z31maniac

How so? I'm not interested in buying a roached out 100k+ car as a DD

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Was the S not more cramped inside then the NC?

I gotta say my memory is hazy about both since it was well over a year or two that I drove either.

z31maniac

I mean, they are both pretty "cozy" compared to what I'm driving now, but I felt like the S2000 fits me a bit better. 5'8" and more torso than legs. Of course that's completely just personal preference.

I think they are both close enough to call it a wash, but the S2000, to me at least, just feels more well put together.

Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

Ok I re-read from the beginning. The point that comes up continuously is saving money. Why not pay cash for a DD and not have to worry about a payment at all? Go for a few more months, sell the GT, daily the NA for a bit, then you would be free of a car payment period. Why not that?

Full_Tilt_Boogie

iTrader: (1)

From what I gather, youre average joe can lay down a flat 13 pretty easily.
With a good driver, Ive seen mid 12s (I think I remember seeing a 12.2x somewhere).
With a tune, DRs, and an offroad x-pipe (no cats) Ive seen very low 12s.

z31maniac

Because I like having months worth of take home pay in savings. And I'm waiting until I have 12-18 months of take home pay in savings.

I already put 30% of my take home income in savings/401k, I just want to be able to put a bit more, while not infringing on the track budget. Currently, the GT's payment/insurance/gas costs more than our house payment. (We live modestly vs our income, at least as far as our house is concerned)

I could pay cash for an early NB, but money is so cheap right now, I'd rather use the banks. This where Dave Ramsey followers fail, they can't understand the instances where debt can work for you.

I'm 31, my desire to save/invest so much is reflective of my desire to be retired by 55. We will have my house paid off at 40 or before while not sacrificing a few vacations a year and going to the track. I honestly feel sorry for the folks who buy into the "keeping up with the benjamins" mentality.

Sparetire

Pretty hard to conjure a car with equal balance of handling/comfort/tq/ddability that's not expensive in its own right.

Current gen V6 Mustang? Yes, its not as fast. But it does have some TQ. And its going to be much cheaper on the consumables you mentioned.

How fast does your daily have to be?

Stealth97

iTrader: (5)

You can obviously afford the GT. Keep it. The NC is not even a real miata.

Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

Everything you just said is very compatible with selling the GT now, DDing the NA for a few months while you save that $850 per month that was going to the GT to build up your savings, and then using the banks "cheap money" to get a DD. Do you really have to have a 'fun and fast' DD? Most people just get a civic or something like that. Once I pay off my 01 I plan on doing that.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

Life is all about compromises and each person will find a different balance. I've daily driven 15+ year old project cars as an only-vehicle before and it sucks. No one should do that. Ever.

z31maniac seems to be on the right path, he just needs to narrow down the specific vehicle he ends up "downgrading" to.

z31maniac

To be fair, I already put almost that much in savings every month now (the cost of the car). But the more quickly I get 12+ months of take home pay in the bank the better.

I don't have to, but I drove shitty cars that needed work for a long time and don't want to anymore.

I don't HAVE to have a fun DD. I WANT one and I can afford it, as mentioned, I just don't like tying up THIS much money in a car. I justified buying it because I could afford it, but now I really don't like being able to afford it..........if that makes any sense.

Yeah, the track car is still street legal and I do occasionally take it to work on nice days, or a lunch on Sunday type of thing, but I definitely do not want to DD it. No PS, no AC, harnesses, etc.

In reality, that's not even possible right now since it has no soft top or hard top and we are about to do the crank pulley fix to the 1.6.

Correct, I still want something "fun" just need to figure it out. Something like a Civic/Camry type car would make me want to eat a shotgun if I had to drive it everyday.

Chilicharger665

iTrader: (2)

Ah ok I did not realize the NA was so stripped out. Good luck on your decision, you seem to be on the right track.

elesjuan

iTrader: (11)

How can you be that diehard about saving money yet still continue to keep a car that costs you in excess of $800 a month?

Personal opinion here, your number one priority would be to sell the GT immediately and pay off the note.. Take whatever you have left over (hopefully you're not upside down in it by now) and buy some craigslist clunker $300 car to daily for a month or so while you search for another vehicle to purchase? Back in 2010 when I lost my "full time" status at my company the very first thing I did was start the process of selling my Mazdaspeed6 because I realized it wasn't something I could afford anymore. Sold the car fairly quickly with enough left over to buffer my savings account for a few months while I sought out new employment. Looking back on that 2.5 years later I still miss the car but that's also because I never replaced it with something else equally as fun, instead I bought a house and paid for it with CA$H. Just food for thought.

Good luck with your search, Sir.

Scrappy Jack

iTrader: (2)

Juan - While rushing out to sell your MS6 and buying a clunker or daily-driving a project car in your case made sound sense, the costs (transaction, time, hassle) of buying a shitbox to drive while he looked for another vehicle makes less sense for Z31.

Yours was more of a need. His is more of a want.

This makes perfect sense to me. If I could go back in time (and/or erase the sunk costs of depreciation and transaction costs), I would not have bought my BMW and would have gotten something that would have given me 75% of the enjoyment for 50% or less of the cost.

z31maniac

I may being upping my budget a few thousand higher than I initially wanted to.

Found a MINT '08 S2000 with only 32k on the clock. I'm looking at like the $100/month payment difference, I'll be happier in a newer, nicer version with less than half as many miles as most that are for sale.

And even then between payment/insurance/gas/maintenance I expect to be saving $275-325/month over what I'm currently spending.

TheScaryOne

iTrader: (3)

z31,

First, Mobil1 5w50 Rally Formula. IIRC, it's at Walmart at like $28 for 5 qts.
Second, Ditch the 19's. That's the stupidest ******* tire size on the planet, and cheap tires are $250 each. I'd say go down to 18's, but I'd bet my left nut that the Track Pack brakes are too big for that. See if you can hunt down a set of Foose 20" wheels or something. 10000% better tire selection, and because every ******* with an 80's shitbox runs 20's, the tires are CHEAAAAAP.
Third, Power oversteer.

shanem

iTrader: (1)

having sold a 12 Boss 302 about a year ago and bought the turbo miata track car, i know exactly where OP is coming from. A set of tires for that thing was $1500 for a decent performance tire that worked (sort of) on track. It cost me $~75 in fuel for 4 sessions at the track and running flat out would eat a nearly 3/4 of a tank each session not counting the tank it took to and from the track.

The brake pads were over $500 a set and didn't last long when you were moving at my home track, maybe 3 track days. it was also a harder car to go fast in because it was so fast, heavy and on street tires didn't have a lot of grip. Those brembo's are too large for all but a few 18" wheels, and even then the size the cars run wasn't particularly common (at least for the staggered set up the Boss used). i can buy wheels and tires for the miata for less than tires for that Mustang, brake pads are less than half the price and it needs maybe $50 in fuel when hauling *** at the track for the entire day. AND its consistently 5 seconds faster than the Mustang was and has more room to grow.

I run with friends that drive Boss 302s with 380whp or so and at ~220whp the miata doesn't get left behind on straights and eats lunch everywhere else. those guys don't get in front of me in the paddock anymore, they know what's going to happen when the flag drops. im very glad i went turbo miata though and not a spec, i would have definitely
missed the power.

z31maniac

lulz at poverty base stock. I wouldn't run Mobil 1 in anything unless I absolutely had too.

But certainly you realize the retarded-ness of buying an ADDITIONAL set of wheels, no?

Plus, there are no 18" tires in the correct 27.2" OD, thus exaggerating the stock 4x4 ride height.

It has been written, it shall be done. The Mustang is going bye-bye. I got to own my "dream" car growing up, turns out it wasn't all I hoped it to be. Add in $1000 a month for payment/gas/insurance/maintenance (avg it in vs just when it happens) and it's not worth it even though I can afford it.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

Is 27.3" close enough?

z31maniac

Hahaha, those would make a great DD tire!