Which would you chose as fun toy? I have a fit as a daily. But need a toy on the side to play with. I always wanted a RWD car then again YOLO wanna try a bike as well.

 

Miata

240 is sloooow and boring. Miata is at least slow and fun.

Motorcycle would be fine if there were no other drivers on the road. But since there are, too dangerous.

 

That's a cross on the 240.

Mx5 or Ninja 400 it is.

 

Coming from motorcycles (specifically, sport bikes), no (reasonably-priced) car compares for sheer acceleration. And the canyons or track are that much more intense when you can hear the reverberations of your exhaust along with the rush of wind and feeling of leaning over but not falling.

And then you have a crash or two, or God forbid a meeting with a car, and a cage seems like a sane alternative.

But, I understand the itch all too well. If you have never tried it, I would say go for it, but take necessary precautions. Take the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class. Find a responsible group to ride with. Dress for the crash.

 

Anyone had Vee dubs beetle or type3'

 

If you're looking at a Beetle, a Miata or a motorcycle....what do you actually want from it?

Those are MASSIVELY different experiences.

 

Lol. No kidding. Sounds like the OP doesn't know what he wants?

 

A fun weekend toy. This fit is boring me! Might sell it soon unless the L15B7 swap or k20 is available soon.

 

You're going to sell a Fit for a 25-50 year old car or a motorcycle?

I love 'fun cars' but I also love being able to carry wheels/tires for my fun car, know that I'll get home, not worry about parking, etc.

This is why I drive my Fit weekly and my S2000.....a few times a year.

 

Bikes can be more fun than just about anything on the road, but have you spent any time riding before? If not, is there something like the MSF class where you're at?

https://www.msf-usa.org/BRC.aspx

Otherwise I'd say MX-5, there's definitely more out there for engine swaps and turbo/SC kits.

 

Keeping it at this stage for DD duties. Just looking for a bit of fun on the side.

 

I've owned two Miatas. A 1994 and a 2004 Mazdaspeed.

The 'Speed was much more fun with the factory turbo, but the 94 had it's own charm even though slow by comparison. The 5 speed gearbox on the 94 had the best feeling shifter I've ever used. And, who doesn't love pop-up headlights?

 

I had a 97 Miata. I sold it after 1000 miles because I didn't enjoy it.

But I know I'm in the minority in my distaste for the cars.

 

True. At least of the people that have actually driven one, you are. But I can't blame you for owning an S2000. I have not had the pleasure of driving one, but I'm sure I'd love it. Everyone I know who has owned one regrets ever selling theirs. Much as I regret selling the Mazdaspeed.

Personally, I'm trying to justify a BRZ/86 to myself somehow.

 

I personally much prefer the Frs/Brz to the NA/NB/ND Miata (I've never driven an NC).

Less dramatic engine than the S2000 but really solid, nice turn-in, good shifter, etc.

I'd like to pick one up in the future, GE, AP1 and FR-S is a perfect modern car combo to my tastes.

Even if I avoid driving whenever possible.

 

Nice! Helps me convince myself that I need one, lol.

I'm guessing most engines are less dramatic than an S2000. Any (car) piston engine with a redline north of 8k is pretty dang impressive.

 

You're not wrong there.

I found the FR-S engine more dramatic than the ND Miata. When I drove that I bounced limiter because the sound didn't change at all near redline.

I 100% recommend one. I think its a car a lot of folks want to like and either end up loving it (like me) or hating it (like many folks) after experiencing it.

 

Had a motorcycle from the time I was 16 in 1984 to 2012. Owned Harley's, sport bikes, bagger's and one dirt bike. Last bike was a 2006 GSXR1000 that I had purchase new and after much dyne tuning put out 175 HP at the rear wheel on a Dynojet dyno. Twist the throttle to you see GOD and shift. Bike was stupid fast.

A they say, two types of riders, those who crashed and those who are going to crash. I crashed a couple times. One time in an intersection that must of had oil or some fluid from an accident left on the road and the other was in the fall with wet leaves on the ground. Never had any fear about getting back on the bike. in 2012 I almost became a sandwich between two cars. After that I was paranoid about getting killed. so I decided it was time to stop riding.

About a month ago the motorcycle bug hit me again. Bought a 1970 Aermacchi / H-D Sprint 350SS. Going to make a cafe racer out of it. I don't need to go fast anymore. Plus I don't plan on riding it more the 25 miles from my home. Basically, all show and no go. LOL


Now for the original poster. I've autocross a Miata. Miata are always "The Answer" when it comes to most forms of racing or track days. They are probably boring as hell on the street? I've owned five air cooled VW. 1962, 1970 and 1973 bugs. The 74 had an autostick. I wouldn't recommend one of those. Had two type 3. Square back and slant back. Hated the looks of the slant back, now they have grown on me and wouldn't mind one again. Other than prices sky rocketing I would think if I was going to buy an air cooled VW product, I'd probably buy a Porsche 914? I have a friend who has a 914-6 but won't part with it. The air cooled VW are attention getters, but are slow unless you buy some Scat stroker crank and make it unreliable? Keep in mind they are small, slow cars that get 25mpg. Worst of all worlds other than looks. In regards to the motorcycle, plan on spending at least $1K on helmet, leathers, gloves and boots in addition to the motorcycle purchase. At minimum helmet and gloves. It's kind of hard to work without any skin on your hands from when you eventually crash. EVERYONE puts their hands out to stop the fall.

Basically, if you ever think you're going to race or might have any interest in racing buy the Miata. If the purchase price of the motorcycle is going to tap you out money wise don't get a bike because you will need to buy a bunch of gear. Personally, I used to put new tires on my bike every year regardless of miles ridden. My life was worth more than the cost of two new tires. If all you want to do is hang out and look cool at the car show, cruise night or just getting ice cream then buy a air cooled VW. If you think you might want to use it as "transportation" they're a awful choice. Yeas they might have been economy cars back when 2-1/2 ton cars with big V8's got 8 mpg, but they're horrible by todays standards.

My vote for you is a Miata

 

S2000 are expensive. And here it is getting chopped by a miata!

Check this out MX5 2.5 vs S200 K20.

 

The 2.5 is an engine swap. Afaik.