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Our grand-daughter(that lives with us) will soon be getting her driver's license and we have decided that she will be better suited for a truck than a Miata. Looking to trade for a 1997 or new Ranger,S10 or Dakota. Must be of equal valve, have automatic transmission and air conditioning. Send e-mail address for pictures and more info.
Is this the Miata with no doors, qtr panels, hood,, etc? :D
LOL-No this is a complete silver 1991 model, but I will throw in the red 1990 shell of a car.
Why not teach her how to drive a stick shift??? One less driver on the road that uses their left foot on the brake all the time.
BTW, the Miata would be a lot safer in an accident if she has one and be able to avoid one a lot better.
I do not think it would be safer than a pickup.
Ask those around here that have had first hand experience in an accident and I would bet that they would disagree. Trucks do not have to pass the same rigerous safety standards as cars to be put on the road.
http://www.dfwmiata.com/showthread.p...ete&highlight=
Lots of folks think that. But it's not true. Don't go by gut feeling or "common knowledge". Look up the facts.Quote:
Originally Posted by cliff
While I feel Miatas are very safe cars, the laws of physics do suggest that - being properly belted-in with an airbag - a vehicle with a greater mass has more intertia and is able to absorb more force than a smaller mass. Also, in a pickup, the passenger area is less-likely to be penetrated by the other vehicle due to its location above average bumper level.
Having been a foolish teenager, a Miata would have inspired me to take corners faster and attempt maneuvers that were beyond my skill-level. Pickup FTW (4-cyl or V6). Personally, I vote for 10-15 yr old base-model Camry, Accord or Taurus for a teenager, but that's just my $ 0.02.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OZMDD
I agree-living in East Texas with nothing but 2 lane curvy roads and an inexperience driver could be trouble in a Miata. Kids do stupid things and you can do a lot of stupid things with a small two seat topless car.
Meh... I drove a Nissan pickup in highschool. Still did plenty of stupid things. RWD and not much weight on the rear wheels had me spinning tires and sliding the back end of the truck out regularly.
This. Plus a truck + a blanket (or towel in a pinch) = boom chika mow mow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
There's a reason so many young kids start out in a 10 year old civic, accord, camry or corolla. Slow, cheap, safe, understeer city, boring, etc.
just put a roll bar in the Miata and give it to her
Always the ladies man!Quote:
Originally Posted by goofygrin
Civic FTW!! Interesting statistic about the Ranger.
I think I've found the ultimate teen-mobile:
1979 Olds DIESEL!
Attachment 4286Attachment 4287
I drive a 2008 Ranger and my wife drives a 2004 Trailblazor. Both made the list as unsafe
I'm a small-car fan, but as an engineer the "Small cars are safe" argument is a pet peeve of mine. NHTSA frontal crash testing involves crashing a car into a solid immobile barrier. In this configuration a frontal crash test of a 2400 lb Miata simulates two Miatas hitting head-on. A frontal crash test of a 5000 lb vehicle simulates two 5000 lb vehicles hitting head-on. The best way to think of it is that the immobile barrier is a mirror. Whatever car is crashing into the barrier is effectively being hit by an identical vehicle. The offset frontal test that the IIHS does has the same limitation: it simulates a car impacting its twin. NHTSA and IIHS side impact tests use rams weighing 3000 or 3300 depending on the entity. None of these tests reflect the risk we take any time we drive a small car in DFW.
None of the NHTSA or IIHS crash tests (unless something has changed that I'm not aware of) simulate different size vehicles hitting each other. Small cars look safer than they are because crash tests simulate crashes with small cars. In the real world, small cars remain dangerous in collisions with large vehicles because of physics. If you are driving a Miata 35 mph and are hit head-on by a 6000 lb Suburban going 35 mph, your car is going to be crumpled, whatever is left of the Miata (and you) will be going backwards at some rate of speed, and you might be dead. This example will yield a far worse result than what is predicted in the NHTSA 35mph frontal crash test. We're living in Texas, do you expect to hit another Miata, or a Suburban? Or Hummer? Or 3/4 ton truck? Or Expedition? Or Sequoia... The sales statistics aren't on our side. When we quote NHTSA or IIHS crash ratings we must also be aware of, and provide, their limitations.
A son or daughter just getting a driving license (thereby assuming driving skills are green) is safer in a heavier vehicle, all other things being equal (ie. safety features). And this is definitely not to advocate getting a Ranger or other pickup. They have their own drawbacks already mentioned (RWD with no weight over the drive wheels; and if you get an older one, you may be sacrificing equalizers such as stability control and ABS). In my personal opinion, the right place to start is something like a new or very-late-model Honda Accord, Chevy Impala, boring as those options may sound.
I own a Miata, and I commute in either that or an '06 Civic. I'm comfortable with the compromise between risk, fuel economy, emergency maneuverability, and my driving skill. But those aren't the factors I consider when my wife and I shop for a vehicle for our family. In this case, I'm more concerned with what happens when a Texas-style vehicle swerves into my wife's lane while she has our two girls riding in the back seat. I can guarantee you one thing, she will be armed with more than a 5-Star crash rated Honda Fit.
The NCAP (euro) tests do involve the subject car being hit by a few "standard" cars like Mercedes sedans.
The Miata (MX-5) fairs OK in the tests relative to other cars. The NB Miata received 4 of 5 stars.
http://www.euroncap.com/tests/mazda_mx_5_2002/120.aspx
i vote old vw. my 85 vw jetta took a near head on 35mph collision and i walked away without a scratch, albeit i was a bit sore for a few days.
I went from 0 to 40mph to 0 in less than 1 second. The force was so great, that the faceplate of the radio (never before removed) popped off into the front seat. The inside rear view mirror (never before removed) came off the windshield and hung by it's power cable.
I was stopped in the left lane on Royal behind an Expedition when a Grand Cherokee came up about 45 mph and hit me because he was looking off to the side rubber necking. I don't think I'd have walked from it if I were in a Miata and I would've been dead if on my bike. Here's what I was in.
Airbags didn't deploy either.
Big, heavy, boring. Those are the features to look for in a car for a first time driver.