Damn! I keep going back and forth, trying to decide between an 1984 GSL-SE (mint, 84K) or a 1994 Miata. I just can decide!

Here's the plus and minus list. By the way, I am not a mechanic, so repair will require a "trained professional." The car will get local, 3rd car type of mileage (probably 3K per year). Any thoughts?


RX-7

+ Great revving engine and great SE handling
+ Love the looks
+ Eligible for classic car shows, ins, and plates
+ Sunroof
+ Cool styling

- Maintanance on 18 year old car
- Local repair available for rotary and unique car

Miata
+ handles like a Go-cart on wheels
+ Drop the top!
+ Great styling
+ Track record for great reliability

- Noisy
- Tiny tiny tiny! Room for golf clubs?
- Higher initial cost
- More insurance cost

 

Um... the last go cart I drove HAD wheels... 4 of them


But seriously, haf the fun of a 1st gen is working on it.
The Miata is probably the more "practical" car, but I think the RX is more fun..

It's a real toss-up...

If I were you, I'd take the GSL-SE

 

I'd definitly go w/ the Miata. It's a gas powered slot car, and stock vs stock neither are very quick, but the Miata will hug the road alot better. With about three grand you can force induction w/ jackson racing supercharger, or go the turbo route through flyin' miata out of colarado. I know we all love the rotary, but the miata wins this one!

 

let me correct myself... been staring at the screen for about 8 hours now. Didnt realize were looking at a 13B here.. (I'm still going w/ miata) I just want to retract the "not that quick" comment.

 

By the way... isn't there about a 4-6K price difference between the two?

 

$3K for the GSL-SE; probably $6 for the Miata...

I'm leaning to the 1st Gen for one unmentioned reason... Miatas are kinda like a 4 wheel motorcycle -- hard for other drivers to see. I'd like to be somewhat safe while driving!

 

You will enjoy both vehicles. I have a mint 85 GSL-SE and another 85 (beater, being redone). The cars are a whole lotta fun.

I also have a Miata with the 1.8L engine. Minor exhaust mods but nothing radical. I have never driven a car with the handling this thing has. Remember, it has about 15 years of technology on the 7 so I should notice a difference.

However, get the 7. They are getting harder to come by and the Miatas will be easy to pick up for quite some time.

jeryj

 

If someone else is doing the main/mods on your vehicles choose the Miata. It will be familar to almost all mechanics and standard fair for parts, tires, lamps, etc. It's what the Sixies British Sports Cars wanted to be, and we wished they were. It will be a lot of fun, and they have a large Club following.

An SE...To some of us, especially those of us in this forum section, is the ultimate. As I've stated before, it reminds me of my old '69 Z/28. Ready from the factory to mod for racing/rallying or "spirted road use." The real joy in owning an SE is knowing yourself, most others won't know or care, that your car is a "Special Edition." That is it has all the goodies that puts the "Sport" in Sports Car, from the rugged injected 13B, the close ratio trans, the modified suspension, to the bigger brakes, and 4:10 rear, not to mention the Classic Chisel Nose styling. But you need to be a "Car Person" one who enjoys tinkering, doing his own main/mods and gets a kick out of owning and running a unique vehicle. Face it, Rex people are a different breed. As my old cop partner would say, "just a little bit (a flip of the hand) twisted."

Go with the Miata....Now, would you be so kind as to tell me some more about this "mint 84k SE?" How much does the present owner want for this 18 year old tired out ride? What color is the oxidized paintjob? What color is the worn out interior, and what kind of abuse and neglect has is undergone over its long life?

Denny, from the abandoned corncrib....

 

Denny, you really pick the miata over the "MINT" SE ?..Miata's are all over the place, easy to find and not to mention more expensive. But I too would lean toward a miata only because of the convertible...gives a little more excitement/fun...but with a "mint" se , I still lean toward the "7" myself. ...more rare, very fun to drive, fairly cheap to maintain, and if you take care of the car, and sell it some day down the road, you may not loose your money. They are collectible and I do see that there values are slowly creeping up. I saw the other day on the forum some guy who had the so called "mint" se with 69,000 miles for 6500.00. now that is steep ....but ...hey ...you never know...give it s few years and maybe they will fetch that much???!!...Just my two cents worth ( or dimes worth)...Always love to see your comments Denny..

 

Go with the -SE. You'll be glad that you did. Trust us.

Http://my7.rx-7.org/Paul/

 

My '84 -SE wasn't mint, that's why I picked up a '92 Miata on Monday.

Another plus is the Miata is 8 Years newer than the -SE. Now if the POS Racer had been mint, I probably wouldn’t have upgraded. To each his own, my preference was the Miata.

 

Yeah, I think pjr should go with the Miata, basically because he's not into main/repair. He's going to be taking his vehicle to a commercial garage therefore he's much better off with the Miata. It may be a "mint SE," but it's still 18 years old which means lots of things are just plain old. He could probably be looking at replacing all the suspension rubber, ball joints, tie-rod ends, shocks and struts. The interior I'm sure looks nice, but it and the paintjob are 18 years old. Then there's the picky little things that can make a non-mechanic go crazy. Such as the electrics. They are also 18 years old. One day the electric gas door won't open, then the lamps won't come up, or the stereo goes static and the antenna won't go up and down, then the water pump goes, the alternator, and so on and so on. For a guy who's gotta take his car to a garage for repair these things begin to cost a great deal, and then the old "what's next," and "good money after bad" syndrome sets in. The once enjoyable "3rd car" becomes a ball and chain.

No, unless you get a kick outta tackling mechanical problems, working with wrenches, sockets, hoses, brake lines, and fuses and more, you'll be much happier with a newer vehicle....There's logic behind calling your car "My Baby," in that you're always changing diapers, spoon-feeding special food and liquids, burping, puking, crying, wiping snot, but a real kick in the pants when everything is in order....

Denny, from the 'ol conrcrib....

 

I haven't read what everyone else has written, but having a first gen, it's nice and all but I'd definitely choose the miata. A fast, convertable, reiable, little city car. The first gen will probably require alot of maintainance very soon. If not already. my op

 

My 2 cents, if you can't get your hair dirty driving it, thats a negative. BUT, if it doesn't have a WANKEL under the hood, BIGGER negative.

Tie breaker, way more $ depreciation ahead of you on the Miata than the GSL-SE.

Go with the GSL-SE if truely mint.

 

No brainer, the RX. Always the RX.
If you are taller than 6' you won't fit in the Miata anyway. Plus it's a chicks car.
hanman

 

:p Exactly.

pjr, if you have to think about it that much, go with the Miata. Less chance of disappointment and aggravation when it acts up. You have to WANT an -SE and enjoy working on it if you do not have a good shop near you. Personally, I would have already jumped on the -SE, but I'm also into S&M, so that tells you something.

-John.

 

Thanks for sharing... I think that comment alone needs to goto the lounge. :p

 

Yep, got to agree with ol Denny there. I guess us older folk(or those who have had 3or4 7s) know the difference between thinking out of lust and using your brain. If it doesn't have to be relied upon as a main car plus your fun machine, get the SE. If it has to be a main car and you don't want to get turned off of Mazdas treat to us get the Miata. If later you can tinker with a 7 you will learn to love the cars indescriminate little quirks without the swearing and frustration.

 

looking some of the last comments, I agree that if you do not like to tinker and this car would be your everyday car, the "7" might not be for you. And, to get the "7" , you have to love the "7's" or , as many have said, you will get fustrated with the "little things" that do go wrong her and there with older cars. But I love the 7, it is not my daily car and I like tinkering, so I would be biased on getting the "7" over the Miata. And for me, as someone said, the miata depreciates, the "SE" is curving up....what ever......................see ya...............cjf.................

 

If you have a problem choosing bw a Miata and an RX then choose the Miata. Most of the ppl on this forum chose the RX because they wanted an RX. If you can't or don't like to work on cars, then DO NOT get the RX. My 85 has been my daily driver for the last 6 years and I've only been able to drive it everyday because I've been out in the cold weather changing my starter or under the hood for an entire weekend trying to figure out WHY THIS ******' THING WON"T START!!!!!! But, I wouldn't have it any other way. I have recently purchased my 2nd RX-7 and I will have at least one rotary vehicle in my garage for my entire life.

For most of us, we have a bond our cars and as Denny put it "calling it our baby", is entirely true. If you don't "feel" something for an RX then get a Miata.

 

I'm 6' tall and can place my fist on my head without touching the headliner so you may be able to drive the car if you are taller than 6'.

Miata's are louder, colder, and have no room for anything your wife wanted to buy the last time you went out so some CHICKS may not appreciate owning this car.

Both cars are 130hp, 2500lbs, 2 seaters, sporty pop-upheadlights, AC, timelessly designed.

PS, I know you were just kidding.

I chose an RX7 because it was beautiful, sporty by reputation, and when I test drove it, it was the fastest thing I drove since my 72ss chevelle. Well, After many years of owning the RX7, it began to fall apart, and I started making more money, bought some other cars and eventually started to miss the first years of my fast and fun RX7 now reaching an all time low. I looked into mazda again and without much hesitation jumped for a 96 Miata LP. I found that F'n mazda was still making 130hp 2500lb cars 11 fricken years later and not much was improved except for stearing. I basically got a new 85se RX7 convertible instead of a hatchback. Very similar, but intricately different. My wife prefers the RX7 for long drives, quiet cabin noise, and all together a better comfort level. However, nothing beats a drop top when it's 80 degrees outside. I never had any really BIG problems to date with the RX7 and I suspect the Miata will be the same way when it reaches the same age. The only major difference is, a Miata costs as much as 4 times the price of your average 85SE RX7 and that is a lot or repairs/garage time you can do on a RX7. I have recently been restoring my RX7 and it's gotten to the point where I have once again considered making it my daily driver and possibly selling the Miata.

It's like they are telling you though, the RX7 means something to me and has a name, so the the Miata, but it's not the same.

The miata IS the best selling sports car of all time and it will no doubt will be in car shows down the road.

 

My wife owned a 94 miata for 5 years. I drove it alot. It's a very nice car, and handles great. I had a racing beat K & N intake on it. Before that, it was starving for air. I'd definately recommend it as the first thing if you decide on the miata. In my personal experience, the rag top is great, but it has it's disadvantages also - no break from the sun, can't see that well when it's up, and noisy. We never had any problems with the car - very reliable. It was way too small for me and I'm 6'1".

I now have an 84 GSL-SE. I like it much more, but it's old, and has issues. Even though it can be a pain, It's worth it. To me, it's the coolest car ever made. Each time I drive it, I say to myself "I can't believe this was made in 84...." Also, it's so simple and so great for it's simplicity, and the styling, there is nothing better except for the 3rd gen, which personally I couldn't handle the issues with turbos and so many other complications.

As far as price, I think they would work out to be about the same after you figure in a couple of years. I bought my rx7 with good paint and no rust, and a Mazda rebuilt engine with 6 months left on the warrenty for $3500. Since then, I've put about another 3k into it just fixing it up... no performance mods yet. And my car had many new parts in the last 2 years before I got it.

To me the RX7 is the way to go...

But if you aren't ready to deal with the issues of an 18 year old car, and you don't have a good rotary shop nearby, then I'd go for the miata. But you'll be missing out on something.

 

doh! I didn't realize this was from January!

 

Its funny, I've had more than a few issues since I bought mine last year but there's this part of me that really doesn't give a **** over the agravation.

 

sorry, the "baby" is an 84 gsl-se