Re: New Miata

I just saw the ad for the new MX-5, ex-Miata. I have to say its pretty nice looking.

With Porsche moving its sports cars further upmarket and away from the basic sports car experience, I'm wondering whether they're going to start losing customers to this car.

I know a lot of people on this board started with a Miata and moved up to Porsche Boxsters because in a lot of ways its a better car, and, I gather, more comfortable on the track or on long drives. However, with its abandonment of the 718, the company seems determined to follow the path Rolex and Land Rover have taken away from producing products that are status symbols because they are quality products that cost more because they reflect craftsmanship and do the job better toward producing products that are status symbols because they are status symbols.

I'm as big a sucker for the cachet of Porsche as anyone, but I wish they wouldn't forget their original market. Mazda hasn't. I'd be interested in hearing what former Miata owners think.

2001 Base, purchased in 2004, replaced engine at 130K+, RIP 2017

I have owned 2 Mazda 626s and both were very good cars.

Back when I was looking for my 4th roadster after 30+ years without and sampling possible models, I climbed in a Miata. I never drove it, I simply didn't fit, the top of the windshield obscured my vision, etc. I got the impression it was designed for smaller people than my 6' 200lbs. Kinda like the back seat in a Mazda 3.

I bought the first Boxster I sat in after less than a 3 mile drive. It simply fit. So had 2 '60s Alfas and a '70 914. The Honda S2000 and Miata not.

So while I like the concept, the power, the price, the manual top, etc, it is all in the dimensions and the feel and I haven't seen one yet to sit in it and see how it fits me.

Quote
JackintheBoxster
I just saw the ad for the new MX-5, ex-Miata. I have to say its pretty nice looking.

With Porsche moving its sports cars further upmarket and away from the basic sports car experience, I'm wondering whether they're going to start losing customers to this car.

I know a lot of people on this board started with a Miata and moved up to Porsche Boxsters because in a lot of ways its a better car, and, I gather, more comfortable on the track or on long drives. However, with its abandonment of the 718, the company seems determined to follow the path Rolex and Land Rover have taken away from producing products that are status symbols because they are quality products that cost more because they reflect craftsmanship and do the job better toward producing products that are status symbols because they are status symbols.

I'm as big a sucker for the cachet of Porsche as anyone, but I wish they wouldn't forget their original market. Mazda hasn't. I'd be interested in hearing what former Miata owners think.

Well said. Our first venture back into the sports car market--after I sold the 73 TR6 and the 69 Vette--was a 91 Miata. A bit snug, but it hit all the right buttons and was bullet proof from a reliability standpoint.
I also like the new model (and the previous one as well) since it stays with the original concept while addresssing the interior space issue of the first generation model.

Regarding Porsche and entry level models, I think they've seen the future and their future doesn't include any price points in the sub $40K price range. As a premium model car maker, they see their used cars as the way forward for anything below $40k rather than another model and from their perspective, I think it makes perfect sense. No additional R&D/tooling costs and the like for a model which may have very limited appeal and end up taking sales away from the 981 platform. They've gotten used to those "uber" profit margins and probably have little use for a new model that won't deliver the same.

no profit for them either. Strikes me as possibly a good strategy for a company that is a unit in a large conglomerate and only wants a particular niche of customers. The rest of us can keep on buying used Porsches, which makes the company no money, or buy a new Miata and use the savings to pick up a motorcycle on the way home.

As a former Miata owner, and an 8-year 987 owner, the difference in the driving experience is dramatic. I drove both a LOT, cross-country, freeways, backroads, you name it.

The Miata is excellent for what it is.

But, the 987, and now ever more so, the 981, are in an entirely different league. I'm not referring to status, rather performance - handling, engine, ergonomics (and even cargo capacity) - as well as the quality of the build - the interior etc.

The 981 was not designed or built as a status symbol. It is an extraordinarily performing sports car, which acquits itself better than supercars from a decade ago, yet is offered at a fraction of the price.

I suspected as much.

I had an interesting conversation with a specialist mechanic who said that as a sports car, the 911 beats the Boxster, but as an overall driving maching or daily commuter, he'd take the Boxster.

I have to say that my 986, with more than 140,000 miles on it it still comfortable on long trips, as well as fun for tearing around rural roads. I've also used it to commute to work and find it fine for that, and the two trunks are really an advantage for weekend trips. Much of what I've read about the Miata leads me to believe it is like my friend's old MGB in that it's a lot of fun but no good for much beyond weekend drives -- which makes some sense as Miata was aiming for exactly that aesthetic.

2001 Base, purchased in 2004, replaced engine at 130K+, RIP 2017