Three problems with my Talon:
Starter motor failed at 95,000 - covered under the extended warranty.
Sunroof has squeaked, creaked and groaned since 15,000 - infuriating!
I hated the leather seats, so I bought a set of factory cloth seats - perfect.
Other than an M3, what else compares?
The Talon doesn't handle or stop quite as well, but it does have AWD and a 40% lower price.
There is nothing under $30k that compares, functionally. Claw-hammer reliability, nothing other than routine maintenance and a starter motor in almost 100,000 very hard miles - I don't know what else I could ask for?
There are plenty of cars under 30k that are comparable. Don't get me wrong my best friend drives a 98 Talon TSI AWD and it is an amazing car, but I have a 90' Miata basically stock with Koni's and a stabilizer and I beat him by at least 4 seconds in every auto-cross event we have gone to. (he always wins vs the other talons too)
As the original poster - the only Miata to beat me at autocross is Kevin Camire's T28 turbo'd SM2 Miata. But if you autocross then you know that it's 90% driver, 10% car until you run at the Topeka Nationals. There's still nothing with the all-around capabilities for under $40k - except for the 2003 model EVO VIII and the mid-2003 WRX STi. I also ice raced my 98 every winter since I bought it - want to know where the Miatas finished? Not anywhere near my Talon :-) Miatas are beautifully balanced cars, but they do not have the all-weather capabilities of an AWD Talon.
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