I loved my IS. Yes it was slow, but it was an excellent handling car and served well for daily duty. I eventually replaced it with this 2.3-16 nearly seven years ago.
http://fe3miata.com/pics/13_0810_Benz-01-800.jpg
http://fe3miata.com/pics/13_0810_Benz-02-800.jpg

Yes, the chassis is really nicely balanced. Quite a joy to throw around when it rains.
Already have it for 2.5 years and I am not getting rid of it, rides really nice for a DD. As I average only around 8000 miles a year (daily commute = bicycle) I do not care so much about the economy anyway.
I will track the IS next weekend, lap times will be terrible, but it will be fun nevertheless.

That 190E (W201) is super mint! Really lovely car! Unfortunately these W201s have a really bad reputation here in The Netherlands. Due to tax regulation the >25 year old diesel powered W201s were extremely cheap to run here. So the cities got flooded with these old diesels driven by poor immigrants. A testament to the durability of these things, but an irreversible blow to the imago of W201s here.

Sounds like fun, hopefully you can get it sorted. Silly engines are tanks, and the amount of space in those cars is insane. Loved mine, except that stuff was always going wrong with it, haha.

I had no idea the IS200 was a straight six. I always thought the 200's were a 4-cyl! The more you know...

Most of the pics I have are on the old wheels.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3c8c9c09cd.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fee4127c4b.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a7f81cd536.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...8be30ef502.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...17ce94697c.jpg

Obligatory stance life dat camber yo pic lol

Your Festiva ranks high in cool-factor for me. I like Festivas the way some like classic minis.

Wicked Matt?

No, it's an APR tune. Just happens to be the same place he tunes at, I'll be having him tune my miata soon though. :)

wew.
I'm actually looking (sort of) for an IS300 right now as a DD. My Subaru sucks as a DD so I've been DDing my Miata and it only sucks a little bit less.
I've reached the age where driving a stick in california traffic makes me angry.

The Japanese (JDM) Altezza RS-200 has a ~200HP 3S-GE 4 cylinder. The more tame Altezza AS200 and the European IS200 have both a 155HP 1G-FE 6 cylinder.
That 6 cylinder is really quiet, so it is nice on the highway. In Germany I can drive this car at 180km/h+ (100mph+) for hours without getting fatigue or having to turn the volume of the radio up. First time I drove my IS200 I thought it stalled at the traffic light, you simply cannot hear the engine idle when the interior fan is on its lowest setting.
But forget the 1G-FE, it is quite terrible, it only makes its 155HP at the revlimiter and gas mileage is as bad as the 2JZ-GE. It is a shame they never sold the IS300 as a manual in Europe, otherwise I would have bought that.

I would say: do it! The first generation IS has aged well in my opinion.
The funny thing is the BMW 3 series probably outsold the Lexus by a ratio of 25:1 here in The Netherlands. So they are somewhat rare, my neighbor thought it still was a 10 grand car and was surprised by the fact it was actually just a 18 year old 3 grand car.
Also I would pick the IS over a E46 3 series any day, every day as they are put together so much better imho.

Bucket list car for me, how has it treated you?

By the way, R.I.P. MWIR(I use to be w8lifter21 on all the forums back in the day, and actually I think I bought some Rota slips from you a few years back)

My brother and I shared a 92 9000 turbo. That thing was quick (we had a tune/3inch exhaust) and built like a tank.

My daily is a 2006 crew cab duramax. It has a tune and a 4 inch turbo back. Good, roomy, and air conditioned. It gets 18-20mpg back and forth to work, and can pull away from 350zs. I also have a smoke switch so that I can roll coal on shitty drivers on their phone or clogging the left lane when warranted. (Disclaimer: I am not the asshole who fumigates cyclists, pedestrians, and small car drivers for giggles).

I drive my Miata on days that it doesn't require AC, and I have remembered to fill the tank up (there are no convenient E85 stations on the way to work) and days without school, because I don't feel like getting it plowed into by some inattentive cell phone wielding heifer.

Hah! I still stay in touch with some of the old MWIR folks. Car is treating me well, costing a few bucks to maintain but thankfully nothing outside of what I estimated/expected as a car ages. It is also pretty damn amazing each time I go for a drive, instant smile and luxury that is still odd (but nice) even a year/half later.

Autox'd it over the weekend again, fresh shocks were so very much worth changing over.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a90333e587.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...ae5613a4bb.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...f3c931556d.jpg

2000 RS (UEL, KYB/Perrin, Nardi wheel, STI Ver 4 driver seat, endlinks w/WRX sways, vapes on vapes on vapes)
Attachment 230045

Beautiful RS. Every time I see a nice little Subaru I get bad thoughts.

My daily is as heavily modified as my Miata... on the inside. From the outside there are only a couple of visual cues there is something else going on. A true sleeper. 420whp & 470wtq @ 11psi & 4200rpm

2003 Infiniti FX35 (VQ35DE - same as 350Z & G35)
Custom Twin Scroll GT35R
Fully built motor
Haltech standalone
CJM Stage 3 fuel system
BC Coilovers
Carbon Fiber Driveshaft
Built 5AT
Exhaust dump solenoid
StopTech BBK
2011 Nissan GTR Wheels
Pirelli P0 Rosso
http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...w.jpg~original

http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...h.jpg~original

http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...y.jpg~original

Just sold the 1994 Miata so the only cars we have are daily drivers.

My daily is a 2001 Sentra SE 2.0 PP. Not terrible for an econobox (SR20DE, LSD, reasonably competent suspension), but after 230K miles, the age and cheapness of the B15 platform is definitely apparent.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Vt...Y=w800-h600-no

And my wife drives the family wagon, a 2007 RAV4 V6. It's fine, it does what it needs to. The engine (3.5l V6, 269 HP) is pretty beastly for a smallish SUV.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/s7...DlhB9k=s775-no

That FX is badass.

Indeed.

That would be an amazing DD.

Agreed. How do you smog that FX in Cali with a Haltech?

I don't. The car is registered out of state. Four years so far so good...

Far easier than converting back to stock every couple of years. ;)

Wow that's awesome! Do you have a build thread anywhere?

I do, on Infinitiscene.

https://www.infinitiscene.com/thread...m-build.39723/

http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...h.jpg~original

http://i425.photobucket.com/albums/p...k.jpg~original

You da real MVP

My daily is a 2011 Honda Fit base 5MT I bought brand new. It's actually what got me hooked on autocross and track after a friend egged me into going to a track day with it.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...076b1e3fcc.jpg

It may be slow, but it is super practical. Fits my whole drum kit in the trunk.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...05ceb8b5b4.jpg

Once I got the miata I got tired of the wallowy ride of the Fit so I threw some coils on it.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7395a9767a.jpg

Also did a nice sound system and some interior painting and such.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3e41b4e5a9.jpg

Purple steelies for winter cause I have an inner ricer in me somewhere...
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...42b138fc83.jpg

Pulled most of it apart recently to do some rust work and protection. Hoping it lasts another 5-8 years.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5efd29c8b0.jpg

I do about 2000 commuting miles a month, so this is my daily. It has autopilot so I can work in the car.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5a0dca4409.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9d241820a8.jpg

No wonder we don't hear from you.

:cry:

SWEET!!! Can a BP6 be installed in them? I mean, factory they are 1.3, right?

B6, BP, even a few FE3 and KL powered Festers running around.

My daily is a 07 Honda Fit automatic. Boring car but mpg is close to 35

Yeah just about every fwd mazda engine and trans has been swapped in. The 1.6 with the festiva trans is probably the easiest though.

Traded in the BRZ for this thing. It's much nicer to daily or road trip. Got a great deal on a '17 6-speed, as the new 18s had just been delivered. After two years with a Subaru/Toyota product, I forgot how alarmingly good Mazda is at manual transmissions. However, the hill assist is very annoying.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...72750a34e4.jpg

My wife thinks I'm maturing, and is pleased that I'm making such sensible decisions about transportation. Little does she know, wheels have been set in motion that cannot be stopped. A practical daily is step-one in a long con towards another loud, uncomfortable, usually broken, and highly impracticable miata. :party:

Just realized I don't have any photos of it. Basically this, but the wheels are a dark dark bronze. 415hp, seats 4, reliable as an anvil, lifetime average 20.3mpg. Will get 26mpg on pure highway hauls. It made me a believer in this newfangled technology that keeps invading my beloved cars.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...7cf30bf182.jpg

Soon to be this...https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...69c5cbb00.jpegI also have thishttps://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4ea1419b0.jpeg
Thishttps://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...bd873ee33.jpegThis onehttps://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...876b49ed6.jpeg
Orrrrrr this one. Just depends on which day of the week really. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...afa802564.jpeg

I wish my laguna blue paint looked that good still. I've also wanted a termi since I was 13 (when they came out basically).

Laguna only has like 60k miles on it, so that helps I think. I also recently corrected the paint half ass, and that brought a TON of life back into the painthttps://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1f401022c.jpegAs far as the terminator goes, I freaking love it! Always wanted one, got the best color, IMO, competition orange, and I’ll probably be buried in it, lol.

Awesome. One of my best memories is riding along at Hallett with my uncle in his tuned Termi. Seriously fast dam car.

I don't see many of you driving volvos.
This is my daily in the winter. I switch pretty evenly between the wagon and the miata in the summer, though I just picked this up in August so we will see how even it is next year.
Turbo, AWD wagon. Not a manual though. I call it the red rocket.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/DxkjiA68SP7vqBqn2https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...93f2b85c6e.jpg

I'm starting to lean toward a Focus RS for a DD/occasional HPDE vehicle.

They're just starting to hit the used market here. Between 10 and 30k miles but all are at or above 30 thousand dollars.

It's tempting, but other options for me are more practical.

Failed/Leaking Head Gasket Resource Thread

Something to consider

Yeah, I've seen that. Rumor is that Ford has a fix for all cars.

But then there are cars like the Vorshlag car that Terry's friend owns. It's been beat on since new and hasn't had any problems.

My two daily drivers in one picture: 2009 Mazdaspeed3 for summer commuting and backroad shredding and 2004 Silverado 2500HD (6.0 gas motor) for winter and towing.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...4327e2dd6e.jpg

Yes, the head gasket failures aren't isolated from what I've been following.

As far as the fix...3 more ft-lbs on the studs, and 2 less psi? Something on par with the PCM update for the E-diff over-temp issue.

My daily beater, an 07 Burb fully loaded. Too often I hear from people "Hey, you could open the rear hatch on that thing and put your Miata in there!"
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...5bbe288a99.jpg

Started my daily driver, (01 NB) in 0F temperature after sitting for 10 days just now.

Fired right up. What a great car. Haven't changed the battery in 6 years.

Nice, do you have the normal sized battery?

I have the deka ev14 i think, and it cranks kinda slow in 10*F

This is my daily, I call it "The Truck":

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/397/31...0466121b_b.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/773/31...c8d78a63_b.jpg

It has quite high mileage so it's not worth much at all. It's great to be able to throw the bikes in the back or other stuff and not worry about the car. In saying that I still try to take good care of it.

It has a turbo diesel engine so it gets quite good economy. It's no 135i but it's still surprisingly quick! Being RWD is fun, too.

Yeah. Just the regular battery. I believe it's from Walmart.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...1b120b9831.png


I'm starting to shop for a new car; I need more doors.

I think #1 on my list is a 2013 550i xDrive m-sport.

I drive a 2008 vw jetta as my daily. Have had it for 7 years and am shopping as well. I test drove a ford focus ST and really liked it! Not sure what else compares besides a GTI.

I was looking at them before I bought my WRX. they scream 18-24yo to me, and I don't like FWD.

but yeah, not a lot of hot hatch game anymore. you could Fiesta, Golf GTI or R, Mini S, older MS3, fiat 500, and the freaking veloster I guess...

My list is currently the 550i xdrive and CLS550 4matic. lol. I was considering the XF SC, but there's too much I dislike about it. The ATS V6 is on the long list. I was sold on a Q50s Hybrid AWD but the lack of a trunk and/or fold down rear seats was a deal breaker.

Yeah I'm a child at heart! Lol. They seem to oversteer when u get into turns hard which is fun! I like wrxs and will definitely be test driving them but not sure of newer body styling... i liked the 2011 hatches.

Those new jaguars look sharp. Sounds like your budget is way above mine lol! I think those focus RS' are glorious! I just dont want to spend 42k on a car

Just out of curiosity, what have you cross-shopped? Usually BMW, Merc, and Audi get shopped together, but Volvo seems to be trying to get into that market and I guess Lexus and Cadillac could get included sometimes.

Edit: it looks like you answered my question before I hit the post button. Did you look at Volvo at all? I haven't been in a Mercedes lately, but my Volvo is on par with the few BMWs I've been in in the past.

I daily my 2015 Sienna Limited. Once you get used to driving a Miata, the "man driving minivan" jokes tend to roll right off.

Fits in a normal parking spot. Amazing turning radius. 20-22 mpg. Some day my turbo Miata will beat it off the line. With the low floor, huge side doors and Airlift bags I put in the rear suspension, it hauls stuff like nothing else. I use it as a camper for weekend mountain biking trips; it fits a full sized cot with mattress easily, along with all my stuff. I'm trying to figure out how I can use it to tow the Miata to the track... tough to pull off with a 3500 lb limit though, unless I get a Featherlite trailer.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...a6f122ed49.jpg

The WRX does NOT oversteer, it PLOWS first, then oversteers a tiny bit out of the median you ran into. Such a disappointingly handling car. Mine even has aftermarket sways on it, where I had the rear on the stiff setting and front on softest. I was going to find a stock sway to toss on the rear it was that bad. Snow driving was treacherous.

the 4matic in my MB is AMAZING. He just this morning in the snow you have all the confidence in the world, you can control your drift angle with throttle and steering, it catches you getting into a understeer situation and correct it by send the power to any other wheel. it's truly awesome.

I had a LOT of gripes about the WRX (09 hatch) so I sold it for the MB. It was a bit quicker in a straight line (after tuning), but I love all the TQ out of my v6. I spent a LOT of time getting the throttle to not feel like a flaccid dick in my hands with that WRX too.

The S60 T5 AWD, I guess, would get tossed in there. Meh. the exterior styling is so forgettable and the interior looks like a cheap economy car with a minimalistic center console that was beyond outdated -- so glad they finally got rid of it.

I don't like that the AWD keeps 95% of the power to the front wheels, and only engages the rears in a slippery situation, unlike the XF which keeps 95% of the power in the rear wheels.

and a 6.6sec 0-60 is SLOW BALLS.

the new cx60 looks cool though, not that I'm in the market for it.


And I'm really not looking at Audis at all. there's a few I would really like, but, I'm not interested in a car that lives at the shop. Right now, the 550i hits all the points for me -- and there's tuning potential with the BMW where the rest don't really have the options for it. something like an instant extra 100hp with an ecu.

I also have the is350 AWD f-sport on the list, but the interior is a bit meh, and they are really $$$$$$$.

I'm really sad about the trunk of the Q50s, the hybrid engine gives you a 75 bump in hp and acts like a SC -- instant TQ anywhere in the powerband. Gets great MPG for the performance -- the regular V6 felt a bit underwhelming in comparison. I liked the interior and the car felt nice to drive.

the E-series is not really doing it for me for MB. I'd want an E550, but for my price range, that would keep in the body style before the redesign and I think that's a pretty boring design. Honestly, I'd buy my same car again in 4dr. But here's the stupid thing. I have a C350 4matic. So a 3.5L AWD. In the sedan, if you want the 3.5L, you can only get it in the RWD Sport model. If you want 4matic, you can only get it in the 3.0L non-sport model. really annoys me.

I don't know anything about them but I've seen a new Volvo S90 around town a couple of times and it looks really sharp. But I never buy new vehicles because I hate the idea of new vehicle depreciation.

better for sure, but out of price range.