsches round Toronto! I 'Played-off' three Suzuki dealerships to get my best price [and really 'P'd-off' the low guy!
]. The Miata has the added 'fun-factor' of the soft-top tho'!
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My wife had a jones for a fun car, preferably a convertible under 15k. We looked at various iterations of Mercedes, Audis, even considered a Jag XK8. Ended up with a 20007 Mini Cooper S convertible with 6 speed. We both love putting top down even for short trips, and it is a great car for cruising with the top down in Norcal for 8 months out of the year. The back seat is perfunctory, but a few grocery bags and the dog fit.
This is the original supercharged version with go kart handling, the turbo engine happened in the convertible in 2009 and the car grew slightly. The new Mini convertible is radically different. We are in our 60's and I am 6-3, but we can both get in and out relatively easily, some pure sports cars require too many contortions to enter and exit. Suspension is relatively tight so long trips are the not most comfortable. Fun for dollar quotient is very high and thumbs up are frequent.
Another interesting car is the BMW 128i and 135i, 2008-2013 when they were supplanted by the 2 series. While I have never driven one, supposedly they are the closest thing to the original 2002ti with tight and responsive handling. Convertibles are available.
This is the original supercharged version with go kart handling, the turbo engine happened in the convertible in 2009 and the car grew slightly. The new Mini convertible is radically different. We are in our 60's and I am 6-3, but we can both get in and out relatively easily, some pure sports cars require too many contortions to enter and exit. Suspension is relatively tight so long trips are the not most comfortable. Fun for dollar quotient is very high and thumbs up are frequent.
Another interesting car is the BMW 128i and 135i, 2008-2013 when they were supplanted by the 2 series. While I have never driven one, supposedly they are the closest thing to the original 2002ti with tight and responsive handling. Convertibles are available.
MaxxVolume
Lunatic Member
The 135i is a fun car, but it`s only about a hundred pounds lighter than the bigger & more comfortable 335i....BMW really missed the boat on weight reduction.
