OK, I'm going to ask a very open-ended question that may sound like a ridiculous one at first, sort of apples Vs oranges but...

I currently own my 4th 911, a 2007 C4S manual with less than 10K miles on it and pretty loaded-up with options.

I was about to trade it for 2009 C4S to get the new electronics and so on. I love driving my 911 and I've found little else that brings the same enjoyment. However, it sits in my garage nearly all the time as I don't take it to the airport and leave it there, I don't take it to the mall and so on.

So I'm considering switching to a hard top Miata since it's one of the very few cars that I think is as fun and enjoyable to drive, albeit nowhere near as capable, as the 911.

As I weigh all aspects I thought I'd ask if anyone hear has been through this thought process and get some thoughts on it.

here is what I have so far:
911
+ styling is timeless and beautiful
+ very fun to drive
+ sublime driving feel - fits me like a glove
+ local dealer is very good in all areas and has given me great deals
- Very high cost per mile driven
- Could buy 4 top line Miatas for the cost on my 911

Miata
+ High reliability (although probably no better than 911)
+ probably the only current roadster style car destined to become iconic
+ very fun and comfortable to drive
- local dealers are typical Mazda I guess but pretty low-class in all aspects

Again, I realize that this is a very open question so I'm looking for is experience with the MX-5 especially from anyone that has both a 911 and MX-5 or insightful thoughts on the matter.

 

WOW...OK... you need to sleep on this! 1st the Porsche is just a car..OK? Go drive it. I keep my Porsche as clean or cleaner than anyone but I drive it to the mall, drive it to the airport to pick up my wife and have even left it in short term parking for 1 night.
Just go drive the car, enjoy it because when you die who cares...not even you will.

 

A Miata is a truly fun car; reliable, affordable, easy to push to the limits even on public roads and has many points in the plus column. If you think this is a car you would be more comfortable using as a DD and racking up the miles on then it might be a better choice for you.

However, I have to agree with the poster above me. I see no point in spending the money it has cost you to own the 911 for a year or so and only getting 10K miles worth of enjoyment out of it. If you do this......and I've done it too with a few cars before coming to my senses......you are spending all of that money so that someone else can get the car after the biggest depreciation hit has occurred and so that the next owner can truly enjoy the car.

I imagine your trade in value would be nearly the same if you had 15K on the clock and a few door dings.

Also, keep in mind that one area where you tend to lose the most money on a quick turnaround is the options. Since your 911 is "loaded" up with them this is going to really cause you to take an exorbitant hit. One of the reasons I usually spec' my cars lean is because I tend to only keep them for 2-3 years.

If you are going to spend the money....enjoy the car! Don't let someone else get *your* money's worth out of the car!

 

why not keep your current 911...and find a used miata for a daily instead of paying the difference to get a new 911 as you want? but honestly if it were me if get the new C4s, and as much as i take care of my car (no rain, no cold weather, parking in corner spots 423213 yards away) i still dont know how you can leave this car at home! it kills me to see my dad leave his car in the garage for weeks at a time without driving it

 

I have an employee with a moded MX5 (it was done at the same shop that does my cars), and the car is a blast to drive, but I agree it is better to buy a used one (not the hardtop (adds weight effects balance), though once again I'd listen to those who say drive your car, enjoy what you have, why did you spend all that money if you were not going to drive it.

 

thanks for the comments, all are appreciated. The "I need to drive my car more" comments (which I already know) aren't really applicable since I only need drive about 3K miles a year at most so my hope is to enjoy those mile more and not have them cost me $5-7/mile. Nonetheless, I'm hearing so far that the perception I have of the Miata as being about as fun to drive as the 911 are echoed here.

The Miata strikes me as reinforcing the old saying that "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fast car slow."

Thanks...

 

Then the best way for you to drive the car "more" and get your money's worth is to keep it for a long time. Whether you put 15K / year on the car and keep it for 4-5 years or put 3K / a year on the car and keep it for 20 years the bottom line is it's financial suicide to buy a car as expensive as a 911 and only keep it a year or two. But I realize that there are plenty of folks out there than can afford this kind of frivolity.

I completely agree with your quote though and it still comes down to which car you'll enjoy the most.

I traded an '05 Boxster S in on my 997.2 C2 and while owning a 911 has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember there are days when I miss the Boxster because with *only* 290hp I could drive it much more to its performance limits on a daily basis. I imagine this would be even more true with a Miata.

 

It's a good question to ask, but it's more about value than anything else. I got religion a few years ago when my brand new with less than 1000 miles on it car got hit. After that I drove it wherever I wanted to go and didn't worry about it. Body work can be fixed and you have car insurance to pay for it. The only thing I don't like doing is leave my car with valet parkers. If they can't leave it out front with me holding the keys I find a parking garage or street parking myself.

You might want to think about taking some weekend road trips to get some pleasure out of owning it. A trip to Savannah and Hilton Head? A trip to Asheville, NC? Ozarks? Lots of cool places to visit and the road trip would be fun.

I say give it another try and after a road trip or two if you still don;t feel comfortable then sell it and buy a Miata or an Audi TTS.

 

I agree, keep the 07 C4S and buy a used Miata. Just this summer I realized a lifelong dream and took delivery of an '08 C2S. To make room in my garage, I sold my 1990 Miata, which I'd owned since new and had modded extensivley (230 hp Flyin Miata turbo, chassis bracing, coilovers, rollbar,etc.) and autocrossed and tracked. The Miata is a very capable car and a blast to drive. Awesome value, but in terms of engineering and driving sophistication (how tight and buttoned down it feels), it can't compare to the Porsche, or my 330i for that matter. I was sad to see the Miata go, and miss it on sunny days, but I don't miss worrying about what would fail on the track because I had it so heavily modded. The Porsche is a pleasure to drive every day and it can be tracked at high performance levels without mods or worries.

To me it boils down to affordability -- had I not managed to get myself in a financial position where I could own the Porsche, I would happily have stuck with the Miata as my fun car. Since I can afford the Porsche, that was the way to go, for me.

One last point, the Miatas are cheap to mod and easy to work on. I may get another in time as a companion to my long term Porsche...

Ron

 

What he said!

 

I have a solution for you. I will trade you my S2000 with less than 3k miles straight-up for your unused 911. You will have a very fun car and won't be scared to leave it parked at the airport. Everybody will be happy

 

I completely undersrand being overprotective with the Porsche .
I even worry aboiut my M3 --just less than the Porsche .
I went out and bought a Honda Civic Si (third car) = worry free car .

If you take the loss on the Porsche you will miss it to no end . I took a break from Porsche completely in 2006 and leased a BMW 330i and missed my Porsche every day .

The reason --theives had ruined the experiences with my last two Porsches.

There is no way I would park it unattended . In my area the xenon lights would be taken in the time it takes to get a haircut .

My Porsche is garaged, low miles, parked only in camera security lots where I know the security personally . If someone ever sees my car in a parking lot .. don't ever think someone isn't watching.

 

Why not buy an 80s Carrera? My daily driver is a 1987 3.2 Carrera Coupé and, even though it is in near mint condition, I don't stress over it since people don't look at it the same way as my newer 2006 Carrera S. With a little bit of money to upgrade its A/C system, you can have a daily car that is fun and involving and will hold its value very well IMO. The only thing I miss is power! Had I not bought my 2006 997 S, my perfect daily driver would be a 1989 930 with the Griffiths A/C upgrades and some suspension tweaks together with a couple of bolt on upgrades (wastegate spring, intercooler etc) and have a car that is both fast enough, gorgeous, that would hold its value better than the new cars and would not get people envious as they would think it to be an "old" Porsche because they are non enthusiasts and don't know any better. Again, I get a lot of joy driving my 3.2 but would have been more content with a 1989 930 and would have saved a lot of depreciation money had I not bought a brand new 997 S a couple of years ago. Just my $0.02.

 

Actually, I totally understand what you are thinking here. But there has be a better way to address your concerns. Even though the Porsche can easily be a DD, it's certainly not an airport car, it may not even be a mall car. I always think ahead about where I'm going before I decide to take the P-car or not and often take my Prius instead. Sad, but true.
But lets be rational here, a Miata is not a substitute for a Carrera. It's a whole different thing. On the one hand, if, after driving one, you think it could be a substitute, then you should likely do the swap because (and sorry if this sounds harsh), you don't 'get it'. Though Miata's are wonderful cars, they are in a completely different league, good as well as bad, than a Porsche. But, from what you write, it sounds like you do get it. So in addition to the option cited above - of adding the Miata, I'd suggest you consider (and everyone should be sitting down now) adding a pre-owned C6 Corvette instead. Why? Well they're really pretty hot - fast, handle well, durable, easy to service, cheap parts, easily a DD. And, they're made of plastic! No mall parking worries (or less), not even much in the way of airport worries. Sure, they're on the other side of the auto-periodic table from the Miata. Very fast, less road feel, interior is a bit base, a little thirsty. But (mostly) opening door-proof, shopping cart-proof, keying-proof plastic!
The concerns that you cite are why, in addition to the Porsche, I rarely take the Ford GT out for a drive. Always worried about it. That's why I'm likely going to build an Ultima Can Am. Fast, fun and PLASTIC!

 

This is a surprising thread. I am interested to see how it goes. I drive my modded C2S daily, but can respect what you are facing. You don't drive it enough to justify the "cost/care/concern" quotient. You want some fun, without those elements. What is funny to me, is that I got the Porsche because it afforded me everything that you are looking for: fun, reliability, and practicality. Yet if I rarely drove it, I'd relate.

I guess one factor you haven't identified is this: when you get out of it, do you look back at it because it's so freakin' hot?


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