The MX-5...and you., Dig into your inner auto enthusiast. Options

[SwissFerdi]

So, as we are all Celica owners, we all have the same baseline perspective to build on. What do you as 6GCers think about the Mazda MX-5? Would you consider trading your Celica for an MX-5 (specifically the NB - 2nd gen), and if you did, what would you consider to be the pros and cons of trading to an MX-5?

Thanks for the input.

[SwissFerdi]

2nd gen, no.

1st gen hardtop with coilovers and watanabe's - yes

Would I trade my mr2 for either - not a chance.

What's your reasoning for saying so? Actually, somebody suggested an MR2 to me yesterday, so I'm researching into those today. I wouldn't mind staying Toyota, although I suspect that an SW20 would be harder to work on than an NB (or NA) and maybe a little less reliable? I do like the looks of the SW20 a lot though.

Let's do this.

Do it to it, VB.

and if you're looking to pick up guys, which i suspect you are, there is no finer car

I might agree with you on that...the first gen looks good when it's really, really slammed. Coilovers are definitely a must, if I get an MX-5 I want a go-kart. The second gen is a little more girly, but more modern as well. I think they look pretty good in MazdaSpeed kit. As for that last comment, I'm going to keep my mouth shut since you are such a good, good, good moderator.

Prepare for ass-rape via PM though.

Sometimes you have to look at a bigger picture. Captain pessimist here has a few words sir. You are on limited income and a student. You are driving an aging car that may only fetch what you want in a private sale. Except that we are on verge of double dip recession so not that many people will want to pay what you think the car is worth. Likewise dealers hate to trade an old car on their lot for an older car because they will not make much profit on 10+ year cars.

So... you are looking to get an impractical but very very fun car. I dont know what to tell you sir because from my experience miata is a car that you take to the movies or grab your wife and drive to your friend's house. In a practical scheme of things storage space is quite limited in that little car.

If you can get the money or get a straight up trade you can try your luck but you will be back to tell us how much you miss a celica. Just ask richee.

Well, I rarely have more than one passenger, so that's not an issue. The only regular cargo I have is a backpack (and a subwoofer, but that's probably going with the Celica), so that's not an issue either. It's more of a loss of luxury in space than it is a loss of necessary space. Funny you should mention JD though. As far as the cash, yeah, that's an issue...but that's why I'm researching right now versus when I want to buy, I want to give myself ample time to make a decision. And yes, I probably will miss the Celica, but I am stuck with an auto ST and that's not doing it for me anymore. I would trade for another Celica, but I see that as pointless because I'll never get one like mine, so I might as well go to another car.

So, the general consensus of this forum is 1st gen (NA) over 2nd gen (NB)?

And in a nutshell, my reasoning for possibly trading is this: I have an auto and I can't change that. The Celica right now is problem-free, so if I were to trade for a manual ST, I'd have the same car but with issues, and that just seems like a counter-productive move to me.. If I were to keep the Celica, I'd want to keep focusing on handling, but in the end it'd still be FWD. But, if I were to want a manual anyway, why not start with a fresh car that has better intrinsic handling qualities? With an SW20 or NB (or NA), I'd get all of that. Manual, RWD, better handling.

Guys, don't get me wrong, I still love my car and I think this is a great community. I still love being in the Celica and I think it's still fantastic to drive and a fantastic car to be in. It looks good and it definitely has a soul. But maybe it's time to explore other horizons...

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Aug 29, 2010 - 12:39 PM