I just went from a Lincoln Town Car to a Miata Sport and my insurance went DOWN; I was quite surprised and absolutely LOVE the Miata! It is my only car and quite workable for me as such (my soon-to-be wife has a Camry so we are set when the time comes). Everybody I read says that the Miata is a girly car, but I have never seen or known a girl to drive one; maybe that is just the area (Austin TX). To me there is no such thing as a girly car, only what you yourself like (who cares what others think?). Get a Miata and have a blast!
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Fun 2nd car with stick?
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That's bs. I own a '95 Miata R-package. It comes in triple black with factory spoilers and air dams as well as no power steering, windows, locks, cruise, etc. Stock it comes with racing Bilstein shocks. The only option it has is AC. Wouldn't call it girly.
I was pondering for a while about replacing it with S2k and drove several. AP2 is definitely better than AP1 but neither one was as fun as my Miata. Neither was the 350Z convertible I test drove as well. It was quite sad how this little car spoiled it for me. So I ended up keeping it at least for now. Maybe a Lotus some day?
The Miata doesn't look much different than the S2000, but I think it's the name "Miata" that sounds more girl than guy. They are both great cars.
The WRX is too boy-racer, especially with the large spoiler.
The Camaro is not well reviewed for handling or visibility, but looks great.
I shopped around for insurance only to realize that my current company is expensive. There is hope.
The WRX is too boy-racer, especially with the large spoiler.
The Camaro is not well reviewed for handling or visibility, but looks great.
I shopped around for insurance only to realize that my current company is expensive. There is hope.
If he's worried about insurance on some of the cars listed above, I don't think motorcycle is a good route for him.
Why not? Motorcycle insurance is dirt cheap compared to car insurance. Mine is about $15/month.
really?
i got a quote once and it was like $1800 per year
my car insurance is $1000 per year
I have a motorcycle license! I gave up riding because I started to become fearful after some close calls. Motorcycle insurance is usually cheap because it doesn't cover injuries to the operator, right? That's where the risk is.
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I wish my car insurance is $1800.
No I don't have claims or speeding tickets.
nizz said:
I wish my car insurance is $1800.
No I don't have claims or speeding tickets.
2nd cars usually mean fun. Howabout a Lotus Elise? Little, nimble, don't have anything not necessary to FUN driving.
Best of all, they can go round those things we call corners...
Best of all, they can go round those things we call corners...
It's not a Lotus, but my 2009 Miata Sport was $16,500 total brand new before trade (year end discount). That was just too good to pass up. I don't think I will ever own any other car after I found out how much fun can be had for so cheap.
I also think the MX-5 is a good pick. Unlike what some say, I don't think it's a chick car.
Another good choice is a MINI Cooper, but I'm biased as I have a '09 MINI JCW for my daily driver, but it is super quick!
That's what I moved onto after my MX-5/Miata. Whilst you can easily get one for the OPs budge in the UK I don't think you will in the US (as we have access to older Elises than the US).
Look at the MazdaSpeed 6. It was only produced in 2006 and 2007, and only about 5000 produced each year. All wheel drive, amazing suspension, turbo-charged 2.3L 4 cylinder engine producing 272bhp stock. I picked one up for about $11,000, and have been doing upgrades galore to it, and it recently dynoed out at 314bhp at the wheels (this is much different than manufacturers hp ratings that are quoted "at the crank" or "at the flywheel"...the drivetrain loses a fair amount of horsepower before it gets "to the wheels"). It's a great car. You get the "sleeper" looks of an almost stock Mazda 6 (but much different than a stock Mazda 6, the Speed 6 is assembled in Japan, whereas the regular 6 is assembled in the US), but you can completely toast Mustang GT's, Camaros, Charger R/T's, RX-8's, etc. Plus, when you drive it and keep it out of turbo, you can get around 30mpg as well!
No They Are Not.
An older car may save you some of that insurance cost. I'm partial to the 300ZX. That has to be the most fun you can have in a car without spending six figures. Just be prepared to spend a lot on tires. High speed cornering is fun, flying off the road due to craptastic tires isn't.
I've been in the market for an Elise somewhere between £15-20,000 for a year now (I'll buy it when I get the perfect one - still got a bit left on my current lease so no hurry). While that's a much more realistic budget, I've seen some S1 model Elise for ~£10,000, which is actually just under his budget in USD. It's definitely achievable, but you'd be getting an old Elise for the top of his budget.
Definitely not something for everybody. But if you want a fun 2nd vehicle, a bike is very cool, very affordable and more fun then most cars out there.
The $15/mo covers full accident coverage for my bike and $2 million 3rd party damage liability.
No clue about your injury question. Universal health care up here, so insurance doesn't come into play. When I was looking for bike insurance it was only when I added in vandalism insurance that it skyrocketed. Too easy for somebody to just push your bike over.
That's what I thought until I got my Miata and my insurance actually went DOWN (currently about $750/yr for 2 cars, was almost $900/yr)! And I was driving a Lincoln Town Car that you would think would be very cheap for insurance. It helps that I have my insurance through AARP; they have shaved thousands off my yearly insurance total. Anybody over 50 should definitely consider AARP if for no other reason than car insurance.
Trouble is we didn't (really) get the S1 in the States (I'm assuming he's in the States since he said "$" and wasn't specific). Shame... I'd kill for an S1 Exige or one of the pre-Exige S1 Elise Sports.
S2000
Miata (1st or 2nd gen, Mazdaspeed for even more fun)
WRX/STi
Evo
Check insurance first, of course. A properly sorted Miata is a blast when the road gets twisty and a poorly set up one is as bad as a mid-70's VW Beetle.
I can tell you with a straight face that the Evo costs more to insure than the Lotus mentioned above.
Be sure to list the weekend car as a pleasure vehicle.
Depends entirely on what coverage you select and what your state laws are.
Yeah, girly like lightweight boxing.
Spec Pinata.
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Ah, I didn't realise that. It really is a shame, as the S1 is a beautiful car. My neighbour has one he's had from new, and it's absolutely immaculate, and I know it's well cared for. I'd take it off his hands if he'd sell!