Hello! I dunno if we're supposed to make new user threads, but I see some, so why not!

I'm Josh, known by way too many of my friends as koopa, and I'm from Atlanta. Been drifting about 10yrs. I'm also a big miata nerd and just fan of small cars in general. Drove my buddy's GD a couple years back and realized that yeahhhhh I prolly need to get one of these things at some point. A faily small, fun slow car to drive fast (miata feels), and it fits a bunch of shit! That just ticks so many boxes.

SO fast forward to 2018, and my most daily-able miata's to-do list is kinda piling up, so I figure it's time to get a proper daily and get the miata off the road to do a bunch of TLC. I scoured the internets for deals on GDs, and after finding both cars that were a little too beat up and unmotivated sellers in general, I considered my other options. I did start to consider paying a little more for a GE in hopes that I'd find one in a little better condition, but that wasn't really working out either.

Finally I had to ask myself if I really wanted a car payment, kind of a weird concept for someone who's just blasted through endless 240s and miatas for the past decade. So I looked at Honda's website and they actually had a nice deal on Fit Sport leases. I figured this was a nice halfway point, paying a cheap payment for a few years with the ability to bail at the end if I want. So yeah, I grabbed this guy! Sport 6spd in I think they called it dog dick red?.. Weird.


My phone seemed to be having a pretty bad time with dark lighting, but you get the idea


And after scooting around the local business park roads, I stopped and had myself a little one-man car show.


Pretty fun little car, lovin it so far! Since it'll be leased for the next few years, I probably won't go super dumb with it unless I decide to buy it out at the end.. which actually is pretty likely I guess.. In the meantime, most likely wheels, maaaaybe coils n some rinky dink crap, we'll see!

I suppose to get my full story, you'd need a pic of my poor S14 that needs a paint job really badly. 300hp~ SR20, blah blah, basic drift car.


And finally my beloved miata turd. Stock power, although I have a turbo kit sitting around for it, coilovers, wheels, the usual, kinda neat interior.



I also have a turbo MR2 but it's not cool yet so maybe I'll post it later some day. If you're starting to pick up on the theme here, then yes, feel free to ask me how to waste pretty much all of your money on cars coz you're an idiot, I'll be happy to help.

Thanks for havin a look n hopefully we can have ourselves a good ol' fashion sharin of info and content around here

OH and I almost forgot if you wanna see the unraveling story of a 31 year-old man regularly buying Nintendo products and maybe posting some dog videos, I'm also datkoops on Instagram.

Cheers!

 

Welcome man! Thanks for joining the forums.
Seems like they are dying. Everyone moved over to Facebook groups.
I’ll give you a follow on IG.

 

Oh damn, really? Yeah I guess that's the norm everywhere. I'll always have a soft spot for forums, so much easier to look up info rather than fleeting facebook posts.

 

Welcome! Lovely list of cars you have! reminds me of the good ol' rear wheel drive days!

 

Forums are so helpful.
The funny part is that people asking same question all the time.
When 9/10 times if they google it directs to this forum.
Someone already has a thread about it. Hahaha

Well that’s the case with the first and second Gen.

 

Welcome to Thunderdome...

Nice collection of cars. You're a modder. Your Fit is not safe. Lets be honest haha

 

Are you on Zilvia? For some reason I feel like I remember your name (as someone who has been a member of zilvia for years without ever owning an s-chassis haha)

 

Yeahhhhh I didn't know Honda Factory Performance was a thing and I already want the more aggressive spoiler <__<

Yup! kOOpA on zilvia. Been posting in the Zenkis Unite thread for errr 7-8yrs. I got too old for the full on race car feel in my previous S14 so i reshelled most of the parts to a car with interior and most importantly AC!

It did look neat, tho.

 

Yeahhhhh I didn't even know Honda Factory Performance was a thing.... already want the more aggressive spoiler <__<

Yup! kOOpA on zilvia, been posting in the Zenkis Unite thread for 7-8yrs. I got too old/cranky to drive a full on race car so I reshelled most of the parts from my old s14 to a new one with interior and more importantly AC!

Old one did look neat, though.

 

I knew it! Yeah that thing was real cool.

Welcome to the site.

 

Welcome! Great introduction!

Looking forward to following your thoughts on the Fit.

 

Thanks for the welcomes errbody! I'll go post in big boy threads now.

 

 

I've had five miatas so far. All 1.8s (94+ first gens).

I've had a few hondas throughout the years, and they're just reliable, affordable cars that are fun to drive. All my cars are bought for a specific purpose. The purpose this car fulfilled was purely about daily duty, so drive type didn't matter too much as we almost never have snow here in Atlanta (and when we do I just take off work a couple days). I just wanted a car that's fun to drive, gets decent mileage, and I thought I may as well get one with decent cargo space, too.

As far as your search for a small, affordable sports car goes, that's right up my alley. I've had an AE86, and currently have a turbo second gen MR-2, so I can throw all your listed options into a hypothetical boxing ring. It's pretty simple, miatas are good at everything, cost very little to upgrade to a competent level for most motorsports (or just mountain running), and are very reliable with very basic maintenance. You can find a miata with a torsen differential, perfectly fine for anything I've done, throw some suspension on it, maybe a racing seat, and you're pretty much done. Lastly, the aftermarket for miatas is ridiculous, there are multiple companies that specialize specifically in miata crap. Anything you can think of, three or more people make it.

Since you listed the 86, I think you're probably talking about a first gen MR-2? I haven't owned one but I've had a few friends with them. As far as affordability, I'd imagine they're around the same cost as the 86, having the same engines and what not. I'm not sure how easy it is to find suspension arms and stuff for them, though.

I don't really recommend an 86 anymore. They're getting pretty old at this point so you're really paying out the ass for ones that have actually been maintained well. Also the reason they're fun, being a zippy lightweight car, is met with the unfortunate fact that they have four link suspension and a solid axle. Quite frankly they feel like shit compared to a miata. You can definitely learn to love the quirks, I'm just over it. The aftermarket for them is pretty decent but imo everything is pretty overpriced. I parted out my 86 drift car for $7k, not even counting the car itself.. Every time I think about that it seems crazy, but every time I go back and add it all up, it's true XD. When/if you part out a miata, you're uhhh, you're basically just selling coilovers, because it's a good car in the first place and you don't have to replace every bolt on it. The utility in the 86 isn't bad compared to the other two, you can fit quite a few tires in there, but I think playing tetris in a miata is fun anyway. As far as reliability goes, my experience wasn't great. I've blown up every version of 4AG there is, and for a contrasting reference I've had the same SR20 running in my S14 for 7 years. There are reliable corollas out there, no doubt, they're just few and far between, and you gotta pay if you do find one.

Really, to bring the MR-2 into the same discussion as the other two is a big question of whether you want the engine behind you or not. MR cars feel REALLY grippy and fun.. until they don't. It's kinda like having a huge wing on the car, the car feels really awesome and stable at high speeds, but when you find yourself beyond the limits of the car, you are in for a pretty interesting ride. IF you respect the hell out of what the car can do, I can halfway recommend buying an MR, because they are fun. It's a pretty unique feeling compared to most other cars.

So yeah, drive 'em all if you can first. I really can't see the 86 coming out on top because even when absolutely tuned to the teeth, they are a bouncy, sloppy piece of junk compared to a dual wishbone miata. IF the MR-2 feels THAT much better to you, go for it, just know it'll be more expensive to mod/maintain.

 

 

Ahh new cars. I really really like the new 86, haven't driven a new miata yet. Both would be great for scootin around or entry-level motorsports. I'm not super crazy about tracking a new car, coz it's just so much money that can go poof in the blink of an eye, shit happens =p

I totally respect wanting a newish car that doesn't feel like a dated turd, though. With ALL that in mind I can definitely recommend a pre-facelift third gen miata. The facelifted ones cost more for essentially no reason.. just.. they're newer. They do feel different than the first gens, but I think the power to weight ratio still leaves you with a really fun car, the mechanical grip reminds me of an S2000. Another really awesome thing about the third gen is that if you do manage to blow up the engine, you can VERY easily replace it with a 2.5L that came in other mazdas/fords, and they are CHEEEEAP. My buddy is putting one in his third gen and not even changing ECUs, he's just getting his flashed to work with the bigger engine. At the end of the day I think you can be "done" modding a third gen, still be under 10k, and not have a heart attack if you total it. To me, anticipating totaling the car is something you always have to keep in mind when driving cars like an idiot.

Definitely not your only option, but a very good one to leave on the table.

I REEEEALLY like the third gen MR-2 as well. Should be super reliable, and they feel awesome. A bit wonky looking, but screw it, don't care, they are fun.