300zx vs Miata for first car

I can tell you right now Miata > 300ZX.

When you're starting out driving, it's much more fun to have a little simple rev box. It's easier to handle and you won't kill yourself. I've now got both a shitty 910 Bluebird and a 530i, and the Bluebird is more fun to thrash the nuts off. It's got small tyres, so you can have lots of fun at low speeds without killing yourself. Lots of grip + powerful engine isn't that much fun unless you're out in the countryside.

You'll also be able to get a much newer Miata, it'll drive much better (I'm guessing 300ZX will feel like a boat in comparison) and less will go wrong. Less mileage and age, so generally much better condition.
 
You know what? I think my mind is set towards the Miata. Yes, some people might laugh but f*** them. Most of the people who will laugh are Persians with G37s that have slush boxes and think that because they have black rims and a black hood they can beat everyone. I also realize that this is my FIRST car. If I'm just patient I will soon be behind something with more power and if I learn how to drive correctly form my first car I will be able to out preform any other car.
 
E34lover said:
You know what? I think my mind is set towards the Miata. Yes, some people might laugh but f*** them. Most of the people who will laugh are Persians with G37s that have slush boxes and think that because they have black rims and a black hood they can beat everyone. I also realize that this is my FIRST car. If I'm just patient I will soon be behind something with more power and if I learn how to drive correctly form my first car I will be able to out preform any other car.
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That's the right attitude, a Miata is a sweet car that will teach you a lot and can be pretty terrifying when you get into racing.

Besides, if it breaks down just toss it in the back of the F-250 and drive home. :D
 
Just as many members have said.. Miata for sure. 300zx are a pain in the butt to work on and are going to be more expensive to maintain. Plus good gas mileage FTW
 
E34lover said:
You know what? I think my mind is set towards the Miata. Yes, some people might laugh but f*** them. Most of the people who will laugh are Persians with G37s that have slush boxes and think that because they have black rims and a black hood they can beat everyone. I also realize that this is my FIRST car. If I'm just patient I will soon be behind something with more power and if I learn how to drive correctly form my first car I will be able to out preform any other car.
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Who knows, you may end up loving your first car far more than you anticipated. My desire for a powerful sports car died after the 2nd drive in my first(and current) car, partly because it was revealed I got a disguised Supra. At this point I've driven several cars far more powerful than my car...and I couldn't care less. I used to worry about the old man image my car presents, only to realize its benefit of never being the subject to a cop's prejudice that a mechanically similar Supra would have suffered.
 
Now that you are fairly set on the miata, hit up miata.net, they have a large number of good guides for hunting a good example down.
 
Well turns out after talking to my aunt and uncle I can't get a Miata because "it's too small so I will get killed in it and they are unreliable and will costs lots of money to repair". So.... This means I have to get a 300zx or something else. When I was surfing the netz today I saw a 1995 300zx 2+2 for 4700 obo with 96,000 miles on it and my uncle and aunt are saying it might be ok to get it.
 
What the hell? MX5s are far from being unsafe. IIRC, they score average/above average in crash tests, and are more nimble than most cars which helps to avoid accidents in the first place.

Saying they are unreliable and expensive to repair is pure BS. Even if you are unlucky and have a few reliability issues, parts are very easy to find since it's a popular car all over the world.

In contrast, a 300ZX will likely give you nothing but headaches.
 
boganbusman said:
What the hell? MX5s are far from being unsafe. IIRC, they score average/above average in crash tests, and are more nimble than most cars which helps to avoid accidents in the first place.

Saying they are unreliable and expensive to repair is pure BS. Even if you are unlucky and have a few reliability issues, parts are very easy to find since it's a popular car all over the world.

In contrast, a 300ZX will likely give you nothing but headaches.
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what he said. I can't speak to the saftey issues (i never really look into that stuff) but as for reliability provided you don't get an early 1.6L with the crank nose issue they are a very reliable car it was one of their selling points when compared with other roadsters on the market and even if you did run into issues they are easy to work on and the online resources for DIY mechanics are unparalled (except maybe fox body mustangs and the like). the 300zx on the other hand is a bear to work on even in NA form the engine bay is tight never mind when you add the plumbing from 2 turbos coupled with parts availability (rare compared to the dime a dozen miatas out there) it's no question that the miata is a better choice
 
also, smaller car doesn't mean it'll be more dangerous in a crash. as logical as that sounds, crash safety just doesn't depend on vehicle size. it depends much more on the design of crumple zones and airbags. and eventually it all becomes meaningless when you're not so lucky and get hit by a drunk driver at 80km/h. when that happens, regardless of what car you are in, just hope you dont get t-boned right into the driver side door.

of course we're not talking about SUVs since they have much higher ride heights.
 
E34lover said:
Well turns out after talking to my aunt and uncle I can't get a Miata because "it's too small so I will get killed in it and they are unreliable and will costs lots of money to repair".
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You should tell that to the thousands of people that race Miata's all over the country. They're dirt cheap to fix (I know of people that literally have two or three spare Miata's for parts), and you can almost always walk away from one of the many crashes that happen in SM (because they're so cheap to fix, nobody gives a shit).

And if they're making the argument that "small = more dangerous in an accident", you should show them the Top Gear segment where they compared NCAP ratings and had the Land Rover on.
 
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E34lover said:
Well turns out after talking to my aunt and uncle I can't get a Miata because "it's too small so I will get killed in it and they are unreliable and will costs lots of money to repair". So.... This means I have to get a 300zx or something else. When I was surfing the netz today I saw a 1995 300zx 2+2 for 4700 obo with 96,000 miles on it and my uncle and aunt are saying it might be ok to get it.
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That is irony at it's finest.

You tell your aunt and uncle that this internet dweeb says they're idiots. Miata's a great car and you'd be stupid to buy anything else for the money.

Dogbert; people walk away from SM crashes because they're modified with roll cages and harnesses and neck restraints. I'm more scared of crashing on the road than in a race car. Road cars disintegrate when they crash. Track cars pretty much stay intact... I have no doubts that the Miata is perfectly survivable, though.
 
MadCat360 said:
Dogbert; people walk away from SM crashes because they're modified with roll cages and harnesses and neck restraints. I'm more scared of crashing on the road than in a race car. Road cars disintegrate when they crash. Track cars pretty much stay intact... I have no doubts that the Miata is perfectly survivable, though.
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I realized that my point would be lost comparing apples to oranges as soon as I posted, but my point that the Miata is hardly an "unsafe" car stands.

The 300ZX is hardly a paragon of safety, either.
 
Yea I know guys it's stupid. I tried talking to them again and made some good points. I told them the parts are abundant, Miatas actually are actually good in a crash and if they want I would immediately put in a roll bar, and the 300zx will ultimately be more expensive in parts and gas. My uncle then said the Miata is like the TR7 in his day "good on paper but unpractical".
 
E34lover said:
My uncle then said the Miata is like the TR7 in his day "good on paper but unpractical".
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Um, what?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say they've never actually driven a Miata before...
 
And if he owned a TR7 before then his opinion on small roadsters is pretty FUBAR'd, at best.
 
Dogbert said:
Um, what?

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say they've never actually driven a Miata before...
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BlaRo said:
And if he owned a TR7 before then his opinion on small roadsters is pretty FUBAR'd, at best.
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what they said. Hmm trying to think of practical fun RWD cars that will allow you to learn car control while still not being overly powerful and getting you killed.

240SX
AE86
....
....
uh...
E36 318tii (or 328) maybe
....
....
fox body mustang? with suspension mods to make it go around corners.
what about a XR4Ti all my research points to those being tough to kill and safe.
.....
MKIII supra....
NA MKIV supra (later you can do a 2jZ or 1UZ swap when you get monies)

yeah thats all i got for < $5K and even getting a 240 or ae86 for that cheap (and not beat to shit) is gonna be fun because of drifter tax.
 
The_Finn said:
MKIII supra....
NA MKIV supra (later you can do a 2jZ or 1UZ swap when you get monies)
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These 2 won't be the most affordable Supras to have. The Mk III if it still has a 7M engine will need a head gasket thus you'll need to basically rebuild the engine or swap very soon. The Mk IV...even the NA has a unreasonable purchase price for a car from the 90s, too expensive for what it is.

I'd say go Mk II, very reliable with the 5M-GE and still average in terms of power for today, its surprisingly fuel efficient, its light considering today's cars. As a learners car and daily driver its probably better than both the Mk III and IV and still fun. My Cressida basically has the same suspension and powertrain as the Mk II Supra so I do know how much it costs to run one.
 
for learning to drive, the miata is great
i learned stick on a 92 miata, with no power steering from the factory as well.
it has since been modded and is a track car
although it is horribly impractical. one time i had two flats from crappy tires wearing out at once on my audi (back when i had a b6 1.8t 2004 a4), using the miata to take a tire to a tire shop was a pain, it wouldnt fit in the trunk (17"x7.5" with a 245/45 tire on it) it barely fit in the cabin, and got in the way of me shifting.

meh, there are better choices out there, test out some, you might need/like the practicality of something bigger
 
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