miata as a daily driver?

after figuring up my taxas and filing on turbotax, i found that im getting a $973 tax return. this plus the money ive got in savings will make a decent down payment. i took nearly 1000 out a few months back and bought a new handgun, an Hechler & Koch USP Tactical in 45auto. now im wishing that i had the extra for the downpayment. i think after getting the money, im gonna start looking to buy the miata. ive seen a few MSMs for around 15K (classic mazda in denton has 3 used MSMs right now). if i can find one for around that price, ill probably spring for it, if not im looking to spend about 12-13 on an LS with around 50K miles.

ive been doing alot of thinking recently about having a miata as an only car. i could keep the saturn, but ive had it since high school and im ready to just wash my hands of it and get something new. if i were to keep it- itd mean an extra $100 a month insurance and twice the registration,inspection and maintenance costs as well.

there arent alot of cars that i am REALLY interested in. ive thought about buying a 2000 or 2001 S2000, but the insurance is rediculous. nearly as much as the car payment, and ive got a flawless driving record.

no car makes me grin as big as a miata in the same price range. im 24, no kids, so i do really see a problem with the size of the car other than a little less comfort. i have to carry equipment for work every now and then, but i guess i could take the company vans from now on when i have to.

any advice or....well....anything?

You might want to call you agent and see what the insurance is for Miata alone vs Saturn as DD and Miata as second car. I was surprised how little it was to have an extra car insured.

Get the Miata. If you ever need to haul more, then HF to the rescue ::Banana::

I think you said it best, "no car makes me grin as big as a miata". :D

At 24... you should wait until you turn 25. Your insurance costs will drop like a rock.

RJ

The Miata is great as a daily for those of us who are unencumbered by family, band equipment, spools of cable, etc.!

You might just want to put some thought into what tires you use on a daily. I've run across a few bits of road on frozen mornings that are less than inspiring on Azenis. :punchout:
Aside from that, go for it! You won't regret it! :drive:

My 99' is a daily driver. I do have a truck for backup in case the weather sucks or I need to haul something bigger than a breadbox. ::Flag::

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Originally Posted by sammm

My 99' is a daily driver. I do have a truck for backup in case the weather sucks or I need to haul something bigger than a breadbox. ::Flag::

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How far do you drive to work again?

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Originally Posted by sammm

My 99' is a daily driver. I do have a truck for backup in case the weather sucks or I need to haul something bigger than a breadbox. ::Flag::

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:cat:


I MOVED in a Miata. All my belongings except what wouldn't fit in it.

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Originally Posted by juxt3r

The Miata is great as a daily for those of us who are unencumbered by family, band equipment, spools of cable, etc.!

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+1

I've had a wild assortment of daily drivers - from the balls-out Z28 to the $600 beater RX-7 to the Big Beast 4x4 Suburban to the 20-yr-old gray market BMW - and I finally decided that not only was I going to buy a Miata, but I was going to make it work as my daily driver. So far, it's been the best car I've had in a long while - it makes you simplify things. I'm getting ready to take it on a big 1600 mile road trip, so I'll report back on that in a couple of weeks...

Anyhow, the short of it is: GO FOR IT! :burnrubr:

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Originally Posted by tailchaser

How far do you drive to work again?

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:D :clap:

My day job includes transportation so my Miata is a garage queen.

But my wife has a Miata as a daily driver and she loves it!

My Miata is my only vehicle, so daily driving is a given. I love it, the top is down almost all the time, and despite the ice and snow my car has performed beautifully lately. I also loaded it to the gills when I moved out here, and it carried more than I thought. And for me, nothing is more relaxing that the 5 hour drive home with the top down.

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Originally Posted by tailchaser

How far do you drive to work again?

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It's about a 20' walk from my bed to my desk. :cat:

I used mine as a daily driver for most of the five years I owned it. In fact, when I bought it I had a Civic sedan that was my daily driver, and the Miata was supposed to be the "weekends only" car. Long story short, I sold the Civic not long after buying the Miata because it was the car I always left at home!

My MSM is my daily driver. I put about 30,000 miles a year on a vehicle and this one is no exception. My insurance rates went up $1 per six month policy when I switched from the 04 Hybrid Civic.

I love my car.

awesome. thanks for the replies. cant wait to get my tax return and start looking.

I practically live out of my car driving all over the metro-mess to different hockey rinks and friend's places. Only problem I have is fitting my players equipment or when I need to say pick up my engine from the shop. One option for the Miata is to get the trailer hitch and you can get all types of attachements for it, such as a luggage basket thing to strap stuff to.

this car has been sitting at Town North for 3 months- seriously. wonder if i could get them to deal? LOL.

linky

http://images.autotrader.com/images/..._A.562x421.jpg

freeman mazda in irving ALWAYS has a few used miatas on hand. more than any other dealerships usually. hancock in mesquite charges more than any other stealerships ive seen. they had a 99 base model with 26k on the clock- wanted 12900 for it. drove it a few weeks ago.

im limited to buying fom dealerships because of my nonexistant credit. ive already talked to my bank (BOA). they wouldnt finance me, and if they would have itd been at 10-something %. everyone gets that rate if they qualify.

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Originally Posted by RX7-2nr

after figuring up my taxas and filing on turbotax, i found that im getting a $973 tax return. this plus the money ive got in savings will make a decent down payment. i took nearly 1000 out a few months back and bought a new handgun, an Hechler & Koch USP Tactical in 45auto. now im wishing that i had the extra for the downpayment. i think after getting the money, im gonna start looking to buy the miata. ive seen a few MSMs for around 15K (classic mazda in denton has 3 used MSMs right now). if i can find one for around that price, ill probably spring for it, if not im looking to spend about 12-13 on an LS with around 50K miles.

ive been doing alot of thinking recently about having a miata as an only car. i could keep the saturn, but ive had it since high school and im ready to just wash my hands of it and get something new. if i were to keep it- itd mean an extra $100 a month insurance and twice the registration,inspection and maintenance costs as well.

there arent alot of cars that i am REALLY interested in. ive thought about buying a 2000 or 2001 S2000, but the insurance is rediculous. nearly as much as the car payment, and ive got a flawless driving record.

no car makes me grin as big as a miata in the same price range. im 24, no kids, so i do really see a problem with the size of the car other than a little less comfort. i have to carry equipment for work every now and then, but i guess i could take the company vans from now on when i have to.

any advice or....well....anything?

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If there's ANY way you can hold out for the MSM do it. Trust me on this. Yes, insurance is a little higher, but perhaps that could be shopped around? That's what we did... ended up switching insurance. Ours wanted $90 a month more and I'm 37 with a clean record! Now we're on State Farm for "only" $45/mo more. At 25 your rates will drop (and then again just after 30... 32 was when mine dropped again). Find your own financing. Go to Lending Tree.com. There's an option to do an auto loan. I did that to buy my MSM and ended up with 1/2 the interest rate so that my monthly payment went up one dollar and I put nothing down. So... it can be done. Finding your own lender is easy, but dealers don't like it because they don't get the "kickback" from it.

If you're giving your next car this much thought, give some thought to your processes to make it work for you. Unless your credit is a TOTAL spiraling pit of despair, you can do it. Don't settle.

Good luck,
Aku

Why do dealerships (Who should KNOW better) get the colors wrong?

That's a Splash Green Mica - same color as mine. ;)

Don't settle if your heart is set on the MSM. Wait, put money in the bank, and be patient.

RJ

Go for the MSM, while I am a little biased, It is a great car wit heverything but CC from the factory. And with a few bolt ons you get lots o power

I've had a Miata for a daily driver for more than 4 years. Prior to selling my business, I even ran service calls in it, all over the MetroMess. I did eventually buy a cash truck, when I busted my tranny at SCCA TMS. The truck is strictly a spare, but I do use it to work on my rental properties.

I agree with Magma, go for the MSM, then you'r setup for some easy extra power, when your ready for it.

WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO

my tax return was accepted and i should have the extra $1000, direct deposited in "as little as 9 days" according to turbotax. 7 days actually, its already been 2.

::Banana::

ive been thinking about holding out of the MSM. i need to get some insurance qoutes. ive been qouted ~$160/month on the 01 LS. im paying $100/month for liability on the saturn. wont be 25 until october 2007. ::Censor::

I pay less than $500 every 6 months for full coverage on the MSM as a pleasure vehicle(Even though it is my DD)

I think you should buy a '91 RX-7 convertible for a daily driver!!! ;)

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Originally Posted by Magma

I pay less than $500 every 6 months for full coverage on the MSM as a pleasure vehicle(Even though it is my DD)

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Yeah, but you are over age 25. He is not!

BTW I pay less than $400/6 months on my policy as a daily driver with full coverage and a $50/250 deductable.:D

what kinda mileage do you MSM guys get? is it that much worse?

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Originally Posted by Miatamoto

I think you should buy a '91 RX-7 convertible for a daily driver!!! ;)

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Man that would be sooo sweet but where could one find a pristine example of a '91 RX-7 Convertible???

;)

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Originally Posted by POS Racing

Man that would be sooo sweet but where could one find a pristine example of a '91 RX-7 Convertible???

;)

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Wow, I just stumbled across this thread, looks like a great deal:

http://forums.dfwmiata.com/showthread.php?t=7494

;)

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Originally Posted by RX7-2nr

what kinda mileage do you MSM guys get? is it that much worse?

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I get on average of 23ish mpg driving 60 miles a day on Bush

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Originally Posted by Magma

I get on average of 23ish mpg driving 60 miles a day on Bush

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on, or in to?


Wow... that works on multiple levels. ::Banana::

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Originally Posted by Magma

I used to pay less than $500 every 6 months for full coverage on the MSM as a pleasure vehicle(Even though it is my DD) before my rates went up.

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Edited for accuracy. ::Clown::