Mazda Miata - A Girly Car?

[Old Croc]

I think you may be taking the piss SB!

[Brigante7]

Mazda invented the Miata for guys who like ABBA.

I think you'll find that Mazda based the MX-5 on the original Lotus Elan.

The MX-5 is always voted amongst the top drivers cars and will leave most cars for dead on a twisty country road and is most definitly not a womans car, most woman wouldn't apreciate what it can do (Or men for that matter).

Brigante7.

[TonySoprano]

so how illegal /difficult would it be to have these types of modification's done in Thailand? i know these types of engines are taxed heavily here.

[TonySoprano]

While a bit gutless in stock guise, it is a fun car all the same. Girls car or not, if they were priced like any other domestically produced or ASEAN import, then I would buy one

Yeah, I can feel you on that. So few options for the sports car fan, here.

[Lorin]

Few comments on the convertibles:

1. C70 is nice but well underpowered(I have a friend in Volvo sales, that what she told me)

2. Mini convertible cost just a bit more than Mx5, but it is European, and seems to me drives/feels better.

3. I saw advertisement for grey import of SLK200 for just 3.5 million, I think good choice.

4. Nothing can beat BMW engines and handling, ultimate choice convertible or not, but it is expensive...

[Jingthing]

In the US Miatas are considered rather gay ...

[TonySoprano]

3. I saw advertisement for grey import of SLK200 for just 3.5 million, I think good choice.

This car sells for about 50k USD, and 3.5m is about 100K USD.

Can you please explain what a grey dealer or import is, and whether they pay import taxes and the general legality of such?

my understanding was if the car sells for 50k usd, i should expect to pay 150k usd for it in thailand???

[Lorin]

3. I saw advertisement for grey import of SLK200 for just 3.5 million, I think good choice.

This car sells for about 50k USD, and 3.5m is about 100K USD.

Can you please explain what a grey dealer or import is, and whether they pay import taxes and the general legality of such?

my understanding was if the car sells for 50k usd, i should expect to pay 150k usd for it in thailand???

I'm not completely sure how they make it, the full price should be 4.2 million if I remember right, but I just saw that advertisement few times in BangkokPost and it comes from some big car import company, so I believe its true.

[Grant]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/auto/autoreview...9/red-delicious

[JohnGotti]

where was the advertisement? thanks.

[jackcorbett]

In the US Miatas are considered rather gay ...

Really? I'll have to admit that when I first considered buying a Miata my thoughts were, 1. It's too small for me, 2. It's more a woman's car, and 3. It is too cute. What will people think of me when they see me driving this toy? But once I took one out for a test drive, I couldn't care less--it drove so much better than any car I had ever driven before. Let the idiots out there say what they want. So I bought one and ten years later I bought my second Miata.

From 1993 when I bought my first Miata on it's evolved into an increasingly powerful car. Here check this out Near perfection in a sports car

Tim Hagger in his review wrote "even if they are stuck in traffic, these drivers are still having way more fun than you are. The MX-5 is brilliant, and is just about the most fun car I can imagine. I've been a passenger in a Miata many times, but from the driver's seat it is a surprisingly good experience. It turns on a thought, accelerates well even with a relatively small engine, and simply glides along the road. I personally own a Porsche 911, and the MX-5 makes me wonder why I bothered.

One might prefer another sports car to a Miata. Each to his own, but you are going to find such superlatives with boring consistency in the automotive press which leads me to comment "Only an ill-informed Neanderthal" can make the kinds of comments about the Miata I'm seeing here. It's the absolute finest of the "affordable sports cars" and its far better than most Non-affordable (for most of us) sports cars such as the 911 Porsche in most respects.

[desmondspencer]

mazda miata aka MX5, why not go for the RX8..??

Rotary engine anyone?

[jackcorbett]

mazda miata aka MX5, why not go for the RX8..??

Rotary engine anyone?

I thought about the RX 8 back in the U.S. when I had the 2002 special addition Miata and a 1997 Dodge sport 4 wheel drive pickup truck. I stopped actively farming so I didn't need the pickup truck. So I started considering selling both and buying more of an all around vehicle. The RX 8 was a very exciting car to drive and it offered room for four. However that rotary engine does not deliver good fuel economy. Also...you have to add oil religiously because the nature of that rotary is to use a little oil. Lastly from what I've read later on, once I had already moved to Thailand, the RX 8 has compiled a less than exemplary record for reliability. The Miata on the other hand is the MOST reliable Mazda made which is one of many reasons I feel it is the absolute finest sports car on the market.

[Stumbo]

Yeh. I would stay away from pink if you don't want to appear gay (except here in LOS). It is widely perceived as a lady's car.

As opposed to the oh so macho Honda Jazz, and testosterone oozing Toyota Yaris and Vios that so many androgenous Thai and our brutally male (yes, you macho hunks) TV members drive? Used to have an MGB, would take that Mazda any day, as a great fun driving car.

Why do so many want to buy a car that screams penis envy, the Chiang Mai forum I can understand, but here on the motor forum. Is no bastion safe?

[jkinbkk]

I recall many moons ago my brothers wife brought one while they had a two year stint in the USA.

They shipped the thing back to Blighty when they returned.

One summer evening soon after their return my Bro asked if I wanted to go for a spin in the 'soft top they had shipped back from the states' (Camero, T Bird sprung to mind). I gladly accepted the offer.

Some 30 minutes later a left hook, sky blue, supped up shopping trolley tip toed its way up my drive.

I did not have the heart to tell him what he looked like in the thing.

Needless to say, avoid buying one for yourself or if you do, expect your circle of friends to suddenly have other plans when you offer to take them for a spin in "The Beast"

[Sakeopete]

Driving a Miata will cause testicular shrinkage, you will soon be giving up porn for chick flicks and chocolate sad sad sad.

Edited December 31, 2009 by Sakeopete

[BSJ]

Driving a Miata will cause testicular shrinkage, you will soon be giving up porn for chick flicks and chocolate sad sad sad.

Break it up Sakeopete! If driving a Miata caused testicular shrinkage a lot of gay guys would be switching to something else! The Audi TT comes to mind!

[snoophound]

yep

girly!

But seriously convertibles in Thailand

Too bloody hot dont you think?

You could ofcourse be too sexy for a Miata... .

...

[Sakeopete]

Driving a Miata will cause testicular shrinkage, you will soon be giving up porn for chick flicks and chocolate sad sad sad.

Break it up Sakeopete! If driving a Miata caused testicular shrinkage a lot of gay guys would be switching to something else! The Audi TT comes to mind!

Ummm those guys were straight before they started driving the Miata

[Phil Conners]

When I'm in Houston, my Alpha-male straight hunky friend lends me his Miata and I act straight in it. It was copied from the Lotus Elan, a man's car. But my old boyfriend drove a shocking pink Honda Civic; that was gay.

I have to disagree with you here. Both the Mazda MX5 and the Lotus Elan girly cars. The only Civic that was every gay was the CRX.

[mca]

After all is said and done, they are still rice-rockets

More of a damp sparkler.

Rice rocket to me is a Japanese bike that'll wheelie in every gear or a Japanese car with more horse power than a black hole.

[Phil Conners]

mazda miata aka MX5, why not go for the RX8..??

Rotary engine anyone?

I thought about the RX 8 back in the U.S. when I had the 2002 special addition Miata and a 1997 Dodge sport 4 wheel drive pickup truck. I stopped actively farming so I didn't need the pickup truck. So I started considering selling both and buying more of an all around vehicle. The RX 8 was a very exciting car to drive and it offered room for four. However that rotary engine does not deliver good fuel economy. Also...you have to add oil religiously because the nature of that rotary is to use a little oil. Lastly from what I've read later on, once I had already moved to Thailand, the RX 8 has compiled a less than exemplary record for reliability. The Miata on the other hand is the MOST reliable Mazda made which is one of many reasons I feel it is the absolute finest sports car on the market.

I had an RX7 Turbo during the nineties. As reliable as any other car, in the years I had it never had a single problem with engine or mechanics. The rotary engine is like a dream, absolutely no vibrations at all, like a (quiet) jet engine. I heard the oil consumption thing before but I rarely had to refill oil, only during long, fast drives on the autobahn doing 200 km/h for hours, then it could consume a little bit of oil. Also didn't think gas consumption was too bad considering a 200 HP engine, that kind of power consumes gas. When I finally replaced it, it was for a BMW 540i V8, which is to this day my all time favorite car.

[BlackArtemis]

Anyone who says they are for girls has not seen one tear up a SCCA course. Nor have they seen a flyin' Miata turbo kit on one, or a Ford 5.0 302 or Chevy LS1 dropped into one of these.

If the price was right I wouldn't mind a 1.8L Miata in CM, would have to be a steal for the 1.6.

[tb86]

why not just spend the 4.8 on a lotus?

[BlackArtemis]

When I'm in Houston, my Alpha-male straight hunky friend lends me his Miata and I act straight in it. It was copied from the Lotus Elan, a man's car. But my old boyfriend drove a shocking pink Honda Civic; that was gay.

I have to disagree with you here. Both the Mazda MX5 and the Lotus Elan girly cars. The only Civic that was every gay was the CRX.

The US CRX or everyone elses CRX?

The CRX in Thailand is what Americans would call a Del Sol. Our CRX is a 2 door hatch.

[Phil Conners]

Any CRX, but particularly the one that looked like someone chopped off a meter of the rear end.

[LivinLOS]

When I'm in Houston, my Alpha-male straight hunky friend lends me his Miata and I act straight in it. It was copied from the Lotus Elan, a man's car. But my old boyfriend drove a shocking pink Honda Civic; that was gay.

I have to disagree with you here. Both the Mazda MX5 and the Lotus Elan girly cars. The only Civic that was every gay was the CRX.

The original CRX VTEX was a howler of a little thing.. front wheel drive tho..

Then the next edition 2 seat with the roof hardtop.. That was as camp as a row of tents.

[LivinLOS]

mazda miata aka MX5, why not go for the RX8..??

Rotary engine anyone?

I thought about the RX 8 back in the U.S. when I had the 2002 special addition Miata and a 1997 Dodge sport 4 wheel drive pickup truck. I stopped actively farming so I didn't need the pickup truck. So I started considering selling both and buying more of an all around vehicle. The RX 8 was a very exciting car to drive and it offered room for four. However that rotary engine does not deliver good fuel economy. Also...you have to add oil religiously because the nature of that rotary is to use a little oil. Lastly from what I've read later on, once I had already moved to Thailand, the RX 8 has compiled a less than exemplary record for reliability. The Miata on the other hand is the MOST reliable Mazda made which is one of many reasons I feel it is the absolute finest sports car on the market.

I had an RX7 Turbo during the nineties. As reliable as any other car, in the years I had it never had a single problem with engine or mechanics. The rotary engine is like a dream, absolutely no vibrations at all, like a (quiet) jet engine. I heard the oil consumption thing before but I rarely had to refill oil, only during long, fast drives on the autobahn doing 200 km/h for hours, then it could consume a little bit of oil. Also didn't think gas consumption was too bad considering a 200 HP engine, that kind of power consumes gas. When I finally replaced it, it was for a BMW 540i V8, which is to this day my all time favorite car.

I had one of the early model ones.. Swapped it for a VW sirrocco.. Only kept it a couple of months.

Went like pure stink and great handling but dam_n did it drink when driven hard.. Love they way you revved it until the buzzer told you to change gear tho

[sticklee]

When I'm in Houston, my Alpha-male straight hunky friend lends me his Miata and I act straight in it. It was copied from the Lotus Elan, a man's car. But my old boyfriend drove a shocking pink Honda Civic; that was gay.

I have to disagree with you here. Both the Mazda MX5 and the Lotus Elan girly cars. The only Civic that was every gay was the CRX.

You don't know what you're talking about. I sold my Elan, of 20 years, last summer as part of my coming to Thailand plan. The Elan was years ahead of its time in its engineering ingenuity. Simple, efficient, everything on the car had a purpose. Power:weight ratio like few before or since. Developed from on track racing program years before anyone else was doing such. Honda promotes its cars of today as 'developed on the racetrack'. ACBC really only wanted to go racing and the Elan financed much of the TeamLotus exploits through the 60's. The Lotus Twin Cam engine has won more races than any other engine ever built and is still doing so in Vintage Racing. The MX5? It served the purpose for which it was built and helped return open top cars to popularity. A 'girly' car can be almost anything you'd care to present in that fashion. Certainly not a McLaren tho'

Want to know about Lotus? Ask me, I know a lot. I have restored the Elan, an original Lotus Cortina and a Twin Cam Europa. Wish I could have one here...sigh...

[BlackArtemis]

I was at a NASA event (National Auto Sport Association) even this past weekend. I was watching miatas DESTROY 944's and other cars in it's class all day long. They only had to blip the brakes while other cars really had to lay in on them. NA they might not be hitting 130-150mph quite so easily, but a 1.8 with a decent turbo kit will.