This.Originally Posted by stat1K
This.
i'd say that the ae86 stood out simply because none of the japanese manufacturers were doing a rear driver with a decent twin cam at the time.
no it dosnt deserve the cult following it has, not at all.
if toyota done an s2k type motor and whacked it in the new ae86, it would be the shiznit, and thats official!
honda need to resurrect the s2k or do the crx as a rwd with the s2k.
the mx5/miata is a hairdressers car. gayer than all hell.
its the liberace of cars, all flair and styling but has a wrist limper than wet bread.
I take it that you've never driven one. It's pretty obvious, actually.
an mx5? yeah, have driven a few.
i'm an auto electrician by trade and bout 75% towards my mechanics qual when i changed to electrical. so i've driven a few cars
found the original to be under powered and understeery. if mazda stuck the bfmr familia manifolds on it from the start, it might be a different story.
the later 1.8 was not much different and the 1.8 turbo just made them worse.
as for the ae86, a good friend has one with a formula atlantic 4age motor,quaife gearset and trd diff......
that goes alright, but that cost him $40 k
i'd take the ae86 over the mx5 myself.
i never bought in to the mx5 bs, just found them boring and slow.
Last edited by Hauntd ca3; 09-02-2012 at 10:33 PM.
From what I understand, that's the engine that Bunta installed in Takumi's AE86 in Initial D, the FA 4AGE motor.
I still contend that you've never really driven one. If you've driven one, you wouldn't consider it a hairdresser's car. There's a reason a Miata is often the fastest car at an autocross. It's the same reason you see so many 240's at drift competitions here in the US. They're very good at it, and they aren't very expensive. Even on a "real" race track, it's not uncommon for drivers in Miatas to chase down far more powerful cars.
I saw an FRS near Universal City Walk yesterday. First one of them I had seen. Looks kinda cool, but I've never been a fan of scion, so once I saw it was a scion I kinda lost interest in it. But that's probably just because I can't stand those stupid box cars they came out with years ago. This car has a decent look to it at least, compared to previous scions. However, in my opionon something on the rear quarterpanel area looks kinda off.
there popping up every where in the city i reside in along with those stupid Tc's !.. iv yet to see a brz though kinda wanna compare face to face
think what you want to think, i just dont think the mx5/miata is that great of a car.
me and my friend with the ae86 both use to motorkhana our mark1 minis, against guys with miatas,ae86's, ae92, datsun 1600sss etc. its was only on the sections with relatively high speeds where any of them would beat our 850cc minis.
when you grow up around british sports cars, ie, e type jags, mg A twin cams and Bgt,s , lotus 7s and 11s, or just small english sports cars in general, a miata just isnt that fantastic when its just a japanese version of something you'd been around for most of your life. the electrics where just better in the mazda is all.
and i dont really like the idea of the ft86, rehashes of old cars usually suck balls. new mustang,charger/challenger,camaro etc are perfect examples of how not to do it
just because something is common place doesn't make it any less of a good car?
dead white and blue
I'm not sure I get what's wrong with the Mustang and Camaro? They're fast around a track and in a straight line. And the engines are highly efficient for cars that make 350+ horsepower.
Another point for the Miata is its large size in comparison to British roadsters, such as the Lotus Elan that was the inspiration for the NA Miata, is its relative large size. I am 6' even, 240 pounds, and I fit in a Miata quite well. I'd have to modify the seating position and likely change out the seat in something like a Spitfire.
One totally off-topic car that I don't think gets enough attention in performance circles is the lowly locost. Quite simple a slightly larger Lotus 7 clone that you can purchase as a kit, as individual parts, and as turn key cars. I've seen them built out of scrap metal tubing. That's what I want to do with a Miata. Miatas have an excellent chassis, and its light. I'd personally center mine around a Miata rollerskate.
I don't think these rehashes have all been bad. The thing is that they sell. They sell tons of them. The vast majority of cars I see around here are Chevy Camaros, Ford Mustangs, Jeep Wranglers, and all of the big pickup trucks. All of these vehicles have been made for a long time. They all sell like hot cakes.
I've been looking for something new and have always liked the Mazda 3 5 door. I was getting ready to get a new 3 with a manual and a Speed3 popped up local. I went to look at it and couldn't resist.
I'll tell ya this as for performance mods it aint cheap. The main drawback I've found is they have the computer squashing performance in the first 3 gears down low. I can get a tuner to fix it but that is $600. The list goes on and on with mods after that. It is just crazy. I kick myself for not going home and thinking it over. But it is fun in traffic and will get up and go when I mash the go pedal. I like the Toyota in the pictures it looks alot like older Supra's.
'86 Accord LXi Sedan my dependable daily driver w\318k. "Why yes I do have a 3GEEE!"
while i'm not a fan of the camaro (sitting in one feels like you're in a tank) i do like the mustang. I know the original rehashing of both of these or at least the updates through the years have not been all great but what car company hasn't biffed a few models? (cross tour anyone?).
dead white and blue
true
I love the Mustang format but the Challenger fits me a whole lot better! Cobra seating is just a little narrow in the hip.
Kentwat, a new MS3 is cheaper than the highest trim Mazda3, and it has more options and more power. I never understood how that worked, but it happens. I actually got into an argument with a salesman at a dealership over that.
Do try to find a Cobb Accessport. Sure, a new one is $600, but it's the best $600 you'll spend on a single part for that car.
I'm not saying he mx5 is small at all. i'm 6,5 and 200lbs and i do find them quite comfy to drive. you might be surprised to find how the british sports cars fit. i could fit quite easily in to my 1967 mini and with a bit of fiddling around can get into an early elan. the elan wasnt what i'd want to drive for to long, but were fun none the less.
the lotus seven style of car is quite popular here, with a local company doing them ckd or turn key to your spec. they once built one with a 20b rotor for a japanese customer.
they can usually be optioned with an extended cockpit for people like me
at nigh on 2 meters tall.
they do tend to be a bit expensive tho.
round the 40k for a turn key speced out version.
as for the factory rehashes, by that i mean the return to the old 60's lookalike. i know they never really stopped making them, but a 4cylinder turbo mustang? i mean, wtf were they thinking!
the company i work for , we do electrical work for a car importer that brings in cars from the states before they go for inspection.
the old camaros etc are built better than the new ones for starters.
the new cars trim is cheap and really quite nasty compaired to even a realitvely budget japanese or european shopping trolley.
they may handle ok, but put new susp and tyre tech in to the old version, and they handle pretty bloody well to. not to mention they sound better,look better , they are built better.
the us motor co's have been going downhill in every respect since the late 60's, apart from safety bits and emissions, but i dont give a shit bout emissions and airbags.
i know the rehashes of the classics are trying to reclaim some of the past glory etc, but they as well do it right.
fuck safety and emissions, most of us petrol heads couldnt care less bout them, give us what we want, not what the designers think we want .
the ford gt for example, give me a break.
if you want a gt40, buy a replica.
a real hairy chested, big block, gurney bubbled ,60's beast and not this gay, sanitised chunk of midlife crisis.
there is a guy here in town that builds them so accurately, that when he couldnt get the right carbs when he wanted them,he started to make them from scratch.
Ya Vanilla that is going to be my first purchase. I need to donate to 3geez for all of the help and knowledge that I've received from here. I've been searching Mazda forums and you can't hardly even ask a question without getting flamed. It is just crazy how being behind a keyboard and monitor can create a UFC champ with Einsteins IQ in 10 seconds flat. Enough of the rant. Back to new car reviews.
'86 Accord LXi Sedan my dependable daily driver w\318k. "Why yes I do have a 3GEEE!"
Head over to http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum if you want a good general automotive site. The collective knowledge there is staggering.
Everything GM I've worked on that was made between the mid 70's and the mid 2000's had the absolutely worst build quality of anything I've worked with. Their stuff has been getting better, not worse. It's still not as nice to work on as some cars, but they're tolerable. I know my Astra is simple to work on.
I have also driven my fair share of British and German cars. I've never been terribly comfortable in any of them to be honest. The only ones that come close have had new seats and seat mounts installed. Miatas need a seat mod to be comfortable, but it's a mod, not a replacement.
I did get to drive a BRZ briefly earlier tonight. I didn't get to abuse it, but it felt alright. It felt fairly pedestrian around town to be honest. I'll reserve judgement until I get to drive one harder.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks