Need everyone's input on this situation. 2 Possible outcomes

  • Thread starter Thread starter Boz Mon
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Mini Cooper? Wet road?



Famine
No you don't.

It's an ass-backwards 2 litre Ford Focus. NA/NB is where it's at.
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Hey, the two liter Focus is a great car! Weighs about a gazillion tons, but it's a great car. :lol: Just spent an entire day in one (still wondering how much I should offer my Dad for it) and I still have a smile on my face, after two hours of driving up and down my favorite mountain road... and not because I was going quickly... but it just feels right.

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I do agree... the NC is a nice sports car, but it just don't got no soul... not like that old time rock n' roll.
 
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take the F20C powered AP1, hands down you'll love yourself for it. theres no comp between an MR-5 and a SK2, your looking at more room, power, looks and pratically a better car all around. if its stock and street race beaten go for it. if the F20's in good condition and hasnt felt 15,000 RPM due to common mis-shifts in the S2000 when drivers are going from 3rd to 4th and end up in 2nd some how (IDK why but its happens often evidently but not as mush in the AP2 F22C's i hear) then go with the SK2.
 
Having friends that own both an S2000 and another with a Miata, if you aren't planning on doing any modifying, go with an S2000, but for pretty much anything else, even for something as little as a set of wheels and coilovers, get the Miata.

I'd also like to point out that my buddies 1990 Miata with 120k miles or so gets the piss driven out of it, I'd go as far as to say more than Famine or anyone else on here can dish out. Keef can confirm this.

It has never broken. Ever. Nothing has ever gone wrong with the car.

EDIT: I'd like to say that an S2000 does not have "more room" inside it than a Miata. I've driven about 4 different Miatas, 3 NAs and 1 NB, and 2 S2000s, and I feel a lot more comfortable in a Miata. I'm 6ft and weigh about 215lb, so that should say a lot. Stock for stock, both cars are a little cramped, but my friend's Miata has a stripped interior, a racing seat and a smaller steering wheel, which makes it so roomy that I can drive the car with complete comfort and still have enough room to heel-toe downshift.
 
Famine
No you don't.

It's an ass-backwards 2 litre Ford Focus. NA/NB is where it's at.
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While I generally agree, I've sat in a NC maybe twice, but never had a ride or drive. May as well, just so I can hate it as much as everyone else.
 
Perfect Balance
I feel a lot more comfortable in a Miata. I'm 6ft and weigh about 215lb, so that should say a lot.
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Your idea of comfort must be rocks, sand and bricks because *I* was 6' ~220lbs when I drove both the MX5 and S2000 I feel infinitely more comfortable in the S2000. Its pretty clear each person has their own level of comfort opinion. Maybe it will just depend on the OT's feeling when he drives the cars in question.
 
Depends on your proportions.

I'm 5'10ish, with slightly more leg than torso. I have the NA MX-5's seat as far back as it'll go and it's fine for my legs and my body isn't high enough to cause roofline issues. If you were a couple inches taller with the same proportions, the seat wouldn't go back far enough. If you were 6 foot 2 and had more torso than leg, the seat position would be fine, but you'd smack your skull off the roof - if it's up (which it shouldn't be).

It's a person-to-person thing.
 
Famine
Depends on your proportions.

I'm 5'10ish, with slightly more leg than torso. I have the NA MX-5's seat as far back as it'll go and it's fine for my legs and my body isn't high enough to cause roofline issues. If you were a couple inches taller with the same proportions, the seat wouldn't go back far enough. If you were 6 foot 2 and had more torso than leg, the seat position would be fine, but you'd smack your skull off the roof - if it's up (which it shouldn't be).

It's a person-to-person thing.
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I am that 6 foot 2, long in body, and although it's been a while since i last drove an NA MX-5, i don't recall having any roof/head issues. Sure, it was tight in there, but not enough for it to be a deal breaker had i been looking to buy one.
 
I'm going to go see if I can find an S to drive today. I'll report back with my findings either later tonight or possibly tomorrow.
 
The S2000 and Miata have completely different characters. And therefore, in my mind are two entirely different ownership propositions.

The NA/NB Miata is more playful at lower speeds. You can have fun in a Miata at 6/10ths, which means you'll be able to enjoy it more often, with less serious consequences. That is the magic of the car's formula: you don't have to break the law or kill yourself to have fun. The downside of that is that I've never felt the car keeps up with your commitment level. It is predictable and (famously) easy to toss around, but lacks the ultimate edge at 10/10ths and beyond.

The S2000 is a much more 'serious' car and requires --no, demands a higher degree of commitment before its considerable talents shine through. As other have already pointed out, at 6/10ths the car is simply not very interesting. One thing I've always disliked about the Stook is the steering (which is electric); it is precise to a few hundred decimal places, but offers almost no feedback. You do, however get lots of feedback through the chassis, which is ultimately better than the Miata's, IMHO. There is less slack and more body control in the Honda. And once you have the motor on boil, there is simply no comparison. The S2000 will take you places the Miata simply can't.

Drive like you are qualifying and the S is the better car. The question is how often you can and are willing to do so.

And it is well known the AP1s have a strong tendency for lift-throttle oversteer. This is either a blessing or a curse, depending on the disposition (and skill level) of the person driving it.

I think anyone considering the Miata should just get a Miata. There really isn't another roadster that does what it does, as well as it does. However, anyone strongly considering an S2000 should also take a close look at the 986 Boxster and Z4 --both these cars have abilities that overlap the Stook and ostensibly have the same mission. But the performance is more accessible and less 'peaky' in the Porsche, IMO.

And I think someone wondered if early Boxsters break all the time: yes and no. The tops break all the time. And because its German, some electrical stuff breaks. But not counting RMS issues, the basic cars are fairly solid. The RMS is a whole 'nuther issue I won't get into; but I think it happens about as often as Stooks grenade their differentials.


M
 
S2000 for a good survey resulter, Miata for an all-rival beater. It'll really depend on your preference. Personally I couldn't separate them all around but as I said, it depends what sort of car you want.
 
///M-Spec
The S2000 and Miata have completely different characters. And therefore, in my mind are two entirely different ownership propositions.

The NA/NB Miata is more playful at lower speeds. You can have fun in a Miata at 6/10ths, which means you'll be able to enjoy it more often, with less serious consequences. That is the magic of the car's formula: you don't have to break the law or kill yourself to have fun. The downside of that is that I've never felt the car keeps up with your commitment level. It is predictable and (famously) easy to toss around, but lacks the ultimate edge at 10/10ths and beyond.

The S2000 is a much more 'serious' car and requires --no, demands a higher degree of commitment before its considerable talents shine through. As other have already pointed out, at 6/10ths the car is simply not very interesting. One thing I've always disliked about the Stook is the steering (which is electric); it is precise to a few hundred decimal places, but offers almost no feedback. You do, however get lots of feedback through the chassis, which is ultimately better than the Miata's, IMHO. There is less slack and more body control in the Honda. And once you have the motor on boil, there is simply no comparison. The S2000 will take you places the Miata simply can't.

Drive like you are qualifying and the S is the better car. The question is how often you can and are willing to do so.

And it is well known the AP1s have a strong tendency for lift-throttle oversteer. This is either a blessing or a curse, depending on the disposition (and skill level) of the person driving it.

I think anyone considering the Miata should just get a Miata. There really isn't another roadster that does what it does, as well as it does. However, anyone strongly considering an S2000 should also take a close look at the 986 Boxster and Z4 --both these cars have abilities that overlap the Stook and ostensibly have the same mission. But the performance is more accessible and less 'peaky' in the Porsche, IMO.

And I think someone wondered if early Boxsters break all the time: yes and no. The tops break all the time. And because its German, some electrical stuff breaks. But not counting RMS issues, the basic cars are fairly solid. The RMS is a whole 'nuther issue I won't get into; but I think it happens about as often as Stooks grenade their differentials.


M
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Amazing it took this long for anyone to bring up the RMS... I know I didn't want to... :lol:
 
Ok so I drove an AP2 S today, and I'm pretty sure my mind is made up. I will be searching heavily for a good lower mileage AP1. I'm pretty sure the miata is now completely out of the equation. The S2k has more interior room, the transmission is awesome, theres more power, it looks better.

I drove the thing, and it turned all of the awesome aspects of my Prelude to crap. The car feels "right." I have S2000 on the brain now. I've been thinking of it non stop all day. Trying to think of a way to describe how awesome it is, and I dont think this post gives it justice.
 
niky
Amazing it took this long for anyone to bring up the RMS... I know I didn't want to... :lol:
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You can't really bring up 986/996 reliability without at least a passing mention of the RMS. :) I know my buddy with an early 986 gets under car after every oil change just to make sure...

Boz Mon
The car feels "right." I have S2000 on the brain now. I've been thinking of it non stop all day. Trying to think of a way to describe how awesome it is, and I dont think this post gives it justice.
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It's tempting after your first drive of an S2k to think it is beyond awesome. And it really is a very good sports car.

But you owe it to yourself to try the 986 Boxster, which is IMO, just that much better. If nothing else, you can make an informed decision before you go with the S, knowing you've tried the best alternative and disregarded it.

I think a BMW Z3 M Roadster S52 is in your price range as well. Doesn't handle as well as either of those, but manages to make them feel slow in a straight line.


M
 
I'll look at boxters, and Z3s, I dont think they are the right car though. I may still be considering Miatas also. We'll have to see where this goes....
 
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So the original red miata that I drove is on craigslist now for $10,995 as opposed to the 13k they originally wanted for it.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/ctd/1355248719.html

Opinions? Think I could talk them down more? It only has 24k miles on it :drool:

I have the carfax sitting right in front of me, its clean. It did fail emissions back in 06, but it passed on the next try. There was a recall done about some EVAP emission thing, and there was rear end damage reported, but its not a salvage title.
 
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Based on Edmund's TMV numbers, 10 grand would be a 'fair' deal on that car. 11 is a bit high.

Dealers will always start very high with a low mileage car. Because they know they might luck out and get that ONE guy/girl who will pay through the nose for a cream puff.

It looks like they haven't gotten any bites, so they are correcting to a more reasonable number.

If you REALLY want it, then offer them 10k or 10.5k. Don't take their first counter-offer, which is going to be 10.7 "and that's the bottom line on this car".

If it were a special edition car or had rare options or a rare color, I can see paying the extra. But this is just a nice, clean base car. There are plenty of other low mileage Miata around.


M
 
I agree with ///M, check on it and see if they'll take $10K. Its the end of sportscar season in the Mid-West, and they're going to want to be getting rid of it soon. It looks like a nice, basic NB, and there isn't anything wrong with that.
 
The only thing is there was minor rear end damage reported on the carfax. Its not rebuilt or anything. Is there any way I can find out exactly what happened to it?
 
Get a PPI from an independent mechanic that knows Mazdas. Make sure you take the Carfax with you and ask him to check the rear end very carefully.

"Minor damage" probably means a bumper r&r. Shouldn't be a problem if repaired correctly. If the paint matching is not perfect, you should be able to see the difference under strong sunlight. Open the trunk, lift the carpet and see if there are any obvious signs of intrusion into the rear frame area.

Def. get the PPI.


M
 
I'm gonna have my dad go look at it tomorrow. He used to repair cars/paint them so he knows his way around repaired cars really well.
 
Boz Mon
So the original red miata that I drove is on craigslist now for $10,995 as opposed to the 13k they originally wanted for it.
http://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/ctd/1355248719.html

Opinions? Think I could talk them down more? It only has 24k miles on it :drool:

I have the carfax sitting right in front of me, its clean. It did fail emissions back in 06, but it passed on the next try. There was a recall done about some EVAP emission thing, and there was rear end damage reported, but its not a salvage title.
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The radio looks pretty worn for >25k... Might be a sign of being uncared for on the interior

Looks great besides that.
 

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