OT: Need new OTM

That's all you need to know. Any other "choice" would be a mistake. A man should seize every opportunity to prevent his life from becoming a living hell. :-)

Yeah, it's speedy, but the 3 is really a nicer car to be in. Besides, I'd imagine FM will offer a 3 turbo kit fairly soon .

I've never regretted going with the WRX. At this point the Miata has

Jim

Man, that looks an awful lot like my short list for my next OTM. I've been thinking the last few days that I really need a BMW when it's time to put down my Subaru. It took almost 18 months for me to decide on and finally find and purchase my Miata, so I figure if I start researching now, I'll be able to find a good deal on a 3 series when it's time. The WRX would be a really high second on my list. I was at the small, family run dealer where I bought my Subaru last week, and he's got a silver '02 WRX wagon for $15k. If only I had a little more money.....

-- Tonyrama Crystal White '93 A

Give some thought to the possibility that the WRX turns out to be a lemon (it can happen), versus that the 3 turns out to be a lemon.

Personally, I think neither is a Miata. Probably pleasant enough cars both.

Leon

A 2003 Mazda 6 here in Wisconsin is going for just over $16k. It only has the 4 cylinder motor and cloth seats, but I liked it a lot. My wife however opted for a 2004 Mazda Tribute LX instead. For now we are a 3 Mazda family ;-)

Sure, but any car can be a lemon even though they're both brand new cars. The 3 has a better warranty (4/50k versus 3/36k for the Subaru). I know you're trying to point something out to me, Leon, but I don't quite see what it is yet--the WRX has been around for a couple years now and seems to have mostly proven itself and the 3 doesn't seem to be so outrageous of a car that there's anything glaringly obvious that might go wrong.

Anyway, the warranty is probably a moot issue considering how fast this car will rack up miles. Either car's warranty will probably be up sometime in the second year.

No, neither of them is a Miata, but we've already got one of those and we've largely determined that nothing we do will allow us to fit two adults and a child seat in it or any other Miata, so that's out.

/cue mention of second Miata purchase: Won't happen. Having a Miata as an "only-option car" when I was a bachelor and first got it car was fine. Now it's not; we simply need a *slightly* bigger car. As I've said, we've got an '03 Civic but it just got too boring for us.

If that's the case, I'd have to think hard before buying the BMW. BMWs are very fun to drive (not as fun as the Miata, but most of the manufacturers do target their dynamics), but in my experience they spend way too much time in the service department. Usually not for major powertrain items, but lots and lots of small things. I'd call them nickel-and-dime things, but on a BMW nothing costs that little.

You can get a 3 series with Navigation in the price range you're talking about? '01s are almost out of warranty and I don't think they came with Navi.

The Mazda 6 has great brakes and a pretty good chassis, not a bad drive, but the powertrain is a real disappointment to me. The 3.0 V6 seems underpowered and has slow throttle response (note: I've only driven the A/T version).

I haven't driven the WRX, but I have driven Imprezas and they have amazing supension for an inexpensive car, very compliant, soaks everything up, but is still sporty.

My choice would be a low mileage 96 to ? (98,99?) Acura Integra GSR 4-door. They didn't make too many GSR 4-doors, but they did make a few and it's a pretty good looking sedan. They're very fun to drive, have a tight responsive chassis and a 1.8 liter engine that revs out to 7800 rpm and makes 170 hp. The main downside was roadnoise; a lot of it comes into the car, but it's highly dependent on tires.

If you want navi, buy a street pilot or similar, or an add-on for a PDA or laptop.

Just my opinion of course. John McClary ('94 Miata) jsgmcclary at cox dot net

The 3 I was talking about was the Mazda 3, the new 4-cylinder "little brother of the 6". It's remarkably well-apportioned for a compact car, which is exactly what we're looking for--a small car with all the goodies of a larger car. The one we're looking at has the nav system, HID headlights, leather, 6-CDs in the dash, sunroof, etc. for about $22k. Not a bad deal, really.

I'm under strict orders to not even consider anything other than a manual transmission. Isn't she great? ;)

I've driven several and have been pretty impressed.

I know they're great cars, but I've looked for them before and had trouble finding a) a 4-door and b) one that hasn't been molested by a teenaged rice racer.

None of those are really an option. I'm looking to keep things simple here.

Whatever you do, don't even think about test driving an RX-8. You'll be in grave danger of blowing off your budget, unless you can make do with a stripper. Running costs would probably be double those of your Civic, too...but you won't care. Very, very evil temptation. You Have Been Warned.

Thought about it. Very slightly. To be honest, I'm scared to death of that rotary engine. I don't care how reliable they claim to have gotten it--I've seen too many engine problems in the last-generation RX-7 on eBay and on a friend's '93 to trust it any more than that Miller-cycle engine they put in the Millenias that I always seem to see with problems.

They're a blast to drive. Fortunately I think they're ugly (inside and out), so deciding between an MX-5 and an RX-8 is easier.

I got on the freeway the other day for the very first time with the Miata, and while doing about 70, got into a fight with the deep traffic ruts. Scared the hell out of me. Is this a quirk of the Miata, or just the OEM Bridgestone ER30 tires (17k, 30% tread left)? I would like to avoid that experience again, if at all possible. Any thoughts?

Tom

Didn't you just get the Honda recently?

-- Tonyrama Crystal White '93 A

Yes, last May. It's been a great car for 17k miles or so, but it's just not very much fun...kind of like that friend everyone has in high school that gets all the good grades and everybody likes but doesn't know how to have a good time.

I've noticed the same tendency with Parada Spec-2s on my '02 SE.

Dana

Any light, non-front-heavy car is susceptible. Much depends upon tires, tire wear, and alignment.

Yeah, fun is not the first word that comes to mind when I hear the word Honda.

-- Tonyrama Crystal White '93 A

Where were you last week when I test drove an RX-8? You didn't warn ME!

Now I have another Mazda: a blue RX-8 is sitting in the garage next to my blue '95 Miata.

I have been told that I am smiling a lot these days, however.

Then you need to try an S2000. (please, I'm really not trying to start anything).

John ('94 Miata) jsgmcclary at cox dot net