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Any Convertible Car Owners? - Page 6

post #76 of 83
5/7/11 at 8:57pm
I wanted an older car, and a targa was the best of both worlds -- convertible and hardtop. It's about 130k miles, and has given me nothing but pleasure.
LL
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post #77 of 83
5/7/11 at 9:40pm
^^^Beautiful car.
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post #78 of 83
5/10/11 at 8:28am
Funny, you should bring it up, I had a FMII turbo'd Miata with Teins, and it was by far a faster car. But the S2000 is the better car. Also, the S2000 has a balance and chassis rigidity that a Miata can only dream about, even with all the braces you could throw on the thing.

Also, I'm getting a little old to be driving around in a modified car, and the constant upkeep with a turbo'd car, no matter how reliable, got tiring. The S2000 is like an Accord for reliability. And this coming from a guy who can re&re a motor in 4 hours.

No getting around that the S2000 is 2-3x the price of a Miata on the used market

But I must be getting old, I'm looking to sell my AP2 S2000 (creampuff with 20k miles) for a comfier 'vert that is more suited to long distance touring.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Decahedron View Post
love the s2000 and im not at all trying to start a fight. with that preface, would you say the s2000 is a better sports car for the money than the miata? i agree that its the better sports car, but i think the miata might represent a better value. examples under 1000 are far from rare. i spend 3800 (i was getting impatient after looking for a year) on mine which came with 15x8 panasports, a hard dog roll bar and has needed nothing but oil and gas. Ive done plugs, wires, and fuel filter as basic preventative maintenace.

Things the miata and s2000 share:

~Very Good reliablity
~Great shifter
~nice(r for the s2000) sounding motor
~RWD
~50/50 weight distribution
~Great aftermarket.


The S2000 has over the miata
~power top
~almost double the horsepower (insert lame torque jokes here)
~better sounding motor
~much stiffer chassis
~nicer (though more cramped in my experience) cockpit.
~much better headlights.
~standard LSD?

The miata has over the s2000
~much lower buy in price...as much as 2/3s less
~cheap as dirt replacement parts
~easy to work on (im honestly not sure and wouldnt be surprised if the s2000 was just as easy to work on, though)

So the questions are basically if the advantages of the s2000 outweigh the cheap price of the miata. I think for about 12k you can have a very nice running s2000 thats near stock, or a similar performance modded miata. its really just two ways to the same fun goal!
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post #79 of 83
5/12/11 at 1:05am
Another S2000 here. The better value argument really just depends on the value each person places on the "extras" over a stock Miata.

Personally, having a bone stock S has a better value to me. The Miata is a great car and I think my buddy's is a blast to drive, but I still prefer mine at the end of the day. The retractable hardtop on the Miata is a huge selling point though (the one thing I wish was an option on the S).

To OP, as a rider, the S is one of the closest things you will get to a motorcycle. There is just an intangible feeling when you drive an S with its combination of sound and feel that reminds you of being on a bike. I would highly recommend at least test driving a Miata and S2000.

Wind noise will be higher than a hardtop, but that shouldn't be a problem if this is more of a weekend car anyways.
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post #80 of 83
5/14/11 at 12:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digmenow View Post

Do not buy a 986/996 Porsche. They are basically ticking time bombs waiting for an IMS failure. I'd go with a Miata instead.
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post #81 of 83
5/14/11 at 7:30pm
I personally wouldnt go with the convertible.

My mom has an audi tt roadster that I drive occasionally when shes away and she needs it serviced, and I hate driving it with the top down. Being stopped at a red for 2 minutes with the sun beating down on you can get uncomfortable quickly. She loves it, but I personally wouldn't buy a convertible.
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post #82 of 83
5/14/11 at 7:37pm
Although for a +1 on the convertible: besides tearing up the winding mountain roads from Tuscany to venice, the next best ride was driving 130kmh with the top down in a thunder storm without getting hit with a single drop of rain.
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post #83 of 83
5/16/11 at 10:38am
Had a nice Mercedes for awhile. It was a pleasure to own, but a pain in the ass. I recommend not doing it unless you have a lot of throw away income. Services are expensive. The possibility of getting into a fender bender is scary. Etc. etc.......
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