23rd Mar 2010, 07:57

I would call the 69 Boss 302 a sports car, or at least the Cobra that averaged 150 mph at LeMans for 12 straight hours.

23rd Mar 2010, 15:09

I wouldn't consider any Mustang a "Sports Car".

I wouldn't consider a V6 Mustang a "Muscle Car"

The Ford Mustang is a "Pony Car" - the very first Pony Car.

Personally, I would take the Miata :) Except maybe if you were talking about a mint 1965 Mustang Convertible with a V8 - THAT would be a blast for Sunday drives in the summer (but then so would the Miata)!

26th Mar 2010, 08:13

Just curious why you'd only opt for a Mustang with a V-8 when you'd clearly choose the 4 cylinder Miata overall anyhow? Even a V-6 Mustang has more punch than the Miata, even though the handling isn't as sharp.

They really do need to add a little more oomph to the dated Miata powertrain. They should do a touring version with the 263 hp turbo from the Speed3. That would be an amazing car for sure. I am sure someone has one somewhere out there. I know they used to put 5.0 V-8's in them too, as a custom aftermarket job, which would make a really fun car.

26th Mar 2010, 15:57

To make this clear, I'm not the person who wrote the comment your responding too.

I think putting the engine from the MazdaSpeed 3 into the Miata would not be a wise decision. The Miata is a very light vehicle, and putting in that much power would completely ruin the handling aspect of the Miata. It would oversteer WAY too much. Power isn't everything.

The Miata may benefit from a few more horses, but not to much more. As I said before, it's a very light car (2447 pounds to be exact. Very light by today's standards) it doesn't need a lot of power to go fast (like a Mustang does).

The Miata could use a bit more torque I would say, 140 ft. lbs. is a little low. But 167 horses for a car that light is plenty. Bring the torque up to around 160 and I think the Miata would be just about perfect.

28th Mar 2010, 15:24

With a touring package, they would more than likely put a suspension under the car that would make the most out of that 263 hp though. Look at the S2000 with 240 hp. It works really well and is an amazing driver. There is always room for improvement on any car. Even a 200 hp/ 200 lb ft of torque engine would be amazing in the Miata. It just seems like it has dragged along for so long with an underpowered drivetrain. I know that they do sell well too though, so I am sure Mazda doesn't feel the need to produce a higher performance level car.

4th Sep 2017, 04:35

It's not a wannabe sports car, it's considered a sports car. By the way, the Cobra is the high performance Mustang, not the regular V8.

4th Sep 2017, 11:56

I love the initial heading on this review. You have to wonder then why women live longer than men. In many cases we had great cars before we met them. And during the marriage we often heard when are we getting rid of them? Again we bought and paid for them prior to getting married. Yet what do they get rid of? Just an interesting observation to share.

5th Sep 2017, 21:33

Sounds like a personal problem with your particular relationship. Don't project your marital strife on the rest of the world.

Thanks.

6th Sep 2017, 12:05

I did not make that comment, but I took it as light-hearted commentary on something many of us have seen with ourselves, family, friends, or co-workers. You are a fortunate man (in one way or the other) if you bought a brand-new sports car before marriage, and got to keep it even after major events like buying a home, having kids, etc.

6th Sep 2017, 19:07

I made that comment. If I hadn't made that very smart sports car move when single long ago, I would be driving blasé, super practical, boring nonsense. I sold and bought other very collectible ones, moving up along the way. Never went into the household money. You are absolutely right on raising kids and family. So if any of you are listening and are still single, buy before. You never have to hear grief or being selfish. And when your kids grow up, are educated etc and you are old, hand them the keys. They didn't dip in their marital money to buy a now considerable cost vehicle.

7th Sep 2017, 14:19

I wrote the comment to which you replied. Oh, the things I wish someone had hammered into my brain many years ago. Your advice, along with going into a skilled trade, would have been amazing. Sure, I am happy with my white collar life as it is, but sometimes a man just cannot help but think about what could have been. I may have missed the boat in buying an older car that is now a collectible, but I could still get a future collectible. Now what non-exotic, late model car will end up being a collectible? This is a topic I really look out for on these threads.

7th Sep 2017, 18:09

Glad to help. I don't expect everyone to share my opinion, but it's an easier route to go. Often than not, marital money gets pooled together. If you part with a car, it may not be replaced anytime soon. There are definitely supportive spouses, but I preferred to not change that topic. Not everyone understands the financial outlay IR purpose of highly restored cars that are only driven lightly. At best in my case, as well as a few of my car friends, are that our wives only enjoy the social aspect. Going to nice destinations or dinners in our car clubs. I have been in a few different clubs. Even if club or cruise nights aren't done by everyone, it's often hard to justify driving so little. Like picking up a Sunday paper in one. My comment isn't about a cheap beater. It's more on a higher end expensive car. You can wait til retirement and treat yourself that way with your 401k, but that's typically a while.

8th Sep 2017, 16:06

Maybe the GT500 coming up in a year may be a future collectible. But if you can afford that, then you could buy a great vintage one. My theory is an old one that climbs up on value and a new sports car that drops. Hopefully you don't get hit hard if at all on new car depreciation that way.

9th Sep 2017, 11:42

I had more disposable money single then being married. Even after buying a home and owning 2 cars, no credit card debt being single. And after getting married, my wife made even more than I, so why do we have less? A question I never could figure out. My car friends laugh because they buy things we don't need. Like curtains, nail salons, pocketbooks, heels in every color etc instead of towards a really great car that you often see on this forum. This isn't an isolated example as I actually experienced this twice. Make more, but have less than solo. Toys are usually the first to go. If you bought before, have no guilt, hang onto them! Or sell up and buy another right away the same day if possible while you can.