Next car question. Need opinions. No rudeness please

[Aboutlows]

To start off, no rudeness/h@te please.
Well here we go. I am 18 and gratefully getting a "newer" car for graduation. My current car is unreliable and not worth the money of keeping it running. I can get a pretty new car and have made up my mind on getting a 370z or WRX and making a stance car out of it. The problem is I have a Miata fever. ( I know a lot of you are cursing me for being stupid to deny a new car). A new car would be nice but I wouldn't want to screw it up by being extremely low. I know both of the newer cars are really fast as well. The reason I like the miata is because the looks, I've read and heard it's a blast to drive and it goes extremely low, reliable, gets good mpg and can be good to work on ( I love getting my hands dirty). I wanna know if a well maintained miata would make it through college for me and if I'm just plain naive for thinking of this when I could have a new car. Thanks for any replies.

[fifty3bags]

As long as you get a well cared for miata from the get go you should be fine. But you also need to think of where you will be living as well. With an older car comes more parts that need replacing/updating. I had a 90 civic wagon and a 1989 mustang throughout college and they served me perfectly fine. The civic was cared for by the previous owner, but I still ended up having to change the headgasket on it.

If I were you, I would get the miata. Cheaper parts, easier to work on, and you don't have to worry as much about 'ruining' it.

[Aboutlows]

Thanks fifty3bas, I live in florida. The cheaper parts of the miata really draws me in since I will be in college. Besides bearings, headgasket and cv boots, what else may need replacing/updating (thats decently "major") ?

[Daffy]

I was in the same situation as you and I got a nice car and ruined it. Spent the past two years working my arse off just to get it back to completely stock and showroom condition again. I would definitely go for a cheaper car for a few reasons. Firstly, like mentioned above, the parts tend to be a lot cheaper. And if they aren't cheap new chances are there's tons of second-hand parts for Miata's around. Secondly, as one of your first cars chances are you'll screw something up at some point or another. A lot of older cars tend to be a lot easier to work on (not all, I know, but compared to the newer BMW I had to deal with...) and give you a good basis of knowledge that you can use later on as far as fixing things.

TL;DR; cheaper and you have the potential to learn more.

[e.mury]

If you want to just slam the car, go with the Miata.
If you want to slam the car and do some power mods, then to go with the WRX.
If you want to spend a lot of money on modifications, go with the 370z.

I went into college with my WRX, and parts really aren't that expensive. Obviously not as cheap as Miata parts i assume, but still doable if you've got a job. With the Miata, you might regret not going with something newer later on. Not saying new cars are the best thing ever but I doubt you'll regret picking one of the newer options. Good luck with the decision.

[Aboutlows]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the input. I obviously have a while til I get anything but I'm pretty sure I want a RWD to have fun with when appropriate. The wrx would be much fun and I'll still keep it in mind, but I would eventually turbo the miata if I had the chance. Light weight and power sounds fun. Any input is still greatly appreciated!

[andybob]

My brother had an NB Miata for a while. It was a blast around town. I took it on a 2 hour road trip and didn't care for it too much. They are just too damn small.

Do you plan on taking it to college? If so, don't plan to ram people around. You've got room for one passanger and that's it. They are pretty damn cheap though. So that is a huge plus.

Maybe it's because I've always had a 4 door, but I'd go WRX. More room, more usability, good resale, and they are fun to drive as well. If I had the money I think I'd have one right now.

Good luck.

[theseeker411]

Go with 4 doors. Seriously, one of the reasons I loved having a VW Golf and then my e28 in college was for hauling multiple girls around at once.

[SheaMoose]

I thought this was going to be a dumb thread.
But it's not.

I really like that you are willing to give up new expensive cars for something you can really learn with.
A Miata is a perfect platform to start with (unless your goal is to tote girls around, be awesome and get it in like theseeker, then you'll need a bigger car) because you can make it faster than either of your other choices for less money.

If you're an enthusiast that wants to learn how to build a car and learn real driving techniques without relying on computers to do it for you, then the Miata is your best choice.

It is also very cheap and easy to get them on the ground..

[Average_Jerk]

NB Miata

[Titty]

Get an S2000. Close to miata in terms of size and fun. Looks good stanced, and a lot cheaper than a 370Z or newer WRXs.

[LowElementStar]

I agree with Titty. A S2000 is probably the closing thing I can relate to a Miata as of characteristics.
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[MommysLittleMonster]

With the Miata, you will learn a great deal more about cars and their respective parts in general. It's something you can work on yourself, learn basic mechanics while owning, and have fun at the same time. Plus, if you feel like getting into some racing, your local Autocross will embrace you with open arms.

With the newer cars, you'll be faced with much higher insurance premiums, more expensive parts, and more in-depth mechanical knowledge will be needed. But, you'll be in a newer car, which will obviously feed the feeling of being in something nicer, newer, and 'tighter'.

The problem is, you're going to find that most used WRX's are beaten with in an inch of their life by their original owners, are hacked up and modified to the point of being unreliable, and, you have to live with the Subaru "bro" stigma that follows. 370Z's are great cars, but parts for them are nearly three times the cost of Miata parts; new and used. You can pretty much kiss your modifying budget goodbye with either car, but that might not be a bad thing if all you want is a quick car that's already nice.


It's up to you to decide. Do you want something cheap to bang around in, modify a little bit, and learn on? Or, do you want to have something where you pinch your pennies harder, but are already ahead of the game for power?


PS- don't ever say "stance car" again.

[Jlyons617]

Who's going to be paying for insurance? that's a huge deciding factor.

[fifty3bags]

Thanks fifty3bas, I live in florida. The cheaper parts of the miata really draws me in since I will be in college. Besides bearings, headgasket and cv boots, what else may need replacing/updating (thats decently "major") ?

When I said where you will be living I meant will you have a garage, or will you be working on the car in the street/parking garage/driveway/etc.

I agree with these other guys, insurance is a big deal. Also, how will you be paying for it, or will parents be purchasing it for you/making all the payments?